Transforming CPD for Apprenticeship Assessors: My Journey with HOW2s

My journey with HOW2s all started with a realisation that, despite the enormous success of the HOW2 platform within our college for teaching, learning, and assessment, there was a disconnect when it came to our apprenticeship assessors. The platform’s emphasis on the craft of teaching didn’t immediately resonate with them, given their unique, hands-on, industry-specific roles. This insight was pivotal — it was clear we needed a strategy that aligned more closely with their day-to-day experiences and challenges.

Inspired by the college’s ​“Ingredients of a Lesson” initiative — another innovative framework crafted utilising the HOW2 platform — I took the lead in developing what we now call the ​“Ingredients of a Progress Review.” This involved adapting the HOW2s’ language to reflect the assessors’ context, substituting terms like ​‘teacher’ with ​‘assessor’ and ​‘classroom’ with ​‘one-on-one session’. By adapting the platform’s language — the resources were transformed to cater directly to the assessors’ specific needs.

Through this process, we’ve not only bridged the engagement gap but also affirmed our commitment to vocational education excellence.

Our innovative approach led to the creation of specific HOW2 sets, each designed to address a particular aspect of the assessors’ roles — from planning and target setting to engaging learners and providing meaningful feedback. 

Utilising the HOW2 platform’s capabilities, I was able to offer personalised guidance at the start of each set, focusing on their objectives to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by our assessors.

The HOW2 sets were as follows:

(Technique links require an active HOW2 subscription)

1. Planning: Our objective was to facilitate richer discussions through meticulous preparation, involving the learner, employer, and assessor. Techniques like Action Planning with Graphic Organizers, GOs for Self and Peer Review, iPlan, and Entry Routines were instrumental in achieving this.
   
2. Entry Routine: We aimed to set clear expectations and a structured beginning for the progress review to ensure a focused and purposeful session. Entry Routines and their Online Version played a key role here.
   
3. Facilitating the Review: The goal was to centre the learner in the review process, guiding the session through strategic questioning of both learner and employer for a meaningful discussion. Techniques such as Guiding Questions, iReview, Three from Ten, and Tickets Please! were employed.
4. Target Setting: It was crucial to ensure learners set and review SMART targets throughout their journey, which is essential for progression and preparing for end-point assessments (EPA). We used Flow Bubble: Planning for Writing, iPlan, Progress Tracker, and Target Map: Teacher Modelling for this purpose.
5. Developing Learner Confidence to Lead Discussion: We focused on empowering learners to lead the review, articulating their progress, highlights, targets, and next steps confidently. Techniques like Elaborative Interrogation, Just a Minute, One-Minute Summary, and One-Minute Verbal Assessment proved valuable.
6. Checking for Understanding: Our objective here was to assess and reinforce the understanding of knowledge and skills between reviews, supporting learners’ EPA readiness and overall learning journey. This was facilitated through techniques like 100 Words, Give me Ten, Just a Minute, Learning Capture, and More Than Just a Minute.
7. Providing Feedback: We aimed to deliver impactful feedback that informs learners’ progress decisions, emphasizing the delivery of constructive and motivational insights. GOs for Formative Teacher Assessment and Got It? were the techniques used.
8. Learner Progress: Monitoring, documenting, and challenging learner development was our objective, facilitating targeted discussions on progress and areas for improvement. Techniques such as Capturing Progress, Capturing Progress Online, Progress Tracker, and Tickets Please! were instrumental.
   

Leveraging the platform’s ​‘groups’ feature, I organised the assessors into groups, making it easier to share specific technique sets that matched their roles. Additionally, to promote active engagement and reflection, I utilised the platform’s ​‘nudge’ feature, which encouraged assessors not only to explore these sets but also to use the platform’s core ​‘notes’ function. 

This feature enabled assessors to capture and record their insights and experiences with each technique, fostering a shared, collaborative learning space. This sharing mechanism cultivated an environment where assessors could collectively enhance their knowledge and skills through mutual insights and discussion.

This integration and tailored approach not only bridged the engagement gap but also underscored our commitment to vocational education excellence, illustrating the HOW2 platform’s adaptability and efficacy in addressing the unique needs of our assessors.

Our approach has not only enhanced engagement among our assessors at Middlesbrough College but also serves as a pioneering model for vocational education providers looking to refine their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) strategies.

With the implementation of ​“The Ingredients of a Progress Review,” the perspectives of assessors who’ve actively engaged with these HOW2 techniques are particularly enlightening.

Lisa Corkin, a Business Tutor and Assessor with NSG Business and Professional explains how these resources have revolutionised her approach to progress reviews.

Delving into the transformative nature of the ​“Flow Bubble: Planning for Writing” technique, Lisa reveals, ​“This approach has been a game-changer, empowering students who face challenges in structuring their writing and substantially elevating their academic performance.”

Lisa also highlights the remarkable impact of the ​“One-Minute Summary” technique, elaborating, ​“This method has prompted learners to introspectively reflect on their workplace learning, making progress reviews more engaging and approachable. These practices have nurtured a culture of regular reflection, significantly boosting learners’ readiness and active participation.”

Turning her attention to the ​“Progress Tracker,” Lisa emphasizes its instrumental role in energizing learners and bridging conversations with employers. 

In sharing her experiences, Lisa sheds light on the adaptability of the HOW2 platform in meeting the nuanced needs of CPD for assessors. Her use of these techniques has not only optimised the progress review process but also serves as a beacon for other assessors eager to deepen their CPD engagement.

The adaptation of the HOW2 platform, guided by the ​“Ingredients of a Progress Review,” has had a profound impact on Middlesbrough College. Assessor engagement with CPD resources has significantly increased, illustrating the effectiveness of this tailored approach. By placing assessors and their unique educational landscapes at the heart of CPD content, the college has not only enhanced the learning journey for apprentices but also set a benchmark for vocational education providers everywhere.