HOW2 at the Heart of Teaching Excellence: The Hopwood Hall Approach

Hopwood Hall College, located in Greater Manchester, stands out for its strong focus on vocational education, offering practical, career-oriented courses designed to prepare students for the workforce. With state-of-the-art facilities and strong ties to industry, the college excels in fields such as construction, hair and beauty, catering, and animal care, bridging the gap between education and employment.

In 2020, as part of a wider programme to bolster quality improvements across the college, Hopwood Hall expanded its focus on teaching and learning, creating new Advanced Practitioner roles dedicated to key activities such as induction, observations, CPD training, and departmental reviews. 

To support its expanded focus on teaching, learning, and assessment (TLA) practices, Hopwood Hall College sought a scalable quality assurance solution to foster a learner-centred and autonomous approach to continuing professional development (CPD). The college selected the HOW2 Platform as the ideal solution, offering ²⁴⁄₇ access to individualised, easily accessible expertise.

The HOW2 Platform not only provided Hopwood Hall’s entire staff with access to over 160 evidence-based teaching (EBT) techniques but also offered tools to promote and encourage shared professional learning. This empowered educators to engage in both self-directed and collaborative development, refining their teaching practices while driving measurable improvements in student outcomes.

Four years after adopting the HOW2 Platform, Hopwood Hall has witnessed a profound impact across its 19 departments, and a culture of innovation and collaboration among educators at all levels. For early career teachers, the platform has provided accessible teaching techniques that have built their confidence and competence, while experienced staff at the college have found the platform both refreshing and inspiring.

This impact is reflected in evaluation forms, which consistently rate CPD sessions as 100% either good or outstanding, with 60% achieving the highest rating. ​“The platform reminds people of techniques they’ve used in the past and introduces them to new ways of applying techniques they might already know,” explains Alison Loughnane, Teaching and Learning Quality Manager.

What’s truly impressive, though, is how the platform has been embedded into every aspect of the college’s CPD programmes — an approach that has undoubtedly contributed to its success.

This approach is demonstrated in Hopwood Hall’s Early Careers Programme, which focuses on fostering dual professionalism and supporting educators as they transition into teaching.

Designed for those new to the profession, many of whom come directly from industry without formal teaching qualifications, the programme addresses specific challenges associated with working in FE, such as managing diverse learner engagement levels and the need to embed English and Maths into lessons.

Each week, participants are introduced to HOW2 techniques that tackle these challenges. Led by Angie Simms, a Quality Advanced Practitioner and teacher trainer, the sessions model practical applications of techniques from the platform, providing clear examples of how they can be implemented in teaching practice. 

Participants trial these strategies in their own teaching environments, with follow-up sessions offering opportunities to reflect on their experiences. Peer observations and collaborative discussions, supported by the platform’s notes feature, foster a supportive learning community where educators share insights and refine their practice together. 

By combining hands-on application, feedback, and reflection, the Early Careers Programme empowers new teachers with the skills and confidence to succeed while embedding evidence-based practices into their teaching. 

Central to this programme’s success is the HOW2 AI Assistant, an innovative addition to the platform that provides real-time support to educators to tailor EBT techniques directly to their specific subjects and lesson topics. 

One standout feature is the Assistant’s ability to integrate essential English and maths skills into any subject area. Educators can input a subject and topic, and select​‘English and maths development’ as an additional area of interest, and receive targeted suggestions for embedding these crucial skills into their lessons. This functionality has been transformative for early career teachers, many of whom are new to teaching and may lack the experience or confidence to integrate such cross-curricular priorities effectively.

Hopwood Hall College has also integrated the HOW2 Platform into its Model for Teaching Excellence, which has proven transformative for staff professional development. This model is built around six key TLA segments: Welcome and Connect, Learning Outcomes, Review and Recap, Interactive Presentation, Application, and Learning Review.

With the platform’s ability to create tailored ​‘sets’ of HOW2 techniques, the college aligns specific techniques with each segment of the framework.

Over six weeks, staff participate in two one-hour sessions per week, each focusing on one segment. During these sessions, facilitators model HOW2 techniques and demonstrate their practical application, equipping educators to implement these strategies effectively in their teaching. After each session, participants receive ​‘nudges’ via the platform to revisit and explore the techniques further. ​“This structured, iterative approach fosters consistent engagement and practical skill development among staff,” says Alison.

Another key way the HOW2 Platform has been seamlessly embedded into college practices is through its integration with Hopwood Hall’s formal lesson observation process. During formal observations, observers provide tailored feedback directly tied to the six segments of the Model for Teaching Excellence. Based on their observations, they recommend a specific set of HOW2 techniques for the educator to focus on, ensuring feedback is both actionable and precisely targeted to enhance classroom practices. 

This systematic approach enables educators to immediately access a curated collection of EBT techniques tailored to their developmental needs. The HOW2 Platform supports this process by providing step-by-step, easy-to-learn techniques that empower teachers to seamlessly incorporate them into their lessons.

In addition, observers and training coordinators analyse trends in the most frequently recommended sets, allowing the college to identify common challenges and direct resources where they are most needed. 

Peer observations also play a vital role, encouraging collaboration and shared learning by enabling teachers to observe colleagues excelling in specific segments of the teaching framework.

As part of its strategy to embed and promote the HOW2 Platform, Hopwood Hall College developed an inspiring initiative: the HOW2 Champions Programme. Created by Alison Loughnane and her quality team, this programme exemplifies the college’s commitment to celebrating success and fostering engagement through positive reinforcement.

The programme encourages staff to engage with the HOW2 Platform by rewarding participation and excellence through a structured tiered system of achievement — Bronze, Silver, and Gold. This approach fosters healthy competition and pride, with visible achievements such as badges and leaderboards amplifying its impact and making it a cornerstone of the college’s strategy to embed HOW2 across the organisation.

Hopwood Hall College’s integration of the HOW2 Platform has been a catalyst for transformation, delivering measurable results that resonate across all departments.

In the ESOL department, the results are particularly striking. Observers have described Lisa Harrison’s use of the ​‘Cooperative Answers’ technique as a ​“masterclass” in fostering collaboration and balanced participation. A standout ESOL lecturer, Lisa has demonstrated how this approach transforms her classroom dynamics. By regularly integrating it into her lessons, she has cultivated an environment where every student contributes meaningfully, quieter learners gain confidence, and group discussions remain focused and inclusive.

The Technology Centre at Hopwood Hall College, which includes trades such as carpentry, brickwork, and motor vehicle maintenance, demonstrates how HOW2 strategies have been adapted to meet the needs of workshop-based teaching. A motor vehicle lecturer took the initiative to creatively enlarge one of the platform’s Graphic Organisers and repurpose it as an interactive tool for the workshop.

Displayed on walls as enlarged organisers, these boards encouraged learners — including those hesitant to speak — to write their responses directly on them, fostering greater inclusion and collaboration. This innovative adaptation highlights the versatility of HOW2 techniques and their potential to transform practical teaching environments.

Engagement with the platform has grown significantly, with staff actively working toward higher recognition levels in the HOW2 Champions Programme. Even initially hesitant managers now champion its use, embedding HOW2 techniques into quality improvement initiatives. Collaboration boards in staff rooms have become vibrant hubs for sharing successes and celebrating achievements, helping to fuel a culture of mutual learning and professional growth.

The platform’s measurable impact is evident through its skills exchange — a core feature that enables educators to share best practices and deepen their teaching through collaboration and peer learning. With nearly 3,000 techniques fully embedded across the college, over 1,400 actively being worked on, and 835 under consideration, the HOW2 Platform has become integral to Hopwood Hall’s TLA strategy. 

This commitment to embedding HOW2 strategies into every aspect of its CPD programme has fostered a culture of professional growth and innovation. By aligning evidence-based practices with institutional goals, the college has demonstrated how thoughtful implementation of tools like HOW2 can deliver outstanding results — from enhanced teaching techniques to more confident and engaged learners.