Whether they work for the organisation selling the qualification or the organisation buying them, curriculum leaders are experts in the qualifications, they are experts in the curriculum being taught. So, in short, they are experts in what is being taught. But are they (as) expert in how best to teach it?

Generally speaking, their job is to ensure that the qualification is successfully taught. Often there is an associated add-on responsibility. To improve the quality of learning through better teaching. So that ALL learners can access the qualification and thereby access future life, learning and employment opportunities. 

Often curriculum leaders find themselves with the task of supporting colleagues across campuses or colleges. Across counties, districts, states, countries even. 

The suggestion here is that the HOW2 app provides a better and more efficient way to support the effective delivery of qualifications and improve learning through better teaching. Put another way the suggestion is that HOW2s can enable Qualification Providers and Curriculum Leaders to support their users in HOW they teach the qualification. 

For curriculum leaders working for organisations selling qualifications, it provides a unique and proven way to put all their buyers in one place (so they can support each other) and support their buyers directly in delivering their qualifications. 

It’s interesting to note Adrian’s reference to ​‘Barriers to Progress’ (aka Learning Needs). Interesting in that unless educators have access to the know-how they need to overcome barriers as they occur access to the qualification and therefore future opportunities will be affected. 

You’ll have seen on the videos that HOW2s are bite-sized, step-by-step, visual guides to Evidence-Informed Teaching techniques. If you skipped the videos imagine an aeroplane safety card, and you’ll be in the right ballpark. Now imagine 160+ cards, each one depicting a teaching technique for online or blended learning and you’ll’ve scored a goal (or if you are in the US a home run) 

Now imagine these easy to understand guides on a web app that has a suite of peer-to-peer social learning tools that make sharing best practice across ALL of your network a cinch. 

In short, curriculum providers sell WHAT educators teach. We sell HOW the curriculum leaders working for the organisation selling the qualification can support the curriculum leaders buying the qualification. By, in turn, helping them ensure their teachers are great at teaching the qualifications. 

I’m going to hand over to some of our (and your) customers to tell you more about HOW2s. 

Paula Han (Milton Keynes College): I teach teachers who deliver courses covered by a variety of Awarding Organisations. Our College subscribes to HOW2 to support the delivery of course content that is stipulated in the Unit specification. HOW2 supports me in many ways, one to role model good practice when delivering my own teacher training sessions and in my Quality role when delivering CPD, coaching and feedback for teaching observations.

NOTE to Curriculum Leaders working for Qualifications Provider: Consider if and how Paula’s role in ensuring her colleagues deliver their qualifications (and improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment) is similar to your own? Make a note of any questions that pop up. 

Paula: Research is continually supporting the need to encourage students to be actively involved in their own learning, and cognitive science is proving that learning happens when we think hard, furthermore social interaction and collaboration have also been shown to have huge benefits to learning.

NOTE to Curriculum Leaders working for Qualifications Provider: The app, along with its content is informed by three areas of research. You can read extensively about them here. 

NOTE to Curriculum Leaders working for Qualifications Provider: 

NOTE to Curriculum Leaders working for Qualifications Provider: 

Paula: Before we had HOW2s the Team would deliver CPD sessions aware that when staff left the room they may not revisit what was delivered. We still do this but now HOW2 enables us to role model the strategies during CPD and teachers are then able to log onto their HOW2 after training and revisit the activity. Further use is when completing observation reports we can point staff in the direction of particular HOW2s. Added to this because it is an online tool, part-time staff who cannot attend CPD can still access the resource.

NOTE to Curriculum Leaders working for Qualifications Provider: 

All qualifications, all educators, 

Immediacy, scalability, standardisation, sustainable

Impact: Access to Qualification, shorten improvement cycles from weeks to days

Adrian Pegg Newcastle College Group 

Beckey Vallely SCL Training Provider 

Paula Han Milton Keynes College 

Fances Rippin Gateway College