Capel Manor College Embraces Pedagogical Innovation with the HOW2 Platform

Capel Manor College, London’s only specialist environmental college, has adopted the HOW2 Platform to support its educators in building on and further developing their pedagogical expertise and teaching practices.

The scalable platform will provide the college’s 170 educators across five campuses with on-demand, easy access to over 160 visual guides for evidence-based teaching techniques, which can be tailored to their individual needs. 

Committed to empowering staff through professional development, Capel Manor selected the HOW2 platform for its ability to enable self-directed learning, allowing educators to independently explore new techniques and enhance their skills, classroom performance, and overall professional growth.

Another key factor in selecting the HOW2 platform was the ability to align pedagogical language across the institution.

Capel Manor College plans to embed the HOW2 Platform into its quality assurance and teaching and learning practices, including lesson observations and learning walks.

The platform will link areas identified for improvement to specific teaching techniques on the platform, giving educators concrete, actionable tools for improving their practice. This will support a culture of continuous, evidence-based professional development rather than simply assessing performance.

In addition to supporting lesson observations, the college will use HOW2’s Sets feature to create collections of techniques aligned with the college’s teaching and learning priorities. 

This enables targeted CPD that addresses specific classroom challenges, while the Personalised Library feature allows teachers to save and revisit preferred techniques for future use. The platform’s Skills Exchange and Notes features encourage peer collaboration, enabling educators to share insights and learn from each other’s experiences, building communities of practice both within and across departments.

The Priority Reports feature will also play a critical role in identifying and addressing barriers to learning. The reports will help the college pinpoint areas of focus for individual educators or departments, ensuring that CPD sessions are tailored to the specific needs of staff.

The platform will also be integrated into the college’s new staff induction programme, ensuring that all educators are equipped with the tools they need to succeed from day one.

Capel Manor College is London’s only environmental college, offering a wide range of full and part-time courses for school leavers and adults. With a focus on land-based disciplines, the college equips students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to pursue rewarding careers that support the capital’s green agenda. Across five campuses, Capel Manor College plays a vital role in preserving London’s wildlife, parks, and green spaces, while fostering a sustainable future.