Sharing the secrets of success

Citation

(2006), "Sharing the secrets of success", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448eab.006

Sharing the secrets of success

Further-education colleges and other learning providers are being challenged to improve their performance and shape up. The further-education review by Sir Andrew Foster, Realising the Potential, calls for a “relentless drive on quality”. But, although there is a wealth of evidence to show why education and training organizations succeed individually, little attention has been given to how they can successfully share the secrets of their success with others. The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) has been investigating the issue. A new research report, Good-practice Transfer in Post-16 Learning: Strategies that Work, sets out its findings.

Drawing on case studies from across the learning and skills sector, the report not only identifies the different ways that colleges and training providers share ideas, skills and knowledge, but also how good practice can be successfully transferred from one institution to another to create lasting improvements. It provides an insight into the strategies and skills necessary to achieve this, with important messages for teachers, trainers, managers and policy makers. The messages include:

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  Simply raising awareness of good practice through passive dissemination methods, such as publications, websites and conferences, will not be enough to change behaviour and practice. To make a real difference, staff need to engage in demonstrations, coaching and other forms of active or “experiential” sharing. Yet evidence cited in the report suggests that most organizations continue to use passive methods of dissemination. Unless they adopt more active approaches, the impact on practice is likely to be minimal.

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  Good practice is rarely, if ever, neutral of the structures and culture of the organization in which it has been developed. To transfer good practice effectively, changes must be made not only within classrooms, but also at the organizational level. Managers have a critical role to play in developing the values and infrastructure needed to support this work. Staff also need the time and opportunity to engage in experiential sharing and to test and customize new ideas.

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  Education and training organizations need to develop their own capacity for identifying excellence, instead of relying on what inspectors or external agencies define as good practice. They also need to acknowledge that the transfer of good practice is a joint responsibility. This suggests a need for a more selective and targeted approach to good-practice sharing.

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  Ways of measuring the direct and indirect impact of transferring knowledge and skills should be developed using case-study examples identified in the report. With the focus on exchanging practice and learning from each other, more attention should be given to the mutual benefits of good-practice sharing.

The report identifies the need for a national policy for supporting good-practice transfer in further education and training. To achieve this, greater clarity is needed over the role of external agencies and national bodies in identifying and signposting good practice, brokering sharing relationships, funding projects, assessing the impact of initiatives and disseminating outcomes. This is being addressed by the Quality Improvement Agency for Lifelong Learning (QIA), which is leading the development of a quality-improvement strategy for the learning and skills sector, working closely with the inspectorates, funding bodies and other national organizations.

Good-practice Transfer in Post-16 Learning: Strategies that Work, by Philip Cox, is available from: Information Services, LSDA, Regent Arcade House, 19-25 Argyll Street, London, W1F 7LS. Tel: 0207 297 9123; E-mail: enquiries@LSDA.org.uk