1. Working in Partnership to Embed Literacy, Language and Numeracy
Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) Skills for Life Quality Initiative
Working in Partnership to Embed Literacy, Language and Numeracy

2. Aim:
To support collaborative working in the design and delivery of more effective embedded teaching and learning sessions

3. Objectives Participants will have:
an understanding of different models of collaborative working
a basic understanding of how to use co-coaching approaches to find solutions to difficult issues
practised basic co-coaching skills
analysed the experiences of practitioners who successfully co-teach in an embedded vocational programme
a checklist of critical success factors for effective collaborative teaching
planned, presented and evaluated a co-teaching session that embeds literacy, language and/or numeracy in a vocational or other programme.

4. Research evidence for embedding LLN in vocational or other programmes
In a sample of 1,916 learners, in the most embedded provision:
Retention was 16% higher
Vocational success rates were higher e.g % higher at Level 2
92.8% achieved literacy/ESOL qualifications
93.4% achieved numeracy qualifications
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)
In the case studies of embedded provision, teachers planned and worked closely together.
In most cases, tutors contributed either vocational or LLN expertise, in a few cases a single tutor taught both.
Effective tutor teams shared a vocational objective for their learners and were strongly learner-centred.

5. Features of effective embedded provision: aspects of teaching and learning
LLN teaching directly linked to vocational context
Use of diagnostic and formative assessment to integrate LLN into vocational teaching
Differentiation to meet learners’ needs
Presenting LLN as integral to learners’ vocational aspirations
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

6. Features of effective embedded provision: teamwork
Commitment to collaborative team work from vocational and LLN staff
Formal and informal shared planning
Team identity e.g. shared staff rooms, joint activities
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

7. Features of effective embedded provision: team values
Shared commitment to learners’ vocational success
Respect for, and understanding of, each other’s specialisms
Commitment to learn from each other
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

8. Features of effective embedded provision: whole organisation approach
Organisational policies and managers support embedded provision in principle
Senior and middle managers support embedded provision in practice
Organisational arrangements support embedded provision
Resourcing and working conditions support embedded provision
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

9. Dual-skilled or specialist teachers?
“The embedded approach failed to work only when vocational teachers were also expected to teach literacy and numeracy.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

10. Team teaching: research findings
“Literacy, language and numeracy has to be subsumed into the overall vocational objective for the learner.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005)

11. Team teaching: research findings
“Qualities possessed by tutors and relationships between them were more important than general curricular models of embedded provision.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005)

12. Moving forward
“The key is for vocational and literacy, language and numeracy teachers to plan and work genuinely together and share responsibility for the course.”
“Tutors’ own fears of the unknown other need to be dissipated through team working. Embedding seems to require shared working over intensive periods.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005)

13. The challenge
“Embedded provision is likely to be professionally more demanding and more time-consuming for tutors than traditional models, but also more rewarding.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2006)

14. Implications for staff development
“While short formal courses may be useful for either group, extended opportunities for informal learning (and learning from each other) chime well with models of adult learning. Staff need time to work together developmentally in teams.”
(National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005)

15. Approaches to collaborative working: where are you now?
Aim:
to reflect on your current working relationship and to consider how to move forward
Objectives:
to identify some models of collaborative working arrangements
to review current ways of working together
to consider the advantages and disadvantages of adopting different ways of working together
to generate questions to support successful team working

16. Where are you now? In pairs, consider:
where your working partnership is now
the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches for your own context. What might work? What might not work?
where you would like to be.
Share your findings with others.
Agree three key questions that will need answering to ensure successful team work.

17. Working together
Team workers need to spend 80% of their time performing excellent work and 20% supporting their colleagues. They will then build a good climate, generate ideas and produce results. (Pegg, Mike (1989) Positive Leadership: How to Build a Winning Team)

18. A cycle for working together
Planning and Review
                                                     

19. Ground rules for working together
Build rapport and a working relationship.
Investigate your partner’s situation.
Identify strengths and problem areas.
Agree specific goals and outcomes.
Focus on solutions.
Review progress on goals and give feedback.

20. A cycle for working together
Planning and Review
                                                     

21. Co-teaching: identifying and removing barriers
In pairs or small groups:
List some of the barriers or problems that might arise during team-taught sessions.
For each barrier/problem, suggest strategies.
Record these on flipcharts and display.
View each others’ findings and comment or add to the strategies.

22. Making it work: the power of positive thinking
If it works, do more of it; if it doesn’t work, do something different.
A small change in any aspect of a problem can initiate a solution.
People have the necessary resources to change problems.
A focus on future possibilities and solutions enhances change.

23. Making it work: the power of positive thinking
5. Co-operation enhances change.
6. No sign-up – no change.
The problem is the problem; not the person.
Possibilities are infinite.
People have unique ways of solving problems.

24. Improving your performance in a partnership
Negotiate needs
into a purpose.
What do you want
to develop?
Review.
What has worked?
What hasn’t worked?
Why?
What remains to be done?
Develop a strategy.
What actions will
you take, in what order?
Break task down into
achievable steps.
Outcomes.
How will you know when
you have been successful?
What will have happened?
What will others notice?

25. To promote positive change
Enable your partner to:
find their successful past – what has worked well in previous situations
recognise existing useful skills and qualities
explain their ‘vision’ and what the ‘improved future’ will be like
think about doing something different
plan it
do it.

26. Scaling: where are you now?
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst you can imagine and 10 is fine:
Where are you this week?
How come?
How have you managed to get so far already? (Go for actions rather than feelings)
What did you do differently to get to this point?

27. Scaling: where would you like to be?
When you are one more along the scale:
What will you be doing differently?
What would I see and hear differently on a video?
Who will be the first to notice?
What will they notice first?
How will you know they have noticed?

28. Powerful questions to try
What do you want from your session?
Try to envision success. Can you describe it?
What will you have to do to achieve this?
What stops you?
What options have you got?
What else?
How will you or others know when it’s worked?
I wonder what would happen if you tried…?
Suppose…?
What would… look like to the learners?
What would the learners be doing differently?

29. A cycle for working together
Planning and Review
                                                     

30. Problem-maintaining cycle
1. Identify the problem
2. Try out a solution
3. Failure
4. Acknowledge that something went wrong
9. Reduced enthusiasm
for change
10. No change
5. Explore the cause of the failure
6. Why did it go wrong? Who was to blame?
8. Mistrust
7. Protect yourselves

31. Solution-developing cycle
1. Identify the problem
2. Try out a solution
3. Failure
4. Acknowledge that something went wrong
9. Improved enthusiasm
for change
5. Visualise and share the preferred future. What will change look like?
10. More change
8. Share the credit
6. Notice and identify the first signs of change
7. Explain the progress

32. Try it out
Aim:
To put the theory of effective team teaching into practice
Objectives:
To create an embedded co-teaching session for an activity or topic
To present your session (or micro-teach it) to another pair
To receive and give constructive feedback.

33. Structure of presentation
Content and learning objectives
How will you present it? Which teaching and learning methods will you use?
How will you work collaboratively?
What are your roles? Who will do what? Will it be seamless?
What resources will you use?
How will you assess learning?
How will you evaluate the outcomes of the session for a) the learners b) yourselves?