Learning to Learn in FE

The Learning to Learn in FE research project is now well under way, having been successfully launched at the Campaign's conference last March. The event was very well received and raised some important points. It was generally felt that the FE sector is under-resourced, which restricts the scope for staff training and development, and for research, with obvious consequences. Having said that, many examples of excellent practice exist, and the FE sector is a vital element of the educational landscape in Britain. In order to excel, many agreed that the sector would have to move away from the market driven principles of competition, which have influenced its operation since incorporation, and become better at networking, collaborating and sharing best practice. Moreover, moving from 'teaching to the test' to learning to learn approaches was thought essential to improving both teacher and learner accomplishment.

For the FE teachers involved in the research project, this year's residential provided a perfect opportunity for collaboration and communication. All who attended gave excellent feedback, stressing the successful interaction between teachers from schools and FE colleges as being the highlight - including surprising synergies between primary and first schools and FE practitioners.

The first set of case studies for the project will be available in the autumn.

Further details on the project can be found on our website.