CASE STUDY MANDY GUTSELL


Mandy Gutsell is a tutor for personal and social development and volunteering skills for work at Fircroft College. She leads a Local Network Group in Birmingham and has been a member of SET since October 2018.


I liked the idea of collaborating with other professionals and up-skilling. Fircroft


College has also encouraged us to see the benefits of SET. I think the Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers are important and an LNG helps us discuss professional issues so that we, in turn, can have a positive impact on learners. It is about connecting, working together, collaborating and creating ideas together. It has


given me more energy and a different focus. I have connected with other professionals and I’m making contacts and networking. I have also gained recognition and acknowledgement for my work. I organised our first meeting in April, where we discussed the themes for future meetings.


As group leader I will help establish themes for the events with my peers, source speakers and workshop leads, and communicate brief biographies of speakers and the workshop content. Some admin is required. I will hold our meetings at the college, which means I don’t have to pay for room hire.


CASE STUDY KIRSTY HARVEY


Kirsty Harvey is a skills trainer/learning coach for Babcock International – Skills and Learning. She leads the Leicester Local Network Group and has been a Member of SET since 2010.


We get around 30 or more members attending the LNG. They have discussions and come away with ideas to support them in their role, develop their skills and add to their professional development. Attendees meet a wide range of learning professionals whom they can network with and


learn from. I enjoy meeting a wide range of people and hearing the challenges they face. It is rewarding when you get feedback on a session and also realise that the challenges you face are similar to those of many others. Organising the events allows me to complete further research and reading on the topics.


In trying to ensure that the sessions are relevant and challenging, I am developing my own knowledge and skills.


Our first session was on autonomy, mastery and purpose and how these can support learner and staff development and achievement. Our next session is on digital tools and how they can be used to support learning and collaboration. A typical session is planned so it can be linked to all areas of learning, but also to allow interactive tasks to be completed to facilitate discussion among attendees. It is important that we learn as a group.


CASE STUDY PHILIP LAWRENCE


Philip Lawrence is an English teacher at City & Islington College. He is currently setting up a Local Network Group in London in conjunction with a research forum. He has been a Member of SET for three years.


My main ambition is to develop a research culture in FE colleges. I think that


SET’s Local Network Groups are one of the ways to achieve this. We had already set up a research forum at college and, after discussions with Naomi Dixon,


SET’s membership co-ordinator, we decided that there was an exciting opportunity to link the forum with a London LNG. I see the LNG/research forum as part of a growing research movement in FE. The philosophy that teachers are still learners themselves has a powerful potential to inspire students. I haven’t done anything like this before. It is so far out of my comfort zone, but if I can’t continue my learning journey, then how can I expect my students to do the same? So, onwards and upwards!


CASE STUDY DARREN KIRWIN


Darren Kirwin is head of quality and teaching and learning at Waltham Forest College. He leads a new Local Network Group in London and has been a


Member of SET for eight months.


The group provides networking opportunities and the chance to build working partnerships with other associates and colleges facing the same challenges that we are. For our first meeting in July, which is nearly fully booked, we have arranged two or three workshop sessions, delivered by a leader in the field or a practitioner in the college. They are focused on supporting attendees to develop their practice, such as behaviour management in a maths classroom. We have also created a ‘Round Table discussion’, a networking slot allowing SET members from different colleges, such as Barnet and Southgate College, the space to collaborate and swap ideas. We will use these ideas for future LNG meetings. Dr Joy Kettyle, the principal of Waltham Forest College, is very supportive of the LNG and believes strongly in the power of networking and building links with external partner organisations, so we will host the meetings at college. SET provides funding for refreshments and guest speakers. Personally, I get the satisfaction of bringing communities of learning together and providing a space where practitioners can discuss the challenges facing FE in a supportive and constructive way.


CASE STUDY GAVIN LUMSDEN


Gavin Lumsden is the chief executive and director of education and training at Essential Teaching UK. He has been a Member of SET since 2009 and leads a


Local Network Group in Portsmouth.


As a SET member and holder of QTLS, I understand that teaching and learning development groups which provide progressive, professional development for FE providers and their staff are vital. The Portsmouth LNG provides effective support for the local SET Community.


Our last meeting was at the spectacular Spinnaker


Tower in Portsmouth (see photograph opposite) where we were joined by some 40 practitioners. Typically a meeting includes: an update on SET resources, benefits and events; a presentation and discussion on our subject of choice (for our last meeting it was coaching for education); and networking. By serving as a partner to SET our LNG helps members achieve both their current and future professional development goals. And I get to meet with like-minded individuals.


inTUITION ISSUE 36 • SUMMER 2019 27


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