Pontydysgu - Bridge to Learning Pontydysgu.org

This was recorded live at the EduMedia conference in Salzburg. Many thanks to Andreas Auwarter who recorded the audio and did the post processing.

As promised more on the Training of Trainers. The presentation is based on research we are undertaling through the TTplus project. The  project aims to support and improve the continuing professional development of trainers and has been examining the context in which training takes place in enterprises and the effectiveness of  present policies and provision for the training of trainers.

The project is developing a framework for the continuing professional development of trainers and examining different measures and mechanism for implementing the professional development framework.

The research undertaken by the project showed that the number of trainers in Europe has increased. These ‘trainers’ include full time trainers, people with a formal training responsibility and all those for whom supporting the learning of others is part of their job. It also concluded that many of these people do not have effective or adequate access to continuing professional development opportunities or support or recognition for their own learning.

It is clear that if the standards of training are to be raised, improving the training of trainers must be a priority.  However, given the heterogeneous nature of the group and the range of sectors and occupations in which they work, it is difficult to see how this could be standardised, or indeed whether it is desirable to do so.  Certainly some sort of common framework would have advantages. It would provide a degree of coherence to what is a very fragmented field. It would increase the visibility of trainer training and in so doing, increase awareness. It could also stimulate the establishment of communities of practice between trainers.

The TT-Plus project has the objective of designing a framework for professional development for trainers in Europe. One approach to this is to develop an accreditation framework. Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which an organisations’ services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met. Should the facility meet the accrediting agency’s standards, the facility receives accredited status from the accrediting agency. Such accreditation often takes the form of a ‘kitemark’ or quality mark designed to show that the organization has met the standards.

The challenges in designing an accreditation system for trainers are three-fold:

Firstly, how can a framework reflect the TTPlus project research findings and be –

• Inclusive enough to accommodate the diversity of people labeled ‘trainers’ and the diversity of contexts in which they work.
• An instrument for improving the quality of practice
• A process to improve and increase access to training opportunities for trainers

Secondly, how can a framework incorporate the best features of previous approaches whilst minimising their disadvantages. Specifically how can a framework:

• Identify ‘gaps’ in organizational or individual trainer  ‘performance’ AND simultaneously facilitate the learning necessary to close the gaps
• Provide recognition and reward for both individuals and organisations.
• Be relevant and sensitive to a range of occupational identities

Thirdly, how can a single framework be flexible enough to allow sectoral, local, regional and national variation whilst still maintaining transnational coherence and a shared European approach?

In short, how can standards be improved without standardization?

The project has produced a consultation paper outlining a possible solution based on a set of common or shared elements and another set of elements where there are choices or divergences to be made at country, organizational or individual level.

The paper elaborates on six ‘components’ of the frameworktogether with linking mechanisms.

• A set of principles
• A set of standards
• An infrastructure
• Processes and mechanisms for applying them and documentation.
• Tools and materials to help those engaged in the process
• Exemplars of evidence

The full consultation document can be downloaded here - Framework for the Professional Development of Trainers.. If you are involved in the training of trainers - or are just interested in te topic we would like to hear your views on the Framework

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Terry Friedman is planning to publish a new version of the popular Coming of Age book.

And along with Leon Cych, he is planning a 24 hour telethon in which the contributors to Coming of Age are “on” for up to 20 minutes, either talking about their contribution or being interviewed about. I thought I would produce a short video (or slidecast) for the occasion. And by short I meant short. I always set out with good intentions but they always end up 25 minutes or more. I am proud of myself. This one is 6 minutes and I think it gets the key ideas across.

If you don’t like cartoon strips or prefer reading to watching a video or just want to find out more, you can download my contribution to the book below.

Coming of Age 2.0

I’m doing a presentation on Tuesday on Learning and Knowledge Maturing. It is a bit of a mash up - some older slides from me plus some slides from Steven Downes. And it comes with full audio - I used slidecast for the first time. So trun up your speakers and press the green button (warning - about 20 minutes long). A longer post about making this will follow.

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Thanks to all of you for your kind comments about my keynote presentation at Online Educa Berlin. Here are the slides from the presentation. Coming soon - the video and two papers - one in English and one in German explaining the key ideas on which the presentation was based.

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OK - I screwed up on the export with the title. But still - I think - some useful ideas in this presentation on Personal Learning Environments.

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A great presentation by Steven Warburton. Steven will be taking part in a panel session, along with Graham Attwell, Helen Keegen, David White, Steve Wheeler and Dai Griffith at On-Line Educa Berlin at the end of the month.

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This is a presentation by Graham Attwell at the Trainers in Europe Conference, Leiden, October 2007. It is based on the work of the Euroepan funded TT-Plus project. In the presnetation Graham Attwell looks at methodologies for researching the training of trainers, presents some of the interim findings of the project and considers what sort of framework can support the training of trainers.

This is Graham Attwell’s presentation on digital and social cohesion, sustainable growth and technology at the European Union e-learning Lisboa 2007 conference.

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This presentation looks at the issues involved in the development of Personal Learning Environments.