#APConnect 2022 and the Skylarks are Singing! by Mary Conway

2022 and the Skylarks are singing!

A Happy New Year to all from the Skylark team! 

We’re delighted that Skylarks are already growing in number, transporting us all to the skies and singing away. Not bad for the first tentative year of what is turning out to be a truly transformative programme! The Skylarks are part of the Education and Training Foundation’s #APConnect programme 2021-2022. 

A sample of Skylark songs

Songs from the Skylarks are filled with stories… and are exuberant. 

The main stories in the songs seem to herald the astonishing power of Ideas Rooms and thinking spaces, not only in the action that results, but in the mass motivation of staff, the communal aspirations they begin to share, and the confidence with which they learn and grow together. We are used to the dominant voices in our profession. What we are now hearing is the full range of different voices that maintain our dynamism and invigorate everything we do. And this is only the beginning.

Here are some of the stories:

Kathryn Pogson from Kirklees College tells us: 

Molly. who teaches ESOL, has joined our skylark project for her own and colleagues’ professional development. She has been to the ideas room training, Lou has worked with her, and I’ve been supporting. Yesterday she facilitated her first ideas room with the ESOL team. It was fab, fab, fab and a big deal for Molly! We have a weekly ideas room across college every Monday running till half term. also carrying out thinking rounds in teams. All is going great and the staff are buzzing.

In addition, Kirklees College held an external #ThinkFest on Thursday 20th January from 4.30-6pm. This acted as an excellent model for community building and a highly recommended Skylark showcase. It was advertised publicly on social media and reached out across the sector to wide acclaim.  

 

Cheryl Hall from North Hertfordshire College says:

We have been offering small tasters in swap shop style and have had amazing feedback from staff. A lot of them have mentioned that these short taster sessions are better than full days, as concentration is easier and the topics are just offered for 15/20 minutes before moving on to the next speaker and topic. Staff say how lovely it is that different people are delivering from different departments because this provides a range of examples of what can be offered and new experiences. When we did our first session in November, staff enjoyed the short taster on recall and retrieval and then asked for more in-depth sessions in December just on that topic. 

North Hertfordshire College have already engaged well in excess of their contractually agreed 50 participants on the project and are continuing to grow and develop. Watch this space!

 

Mark Fountain from The Bedford College Group reports that…

… engagement in the project is very strong, now evidencing over 50 participants. Themed AP-led events are increasingly focused on Ideas Rooms and on the practice of values. 

 

Susanna Brandon from Myerscough College is really motoring. 

In her curriculum management role, Susanna faced the challenge of how to ensure communal working, high level practice, shared values and staff buy-in across a number of college sites. Her huge commitment to the Skylark pathway has seen her establishing, not just a series of events, but a whole way of life for the staff.  

Susanna began on the main college site where she and her team of 6 leads ran training and thinking space events for quality responsibilities and those active in implementing the college FREDIE policies. She has then gone on to roll out a programme of similar events on other sites, beginning with Blackburn and Croxteth, which will gradually engage all tutors. 

What is emerging is a cohesive and growing community who work confidently and creatively together with one clear outcome. In Susanna’s words, they are ‘bringing the values line ever closer to the KPI line’. 

An ongoing timetable of events is established, and the numbers engaged grow continuously. As part of their routine evaluation process, participants so far were asked: ‘How valued do you feel when working with us in this way?’ and everyone returned a 10/10 response. 

A thinking space approach has been used to address the specific insecurities of individual staff, as well as whole groups, resulting in growth and amplification of their commitment and confidence. And above all, staff have been vocal about how much is achieved in the time they spend together and how amazing it is that this was time they didn’t think they could spare.

‘Time spent in thinking spaces, they say, is a time-saving activity. 

When asked what message she would sing out to other Skylarks, Susanna replied that transformation comes from a sure-footed and simple approach. It doesn’t have to be big to start with; it just has to be clear and purposeful. 

She says: 

‘Be sure to start every session with the inclusive question: How are you?

Finish always with appreciation – very important!

Open the space.

Create the arena.

Put yourself out there (in the words of Brene Brown).’

So much going on! And these are only a few examples! 

 

A way of life

Increasing numbers of #APConnect participants are turning to the Thinking Environment for their future careers. and many are now enrolling for Masters or PhD programmes, focusing on peer-to-peer working, developing true professionalism and capturing the voices and commitment of practitioners across the sector. It really opens doors.

Questions for Skylark leads and teams to ask yourselves

How well is your Skylark programme progressing? We know that some of you who joined more recently are working hard to launch your Skylark projects while others are going from strength to strength, encouraging and building your communities. Here are a few questions you can ask yourselves and your participants to check on progress…  you don’t need to answer them all, just one or two. 

Questions:

• As a Skylark singing out our song to the wider community, what is the main message about our success to date that we want others to hear?
• What, in our progress so far, has hit us like a light going on or a door opening?
• What lessons have we learnt that we can share with others?
• What stories do we have that tell of surprising outcomes, challenges overcome or pennies dropping?
• How has the Skylark project made us feel?
• How do we see the Skylark project shaping the future?

These questions will inspire the agenda for our event on 28th January. We look forward to seeing you there. We also love to hear what you say at any time. Let us know any thoughts, or stories, or quotes – and we can share them in the next blog. Just send them to Mary or Chloe on Slack. 

 

Dates that matter

This first year of the Skylark Pathway runs until the end of March 2022. There will be lots of opportunities in the final month to share all that has been achieved, not least at the #APConnect National Conference on 25 March 2022.

In the meantime, Friday zoom drop-ins with Mary and Chloe are ready and waiting. You don’t need to book. Just turn up. The zoom link is pinned at the top of the Skylarks Slack channel. If in doubt DM (direct message) Mary or Chloe.

Friday #SkylarkChoir Drop-in Dates. Just turn up:

1- 2 pm on Fridays:

• January: 14, 21, 28
• February: 4, 18 and 25
• March: 4, 11 and 18

 

However, Friday 28th January, when we will address our series of questions, is a fixed event for all Skylark leads and/or teams. It will last from 1-3pm and will include full thinking space time, the chance for you to plan and evaluate your programme so far, and an opportunity to enjoy your own supportive and wired community  from across the country. An afternoon to re-energise you and – yes – actually to save you time! See you there.

Any other enquiries about the programme may be addressed to: alison@touchconsulting.net

Happy singing, Skylarks! May 2022 be a year to remember as the beginning of a great journey!

If you would like to read other blogs in the Skylarks series, simply follow this link or click on the Skylark tag below.