Programmes

touchconsulting Ltd is a small organisation that co-designs and delivers big quality improvement programmes for the education and training profession

National #APConnect Conference

A Story of Advanced Practice: Rethinking the Role of the Advanced Practitioner

This event has now taken place. But you can access all the video-presentations and event related content below! 

1. Welcome

A warm, warm welcome to the DfE funded, Education and Training Foundation’s fourth annual #APConnect conference: A Story of Advanced Practice – Rethinking the Role of the Advanced Practitioner (AP). It’s an apt title as the programme, in its current form, is now in its fourth and final, funded year. But we know the work of APs will continue as you address policy and organisational priorities such as maths/English and digital by developing your AP-skills palette and enacting collaborative practices; agency, collaboration, risk-taking, creativity, innovation and amplification – rooted in a set of explicit, negotiated values:(1).

Today we will spotlight evidence-informed insights, knowledge and practices generated from working with APs over four years through the #APConnect multi-pathway programme. We’ll tell the story of advanced practice through the lens of a past, a present and a future. Your culture-changing work takes centre stage in all its many forms.

We are using the hashtag #APConnect for today so please tag the event into your social media posts – and look out too, for the #APConnect curated exhibition with its artefacts from the last four years. We are inviting you to actively engage with these later today.

We recommend bookmarking this landing page. Pop back to it if you need directions for the day: the programme below has everything you need. Although it’s a full day, we have practised care in our planning and we don’t want you to be on Zoom all day. Some of the conference activities require you to get a cuppa of your choice and engage in asynchronous activities. Before you grab that cuppa, complete this short register (link removed) and listen for a shout out from Lou and Joss on our live stream below. 

Green tea and summer rolls

You’ll find the agenda including all timings and Zoom links in Section 3. We will be using separate Zoom links for the morning workshops, so have a Iook through and see which you’d like to attend. Please select one workshop and sign up for it (links in Section 3). Numbers are capped for each workshop and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Do spend time browsing today’s landing page to get familiar with the day; it offers so much to provoke your thinking and you’ll have space to process your ideas too. 

Right now, check out the starter activities below and our live stream from 9:30-9:50 am! We hope they will ease you gently into the day, and do join us on Twitter using #APConnect 😀

Video 1

Lou Mycroft warmly welcomes you to the fourth national AP Conference [2 mins: 42 secs]. You can access the AP Glossary she refers to here

Video 2

In this video call, Catherine Manning from the Education and Training Foundation (our funders) reflects on the programme to date.  [4 mins: 13 secs]

How are you?

Hop onto the Menti for our opening round: How are you? leaving role, rank and ego at the door.  

Listen for your shout out as Joss and Lou LIVEstream the start of the day! (9.30 – 9.50)

2. A Story of Advanced Practice 

Since ‘Advanced Practice’ was re-launched in FE (2017) with the publication of the Tyler et al research, Advanced Practitioners (APs) themselves have rewritten the job description and, in doing so, positioned themselves as change agents within their organisations. The functions of the AP role still hold strong four years on with APs continuing to provide 1:1 support, facilitating professional development, coaching and mentoring, inducting and supporting new staff, helping translate and implement internally and externally set strategic objectives and staying current as an AP and teaching practitioner.

But our thinking has moved on since 2018, informed at every turn by research with APs and AP-led practice evidence. This can be seen strongly in the areas of: professional development; pan-organisational-external-communities, values based leadership, culture and innovation. We’ll explore more at the conference Thinknotes. But do browse the new cards below for a sneak preview. You can click the pictures below to download individually or pick up this new set here. 

As the co-evaluation research with APs Rethinking the Role of the Advanced Practitioner’ (2021) established, APs are driven by external relationships, ideas and energy to do their culture changing, quality improving work. We are recognising this with the inclusion of a new set of AP cards. Yellow cards represent the pan-organisational approaches led by APs. The wider evidence-based for these new cards can be accessed in the research report above and in the ETF’s APs Thriving or Surviving during COVID research.

3. Agenda Friday 25 March 2022

Today’s conference is a public event and we will be recording sessions throughout the day. Recordings will be available on the landing page post-event. We’ll also share widely with those outside the AP community using the #APConnect hashtag on social media 😀

When?Where?What?
Block 1: 9:30 - 10:00
09:30-10:00Landing pageAsynchronous tasks
Task 1: Watch Lou Mycroft and Catherine Manning's welcome videos
Task 2: Explore the AP Glossary
Task 3: Participate in the opening round: How are you?
Task 4: Complete the register
Task 5: Book onto your AP-led workshop (see Block 5 to do this)
Task 6: Browse this landing page
Block 2: 10:00 - 10:30
10:00 - 10:30Main Zoom RoomWelcome
Welcome by Joss Kang
AP Connect: Framing the Moment by Lou Mycroft
Outline of the day by Joss Kang

Block 3: 10:30 - 11:25
10:30 - 11:25 Main Zoom RoomA Story of Advanced Practice - the past, the present and the future (& Questions)
'Past' by Dr Colin Forrest
'Present' by Joss Kang
'Future' by Dr Lou Mycroft

Block 4: 11:25 - 11:45
11:25 - 11:45
Break If you haven't already done so, choose which AP-led workshop you'll participate in next and book your place below.

Block 5: 11:45 - 12:30
11:45-12:30Room 1'A ‘CBeebies’ bedtime story of hope and joy and not being chuffin’ interrupted'
Andrea Quantrill & Kathryn Pogson, Kirklees College
Tags: maths/English resits, digital, communities of practice, capacity releasing, pan-organisational
Slides
11:45-12:30Room 2'An epic tale of perseverance and dogged determination: our journey towards teacher-led professional development by means of peer and unseen learning visits that embed reflective practice and coaching.'
11:45 - 12:30Helen Brennan, Derwentside College
Tags: Developmental observations, communities of practice
Slides
11:45 - 12:30Room 3'You’ve got the key for CPD: How crowdsourced CPD can unlock professional learning doors.'
Hollie Barnes, Cambridge Regional College
Tags: maths/English resits, digital, communities of practice, pan-organisational
Slides
11:45 - 12:30Room 4'ASPIRE for Adults: how communities of practice shifted a culture.'
Jamie Partington & Jackie Rossa, Chesterfield College with Susanna Brandon, Myerscough College
Tags: maths/English resits, communities of practice, capacity releasing, pan-organisational
Slides to be added
11:45 - 12:30Room 5'Imposter Syndrome - Reframing our thoughts on being an AP'
Jilly Waterhouse & Jennifer Willis, Heart of Worcestershire College
Tags: AP identity, imposter syndrome, peer review
Slides
11:45 - 12:30Room 6Wicked, Wicked, VCoP is massive! Untangling Wicked Problems through Vocational Communities of Practice’
Stacey Salt, Eve Sheppard & Sinead Blackledge, Oldham College
Kathryn Beckley, Calderdale College & Kayte Haselgrove, University of Derby & Chris Wilde, Eccles Sixth Form College
Tags: maths, English, vocational, communities of practice, pan-organisational
Slides
Block 6: 12:30 - 13:00
12:30- 13:00Lunch breakPlease do step outdoors and feel the sun!
Block 7: 13:00 - 14:00
13:00-14:00 Main Zoom Room'Wicked Problems: Basic Skills and Incisive Questions.'
Block 8: 14:00 - 14:55
14:00-14:55Main Zoom Room#APConnect Exhibitions, coffee and cake!
Q: Which Exhibition will you ‘mine’ to help you identify connections, insights, know-how and resources to respond to your Incisive Question?
Block 9: 15:00- 15:20
15:00-15:20Main Zoom RoomStoryteller and Close
15:00- 15:20
Romani Gypsy Storyteller, Richard O'Neill, will once again be listening in and telling us our stories at the end of the day. Watch Richard perform here.
15:20
Close

4. #APConnect Exhibition (2.30 – 2.55)

Settle down with coffee, cake and your incisive question! Enjoy mining the artefacts created during the #APConnect programme with, for and by Advanced Practitioners. Each artefact is housed in an Exhibition. Each Exhibition represents one of the APConnect pathways i.e. Northstar Train-the-Trainer in Advanced Practice, Expert-led CPD modules, Skylarks professional learning pathway, Constellations, Festival Fridays as well as cross-cutting themes of maths and English, digital, community and the Bowerbird! 

Your task over coffee and cake
  • Which Exhibition will you ‘mine’ to help you identify connections, insights, know-how and resources to respond to your Incisive Question? 
  • Don’t forget to post a picture of your cake on Twitter or other social media using #APConnect. 

#APConnect Glossary

Living Archive

Maths & English 

CPD Project Reflections

Skylarks 

Constellations B & C

Festival Fridays 

FE Constellations 

Bowerbird

5. Resources and Research

Every discipline has its own identity, language, resources, practices and underpinning theory. Advanced practice is no different. Do browse these deep, rich and purposeful resources developed and curated by the touchconsulting project team and APs themselves.

We kick of with the comprehensive APToolkit (bottom right) which has grown year on year. It comprises AP Development cards (new yellow/pan-organisational cards now added; hot off the press!) and six brilliant Guides for new and experienced APs including one for AP leaders.

We have provider case studies from year one evaluating the AP-type role; AP Reflections rich in practice-evidence (💛 this one); ‘How to and why’ workshops on Giffing, Wakleting and Podcasting led by APs Sammy White, Chloe Hynes, Dorothy Braidwood and Michelle Wakeling; a vibrant collection of engaging and informative podcasts put together by ESOL and Digital Skills specialist Isla Flood and a fantastic Intersectionality Padlet curated by Joyce Chen, inspired by the ETF’s Northstar programme. And finally a crowd-sourced up-to-date Matrix of Constellations Padlet which hosts upcoming FE events: places to blog, write, podcast, publish and amplify work within community with others. Enjoy! 

Intersectionality (2022)

APs During COVID (2022)

Podcasts (2021)

‘How to & why’ workshops (2021)

AP Comms (live)

AP Reflections (2021)

Re-thinking the Role (2021)

Case Studies (2019)

AP Toolkit (2018-2021)

Matrix of Constellations (live)

Made with Padlet

6. Post-conference material

If you haven’t already, please complete the ETF’s end of conference survey here.

We’ve added all the post-conference materials below for ease including slides, video-recordings and your responses to the questions we posed throughout the day. Thank you for your incisive responses. 

 

 

Do take the time to explore this wonderful Wakelet, curated by Lynn Taylerson which showcases Tweets from the day. Browse below or see here.

 

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