#APConnect Constellations: B & C

The online Constellations pathway of the Education and Training Foundation’s #APConnect programme brings together FE and Training practitioners from across England to share practices within an external community that works collectively to drive change within their organisations. Constellation participants are encouraged to develop Quality Improvement/Research Projects that drive transformative practice drawing on support from the Constellation they are participating in; B or C.

The term ‘constellations’ may be less familiar when used in relation to a group of people coming together with common purpose. We use it to describe APConnect community-building work. New language is useful to convey fresh ideas. The AP Glossary is a great resource if you want to unpack the vocabulary used in #APConnect.

Communities can be closed groups, but AP Constellations are mobile and fluid, working in time-limited scenarios with open, porous borders. There is common purpose, certainly, yet also clear celebration of practices of difference. Read more on Constellations here by Lou Mycroft and Kay Sidebottom.

APs newer to the role, or new to the programme, are encouraged to kick-off their APConnect journey with Constellation B, then in their next year progress to Constellation C, also perhaps join in Skylarks or Expert-led CPD pathways. Lou’s blog gives more contextual insights on the formation of the Constellations.

 

Constellation B

The Constellation B community comes together in three live events throughout the year: a ‘Connections’ launch event, a ‘Reconnections Day’ in January and a National Conference in March. In between, the Slack platform provides a real-time, online communications and support hub where APs form collaborative circles on a needs basis whilst developing their practice and working in community on a small-scale research project. This work is underpinned by eight online bite-size modules which provide a structure for discussions and development.

1. Knowing Us, Knowing You (introductions/professional profile building)
2. Your Project (initiating and discussing the quality improvement project)
3. The ETF Professional Standards (evaluating practice/role against these)
4. Building Community (on the importance of trust and Values Line work)
5. Matrix of Opportunities (sharing events and ideas, growing community)
6. The Values Line (a companion to Reconnections Day 2)
7. Bringing it All Together (sharing project impacts,  APs identity development)
8. Thinking Environment (a bonus module).

 

Engaging with Research

The online modules expose APs to a wide variety of contemporary research and literature related to their role and wider FE practice. This includes Tyler et al’s work (2017) on the role of an AP, Aileen Kennedy’s writing on critically evaluating Professional Standards in education and Dr Brene Brown’s work on courage, leadership and Wholehearted Living.

APs also draw upon the new Advanced Practitioner Model (aka Christmas Tree model) co-created by Dr Christina Donovan, Dr Colin Forrest, APs themselves and members of the APConnect project team as part of the co-evaluation work completed at the end of year three. This model maps APs’ values, practices and impulses, considers their inward-facing actions on an organisational level and their outward-facing roles and impacts across their wider professional network. You can explore the full research report here. 

For those wishing to undertake deeper engagement with literature, the Hot Sauce Padlet provides further challenging, extension reading linked to the topics of each online module.

 

AP Mentors 

Every AP in Constellation B works with a dedicated mentor. The online modules and peer and mentor support encourage and empower APs to develop their practice and professional networks, engaging with different online spaces beyond Slack such as Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging platforms, TikTok, YouTube, Wakelet and Padlet and building meaningful connections with AP peers all over the country as they do so.

APs practice-building and professional network growth is a complex, fascinating evolution requiring trust-building, identity and values shaping or reframing and deep reflection, both on their own and with peers. Constellation Bs use Slack channels to write reflective pieces informed by their engagement in online modules, dialogues with peers and mentors and with literature. Reflections have covered an amazingly diverse range of topics and thinking including community building, culture change, influencing in organisations, the use of Professional Standards, transformational change and so much more.

 

AP Reflections

We have drawn together a selection of the hundreds of reflections posted on Slack by APs this year; do brow the slides below. What began as an ambition to publish a ‘Fabulous Fifty’ reflections has well exceeded that!

As well as sharing and discussing their reflections on module outcomes and AP practice, the #general Slack channel provides a space where APs can request advice and support from their peers on topics such as maths, English, digital skills, supporting learners’ needs and inclusive practice – all in real time. Over 400 separate dialogue threads! have been active on this one channel alone in APConnect year 4 (2021-2022). See the drop down below to witness typical supportive peer dialogues in the Slack channels; one on English teaching, and the other on managing challenging behaviour. 

 

Beyond Slack Dialogues

Beyond the Slack dialogues, dedicated Padlet spaces further support the work of Constellation B. The first, The Matrix of Constellations features month-by-month CPD and networking events, FE journals, podcasts, blogs and places to publish work and developmental resources such as online toolkits and courses. 

 

The Bowerbird’s Blue Shiny Things Padlet provides an online space where APs and mentors can share research evidence and guidance, CPD resources, digital tools and help, blogs and publications, and celebrate APs in the press and social media: 

 

Constellation C

The Constellations pathway as you’ve seen is differentiated. Whereas Constellation B is designed for APs new to the programme, Constellation C provides progression for graduate APs keen to continue growing and connecting. Constellation C is all about amplification, voicing on a national scale and developing a public AP identity. APs operate as agents of change, very visibly within the FE workforce, leading on events and other amplification opportunities.  Since March 2020 this culture-changing work is increasingly taking place across powerful, external virtual spaces.  Peer-to-peer support comes from multiple spaces including from within Slack and externally across social media platforms.

Just this year (and it’s only three months into 2022!) we’ve had some amazing home-grown, pan-organisational professional learning constellations emerge, led by APs from the sector. Joyce Chen and Naomi Knott have launched @FETeacherEd for FE Teacher Educators – give them your support by completing this survey! Earlier this year APs Eve Sheppard, Stacey Salt, Kathryn Beckley, Sinead Blackledge, Kayte Haselgrove and Chris Wilde launched Vocational Communities of Practice – Connecting subject specialists in #FE to share, learn and collaborate. Their next event is on 31 March 2022! 

Skylark leads from #APConnect’s Skylark pathway joined Constellation C’s supportive Slack space. Skylarks have led on designing, running and evaluating professional learning spaces within and across organisations, engaging circa 2,000 practitioners (and counting) in six months! The architecture for professional learning across the FE sector has taken rhizomatic roots, nurtured and led by APs. Long may it flourish.