Quality Toolkit Teachers

Aim
We designed a quality toolkit containing 34 instruments, arranged in a number of main themes. The toolkit is developed for teachers, but quality staff and even employers can use tools as well. Each instrument is supported by a short guideline, adressing teacher or quality staff, or workfield; and can be used both online or as a printed text document. During the pilot phase the tools could be used in English, Spanish, Dutch and Italian. In September 2015 the final versions were published in these languages as well as in German and Greek. At the bottom line of all downloads you will find the Management Brochure that you can also download and print.

Overview of all the toolkit Instruments:

A. Raising Awareness
1. Quality: what does this have to do with me?
2. Quality is … “136 Random Thoughts on Quality”
3. Dream Session: How will your institution and curricula be in 2025?

B. Planning for Action
4. Setting priorities
5. Step by step goal development
6. Setting SMART goals as a team
7. Expectation management
8. Team building activities
9. Team work contract
10. Short term action plan

C. Quality Improvement in the Classroom
11. First steps into teaching
12. IDEAL methodology for the resolution of problems
13. FLIP learning
14. Lesson Road Map
15. Games to check learning
16. Evaluating teaching practice - Observation Tools

D. Evaluation and Feedback
17. Learners’ evaluations
18. Teachers’ evaluations
19. Circle time: peer to peer review
20. Peer review of learners’ soft skills
21. Flashlight feedback: immediate feedback from learners
22. Encouraging learners’ suggestions for improvement

E. Time for REFLECTION
23. Self assessment tool for teachers
24. Teacher reflection on learning
25. Reflection cards for learners

F. Improving Quality in the Institution
26. Benchmarking with other institutions
27. Defining indicators for quality management
28. Data collection planning
29. Ideas for effective communication and transparency
30. How can we avoid early learner drop out? Ideas and small successes

G. Joint Working with Employers
31. Networking: the importance of contact with companies
32. Guidelines for a company visit with learners
33. Questionnaires for employers
34. Checklist for in-company mentors/employers

How did we improve our products after the pilots?

The QUAL4T toolkit, quality guide and management brochure were tested within the partners’ organizations and also further afield. About 750 teachers/trainers and over 1600 learners from the partners’ organizations were engaged in pilot activities, thus providing the opportunity to discuss and challenge quality technical materials, test their application and share learning and experiences with each other.

In March 2015 the QUAL4T Pilot came to an end after almost six successful months. The partner organizations, which participated in

the Pilot, all wrote a pilot report, reproducing the feedback of our target group: teachers. All actively contributed to the development of an international report as leaders and facilitators of all activities realized in their own country.

We gathered and categorized all feedback, to decide what should be improved for products of higher quality. In the end the main aim was an extensive use of all products by teachers all over Europe!

Listed below is the key feedback about the pilotted toolkit. We addressed all when redesigning the quality instruments and improving the quality guide:

Teachers/trainers noted some lack of consistency across tools in terms of spelling and language used; e.g. learner and student. Consistency of spelling and language across the toolkit is important and has been done again.

• Teachers/trainers like the aims to be very specific. Other than the section and the title,this is the most important determinant of whether they will use the instrument. We integrated a set of icons in the final versions, so that users can see very quick what a tool is about.
• Teachers/trainers like the description section to be clear and concise. They don’t like tohave long descriptions and explanations. We revised the text to make it shorter and to the point.
• Teachers/trainers did not always realise that they can edit the instruments. This neededto be made clearer to them. They do like to be able to edit the tools, once they know they can, and so need them in a format which enables them to do that easily. We revised the worksheets, to make them easy usable, and we promoted theability to edit the tools.
• References to other tools within the description section were often missed. We included an icon in each tool, showing direct connections to other specific tools.
• A ‘Hints and Tips’ section may also be a useful addition where examples of how to use the tool differently could be included. We included a hints and tips icon.
• Frequently teachers/trainers asked for worked examples of a particular method or tool such as SMART targets or a completed Roadmap. We included a number of examples in the tools.
• Once the Quality Guide had been viewed it was not used very much subsequently. Where teachers/trainers did return to it, itwas largely to check something about the toolkit. We included a specific toolkit guide.
• The quality level of translations has not to be good but excellent, to engage teachers/trainers in the use of the tools! We did an extra proofreading of the final products.

Target group

Quality staff and teacher/trainers in Vocational and Adult Education and Training.

Tools are available in six languages as editable doc files: Dutch, Italian, English, Spanish, German and Greek. They may appear differently accross the range of platforms.