Reflection on TLC Cycle 1: Sixth Form Independence

When considering how the TLC sessions went during cycle 1 and the impact they have had, it is important to consider both the strengths and the potential improvements prior to cycle 2.

Richard Sykes and I, Kirsty Birkett, have concluded the following from TLC 1:

• A positive atmosphere in our TLC sessions- Richard and I agreed that the atmosphere in each session was very upbeat, enthusiastic and extremely positive, with staff willing to discuss their thoughts on sixth form independence and their ideas of how we could encourage this further. 

• Everyone tried something new- On the survey monkey sent to staff upon completion of the cycle, 100% of staff stated that they had tried new ideas due to being part of this TLC. Not only did staff try new teaching and learning ideas but they also built on each others. For example, Claire Reed observed Vics Newsome using an independent learning mat with her AS Psychology class. Claire did the same but adapted it based on the aspects she felt hadn't worked as well as they could have done in Vics' lesson. This idea sharing created an extension of ideas as they were developed further.

• TLC 3 was a hub of idea sharing- TLC 3 proved to be everyone's favourite session out of the 3, as shown by the survey monkey results. It allowed staff to show what they had tried and evaluate how well it had worked. There was a chance for questions at the end of each presentation and lots of questions were asked which just showed the genuine engagement and desire to try new things. 

• The activities worked successfully as planned- A lot of time had gone in to ensuring that activities in the TLC sessions allowed for enough discussion, enough stimulation and engagement and allowed staff to work well together cross-curricularly. Overall, the activities worked very well. The only one that may be adapted slightly is that due to having a longer TLC in the first session in cycle 2, we will add the background reading rather than setting it as 'homework' as we think that it will result in more reading being carried out. 

• Still having an impact- Even since the final TLC session, TLC members have been sending through other ideas they have tried to showcase what they have been doing in their sixth form lessons. This shows the impact the TLC has had this cycle. 

On the other hand, we have address the following 2 issues to be considered prior to the next TLC cycle:

• How do we make their impact clearer in regards to evidencing the difference the TLC sessions have made- Although we had lots of evidence to show that new ideas had been tried and tested, their was little evidence for the impact of these ideas in sixth form lessons. We therefore need to prioritise this ready for the next cycle to ensure evidence is clear. 

• Change our use of technology- In TLC 3, we opted for Google Drive to allow staff to comment on each others presentations at the same time. However, it caused unnecessary issues as many people could not access it. Next session, we have decided to use paper as we had done in TLC 1 & 2, which had worked perfectly for recording evidence. 

No doubt the second cycle will be as successful as the first, if not more now that we have been able to reflect on both the strengths and improvements of cycle 1.