Thoughts On Innovation In the Further Education And Training Sector: Part Two

Developing Innovative Mindsets

In part one, ‘Closing the innovation gap: Strategic considerations’, we considered the need for innovation in the Further Education and Training Sector and how leaders can encourage and facilitate innovation through shaping culture and removing barriers. In this second thought piece, we will look at how innovative mindsets can be delivered –  for leaders, teachers and learners. This was originally produced by Equip Consultancy for the Education and Training Foundation, December 2023.

i. Leaders

Covey (2023) makes a convincing case for organisations to move from a ‘command and control’ leadership style to a ‘trust and inspire’ leadership paradigm. Everyone wants to be trusted and when we feel trusted, we are more motivated to take risks and to find creative solutions to complex problems. According to Covey, the ‘Command and Control’ approach to leadership is a relic of a previous, industrial, age and can only ever achieve compliance. If we are to encourage staff to innovate then staff need to feel inspired and feel safe to do so. In other words, they need to be led in a different way, in a way which creates higher levels of engagement, innovation and inspiration. This way of leading others requires leaders to ‘let go’ and to accept greater risk. As Tim Cook, CEO of Apple puts it, “we take risks knowing that risks will sometimes result in failure, but without the possibility of failure, there is no possibility of success”. Micro-managing others and having no appetite for risk taking stifles innovation.

Taking another perspective, a Harvard Business Review of 2019 ‘The EI Advantage. Driving Innovation and Business Success through the Power of Emotional Intelligence’, presents the case for. “Today, decisions are made so quickly that organizations can no longer rely on time-consuming top-down decision making and orders dictated from above. More often, individuals must collaborate with each other to solve problems and develop innovative solutions on their own. To do so requires the mastery of interpersonal skills that are often downplayed as “nice to have” soft skills. Mastery of interpersonal skills has become more critical as employees, particularly those on the front lines, make decisions that can seriously impact a brand’s reputation and its connection to customers.” Leaders who develop Emotional Intelligence in themselves and others:

• Are self-aware and able to effectively manage their emotional responses when working with others
• Are more trusting of others which enable them to better handle risk
• Are better connected to their employees and customers, utilising interpersonal intelligence to engage all stakeholders in the vision and values of the company, which in turn raises productivity

There are countless articles, papers and books written on the subject of how leaders can foster innovative mindsets in their work. A concise starting point for establishing the behaviours of innovators can be viewed on Youtube[1], where Insead Business School share their findings to interviewing over 100 innovators. They found that innovators:

• Ask many challenging questions that challenge the status quo
• Seek different perspectives from talking to people with very different backgrounds, thinking styles and approaches
• Are willing to try anything, looking for short and quick experiments in an effort to do things differently
• Are not always the best executors and accept that they need to work with others to get their ideas put into practice.

Action Research projects can provide leaders with the space, time and focus to lead innovation (see below for examples at teacher level). These projects are a key feature of the ETF’s Strategic Innovation for Skills (SIS) professional development programme. One such project was led by SIS attendee Asma Ahmad, Director for Young People’s Essential Skills at the South Bank Colleges Group, London. Asma’s project looked at how to harness innovative approaches to developing the maths skills of ESOL learners. The findings of the project point to the need to win hearts and minds of delivery staff when seeking to find innovative solutions which often involve asking those staff to step outside of comfort zones; couching the ‘why’ in terms of improving learners’ experience and life changes was instrumental in getting staff on board. Equally as important is the way in which the Asma could take advantage of the culture of the colleges, a culture which openly embraces and encourages innovation; leaders provide time to staff to work collaboratively on creative approaches, with professional development days specifically designated to allow staff to discuss and try out new approaches.

[1] The Four Behaviors Of Innovative Leaders | Forbes – YouTube

ii. Teachers

Building an innovative culture encourages employees to take risks and to find creative solutions to current problems. From developing such a culture in the FE and Training Sector, leaders can develop the right conditions in which teachers are supported and encouraged to innovate in developing their pedagogical practice.

At Barnet and Southgate College in London, leaders changed the culture of the college from a “done to” to a “done with” culture so that teachers were more motivated to develop their own professional practice. Teachers try out and discuss new approaches with a teaching and learning coach to support personal reflection and time is given to teachers to reflect on their own practice. A Learning Excellence group meets regularly which enables managers and teachers to discuss new approaches and best practice. Neil Coker, Principal and CEO says: “We make space for ideas and innovation and give the safety to try things out and to learn from when things don’t go as well as planned.”

At Nelson and Colne College Group in Lancashire, leaders have developed an “open door culture” in which all staff are encouraged to visit each other’s lessons. At the heart of this process lies professional discussions which arise from these lesson visits. In the words of Tracey Baron, Deputy Principal “we have developed Communities of Professional Practice which encourage staff to talk about their practice. We also give protected time to teachers so that they can discuss new approaches to their subject pedagogy with others of a similar mind.”

At Chichester College Group, leaders have moved away from grading observations, a move which has greatly helped to remove the fear of taking risks when teachers seek to improve their pedagogical practice. Teachers are encouraged to take risks in a supportive environment. Prior to observation for example, teachers get the opportunity to speak about the lesson with the observer; giving them this opportunity means that the observation process feels less threatening.  As a result, the majority of lessons observed are requested by the teachers – a culture where teachers welcome observation. This allows teachers to push the boundaries and try things they would not have otherwise done. Observers are also trained coaches and this is welcomed and valued by teachers. Furthermore, peer review and peer observation is encouraged through “spotlight sessions” in which teachers share their innovative practice with others. The Innovation Group also provides teachers with the opportunity to meet over lunch to discuss new approaches to their teaching in a supportive and thought-provoking environment.

At Coleg Sir Gar and Coleg Ceredigion in Wales, leaders have embraced action research projects as a way to foster innovative mindsets.  All teaching staff are encouraged to participate in this action research as part of their professional development.  The Action Research CPD Pathway allows staff to try new approaches that they are interested in, linked to their own CPD needs, and then to report on the effectiveness of new approaches to staff and other stakeholders. The College’s Annual Festival of Practice conference provides staff with a forum to share their action research with their peers in an atmosphere of celebration and sharing of good practice.  ‘Being curious’ is written into the College’s strategic vision for developing teaching and learning; being curious and innovative is encouraged by senior leaders. Staff also learn about the principles of action research from attending workshops and from visiting speakers.

Much work has been undertaken in recent years in supporting teachers to gain mastery in delivering Technology Advanced Learning (TEL) which is seen by many as a driver for innovation in teaching. Academic research undertaken by Armstrong (2019) and Ryan et al. (2020), both emphasise the importance of professional development for teaching staff to build both the skillset and the confidence to include TEL in their teaching practice.

Supporting teachers in developing their approaches to TEL is well covered by the education technology charity, JISC.[1]  They provide plentiful support and professional development to the FE and Training workforce. Their approach to developing teachers’ professional practice in delivering innovative TEL approaches uses:

• 1:1 support from regional JISC managers
• Personalised CPD for teachers and groups of teachers
• Self-assessment tools
• Online resources
• Residential training which brings people together to help them to collaborate and discuss strategy and the implementation of digital approaches

[1] Jisc

iii. Learners

HE students, studying in FE and Training providers in England, certainly see the benefits of innovation to their own work, to their employers, and to wider society. A BA (Hons) Photography student at Newcastle College for example sees the benefits of innovation from a people perspective. “Innovation in photography means to produce work that draws people in. This could be through a new, unexplored/rarely explored, or reimagined technique, concept, or subject….. Being innovative allows both myself & my work to stand out. This means it can be viewed by a wider audience & has the potential to inspire others.”

Organisations too benefit from encouraging their staff to be innovative. A Level 5 HND Cyber Security student at the South Central Institute of Technology: “Innovation is achieved by nurturing up and coming talent, further developing essential mindset skills that are essential in today’s education and industrial environments. Employers clearly benefit from encouraging their employees to become more adaptable and develop the correct skillsets to succeed in their personal and business goals.” Alfie adds, “to an employer, being innovative is important because it also allows the company/client to attract attention. Additionally, employers find it important to push their business a step ahead from their competitors.”

Given that our learners are our future workforce, it is imperative that we equip them with the skills and attributes required to be innovative thinkers. In addition, FE and Training Providers very often work with the current workforce. On this subject, Professor Paul Lewis of Kings College London has written about the role of the technician within an employer setting and how VET institutions should engage with such people in order to drive innovative practice in the workplace.

“When discussing the role of skills, and the organisations that contribute to their production, the… literature has tended to focus on universities and highly-qualified graduates and researchers. Such workers make an important contribution to innovation by driving the research and development activities through which many new ideas are created. But far less attention has been paid to the contribution made by technicians and by the providers of vocational education and training (VET) through which technicians acquire their skills and knowledge.”  Training the technicians: Full article: Innovation, technician skills, and vocational education and training: connecting innovation systems and vocational education and training (tandfonline.com)

A question which very often gets asked is whether ‘innovation’ is a skill or an attribute that can be taught?

A trawl through the literature gives an emphatic yes, pointing to the ways in which teachers can do this, including teaching transferable skills and concepts and teaching the use of thinking and creativity tools.

A good starting point for educators is to consider how we encourage learners of all ages to develop what Dweck (2017) has called “A Growth Mindset”, i.e., the ability to see setbacks as learning opportunities and to look for growth and personal development in all situations.  Encouraging and teaching learners of all ages to learn from their mistakes and how to maintain a positive mindset in the face of adversity goes a long way in developing innovative mindsets in out learners.

One Level 5 Cyber Security students at the South Central IOT testifies to the importance of developing a growth or “innovative mindset”: “ I believe that one of the, if not THE most important tools, is having an adaptive, creative mindset. If something is not possible the innovative mindset will not accept “no” until it has examined every corner, exploring alternative options and if something is not possible today in this environment, it leads you to  ask “what do we need to move through this”? “What do I need to be able to do this?” As opposed to stopping at the first hurdle – ‘being innovative’ is looking beyond fearlessly.”

There are two aspects of teaching innovation which are worthy of closer scrutiny: Project Based Learning and the teaching of social and emotional skills.

A report from the OECD (2021) details how providers in the FES sector should design and deliver their curriculum to develop the socio-emotional skills sought after by employers:

“To foster socio-emotional skills, pedagogy should emphasise active and experiential learning and collaborative learning, often using ICT as a key facilitator.” These approaches should include collaborative learning – working with others, inquiry based learning  – focussed on investigation and problem solving; and active learning – any instructional method that engages students in the learning process and which requires learners to think about what they are doing. The report also provides further helpful insights into how teachers should align different teaching methods to these approaches based on learning goals and objectives.”

Project-based learning (PBL) represents a unique opportunity to develop students’ socio-emotional skills, with problem-solving at its heart. Through engaging with project-based learning, students gain skills valuable in today’s workplace and in life, such as how to take initiative, work responsibly, solve problems, collaborate in teams, and communicate ideas. In Project Based Learning, students are usually divided into groups and presented with a problem that they are supposed to study and solve. Based on their knowledge, students try to generate a hypothesis of the problem by discussing with each other. After clarifying the problem, students engage in self-directed learning to gather information from many different sources. After this individual study phase, the students meet again in their groups. They evaluate the information they found to gather the essential pieces needed to solve the problem. This social negotiation of meaning is an important part of the learning process. At the end of the process peer- and self-evaluation is usually used.

Students at the South Central IOT and Newcastle College are clear about what works in helping them to become more innovative, pointing to project based learning, along with being encouraged to push the boundaries and learn from their mistakes. As one South Central IOT Cyber Security HND student puts it, “teachers promote critical thinking, which is a foundation for innovation, by asking open-ended questions and encouraging us to explore different perspectives.”  Teachers also “teach innovation” which “cultivates a growth mindset, where failure is seen as a learning opportunity.”

Leaders and teachers should also be mindful of the role that skills competitions can play in encouraging learners to innovate. According to Fei Peng et. al, 2023, from supporting learners’ entry into skills competitions, “vocational colleges can empower students, foster innovation, and bridge the gap between education and industry demands.”

Armstrong, E. J. (2019). Maximising motivators for technology-enhanced learning for further education teachers: moving beyond the early adopters in a time of austerity. Research in learning technology. 27.

Covey, Stephen  M.R., 2022, Trust and Inspire, Simon and Schuster UK.

Dweck, C.S, 2017, Changing the Way you think to fulfil your potential, 6^th edition, Robinson UK

OECD (2021) OECD iLibrary | Teachers and Leaders in Vocational Education and Training (oecd-ilibrary.org)

Forbes, 2013, The Four Behaviors Of Innovative Leaders | Forbes – YouTube

Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, 2019, The EI Advantage. Driving Innovation and Business Success through the Power of Emotional Intelligence.  TheEIAdvantage.pdf (hbr.org)

Lewis, P, 2023, Innovation, technician skills, and vocational education and training: connecting innovation systems and vocational education and training, Taylor and Francis online, Full article: Innovation, technician skills, and vocational education and training: connecting innovation systems and vocational education and training (tandfonline.com)

Peng, F., Wang, S., and Yang, T. (2023), Enhancing Vocational Education through Innovative Skills Competitions: Challenges and Solutions, Beijing Polytechnic,  (PDF) Enhancing Vocational Education through Innovative Skills Competitions: Challenges and Solutions (researchgate.net)

Ryan, B, McGarr, O., McCormack, O., 2020, Underneath the veneer of techno-positivity – exploring teachers’ perspectives on technology use in further education and training, University of Limerick, McGarr_2021_Underneath.pdf