NLC News 

Updated 15 Sep 2003

Bransholme Networked Learning Community

Enquiry Report June 2003

In early June 2003, Ronnie Woods, the Networked Learning Facilitator from the National College of School Leadership, visited the newly formed Bransholme NLC. Schools within 'Team Bransholme offered their usual warm welcome and were looking forward to what Ronnie would say about their work.

Ronnie interviewed the co-leaders, an EAZ facilitator, several teachers and a number of pupils. He visited three schools where he was able to see SFA in action (Bude Park Primary School), Co-operative Learning (The Dales Primary School) and both Co-operative Learning and Accelerated Learning in a secondary school environment (Kingswood High School).

Summary of Learning from the Enquiry

• Although much of what I enquired about was pre-NLC’s the quantifiable difference the work has made to children in demanding social circumstances is exciting.

• The model for roll out is interesting not only because it draws practical expertise from those who have wrestled with the genuine problems of implementation but also builds leadership capacity in both the early adopting school and the target school.

• There is evidence of pupil learning, adult learning, leadership learning, school wide learning and school to school learning.

• The building of leadership capacity within the schools and some thought on how that might be facilitated needs to be considered if the work is to thrive without the substantial support it receives form the EAZ.

• There appears to be an almost contradictory model of a highly structured programme, which fosters independent learning.

It’s about learning’ a phrase they use was evident in the daily work of schools.'

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Networked Learning Communities are seen as a means of improving school practice through programmes of development and research.

The research element within the NLC movement is very important as it will inform, in a more rigorous way than previously seen, not only where the good practice is, but also why it is effective. This will allow for far greater dissemination and transfer within and across schools.

9 teachers from 5 schools (Sutton Park, The Dales, Dorchester, Bude Park and Kingswood High) have taken the first steps to develop their own research programmes based on co-operative learning within NLC schools.

The teachers concerned have undertaken the first of three training sessions given by the University of Hull in order to develop the skills needed to undertake a rigorous and worthwhile research programme.

The research findings from these programmes will be available to the rest of the network and will hopefully influence practice and policy in a number of schools and not just those involved in the initial research.

The teachers who undertake these programmes can benefit by gaining points towards further qualifications if they wish to present their research in the accepted academic form of a 5000 word dissertation but they can choose to present their work in other ways. These teachers are the pioneers for the NLC and wish them luck with their new endeavours.

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Co-operative Learning as the basis for the acquisition and expression of information

The NLC, working in partnership with Ben Brunwin, is in the first stages of designing a programme to create a process to enhance children's abilities to read for information and then to express themselves through 'making a case'. Ben has worked very successfully in Britain and the USA developing processes to enhance children's abilities to read and express themselves in writing. Coupled with the Co-operative Learning structures being developed within the NLC schools we believe that the concept of 'thinking and talking as a way into reading and writing' will have a marked impact on pupil attainment at the development of true, transferable learning skills.

A series of 'Classroom Laboratories' will take place in the Autumn Term to which teachers from all schools, both primary and secondary, within the NLC will be invited, as a first stage in the development and dissemination of good practice.

For further information click here