The OLEVI Audit of Professional Skills:
Empowering Improvement in Teaching and Learning.

Audits: what is their purpose and importance?

Audits are utilised to articulate what an organisation is trying to achieve (its goal) and analyse where they are now (the reality – positive and negative). The next step or strategy for a professional, a team or an organisation should not be decided until both the goal and reality has been established.

 

However, too often in schools and trusts, audits become ineffective in growing high-performing people and places.

 

  • It can become of low-level rubric of expectations or techniques. Did the lesson start with 10 minutes retrieval practice? Are the learning objectives explicitly shared by the teacher? Are the classroom displays neat and tidy?
  • They are used as a compliance document, used to monitor, and assess the adequacy of colleagues or the consistency of practice rather than facilitate deep thinking in professionals.

Whilst many of these ‘rules’ or ‘non-negotiables’ might come from the latest book or article, they might not always suit every lesson and thus lose credibility with staff. This might mean it is ignored most of the time by teachers and only used in ‘show lessons’ or when a member of senior leadership team enters a classroom.

They might create a good level of consistency at the expense of outstanding innovative and creative teaching, and thus the learning experience of the students might suffer. It also might affect a culture, embedding one that is ‘top down’

 

OLEVI’s Teaching and Learning Audit of Professional Skills:
Why can it be such a powerful tool for driving improvement in practice (and culture)?

Content: Evidence Driven

Over the past 15 years the Audit of Professional Skills (Audit) has been crafted to reflect the broadest understanding and latest research regarding pedagogy.

10 AREAS:

Over the past 15 years the Audit of Professional Skills (Audit) has been crafted to reflect the broadest understanding and latest research regarding pedagogy.

This year we have reshaped the OLEVI Audit, breaking down the theory and practice of teaching and learning into 10 key areas. These areas are timeless, focusing on what has always made, and will continue to make, the most difference to the learning and achievement of young people. The titles of these area will not change with the newest ‘buzzword’ in education as this often causes confusion and disengagement from experienced colleagues. These 10 areas are:

The title word of the areas are verbs to reflect the overall intention or theory of action, rather than a specific method or technique.

60 QUESTIONS:

Each Audit Area has 6 carefully crafted questions to further clarify and often broaden the definition of that title word and what it could mean to different teachers and in different contexts. For example, ‘Engaging’ or ‘Engagement’ are commonly used words in schools that teachers and leaders often have narrow and differing definitions of it. This creates a common, decontextualised language to discuss and share wisdom. See below for the questions for Engaging:

a) Do you provide opportunities for your students to recognise achievement, even when the work is challenging, thereby promoting engagement?  

b) Do you clearly explain the purpose and value of the knowledge you deliver, so that your students see the necessity to engage with it?  

c) Do you provide opportunities for your students to see what they have achieved, and measure their progress lesson by lesson?  

d) Do your students get a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment from working on and completing the activities you set?  

e) Are all students involved and encouraged to contribute when small group or whole class discussions are taking place (e.g., using Think, Pair, Share / Cold Calling etc)?  

f) Do you and your students engage critically but constructively with each other’s’ ideas and viewpoints?

There are two important parts of engaging with each question: 1) The WHAT and 2) The HOW

For real impact, it is incredibly important to give the time to analyse and explore each part of the question for example, the question like – Do you and your students engage critically but constructively with each other’s ideas and viewpoints? – might generate further questions, reflections and discussions. For example: What is the difference between ‘engage’ and ‘critically engage’? Or What does the balance between ‘critical’ and ‘constructive’ look like?

THINK and APPLY: Shallow, Deep, Profound! 

 

 

Process: Coaching Driven

The Audit has been crafted to be a working document, used by individuals, teams and organisations to improve practice and transform cultures. It should empower thinking, promote collaborative discovery, and facilitate transformative impact.

The audit has been designed with not just the words and sentences clearly explained, it asks four powerful questions. These should be given the necessary time and space to explore through self, peer, or group coaching to move thinking from Shallow to Deep to Profound.  Indeed, the OLEVI Audit shapes how professional practitioners should think about their own growth, not what to think.

 

Q1 Where are you now? This question should ensure people not only assess their current practice by marking the continuum but also to articulate clearly and justify this to someone else. This should be based on exploring the sentences and making a holistic ‘judgement’ based on weighing up all sentences and that person’s strengths and areas of development (rather than focusing on or brushing over the negative).  

Q2 Where would you like to be? This question should explore what they want their practice to look/feel/sound like next – the +1 – so it can be measured later but also explore the rationale for this. How will this benefit to me and my students? Some coaches suggest their coachees write this in the present tense to keep it inspiring.  

Q3 What do you already do? This question keeps the conversation positive by establishing people’s strengths, and thus what they should keep doing. People should be given the time to fully explore what they already do but also how they do it effectively to have impact. In a group situation, this is a good opportunity to share good practice.  

Q4 How could you be more effective? At this point, the strategic goal outlined in Q2 should be turned into an operational next step or action plan. Consider HOW the area of practice will be implemented more effectively in clear actionable steps, with which groups of students; when exactly this will happen; and how its effectiveness will be measured and evaluated.   

 

How might you use the Audit? 

 

Informal: To share and ‘magpie’ thinking and strategies 

 

Audit questions or sentences can be used in informal situations where you want colleagues to discuss strategies and share good practice. This will foster a thinking and learning culture where ideas and strategies are discussed openly and honestly. You might simply ask colleagues to discuss or think about a specific Audit question, or to order, sequence or group the sentences to promote collaborative discovery.

  • Engagers to start meetings or events on a positive and collaborative manner.
  • Question of the week to inspire common conversations and thinking.

  • Focus to explore at a ‘Teach-Meet’ style event to share best practice.

 

Formal: To inspire clarity, confidence, and drive  

 

The audit can be used in formal meetings or situations to not only discuss an area of pedagogy to ensure common understanding but to also establish where someone is in their practice and what their next steps might be. This could lead to clear actions that colleagues are later held accountable against.

  • Lesson observations to gather evidence prior to a discussion.
  • Appraisal or mentoring meeting to set or review targets.
  • Coaching conversations to articulate a vision for the future and create a plan of improvement.

 

 

Structured: To foster new learning, embed new habits and capture impact. 

 

The audit can be used in a more structured way by leaders to monitor and evaluate the quality of T&L and create a strategy for improvement. It can also be used with teachers, through a formal programme like OLEVI’s Analytical Coaching, to ensure incremental growth in their knowledge and skill around a specific area of pedagogy so it is embedded.

  • Whole school quality assurance process like learning walks and subject reviews.
  • OLEVI’s Analytical Coaching Programme.

 

 

Summary

By focusing on what matters, the OLEVI Audit is a fantastic tool to open-up conversations, facilitate empowered thinking and drive improvement through collaborative discovery, especially if the process is driven by great facilitators and coaches. Providing people and places with dedicated time, on a regular basis, to review progress is essential to celebrate successes, identify next steps and inspire innovation, growth, and change. In short making effective use of The OLEVI Audit will ensure ‘the most important thing, remains the most important thing.’