Free service offers tutors the route to success

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) is urging practitioners to sign up to the free service on the Excellence Gateway to help plan for the next academic term. LSIS has developed Top Tips for Innovation to help providers shake up their lesson planning and get the most from the Excellence Gateway.

1. Foster better working with your colleagues by engaging in a collaborative workroom - create a virtual workroom, where you and your group can collaborate, and take part in joint planning, file sharing and discussions in a strictly private online space.
2. Consider how e-learning can be rooted into your lesson planning - good e-learning practices should always be engaging, empowering and exciting as well as electronic. The Excellence Gateway has a variety of e-learning tools, tips and techniques, as well as case studies to provide practical examples as to how it can make a difference to your lessons.
3. Learn from your peers - make use of the Excellence Gateway TV channel and review the ‘effective practice’ films designed to share innovation and good practice.
4. Do some research - access free information and resources to help you plan. This will not only save you time, but will give you the awareness you need to develop an innovative and dynamic learning experience.
5. Think about how Skills for Life can be embedded into your lessons – March this year saw the launch of the new Skills for Life adult core curriculum exclusively on the Excellence Gateway, with the most fundamental change to the adult core curriculum being the addition of new material to support embedded learning.

Hilary Moore, Acting Director Staff and Student Learning at BSix College, stated:
“The research section on the Excellence Gateway site is just what the sector needs. It provides us with resources and interactive content, and allows us to learn from case study examples on the site.

“The Excellence Gateway is such a wonderful resource we decided to hold a group session where we introduced staff to the site and showed the wealth of resources available to them. This session motivated staff to discuss the Excellence Gateway with colleagues and encourage them to find out more about the resources on offer. Whether you’re looking for ways to improve curriculum design, management and delivery, ideas for supporting learners with specific needs, or methods to improve quality, planning and performance within your organisation, the Excellence Gateway can help.”

As the leading portal for the learning and skills sector, the Excellence Gateway aims to transform delivery by becoming the recognised web channel where practitioners can access high quality resources and information and share effective practice.

Barry Kruger, Director of Knowledge and Intelligence at LSIS, said:

“The Excellence Gateway portal has seen enormous growth, and currently there are over 21,000 registered practitioners.  At LSIS we’re delighted to see the Excellence Gateway gain in popularity, highlighting the real and practical value that the portal brings to sector. 

“That’s why we’re urging all trainers, college lecturers, principals, and other practitioners to access the latest news and views. The Excellence Gateway is constantly being updated to ensure it continues to meet the diverse and ever-changing needs of practitioners working across the sector.”

Those interested in taking full advantage of the Excellence Gateway are encouraged to register today at www.excellencegateway.org.uk