Identify an approach to teaching policy for your programme. Begin to consider the principles underlying effective learning.

1. Expert training – approaches to
teaching and learning 1
Teaching policy

2. Aims of the session
• Identify an approach to teaching policy for your
programme
• Begin to consider the principles underlying
effective learning

3. The evidence base
• Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI-Centre,
Institute of Education, London) -
http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=60
• Best Evidence Synthesis (New Zealand) -
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/topics/BES
• OECD (EDUCERI) http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/
• Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education
(CUREE) www.curee.co.uk

4. What is effective teaching?
• In pairs discuss who you consider your best
teacher, trainer or mentor to be (whether
school, college, university, or workplace) – the
one who helped you learn most
• What was it your teacher or trainer did that
helped you learn?
• Name one important thing

5. Identify an approach to
teaching policy
• In pairs look at the three approaches to
teaching policy
• If you would like to adapt any of the
approaches, feel free to make changes
• If you have a fourth suggestion, describe this as
approach D
• Decide which approach you would like to use in
your training, be ready to tell the group why

6. Approach A

7. Approach B
• Ask students to interview a young person / gang member
they work with to find out how laws or policies have or have
had an impact on their lives.
• In preparation ask students to brainstorm the questions they
might ask.
• In the training session, ask your students to summarise to
the others what the interviewee has said
• In groups of four ask students to draft guidelines for
themselves and other colleagues on how they should work
with young people / gang members taking into consideration
the issues that have emerged from the interviews.

8. Approach C
• Identify key laws and policies relevant to your students work and
create bullet point summaries
• In pairs ask the students to consider the laws and policies and
identify (a) what the trigger was to the creation of that law and
policy, (b) what policy makers hoped to achieve by creating that
law or policy, (c) what the real impact of the law policy has been
• Bring the pairs together in groups of four to exchange their ideas
• In their four ask students to draft an action plan of what they and
the community can do to make the most of, or mitigate negative
impacts of each law / policy

9. Underlying principles of
effective teaching and learning
• Asking questions to deepen understanding –
extend zone of proximal development
(Vygotsky)
• Collaboration – for dialogue, for support, to
identify misconceptions
• Making connections – with previous learning,
with real world
• Exploring evidence and theory – why does x
work / happen