Fashion Technology Academy tutors strengthened their teaching practice this week through a highly practical online CPD session focused on adapting learning to meet the needs of individual learners. On Wednesday 9th September, the FTA teaching team took part in a three-hour professional development session led by Kev Gillard, a highly experienced teaching and learning specialist, entitled “Adapting and Tailoring Teaching to Meet Individual Learner Needs.”
The session provided tutors with an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day demands of teaching and reflect on how they can further adapt their practice to support learners with different levels of experience, confidence, knowledge and ability. Rather than suggesting that teachers need to completely change the way they work, the session recognised the considerable expertise already within the FTA teaching team. It encouraged tutors to identify what is already working well and consider how small, purposeful adaptations could make their teaching even more effective.
Expertise, reflection and practical ideas
Kev Gillard brought extensive experience of teaching, learning and quality improvement within the further education and skills sector. As a management consultant, Kev works with teachers, managers and senior leaders on raising teaching standards, self-assessment, improvement planning, curriculum development, staff training and preparation for inspection. He is also a trained Ofsted inspector and has a strong track record in improving teaching, learning, assessment and the overall student experience. His particular strength is working directly with people. His approach is practical, hands-on and focused on what can genuinely make a difference in the classroom. This made him an ideal facilitator for FTA tutors, providing an experienced external perspective while encouraging teachers to draw on their own professional knowledge and experience. The session explored how tutors can make better use of lesson time, establish learners’ starting points, adapt explanations and modelling, use questioning effectively and adjust levels of support and challenge. Importantly, these were not presented as additional layers of work or paperwork. Instead, the emphasis was on becoming more intentional about the teaching decisions already being made every day.
Supporting mixed-ability learners
Working with mixed-ability groups is a familiar reality for teachers, particularly in fashion education. Learners can arrive with very different experiences. One student may have considerable practical knowledge, while another may be encountering a particular technique for the first time. Some learners may need additional explanation or confidence-building, while others are ready to be challenged and encouraged towards greater independence. The CPD gave tutors valuable insight into how they can respond to those differences without losing sight of the needs of the whole group. A key part of the session was understanding the importance of knowing where learners are starting from and using assessment and observation to inform what happens next. For practical fashion teaching, this can be particularly valuable. Tutors are constantly observing learners’ work, identifying where they may be struggling, demonstrating techniques, asking questions and deciding when a learner is ready to progress. The session provided an opportunity to consider these familiar practices through a fresh teaching and learning lens.
Building on existing strengths
One of the most positive aspects of the session was its recognition that professional development does not mean that experienced teachers have to discard the approaches they already use successfully. The tutors were encouraged to identify and articulate effective teaching practices they already implement through STARS, providing an opportunity to recognise their own strengths as educators. From there, the focus moved towards identifying realistic opportunities for development. This is an important approach to CPD. Teachers are more likely to implement change when it is purposeful, manageable and clearly connected to their existing practice. For the FTA team, the session provided an opportunity to share ideas, reflect on their teaching and consider how small changes in explanations, questioning, modelling, support or challenge could have a positive impact on individual learners.
One realistic change can make a difference
Another important message from the session was that professional development does not need to result in additional paperwork or an overwhelming list of actions. Instead, tutors were encouraged to identify one realistic development that they could take away and implement within their own teaching. That might be a small change in the way a lesson begins, a different approach to checking understanding, a more deliberate use of questioning or an adjustment to how a practical technique is demonstrated. The value lies in making the change, observing its impact and continuing to refine practice.
Continuing to invest in teachers
FTA’s Head of Education Lan commented: “It was an excellent session. The teachers have participated in various CPD to improve teaching for mixed-ability groups, and Kevin’s extensive experience was the perfect addition to teacher training.”
The session forms part of FTA’s ongoing commitment to investing in its teachers and ensuring that they have opportunities to continually develop their professional practice. For tutors working in fashion education, CPD is about much more than meeting a requirement. It provides the opportunity to share experience, challenge assumptions, learn from specialists and return to the classroom with renewed ideas and confidence. The FTA tutors already bring substantial industry and teaching expertise to their roles. Sessions such as this provide an opportunity to add to that knowledge, gain fresh insight and consider how their existing strengths can be used even more effectively to support every learner.
Ultimately, tailoring teaching is about understanding the individual learner and making informed decisions about how best to help them progress. With experienced tutors, practical CPD’s and a shared commitment to high standards, FTA continues to put effective teaching and the learner experience at the heart of its campuses.