PREPARE: Prepare staff and resources
With a clearer picture of what retrieval practice might look like, the team at Bedlington Academy began planning how it would be implemented. They developed a targeted package of implementation strategies that included: developing supporting resources; regular communications; professional development activities; and ongoing monitoring ‘(see the Implementation Activities (how?) column in their implementation plan). They thought carefully about the sequence and timing of these activities and how they reinforced each other.
A key element in introducing the new approach was designing a specific programme of professional development (PD) for staff, which included both upfront training and structured ongoing support e.g. instructional coaching. Putting Evidence to Work: A School’s Guide to Implementation contains a number of recommendations relating to professional development, which have been expanded on in this additional summary.
The video below presents a case study of how Durrington High School, a secondary school in Worthing, have used professional development to implement new teaching strategies.
This video explores how a range of PD activities have been used to help implement knowledge organisers across the school (see here for their implementation plan):
The rest of the Prepare phase in the implementation guide covers how to assess whether you are ready to act on your implementation plan, communicate it effectively and undergo the necessary practical preparations (e.g. getting equipment ready, training staff) –see here in the guidance.
A key step in this process is creating a shared understanding of what will be expected, supported and rewarded during the implementation process. Our experience is that people value this clarity and can use it to plan accordingly. This planning template can help you specify a) what is required of colleagues in implementing a new approach b) what will be provided and supported to help them do so c) any alignment with rewards and incentives.