Implementation science is a new field of study concerned with how to replicate and improve upon positive research findings in diverse, dynamic, real-world contexts. To date, implementation science has mainly focused on healthcare, but now these powerful ideas are being applied within educational settings. Three years ago, Dr James Mannion (UCL Institute of Education) created ‘Implementation Science for Schools’ (ISS), a practical toolkit for effective change which applies insights from implementation science to improving educational outcomes for young people.

In this keynote presentation, participants will learn what implementation science is and why it is so important. They will also explore some powerful tools from the toolkit, including: vertical slice implementation teams, Guskey’s pyramid, Diffusion of Innovations, the Implementation Bridge, Implementation Planning and the Pre Mortem. Participants will come away with a range of practical ideas for how to bring about lasting, effective change in their own contexts.

This session will cover the importance of adopting and implementing a successful approach to emotional literacy which will help nurture a more grounded, engaged and intrinsically motivated pupil.

Here, school leaders will:

• Identify the underlying emotions and circumstances that can often, at times, hinder pupil progress at school
• Learn how to use the collaborative ‘passport’ template designed to improve pupil literacy and promote discussion of unspoken issues to help support school progress
• Gain the skills and knowledge to steer young people to greater emotional understanding of themselves, so they can better manage their route through the school system

Dr Kapono Ciotti from the American International School in Egypt and Gerald Redd from The Universal College – Aley, Lebanon will share key learning points around how they saw the culture of the school change by coaching just a handful of teachers, with studies showing that highly effective teachers are the single most influential factor in attaining positive student achievement. In this session, school leaders will learn and understand the how to create a highly efficient workforce to impact on not only student achievement, but also school-wide improvement.

Key learning points will include:

• How to successfully provide targeted and effective feedback both remotely through digital media and through in person-observation and post-observation sessions
• How to create a school culture shift and become a catalyst for school improvement through organic teacher growth and development
• How to implement Professional Learning Communities as a way to structure dialogue, avoiding spiralling negativity and encouraging innovation and joint-vision

This session will encourage school leaders to take a different approach to technology, and rethink the role of EdTech in Education.

Key discussion points will include:

• Why our use of EdTech is central to children and young people post-pandemic
• What the research evidence tells us about the use of EdTech
• How to use EdTech research purposefully
• What do we mean by pedagogy and practice when we’re talking about EdTech?
• New Relationships, New Efficacies, New Possibilities
• What to start thinking about now – and what to do next

This session will cover the crucial requirements that schools need to know to maximise their EAL provision in order to maintain high cognitive and academic expectations, and boost student outcomes while ensuring inclusivity, learner engagement and motivation.

Key learning points will include:

• Highlighting the tools that schools need to have in place to effectively assess and measure language learning needs in order to adequately pitch lesson content and examination for each student
• Highlighting the importance of and how to use translanguaging, i.e. integrating two or more languages in order to develop learners’ multilingual repertoire and language awareness, to in turn encourage students to engage in the learning process

*Programme subject to change