In collaboration with NEU, Education and Employers, and the Education Foundation
The Excelerate Investment developed and supported by The Wood Foundation is an example of an approach to transform the educational experiences of young people in Scotland. Excelerate is a community-connected learning approach that invests in professional learning opportunities for teachers to strengthen pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning including project based learning and oracy. The ultimate aim is to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and experiences to make informed decisions about their futures and to better prepare them to be active, contributing citizens.
This research investigates the approach taken by three Scottish schools participating in the Excelerate investment and simultaneously reflects on the success of the Foundation’s vision of transforming schooling through innovative pedagogies and interventions. The aim of this study was to explore The Wood Foundation’s Excelerate investment in three case study schools, to understand its features and the ways in which the three schools interpreted and implemented it. The research questions explored are:
- How has the Excelerate investment been adopted in each school?
- How do the key approaches within the Excelerate investment such as PBL, real world learning, community connected learning, and oracy contribute to change in the school?
- What are the lessons learnt in adopting the Excelerate investment in the school?
This research utilised a qualitative methodology and data collection was completed in October 2022 across three schools in the Excelerate investment in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City, Scotland. Each school was adopted as a single case study, and semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with teachers, members of the senior leadership team, the Business and Community Support Officer and pupils. A total of 54 interviews were conducted across the three schools.
Authors: Dana Dabbous, Andrea Laczik, Lynne Rogers (IOE,UCL) and Susan McGrath (IOE, UCL)