Listen to this story Members can listen to an AI-generated audio version of this article. 1.0x Audio narration uses an AI-generated voice. 0:00 0:00 Become a member to listen to this article Subscribe A pizza delivery on a rainy night or the rare historical text I found online are great uses of delivery. Education is not. Too often, teachers talk about delivering lessons. Leaders say they are delivering a talk. Even students say they are delivering presentations. But this paints education as a ‘done to’, passive experience. One person imparts the content while others simply have it delivered to them. In FE, lecturers, leaders, and learners need to reimagine how our sector explores learning. This involves mindset, practical and semantic shifts in order to improve student engagement, lecturer satisfaction and institutional practice. Mindset shifts For those who have long thought about ‘delivery’ as the best way to impart knowledge, a change in mindset is necessary. This involves shifting from the concept of an expert delivering to a novice to the idea of guiding learners to discover with us. Trust me, after over 25 years studying and teaching history, I have a lot of fascinating anecdotes to tell my students. However, I might have to give up some weird trivia facts on US presidents or my hot take on the phrase ‘Remember the Alamo’ in favour of learners discovering these for themselves. For example, I can give context for a historical situation, provide primary sources with guiding questions, then facilitate a discussion. Throughout that process, I am still able to provide my expert knowledge, but I can learn their perspectives and even new insights I might not have had. Along the same lines, we can think about ourselves as lifelong learners. We always have more to learn. It’s actually one of the joys of working in education – upskilling our techniques, learning new methodologies and diving into theories and content in our curriculum areas. If we are constantly pursuing new knowledge and skills, we are modelling that discovery for students. A college that prioritises staff development and provides space for innovation creates engaged staff. That trickles down into co-learning with students. Practical changes After the mindset shift comes the practical changes. First, try incorporating more active learning. Active learning is an instructional approach that purposefully engages students in the learning process. Instead of passively receiving information, students participate in activities such as discussions, problem-solving, group work, and hands-on projects. This methodology encourages critical thinking, collaboration, and the application of knowledge. When employed well, it engages students as well as facilitates knowledge and skill development. For instance, instead of lecturing for a full carpentry theory lesson, an instructor can bring out models for students to explore, assign peer-marking for exam-style questions, and employ game-based formative assessments. This type of active engagement leads to deeper understanding and retention of concepts. And that leads to better achievement, which is of course good for colleges and the sector. Further, let go of rigid routes to achievement and embrace more nuance and adaptation. We can lead students to their educational goals – such as passing their level 2 beauty exam or completing their T Level work experience in health – without putting each student on the exact same path. Many awarding bodies have suggestions for assignment briefs, but allow for variation. Use that creative freedom. Start by defining the final objectives and backwards plan to make the assignments and activities engaging. This type of adaptation is also important to meeting the diverse needs of our learners. And it’s a lot more interesting for teachers! Semantic tweaks Changing the words we use to speak about education can communicate the difference of approach. When I was pregnant, a doula told me, ‘You deliver a pizza, not a baby.’ I’ve taken the same idea and applied it to teaching. You don’t deliver learning. Instead, we should emphasise how our programmes and courses facilitate learning. They don’t do the work for us. We work with the students to create engaging and rigorous learning experiences. Implementing these changes will help transform FE colleges into learning-focused environments that empower learners, rather than merely providing education.