Learning review 1:
the initial exercise
Clearly, a major aspect of the evaluation of such a large-scale reader development initiative is the impact on the readers, but in planning our evaluation method we also didn't want to overlook the effect of Branching Out on the participants themselves. A major part of our role as evaluator has therefore been to monitor their personal and professional development. So the method which you could say has been the backbone of this aspect of our evaluation has been the much-loved learning review. And just to remind you, a learning review is a qualitative method of evaluation that gives respondents an opportunity to reflect upon their own development during a given period. Since the beginning of Branching Out, we've devised and sent out three of these reviews to each Branching Outer, each focusing on a specific theme.
So the first, sent out in February 1999, was looking at changes in emotions, learning styles and reading habits; the second was examining the role of the Branching Outers as agents of change; and the third and most recent one asked participants to think about the project-based work they'd been doing in Year Two.
This first exercise was reported at the Branching Out conference in Leeds in March. The only thing I would like to say is that even though this was sent out just four months into Branching Out, participants were already experiencing major attitudinal changes towards reader development, despite feeling under pressure from the increased workload.
Click here for the full text version of Learning Review 1
