Raising an Issue with a Colleague's Practice

It's a common and delicate situation: you welcome a group of learners for your session, only to find they have a significant misconception or are unprepared for the topic, seemingly due to a previous session with a colleague. Your priority is the learners, but addressing the root cause requires a professional and sensitive conversation. Handled poorly, it can damage relationships; handled well, it can strengthen collaboration and improve the learner journey.

Here is a practical guide to navigating these crucial professional dialogues.

First, Verify the Issue

Before you speak to anyone, it's vital to ensure you have a clear and accurate picture of the situation. Jumping to conclusions can undermine your credibility and cause unnecessary friction. Take a moment to gather the facts.

Analyse the evidence: Look closely at the learners' work. Is the issue a simple error or a fundamental misunderstanding? Is it one learner or the entire group?
Talk to the learners: Use open questions to probe their understanding without casting blame. Instead of "Weren't you taught this?", try "Can you talk me through your thinking here?" or "What did you find most challenging about the last topic?"
Consider other factors: Could attendance issues, a fire alarm disruption, or other external factors be at play? Don't assume the issue is solely down to your colleague's teaching.
Check the curriculum plan: Review the scheme of work. Was your colleague expected to cover the topic in the depth you assumed? A mismatch in expectations is a common source of these problems.

Plan Your Conversation

Timing, location, and your opening lines are critical in setting a constructive tone. An ambush in the staff room or a blunt email will immediately put your colleague on the defensive. A planned, thoughtful approach shows respect.

Choose your moment: Find a time for a brief, private chat. Ask them, "Have you got five minutes for a quick chat about the Group B learners?" This gives them control over when the conversation happens.
Frame it collaboratively: Start from a position of seeking advice or partnership. For example, "I'm finding some of the learners are struggling with X, and I was wondering if you had any insights from your sessions with them?"
Focus on the observation, not the person: Describe what you have observed as a shared problem to be solved. Use phrases like, "I noticed a pattern of..." rather than accusatory "You didn't..." or "Why haven't they...?"

Centre the Dialogue on the Learner Journey

This is the most important principle. The conversation is not about your teaching versus their teaching; it's about the coherence of the curriculum and the learner's experience moving through it. Keeping the learner at the heart of the discussion drains the tension from the situation.

Use inclusive language: Phrases like "How can we make this transition smoother for them?" or "I think we might need to bridge our two sessions more explicitly" positions you as a team.
Connect it to the curriculum: Discuss the issue in terms of curriculum sequencing. "When they move from your session on [Topic A] to my session on [Topic B], they seem to lose the thread. I'm wondering if there's a small tweak we can make to the handover?"
Offer, don't just ask: Be prepared to share a resource or adapt your own practice. Saying "I've got a quick starter activity that might help bridge that gap, I can share it with you" shows you're invested in a joint solution.

Agree on a Concrete Way Forward

A conversation without a clear, agreed outcome is just a vent. The goal is to identify a small, practical change that will improve the situation for the next group of learners. It reinforces your shared professionalism and commitment to quality.

Identify a small, actionable step: This could be as simple as, "Okay, so you'll recap X at the end of your session, and I'll start mine by linking directly to it."
Escalate together if necessary: If the conversation reveals a larger curriculum design flaw, agree to raise it jointly with your line manager or at the next course team meeting. This turns a potential conflict into a proactive quality improvement.
End on a positive, professional note: Thank your colleague for their time and input. A simple "Thanks, that's really helpful. It's good to get this sorted for the learners" reinforces your shared purpose.

Where this fits in QualityHero

This kind of professional dialogue is the engine of a healthy quality culture. While informal, these conversations are a vital source of first-hand evidence about how the curriculum is working in practice. A brief note of the outcome in a course team meeting record, captured in the Toolkit Areas module, can provide valuable context for self-assessment. If the issue highlights a wider weakness, the resulting action can be tracked formally in your QIP, demonstrating how your team collaboratively identifies and responds to issues in the best interests of learners.