Kagan UK Celebrates 20 Years of Engaging Students

An Interview with Gavin Clowes, Director

Company Background & Mission

Can you tell us about the journey of KaganUK over the past 20 years as a Kagan franchise?

What inspired the founding of KaganUK, and how has its mission evolved?

I can indeed. My journey with Kagan began back in July of 2002. I was fortunate enough to be one of a small party of UK teachers and School Leaders who had the opportunity to attend the Learning Brain Expo in San Antonio, Texas, USA. While there, I stumbled into a short workshop by Dr Spencer Kagan. The lecture was titled; Kagan Brain-Friendly Instructional Structures. Within the first 5 minutes, I had an epiphany moment. It was like a light bulb flipped on! At that point in my career I did not understand what true engagement was, nor had I the faintest concept of what Kagan Cooperative Learning was, but that was about to change.

I'm not sure how common an experience this is, however in that moment of wonderment, I knew I had found my calling, I knew this was something that would make a difference.

Sometimes it feels like it’s what you were put here, on this planet, to do. At that moment, I saw myself teaching Kagan Structures to teachers in the UK. My trajectory was set. I get that this may sound implausible, however, my longevity in this business is a testament to this as the truth. Finding your calling unlocks a brand-new level of passion and purpose. Each time I conduct a workshop and see fellow professionals deeply engaged working together with a Kagan Structure or when I enter a Kagan classroom to conduct Kagan Coaching and know the level of engagement among the students, it still blows me away every time! Fortunately, it turns out I’m good at training Kagan!

After absorbing Dr. Kagan's insightful teachings, I returned to the UK, eager to put those lessons into practice. I dove headfirst into a world of knowledge, immersing myself in every online resource I could uncover. I devoured countless books. Each page sparked a new curiosity, fuelling my passion for this new learning. “My classes transformed in remarkable ways: test scores soared, and discipline took a turn for the better. It was heartwarming to see my students showing greater kindness to one another, creating an atmosphere where everyone felt like family.”

My wonderful job became even more fulfilling. I looked forward to each new workday, rewarded by my students' excitement for Kagan Structures and their enthusiasm for this interactive way of learning. I look back on those joyful teaching days with great fondness. At the time, I wrote a short article to capture this happy experience, titled “Kagan Structures Altered the Way I Teach Forever.” What was there not to love? As one student put it, “Mr. Clowes’ class is amazing! You get to move, laugh, share, collaborate, and learn, all in a safe and friendly environment.”

The Sacrifice

Anyone who knows me or anyone I have ever taught will tell you I was destined to be a teacher. My passion for teaching my classes was boundless—the joy of engaging with the kids, collaborating with fellow teachers, providing pastoral care, and embracing vibrant after-school activities like football, cricket, karate, art, and chess clubs. Everything about it filled my heart!

However, this all faded into the background, becoming trivial compared to the incredible vision I now had in mind. I could almost see the joy of learning radiating from the faces of my students when I introduced them to Kagan’s methods. And then, I envisioned that joy multiplying across classrooms and schools all over the country! I realised I couldn’t keep this treasure of knowledge to myself—it was more than just a responsibility; remember now it was my life’s calling! I was determined to share everything I was discovering about Kagan with fellow teachers in the UK, and now across Europe. The excitement of this journey was just beginning!

What are some of the key milestones or achievements that stand out in the company’s history?

• In 2005 Gavin and Elaine started Teacher To Teacher UK Ltd, an educational training company with the sole rights to training Kagan Cooperative Learning in the UK, Starting a sea change in UK education with Kagan.
• Working with approximately 11,800 UK schools and colleges.
• Training approximately 250,000 amazing UK teachers who, in turn, impact nearly 2 million students!
• Developing a wonderful training team and support staff.
• Training in faraway places such as Cyprus, Czech, Germany, Jersey Guernsey, Spain, USA, China, Norway, Denmark, Qatar, and more.
• 1 truly accredited Kagan Model School, 2 more in the pipeline.
• Effectively creating Kagan Norway with regular year-on-year training in Drammen.
• Conducting face-to-face KaganUK Academies, held every Autumn and Summer.
• Developing Live Online Kagan Workshops.
• Contribution to many online magazines and publications articles such as ‘The Essential 5: A Starting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning.’
• Helping found Learning Brain Europe, providing UK trainers opportunities to work directly with Spencer and Laurie Kagan, recreating the life-changing training opportunity I originally had.
• Developing support for teachers and schools via regular Kagan Coaching and Lesson Planning sessions.
• Inaugurated Model School United, a live online discussion forum held every 12 weeks between Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers, Principals, and Vice-Principals of Kagan Model schools. The sessions allow for a regular opportunity to evaluate practice and is a powerful tool for fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

How has being part of the Kagan network shaped your approach to professional development?

Being part of a global team has truly shaped my professional journey! I’ve had the amazing opportunity to connect with fellow Kagan Trainers from all over the world. I want to give a special shoutout to Rob Jutras, Christi Brown, Tom Finegan, Melissa Wincell, Rick DuVall, and Tom Searl from the USA, Jennie Moore, Kagan New Zealand, and Tineke Turck- Kagan Belgium. They’ve all taken time out of their busy lives to mentor and train me over the years. I really can’t thank them enough — I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without their support!

Kagan Cooperative Learning has made a wonderful splash in education across the UK with its Teacher-to-Teacher (T2T) initiative! This fun approach helps create an inclusive classroom where every student gets a chance to shine and feel valued. By using team-building and class-building activities, a strong sense of community is built, ensuring that each student feels known, accepted, and appreciated by their peers.

What’s even better is that Kagan's methods include special adaptations for students with unique needs, making the learning experience enjoyable for everyone. These strategies have also been great at turning around challenging behaviours, which helps keep the classroom atmosphere positive and engaging. Overall, Kagan Structures are key to creating an exciting learning environment where every student is eager to participate and succeed!

Can you share any success stories from schools or educators who have implemented Kagan strategies?

Yes! We have certainly had success stories over the years. I will reach out to some head teachers and have them share their stories in their own words.

Workshops & Training

What are some of the most popular workshops and training programmes you offer?

Our most requested workshop is still the ever-popular Kagan Cooperative Learning: Level 1 - Kagan Structures for Engagement and Achievement! In this training, UK teachers learn how to engage all students using Kagan Structures. The new “Everyone Answers” implementation tool is very well received. Teachers discover simple and effective cooperative learning strategies that can replace traditional “Call-on-1” and unstructured “Group Work.” This workshop is backed by a large amount of scientific research and has proven successful in many classrooms, schools, and Multi Academy Trusts across the UK.

Kagan Cooperative Learning is focused on helping young children in their early education. A popular course for UK teachers is Kagan for Little Ones. In this course, teachers learn effective Kagan Structures to engage their younger students. They can take the course as a one-day or five-day academy. Teachers report that after completing this course, children quickly learn to follow directions, work in teams, share, take turns, communicate well, think critically, and master important skills for school success. KaganUK trainers adapt Kagan structures to make cooperative learning effective for nursery and reception children. This approach helps young learners develop both social and academic skills, setting them up for success in school. Like all Kagan workshops, this method creates a cooperative and caring classroom environment. UK teachers leave with practical ideas and activities they can use on their first day of school and every day after that.

Kagan Coaching offers an excellent opportunity for staff to align on using Kagan Structures effectively during workshops. To ensure that teachers are effectively implementing what they have learned and fostering student success, we recommend incorporating Kagan Coaching into your support system. By inviting a KaganUK Coach to your school, teachers can receive real-time observations and constructive feedback while using Kagan Structures. This collaborative approach helps maintain momentum in implementation efforts and enhances classroom success. Our Kagan Coaches are dedicated to guiding your school towards achieving its goals, all within a supportive environment designed to empower teachers as they take their next steps with Kagan.

At KaganUK we also offer for example:

If you could describe KaganUK’s legacy in one sentence, what would it be?

“There’s truly no greater accomplishment in life than helping to create a good person who will contribute positively to the world.”

I feel fortunate to be working in education, as the students and teachers I have had the opportunity to work with are part of our legacy. When teaching using Kagan Structures, students gain a wealth of knowledge and essential skills. However, they also develop social skills, emotional intelligence, and character. There’s truly no greater accomplishment in life than helping to create a good person who will contribute positively to the world.

How has professional development in education changed in the past two decades?

Continuing Professional Development in the UK has generally been very high quality for as long as I have been in education, some 37 years and counting. Even people not in education in the UK will be aware that teachers play a vital role in pupils’ learning and development. High-quality professional development that improves teachers’ knowledge, practice, and confidence can and does have a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes, and I am extremely proud of the contribution to excellence that our small training company has made over two decades. Added to that, those of us in education know that teachers also feel more satisfied in their roles and are more likely to stay in their jobs when they regularly access high-quality training. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for teacher development here in the UK. There has been pressure, particularly over recent years, following various internal UK events and international events, which unfortunately has resulted in barriers for some teachers from receiving sufficient professional development opportunities.

As KaganUK, I am proud to say we do what we can to support either by offering free at-the-point-of-access workshops, student-teacher bursaries, and discounted Kagan materials. Even free materials over the years to interested University Teaching students. Myself and fellow KaganUK Director Joanna volunteer our time weekly to support a local food hub organised through a Macclesfield School to support low-income families and reduce food waste.

In the world presently it is more important than ever that teachers have access to high-quality professional development. Many UK MATs and schools with strong teacher development use innovative ways of providing all staff with high-quality teacher development.

For example, the Gateshead Council School improvement service just recently hosted a sponsored two-day open enrolment for Headteachers and Senior Leaders/teachers to learn about Kagan Cooperative Learning. My most recent comment from a Headteacher of a school is, “Once again, thank you for the brilliant delivery of Kagan CL in Gateshead this week. It was so informative, immersive, and really got me excited to implement in school.”

20th Anniversary Reflections & Future Vision

How is KaganUK celebrating its 20th anniversary, and what message do you want to share with educators?

The celebration? Well, we will add a new logo to the website, letting people know that we have a 20 year track record of providing excellent in-school CPD. Hopefully, we will publish this article- haha plus continue our charitable work and donations to the local community food hub. Oh yes, with food in mind, as a team of KaganUK trainers we will have a good old celebratory get-together, including a meal and party. 😊 We are a humble team and know that what we do for students and teachers on a daily basis is reward and is what gets us out of bed in a morning.

What are your plans for the next 5–10 years? Are there any new initiatives or expansions in the works?

I guess I have to one day find a successor and pass on the torch. This will be someone who has the same passion for Kagan as I do. With that in mind it is important that we continue developing the strength of our team, continue to develop our range of courses. I would like to see more Kagan coaching and implementation support as this is what teachers ask for and need.

Partnerships & Growth

How has KaganUK built relationships with schools, educators, and educational organisations over the years?

Many schools and organisations, such as United Learning, have been collaborating with us for the past twenty years, since our inception. Our relationship with United Learning remains very strong today. We work with many of the schools within their organisation, providing a range of CPD for teachers and senior leaders.

Another example of a school that has worked with us for a number of years now is Juniper Hill School, which is now a happy and thriving two-form entry primary school. It also has an attached SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health) Unit called 'The Nest,' located in the village of Flackwell Heath, Buckinghamshire. The school prides itself on being kind, caring, and nurturing, valuing and respecting all members of its community.

Kagan Model School Rosendale has been collaborating with us since 2013, establishing itself as an outstanding institution with a proven record of academic excellence. The school is highly regarded not only for its academic achievements but also for its emphasis on sports, languages, and the arts. Rosendale adopts evidence-based practices that inform its educational strategies, resulting in some unique approaches that set it apart from other schools. For instance, students engage in mixed attainment groups, utilising structured methods to enhance both their language skills and overall learning. The school culture is one of continuous improvement, demonstrating a willingness to adapt and change when necessary.

Final Thought

I can’t express how much progress we’ve made together, and it all started with the wonderful contributions of my dear friend, Dr. Spencer Kagan. Your endless inspiration, creative ideas, and innovative ways to transform classroom learning have truly been amazing!

As I think back on the past twenty years of our journey, there are so many experiences and thoughts I’d love to share with you. But I’ll keep this short for now—there’s still so much more for us to achieve together!

Kagan Partnership Team • 800.451.8495 • partnerships@KaganOnline.com