Dtlls_Unit_3

Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Sector Assignment Unit 3. Developing and managing resources in the Lifelong learning sector Submitted by Paul Finn Task 1 Discuss the purpose of resources in relation to inclusive practice, and then review a range of different types of resources, paying particular attention to their effectiveness in meeting individual learner needs. Discuss the purpose of resources in relation to effective practice It is the aim of the teacher to promote learning and understanding in their students at all times to ensure they have a full understanding of the topic. It is possible for a teacher to stand at the front of a classroom and teach without utilising any resources. However, the students learning will be adversely effected both at the time and any future periods of study with the teacher. Therefore, during the planning phase of any lesson, a teacher will always look to develop their lessons with the intent of gaining maximum learning from the students. To assist the teachers in their aim there are a wide variety of learning and teaching resources readily available. Whichever resources are used by the teacher, they must be selected appropriately to ensure the following: a. Increase understanding. b. Reinforce key facts. c. Create deeper learning. d. Motivate. e. Variety. f. Effective use of time. g. Simplify ideas. Post teaching it is good practice for the teacher to evaluate how the lesson went looking at the delivery and use of resources. It is this evaluation process that will allow for lesson and resource development to occur. This evaluation process may also highlight deficiencies of the resources used. Each student will learn in a different manner and at a different pace, therefore, expecting one type of resource to fit all is poor practice. Some students may excel whilst in the classroom environment learning about the combustion engine. However, the same individual may then suffer during the practical hands on phase. This is not poor teaching practice but rather a good way to encourage individuals to move out of their comfort zone and try to develop their already existing skills further and in different areas. If students are encouraged to develop their weaker learning styles then they can only benefit further down the educational line as they will be able to adapt quickly to the teaching environment gaining more benefit than if left to continue preferring their strongest style. Review the effectiveness of different types of resources in meeting individual learning needs. Fleming (1987) noted that there were three distinct styles of learning which could be displayed by students, these are aural, visual and kinaesthetic. Aural learners generally find talking and listening most beneficial when it comes to learning. This may include talking with others or talking out loud and they are more agreeable to trying new ideas. However, aural learners tend to have difficulty with written instructions and are easily distracted from their focus. Visual learners find observing rather than the actual act or talking as more beneficial to their learning style. These individuals generally display improved literacy skills but struggle with verbal instructions. Lastly, the kinaesthetic learner favours the physical activity rather than reading or writing. They have a tendency to use their hands whilst talking and are very tactile towards others. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations In this modern era, it is more common to see PowerPoint presentations being delivered than Over Head Projectors (OHP). One of the major advantages of using PowerPoint is the versatility it offers to the teacher in presenting the information. Diagrams and text can be display almost instantly together on the screen allowing the diagram to reinforce the text. Furthermore, video and sound files can also be embedded into the presentation therefore ensuring the three learning styles are catered for during a lesson. In addition, the actual presentation can be printed out (3 slides to a page) forming a professional handout which students can use in the future. Flipcharts and whiteboards This teaching resource is best suited to a smaller teaching environment where during a brainstorming session answers provided by the students can be noted down and explained / expanded upon at a later point during the teaching session. When used in this manner aural learners will gain the most benefit from the resource. If the flip chart / white board is used in smaller groups to facilitate group discussions then we start to involve the other learning styles playing to their needs. Work presented on the flip chart can also be adapted for use elsewhere such as a poster tacked to the wall. If this is carried out then students can refer back to the information presented at a later date. Typed handouts There are various different handouts that can be designed to facilitate a lesson ranging from diagrammatic to missing words. The teacher must decide when preparing the lesson which type of handout will suit the lesson best. If complicated diagrams are expected to be learnt then it would be prudent to provide a handout of the diagram that can be used for further learning by the student. If the lesson taught is factual then handouts with listed statements could be provided and to provide further learning words could be omitted. As previously mentioned, no student is the same and they will learn differently. As a result it is the teachers responsibility to try and vary their lessons accordingly to keep the students motivated and interested. A problem faced by some teachers is the difference in prior knowledge and experience of a subject. Further compounding this issue is the the level of competence demonstrated by the student. It is possible that two students on a course (for example letter writing) may come from two separate backgrounds and as such will have different levels of experience and prior knowledge. One student may write letters on a regular basis but requires the qualification as proof whilst the other is more a practical student relying on others to write letters. It is the teachers responsibility to ensure that both students are motivated and kept interested during the lesson without inadvertently isolating one student from another. A possible remedy to the potential problem would be to have the students sit in pairs (one with some experience, the other without) and although the students carry out there own work during tasks they are free to discuss their issues whilst the teacher is moving around the classroom. Review the use of a range of resources for specific learning contexts Teachers must ensure that the resource used to facilitate the students learning is appropriate and adequate for the lesson. Indeed, the teacher must also ensure that they have the appropriate level of knowledge themselves to utilise the resource effectively. There are also situations where a resource may be deemed inappropriate for the student. Firstly if a student has a learning difficulty then providing a written document as a handout would be inappropriate. However, it may be that written document is produced on different colour paper or with larger font resulting in the student being able to gain use from the handout. Secondly, a lesson delivered by a teacher may have a particular focus and to aid in learning a particular resource may be required. It would be difficult to expect students to be taught how to carry out an effective rodent survey without firstly being taught how to identify a rodent and secondly what signs of an infestation there would be. Each of these lessons require specific resources to aid learning and without it would be difficult to achieve the outcome required. Task 2 Design three resources for your skill specialism, one of which must incorporate the use of emerging technologies, and analyse how they will engage learners. Review and justify them to show how they could be adapted/developed to enhanced inclusive practice. Review a wide range of sources to inform resource development There is a wide range of information sources available to help in the development of teaching resources. These sources range from textbooks commonly found within libraries to the World Wide Web (WWW.). However, it must be remembered that when using textbooks to develop resources the text contained within the book may be superseded by a more modern text. Whereby, being able to readily access the WWW individuals are able to gain access to extant information ensuring reliability of the information presented when teaching. Another source of information regarding resource development can be gained from peer reviews. Work colleagues may have ideas that can be used to develop existing resources for the benefit of the students. Plan, design and justify a range of appropriate subject specialist resources to engage learners, including the use of new and emerging technologies. Resource 1 is a crossword designed to assist the student by having them engage in solving the clue to the answer. This resource works not only in developing the students recall ability but also helps to develop their spelling. Resource 2 is a handbook developed to provide the student with a basic level of information during a lesson. However, to keep the student engaged and motivated areas of the handbook require completion by the student during the actual lesson. There is enough information required to complete the handbook that failure to do so will leave gaps in the learning that are required for assessment. Designing the handbook this way places the responsibility for learning on the student but can be overseen by the teacher during the lesson delivery. Resource 3 is a PowerPoint presentation designed to facilitate a confirmatory lesson. The PowerPoint is designed to give the students a basic level of background information and they are then allowed to work in small groups and answer the questions as if they were in a real life situation. The presentation then moves the scenario forward posing questions throughout the situation. This type of confirmatory exercise allows the students to work in small groups gaining information from each other as well as having the teacher confirm the correct answers. Review ways to adapt a range of resources to ensure an inclusive approach. After the lesson has been delivered the teacher can evaluate the usefulness of resources used through the validation process. This evaluation can also include a process of self evaluation from the teacher allowing changes to be incorporated into the existing resources. Through actual observations the teacher may be able to ascertain how well the resources used were received by the students. Explain and justify the inclusiveness of your own resources. It is difficult to provide resources that fit all three learning styles completely but it is hoped that the ones designed above have included elements of all three. It is also recognised that students with specific learning difficulties must also be accommodated and hopefully resource 1 and 2 can be produced on coloured paper to assist these students. Each lesson delivered is done so with a variety of aural, visual and kinaesthetic therefore appealing in some way to each student. Furthermore, the lessons are structured with a beginning, middle and end and are summarised throughout to ensure the students are understanding the subject matter. During the question and answer sessions of a lesson, students who remain quiet are asked to answer questions and praise is given when the answer is correct. If an incorrect answer is given then the teacher should develop the students answer and help direct it to the correct response. Demonstrate effective use of equipment as a resource for own practice. During my lessons I will vary the equipment / resources that I use to achieve my learning outcomes. Although the majority of my lessons are designed to be delivered with the use of PowerPoint, I have factored in elements that will be led by classroom discussions whilst I write the students answers on a white board. Once the discussion is complete I will leave the points raised by the students on the white board and proceed with the PowerPoint presentation. It is during this phase that as I teach, if the students have raised the points through the discussion then I reference them and congratulate the students. I am also required to deliver practical based lessons based around pest identification and control. These lessons are in a classroom often set up with the students in a horseshoe pattern and I at the front. During these lessons I will describe the movement, carry out the movement on my own and then invite the students to mimic my movements. Once I am happy that the students have grasped the movements required I will allow them the carry them out as I move around the classroom and give advice on a one to one basis. Review own approaches, strengths and developmental needs in relation to resource design and management. As the teacher responsible for developing resources for my own lessons I find a basic understanding of IT is essential. Although PowerPoint is essentially a user friendly tool, to gain the maximum effectiveness for each lesson it is essential that some training in its use is undertaken. I believe a teacher must have the ability to interchange between resources used during a lesson to ensure that all learning styles are accommodated. I also believe that this ability helps to keep the lesson ‘fresh’ not only for the students but also for the teacher delivering the lesson repeatedly. This ability stems from the confidence the teacher has which in turn will be projected to the students and encourages participation. Discuss ways to adapt and improve own practice in relation to resource development and management. I will constantly invite other teachers to look at any resources that I utilised and welcome feedback from them. Furthermore, before developing any new resources It is always useful to discuss what you would like to do with other teachers as they may have already developed resources that can be adapted or they may highlight areas for development before time is spent developing. Task 3 Define intellectual property rights and relevant legislation. Discuss the implications of these to organisations and to tutors. Review effective practice in storing, cataloguing and sharing resources. There are instances when due to illness or other reason that the teacher detailed to deliver a lesson may not be able to do so. In these instances it is essential that the stand in teacher has access to the lesson, lesson plan and any resources designed for the lesson. If these are not available then the stand In teacher will be unable to deliver the lesson to the standard required not because they do not have the ability but simply because they wont have the time to adequately prepare. Within my location all lessons, lesson plans and resources are held on a centralised computer server allowing access to the department anywhere on the teaching site. To assist in the locating of the relevant lessons etc each one is labelled accordingly following the same naming conventions and are then stored in sub files depicting the actual course it is delivered to. Define intellectual property rights and copyright and their potential implications for the production and use of materials. ‘Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literacy and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.’ www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/. In essence it allows the creators of different works to keep ownership of something they have created. To ensure that any piece of work is completely protected by the individual a number of different types of intellectual property can be utilised, these are: a. Patents. These protect what makes something work. i.e. what makes a wheel turn or the chemical formula of a product. b. Trade Marks. Trade marks are signs (like words or logos) that distinguish goods and services in the marketplace. c. Designs. Designs protect the appearance of a product/logo, from the shape of an aeroplane to a fashion item. d. Copyright. Copyright is an automatic right which applies when the work is fixed, that is written or recorded in some way. ‘Copyright guidance protects the originators of material against plagiarism’ Wilson, Practical Teaching – A guide to PTLLS & CTLLS, Pg 20. However, ‘it is against the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and the subsequent amendment of 2003, to reproduce material in any way without acknowledging the originator’ Wilson, Practical Teaching – A guide to PTLLS & CTLLS, Pg 20. However, to acknowledge the originator, and therefore stay within the law of copyright the individual needs only attach a reference list in a recognised format such as Harvard. It is also common to ensure that creators of work receive royalties for their work being reproduced, the Copyright Licensing Agency will issue a license to educational establishments. This is an agreement for the copyright work to be reproduced for learning purposes. However, there is often a limit to how much can be produced and each establishment will know what this limit is. It Is imperative that individuals do not exceed this limit as the Copyright Licensing Agency are entitled to carry out spot checks on establishments with the legal backing of the Government / Law. If a person is found to have breached the copyright law through the reproduction of another’s work and found guilty in a court of law under section 107 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 then they are liable to face imprisonment of up to six months and / or a fine not to exceed level 5 on the standard scale. As a result of this it is always best practice to acknowledge any authors of work used in the production of learning resources.