Ptlls_3_Assignment_2

( 1 ) PTLLS level 3 Assignment 2 28/08/12 As an Educator ( trainer) my responsibilities are towards my students, clients, myself, to the law and anyone who may be affected by my acts or omissions. I consider myself to have moral and legal obligations to the aforementioned. I am primarily a first aid and social care trainer and as such learners can expect from me, teaching that respects them and encompasses diversity and inclusion. My teaching should uplift students socially, intellectually, emotionally, and personally I am freelance, it is my responsibility to ensure honesty to my clients with training delivery that meets their expectations and requirements fully. I myself must engage in continual professional development. Embrace the fact that teaching is a two way experience. I am a facilitator not a lecturer. “ The educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each learner, recognizes the importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the freedom to learn and to teach, the guarantee of equal education opportunity for all “ National Education Association (NEA) code of ethics I have a responsibility to work within the legislation that governs the content of my courses and the way I must or must not deliver that content. I have responsibility within general health and safety law too. My work is affected by others such as suppliers, governing bodies, and clients who have some form of contractual responsibility towards me. The diversity of my learners has potential effect too; they have responsibilities for their behaviour towards me hence the need for course or “house” rules. My responsibilities go beyond my students; they will leave with new skills and often have a direct impact on someone’s wellbeing or survival. I am responsible to my learners but always aware of further far reaching responsibilities. ( 2 ) One session on my PTLLS course concerned legislation, we looked at some eleven pieces of legislation that generally impact on my teaching role, ranging from the DDA 1995 to HASAWA 1974. I am keenly aware it is incumbent on me as an educator to establish which legislation and codes of practice apply to my area. Current legislation that directly affects my role as a 1st aid trainer are The Health and Safety (First Aid )Regulations 1981.this legislation informs employers/workplaces what first aid cover they must have, what training they must put in place to ensure this. The enforcing agency is the Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ). Many of the 1st aid courses that I facilitate are regulated by the HSE and I must teach the course content stipulated by them. Note that the HSE will set the content and contact teaching time, but NOT the method of teaching. I am free to choose and vary my teaching style according to learners needs. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that relevant legislation is in place to protect not just the learner but also the teacher. I can work comfortably in the knowledge that I am covered by legislation such as “Race Relations act 2000” and “ The Data protection Act 1998 “ amongst others. “A good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognise it. They say; Hey, that works, it makes sense” Barack Obama ( 3 ) The incorporation of equality, diversity and inclusion is part of the core of what I do and teach. The majority of learners on my courses are from differing ethnic backgrounds, they are often unknown to each other prior to the course. English may not be their primary language. I may in any group have ages ranging from 18 to 80+. For HSE courses I can teach a maximum of 12 learners at a time. It is not unusual to encounter a variety of learning needs. Equality; My approach is to introduce myself in a friendly manner to each student as they arrive and direct them to the facilities for refreshment. This encourages them to relax and engage with myself and other students. I then promptly begin to ascertain any particular needs that may mean I have to change the programme timings or adapt any aspect of the approaching teaching session. These may be subtle changes or more noticeable such as rearranging seating. This is not about inclusion at this stage but ensuring that all learners are treated fairly and given equal opportunity throughout the course. I will listen carefully to any requests from my learners and will act on them if appropriate to do so. The First Aid Regulations 1981 state that before an employee is sent on a 1st aid course they must be deemed “suitably competent” by their employer. I have had occasion to deem students not suitable for the role before or during a course. For example one student passed out every time the word “Blood” was mentioned and another was physically unable to bend or crouch or kneel at all. Their exclusion was fair to them and the other learners, equality is about fairness not treating all the same. ( 4 ) Diversity; a fascinating, enjoyable and challenging aspect to teaching. I like the rich cultural diversity that I encounter it really can enhance the “two way” aspect of teaching. I have researched the more familiar features of the varying religions and cultures that I encounter. I have learnt important facets of Sikhism, Muslimism, and Christianity amongst others so that I can incorporate needs into my courses. I recognise that diversity is not just about religion, sexual orientation, or gender, It is about the differences in individuals, I try to ensure that my tone of voice and my body language makes me easily approachable to the learners which aids the promotion of diversity on my courses. I endeavour to avoid stereotyping Inclusion; The key here for me, is to learn, remember and use students names , I do this within minutes of the commencement of a course. I have received many positive comments from learners who felt valued and included because of this technique. For example; I myself have been a delegate on courses of several days duration where at the conclusion the trainer has not learnt my name and referred to me as “you over there”. Incorporating Equality and Diversity will often in itself lead to a sense of Inclusion for the learner. ( 5 ) I use Initial, Diagnostic, Formative and Summative assessment processes. Formative is key and throughout the course I use a continual assessment sheet with each learners name on it, I mark off each session as it is completed. If after the final teaching session the learning outcomes have been met, the learner can then progress to final assessment, this will usually be a multiple choice paper and a practical assessment. For HSE courses there is a requirement for independent assessment usually by 2 assessors. The assessment paperwork differs between clients, and varies from simplistic to complex but will always be a clear record of achievement. If a learner does not reach required standard then a second form is completed to give explanation. Some short (non HSE) courses have no formal assessment process other than formative. I am assessed on an annual basis by an assessor from the HSE, I have to renew my FAW certification every 3 years. I consider that evaluation forms completed by my students are an assessment of myself ( I keep them ) and I always self evaluate. Records are important for reference and legal obligations, I have to keep copies of course registers, Formative and Summative assessment papers, Incident forms, these are archived. Legally the register has to be available for inspection and the assessment paperwork in whatever format should the student decide to appeal against a decision. I must keep copies of my qualifications and any updates or newly gained certificates. (Word count minus titles and quotes = approx 1220 )