Ptlls_Assignment_T1

City & Guilds Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector Section 1 Understand own role, responsibilities and boundaries of role in relation to teaching Assignment T1 Describe what your role, responsibilities and boundaries would be as a teacher in terms of the teacher/training cycle In order that a learners needs can be met, as defined by Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (1954), teachers have roles, responsibilities and boundaries that can be developed within the teacher/training cycle as described by Gravells (2008:28) It is a succession of designing, assessing and evaluating, and ‘you can start at any point, but you must follow through all the other points for teaching and learning to be effective’ Gravells (2008:27). Identify the need. As an assessor, reviewer or signposter, it is important that the requirements of the learner and any awarding bodies can be identified. This should then allow for the course to be designed around these individual differences and demands. It must be borne in mind though, that any information gained from a student disclosure must be kept confidential and that respect must be given to any student that refuses to divulge sensitive information. Design the learning. Here the role of the planner, designer and researcher come into play. It may be that this is the first time the course you are going to teach has been delivered. If the course content is one you are familiar with, then further research may be unnecessary. What you will need though is a lesson plan. Minton (2005:60) describes these as ‘cue-sheets’, enabling you to ‘refer from time to time to check where the lesson is going’. As the planner you need to ensure that the environment that you will teach in is conducive to learning. According to Francis and Gould ‘the teaching environment has three aspects – the physical, social and learning…equally important in the planning of any teaching that we undertake; (2009:16). The layout of the room may need to be planned out depending on how you will teach the subject. For instance, if there will be a lot of role play or tactile learning this will dictate how you communicate and interact with the students and how they interact between themselves. Remember also that teaching aids are just that, an aid to learning. There is no need to make them so elaborate that they detract from their meaning. ‘Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler’ Einstein (n.d.) Implement. The role here becomes that of a demonstrator, lecturer, guide and mentor. The teachers’ responsibility will be to remain professional throughout by dressing appropriately and being organised with the planning and delivery of the sessions. Minton (2005:13) explains that ‘Teachers need to establish rules and a work-orientated environment for their students to create positive working behaviour’. The way people learn may impact on the boundaries we have set ourselves for delivering the material. Gravells (2008:30) citing Flemings work (1987) says that you may have to incorporate a variety of visual, aural and kinaesthetic learning style during the session. Assess This part of the cycle allows the teacher to provide and receive feedback in order to ascertain whether learning has taken place. This will also embed within the teacher the need for accurate record keeping about their students. These assessments, according to Gravells (2008:76), may take the form of a formative or summative type, but must always be valid, authentic, current and sufficient. Evaluate As an evaluator and questioner, you can continually review the effectiveness of the course with end of course critiques or simply by asking questions. The teacher must then be responsible for adjusting the content if need be or adapting the way it is delivered. Not only should the course content be evaluated but also that of the teacher. This can be self-evaluation by the use of a reflective journal completed after every session. ’But we must evaluate what has happened in order to know what to do next - before we set off again’ Minton (2005:274) Word count 511 REFERENCES Francis, M. Gould, J. 2009 Achieving your PTLLS award: a practical guide to teaching in the lifelong learning sector. [Online e-book] London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at http://books.google.co.uk/books [Accessed 29 September 2010] Gravells, A. 2008. Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector. 3rd ed. Exeter: Learning Matters. Minton, D. 2005. Teaching skills in further and adult education. 3rd ed. Thomson Learning.