Ptlls_Level_4_Section_1__Theory_Assessment_1

PTLLS Level 4 Section 1: Theory assessment 1 Review what your role, responsibilities & boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching/training cycle. As a lecturer my roles are many and varied. As part of my day to day work I may not only deliver lessons but be an advisor an interviewer and a referrer. I may have to motivate and liaise as well as guide, assess and counsel. I will have to keep records and be a subject specialist as well as liaise externally and impart information and advice sometimes on a personal level. A lecturers relationship with their students’ is also varied, it is easy to let first impressions count when meeting a group of new students’ on enrolment and as such teach these students’ as you perceive they may need on your first impressions. Geoff Petty says in his book “When you go for an interview you put your best clothes on. Employers are affected by first impressions, but so are you as a teacher. We do this because we want to know how to behave towards a person and how we can expect them to behave towards us. It would of course be fairer to suspend judgement, but few of us manage this in practise”. The point is we all make judgements on first impressions. It has been proven (Petty G: 2009) that students’ that don’t look interested in studies or that have a don’t care attitude are more likely to do worse on their course that those that appear bright and willing to learn. This is partly due to our “first impressions” leading to the students’ being taught differently even though this may be subconscious. This is when it is important in your role as lecturer to be the needs identifier and try to teach to the needs of the students’ as individuals and not to teach to the needs of the class as a whole when designing the learning and implementing it. The lecturer’s role in designing and implementing a learning programme is more that just delivering facts and information to the students’. As such the lecturer’s relationship can be one of mentor and tutor, sometimes on a personal basis. Motivation is a key area in teaching: a motivated student is more receptive to learning and motivation itself can be applied differently to each individual. A sense of achievement can be good motivation so where one student may be happy to wait to see the sapling they planted grow to become a tree, another may need to plant cress and get the same result but much faster and thus achieve their goal and feel motivated. Structured lessons and practicals that work towards the awarding body’s requirements for the course need to be implemented by the lecturer and can also be seen by the students’ as goals to be achieved. Students’ needs and interests can be taken into account within the lecturers’ teaching methods. Whilst it may not always be possible to look after every individual student’s needs at every lesson, within the role of the lecturers responsibility there should be provision made to encompass them as often as possible. This can be done on a one to one basis at tutorials or as an ongoing programme by the lecturer as the course develops in the lecturer’s role as tutor. Also as a lecturer, varying teaching methods is a good way of keeping lessons fresh. A lecturer that teaches with only the spoken word can quickly get a reputation as boring or dull, but when a lesson is enhanced with slides or power point presentation or even practical demonstrations, it makes the lesson less “dull” and the students more receptive to learning. Within the lecturer’s role and responsibilities, assessments are carried out from day one. The lecturer will assess a student from the moment they first meet as with first impressions. Most lecturers will be assessing the students’ capability to learn, interact and be a cohesive part of the team. The assessment will continue as the course runs in terms of how the student is carrying out tasks and coursework and how the group as a whole is working together. Formative assessment can be used to give feedback to students’ while learning, and the information gained by the student should enhance education. If this method is carried out effectively it can have a direct result on student achievement. As a lecturer how you give constructive advice or criticism can affect how the student feels about their work and achievements. It is all part of the lecturers role as an assessor to give timely response and feedback and is a small part of the many roles and responsibilities a lecturer may find in their day to day work. Bibliography Petty, G (2009) Teaching Today 4th Edn Nelson Thorne