Ptlls

Cert Ed Ass 1. I. Roles, responsibilities and boundaries. My overriding role and responsibility as a teacher is to develop my learners understanding and knowledge. Many definitions of learning exist, however as a teacher I am responsible for providing my learners with clear tasks, goals and informing them of progress made. I need to be able to explain and describe things clearly. I encourage my learners to think, to learn from others and be confident enough to make mistakes without fear of being treated negatively. I actively encourage learner participation, treat all learner questions seriously and use regular assessment strategies to monitor learners’ progress. My activities are varied to accommodate all learning styles. Feedback given is always positive with the use of clear, achievable targets and goals. Above all I try to make content and purpose explicit, I plan well, assess and feedback, make connections and encourage learners to think about thinking. Although the quotation below is taken from higher education I feel it applies to all teaching. In his book Ramsden (1992, pg.8) stated: For too long we have relied in higher education on teaching that is essentially an amateur affair. A professional approach to teaching should be seen in the same light as a professional approach to law, medicine, or engineering. From the perspective in this book, it is not enough for a lecturer to be an exceptional clinician, advocate or designer. He or she must be a distinguished teacher as well. 1 Boundaries need to be taken very seriously. The majority of boundaries can be covered in the group contract but as a teacher I need to be aware of boundaries which might not be appropriate to include in the group contract. Examples are not entering into a physical relationship with a learner. Avoid socialising with learners and even if I bump into a learner when out and about to be aware of the impact of what I say or do. I am careful to avoid being on my own with students, for example giving someone a lift home. It is quite acceptable to give the class as a group your contact details but avoid any individual circumstance of passing on your number etc. Accepting gifts is a bit of a grey area, personally I have only ever had cards so am unsure how I would react to an actual gift, to refuse may offend but I think this situation could be avoided by stating from the outset that you are not allowed to accept gifts. I strive to maintain a professional approach when dealing with students, colleagues and institutions, a glib comment can always be taken out of context and in some cases may really offend. Possibly a critical assessment of the increasing demands put on the roles and responsibilities of the teacher can be summarised in the following article. Light and Cox (2001, pg.2) argued that At the same time, mounting criticism of the quality and efficiency of the twin pillars of academic practice - research and teaching - has increased the proportion of time spent on what has now become the third pillar of practice, administration. 2 II. Assessment and feedback There are generally four types of assessment, initial, diagnostic, formative and summative. In their influential work A Handbook For Teaching & Learning In Higher Education, Fry et al (1999, pg. 59) stated that Depending upon the aims of assessment policies of an individual institution or department, effective assessment will reflect truthfully some combination of an individuals abilities, achievement, skills and potential. Ideally it will permit predictions about future behaviour. To be effective, assessment will need to reflect programme content, and be valid, reliable and fair. The initial assessment helps me to consider the learners specific needs and plans. It also provides an opportunity that will help remove any barriers to learning they may have. Good examples are ice breakers focusing on the subject to be taught or something as simple as working in pairs to get to know one another. The diagnostic assessment is an evaluation of a learners skills, strengths and weaknesses. This assessment shows the level an individual should be put at within a subject. Often used at the start of a course or session. Fun things tend to work better as opposed to tests which can put learners in a defensive mode. 3 Formative assessments are used throughout the whole course of a session. They allow me to assess learners and identify any problems and offer feedback and support to overcome them. Examples of which are portfolio building, group and paired work, presentations, quizzes and games, mind maps, Q&A’s, essays and reports. I vary these wherever possible to maintain high levels of interest and interaction. Summative assessment is used at the end of a course. It is a process of evaluating and grading the learners at the end of a course to provide information about how much the learner has learned and how well the course was taught. I find that reflective essays work well or just a simple evaluation with room to make comments. Feedback is an essential part of education and training courses. It helps learners to maximise their potential at different parts in the course. Learners become aware of their strengths and areas of improvement and it identifies actions to be taken to improve performance. Effective feedback needs to be given as soon as possible focussing on the positive points of the learner’s work. Stating what was done well and what could be improved. The teacher should provide an action plan for the learner to follow and always encourage and praise. 4 Feedback is not only given by myself but by peers and colleagues. The learners themselves should also be encouraged to use appropriate feedback. One final point, feedback can be done verbally or written, informally or formally and it is an essential part of the learners learning process. III. Communication Good communication skills are an essential part of a teachers make up. Without a varied and effective range the teacher will be at best uninteresting and at worst ineffective. Non verbal communication plays a massive role in teaching, you are constantly sending messages to your learners through your body language or lack of it. Eye contact needs to be used to make the learners aware that you are interested in what they have to say. Non verbal prompts help to encourage discussion and again show that you are listening, a paralinguistic will also help in this process, a simple ‘Mmm’ or ‘Ah’ show that you are listening. In their article on non verbal communication the excellence gateway states: When you listen, you will rarely stay completely silent for long. You will make sounds (like ‘Mmm’,‘Ah’,‘Hmmm’) that are difficult to capture in writing but that signal that you are listening. Used in a neutral way, they invite a learner to continue talking. 5 How a teacher exploits the room is also important, I personally like to use all of the room and position myself to allow close interaction with each and every learner. Consideration needs to be taken in how the room is set up, tables need to be positioned so roaming can be made effortlessly. In addition roaming can be used to position yourself close to learners that are becoming disruptive or learners needing extra support. From my teaching experience thus far I have identified that differing communication styles can be used for varying groups of learners. For example I might be delivering a course to young mothers in the morning then another course to an over 50’s group in the afternoon. My style, choice of delivery and vocabulary will differ tremendously between the two in order for me to maintain an empathy and understanding to the diverse needs of each group. In summary communication needs to be varied, understood, effective and used appropriately to the needs of the learners. A humorous quote with which to finish. I speak two languages, Body and English. Mae West, actress, Word Count 1334 References Excellence Gateway (n.d) [online] Available: http://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/PDF/E15-13_Resource%20Non%20Verbal%20Comms.pdf [14.11.2010] Fry, H Ketteridge, S and Marshall, S (1999) A Handbook For Teaching & Learning In Higher Education. London: Kogan Page Ltd Light, G and Cox,R (2001) Learning & Teaching In Higher Education. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ramsden, P (1992) Learning To Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge