Pttls_Question_1

PTTLS Theory Assignment Q1. Level 4 Identify Needs At the start of the learning cycle the tutor’s role is to make an assessment of the learner’s ability to tackle the subject matter and to assimilate the information that will be passed to them over the course of the sessions. The responsibility at this point is to accurately identify the physical or perceptual needs of each learner for education that can facilitate this process. Best practice at this stage may be to conduct a review of learning styles and identify additional learning need, such as dyslexia. A basic skills audit tool, such as Fleming's VARK model (Leite 2009). Boundaries may be met, for example, through learner’s inability to concentrate as a result of substance abuse. Here the tutor must asses their ability to undertake the course but also be aware of support from referral agencies. Furthermore the tutor must asses if they can continue to provide such support and provide training concurrently, or if this learner should be deferred to a later course. Furthermore if could be deemed as unprofessional or bias to offer additional support beyond further tuition as this is a system open to abuse by the learner. On reflection this is a highly important phase of the course and lays the foundation for learning, without it students may not achieve to their potential. As a tutor there are also lessons to be learnt around learning styles that can be assimilated into the scheme of work and lesson plans to better suit particular learners or groups and therefore time and effort should be invested here. Planning At the planning stage the tutors role is to develop the learning needs into a programme of delivery. Theoretically this should be a flexible stage that is tailored to the students. However a common barrier related to this may be a set scheme of work; this may be developed and issued by the institution. Here the tutor must make a conscientious and diligent effort to develop these areas into the lesson planning, thereby ensuring the course is suitable for the learner. Responsibility here is to produce supporting documents such as a scheme of work, and written course materials, that can also be used by others. This should be viewed as an opportunity to develop the course material and not a boundary. However on reflection this may be seen as a limiting factor, although these materials provide structure and a framework for learning they also discourage learners to develop areas for further interest as these are often orientated towards the objectives and subsequent assessments Training During the training the tutors role is to stick to their plan and ensure the delivery hits the learning styles that have been identified. This is not simply a process that is paid lip-service to but an active document that is used for the structure of the course. The tutor has a further responsibility to have the correct level of knowledge to deliver the course to a professional standard. Furthermore the good behaviours of a tutor can dramatically influence the learning outcome; as such they should gather and act upon previous feedback to ensure this effect is positive and developmental. Often reflection upon courses can be focused upon the tutor, and particularly upon their areas of weakness. These can detract from a message and the overall effectiveness of the course. We should remember the course is about the learner’s development and not the tutor at this phase. Assessment During the assessment the tutor must relate the questioning or testing to the objectives of the course in order to test its effectiveness, a barrier of this may be that a poor or out dated objective would provide an assessment that is detached from the topics that have been covered. However the responsibility also lies with the tutor to make the course manageable to learn through its structure. At the opposite end of this scale the tutor must also ensure that this is an assessment and not spoon-fed exercise, or that people are not influenced. In addition people should not be singled out during a lecture for example as this will cause humiliation and have a negative effect upon learning. Reflecting on this process we can see that the most important aspect is feedback, crucial to our development and to cement the knowledge gained to be used with confidence. Boundaries can also be prevented as we need to correct incorrect answers without damaging this confidence or willingness to learn. Evaluation Role is to provide a forum or a form for constructive appraisal of the planning and delivery of the course. However it is the tutors’ responsibility to take this information on-board for its assimilation to the learning cycle at all levels the next time it is used. Boundaries are that personalities may skew the feedback gained at this phase. Furthermore that tutors may be openly or unintentionally influencing the answers of students, This can often be feedback as a reflection of them to the institution. However the responsible and professional trainer should seek honesty to facilitate their reflection and develop the course further.