Review_Your_Current_Teaching_Role

Assignment 1 1. Review your current teaching role, explaining your responsibilities. Explain how you work with colleagues and other agencies, particularly when dealing with issues outside your area of expertise or responsibility. Summarise any specific legislation or policies that impact on your teaching role. 2. Discuss issues of equality and diversity facing you and your learners, and explain how you promote an inclusive environment in your learning sessions. Discuss any ground rules you establish with learners and evaluate their effectiveness. How do you assess your learners and record progress' Discuss the importance of functional skills (literacy, numeracy and ICT) and ways to embed them in your specialist area. 3. Outline the aims of the learning session you will deliver in Section 2 and explain the teaching/learning and assessment approaches you intend to use. Place the learning session in the context of your normal teaching role. “There remain questions about the appropriate frequency and depth of self-assessment and the relevance of different models of self-assessment. What is clear is that the less threatening the evaluation process the more open, honest reflective and useful is the self-evaluation process” (Harvey 2002). The purpose of the following essay is to assess my current teaching role and responsibilities. I will compare my teaching methods against recognised learning styles and theory’s. Furthermore I will outline current legislation and policies which govern my responsibilities, within the role and how I apportion concerns outside my area of expertise. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (David A. Kolb, 1984). Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning theory comprises of four different stages of learning which take place through experience. Kolb (1984) explains his learning cycle and suggests that it is not sufficient just to have an experience in order to learn. Reflecting on the experience (allows individuals to formulate ideas and make generalisations) which can then be applied to new situations. This learning must then be tested out in new situations. The learner must formulate a link between the theory and action, acting out, reflecting and then relating back to the theory. When delivering my micro teach I used aspects of Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle to ensure I formulated a link between the theory and action, acting out, reflecting and then relating back to the theory. I outlined the current legislation and good practice, requested the group to relate the theory and carry out the procedure, reflected on the action and then returned to the theory. One of the most common types of learning styles is Fleming and Mills (1992) VARK (Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinaesthetic) model: visual learners; auditory learners; reading/writing learners; kinaesthetic learners or tactile learners. Fleming and Mills (1992) claimed that visual learners have a preference for seeing (think in pictures; visual aids such as overhead slides, diagrams, handouts, etc.). Auditory learner’s best learn through listening (lectures, discussions, etc.). Tactile/kinaesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience moving, touching, and doing (active exploration of the world; science projects; experiments, etc.). The VARK model is a mechanism I have found valuable when implementing functional skills into a session. Functional skills qualifications have been developed by the Government as part of an initiative to improve the country's literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. They replaced Key Skills qualifications from September 2010. Aspects of Fleming and Mills (1992) VARK model were also used during my teaching session and included: visual (PowerPoint display, handout, resources, demonstration), auditory (teacher and group input and questions), reading (PowerPoint display, handouts, resources), Kinaesthetic (practical session). The Whole Brain model by Herrmann Research (1979) combines Roger Sperry's (1974) left and right brain theory and Paul MacLean's (1952) triune model (rational brain, intermediate brain and primitive brain) to produce a quadrant model of the brain that represents thinking style preferences: Theorist (the rational self), Organisers (the safe-keeping self), Innovators (the experimental self), Humanitarians (the feeling self). Hermann (1979) identified that everyone has some capability in each of the 4 quadrants and each quadrant, is used at different times and in different ways and therefore aspects from all 4 quadrants should be used when teaching to promote whole brain learning. By understanding your own particular preferences, you can gain insights into why you do the things you do. Hermann’s (1979) model is positive in that there are different ways of thinking, and different preferences, but we can all do them. We learn a given topic best and enjoy learning most, if we use all these styles. Once more within my teaching session I considered a variety of teaching and learning strategies to enable all learners to feel involved and learn from a variety of teaching methods. A non-peer-reviewed literature review by authors from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne identified 71 different theories of learning style. This report, published in 2004, criticized most of the main instruments used to identify an individual's learning style. In conducting the review, Coffield (2004) and his colleagues selected 13 of the most influential models for closer study. Coffield (2004) and the team found that none of the most popular learning style theories had been adequately validated through independent research, leading to the conclusion that the idea of a learning cycle, the consistency of visual, auditory and kinaesthetic preferences and the value of matching teaching and learning styles were all "highly questionable." I my opinion there appears to be an emphasis on learning styles within the teaching system, however there are other factors which also facilitate a learners ability to achieve, which I will now discuss in the following section. “As coach and facilitator, the teacher uses formative assessment to help support and enhance student learning, as judge and jury, the teacher makes summative judgments about a student's achievement...” Atkin, Black & Coffey (2001). The purpose of summative assessment is a mandatory assessment that results in the calculation of a grade. Generally summative assessment occurs at the end of a topic or the end of a course in order to evaluate how well learners have acquired the knowledge and skills presented in that section or during the complete course. Formative assessment is designed to provide feedback to learners and instructors for the purpose of the development of teaching and learning. From a learners perspective, formative assessment provides information on a learners performance and how they are progressing with the skills and knowledge required by a particular course. During my teaching session both my tutor and I acknowledge this area was an area that could be further developed. Although the opportunity for formative assessment was built into my planning, the actual execution of the process could have been more robust had I incorporated questioning of the learners to verify understanding. Marzano (2003) meta-study describes four basic approaches that have been found to improve behaviour in classrooms: rules and procedures, teacher/student relationships and mental set. Marzano’s (2003) meta-study demonstrated that on average learners achieved higher results due to the improved classroom management techniques. One of the techniques I find useful is the setting of ground rules. Many ground rules are procedural (for example, put your mobile phones on vibrate, start on time and end on time). These are fine but they don’t help learners figure out how they should actually talk with each other after everyone’s on time and their mobile phones are turned off. Other ground rules - like “treat others with respect” – describe how group members should work together, but are not SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic or time related). In contrast, behavioral ground rules provide specific ways that learners can act to improve the group’s performance. Here is a set of ground rules I find effective. • State views and ask genuine questions. • Share all relevant information. • Use specific examples. • Explain your reasoning. • Focus on interests, not positions. Teachers are required to keep records of learner’s progress and attainment. At the very least, this will probably take the form of recording whether a significant activity or task has been undertaken and the level of attainment. Within the organisation I work we have a customised learner profile’s and staff development records which record progress. Barriers and life circumstances continue to prevent non-traditional learner’s achievements. Thus, to attract and retain adult learners, we must be sure that we can support them through the programme and help them to address problems that may threaten their progress. Understanding when a student requires further support beyond your remit is a boundary which should be effectively utilised. I must therefore be able to recognise when additional support is required to further the learning experience and also act on disclosures which are unlawful. Internal policy and legislation which govern the teaching profession similarly influence decision making and responsibilities. The National Autistic Society has both training and development policy and a learning and development strategy which sets out the platform to develop skills of staff, deliver high quality teaching and includes the protocol for the referral of learners requiring additional support. Another key area within the strategy is inclusivity, diversity and equality. This is processed within my sessions by implementing the following principles: using a variety of teaching methods, assessment is fair and does not discriminate against any learner, language used is non-discriminatory and appropriate, discussion and comments within the learning environment are managed to ensure learner language is appropriate and non-discriminatory and learners have the opportunity to fully evaluate the course in an open and anonymous way Additional guidance which impacts on the role and responsibilities of the teacher include: • Health and Safety at work Act 1974 – covers the overall safety of learners, including accidents, risk assessing and fire protocol. • Equality Act 2010 – outlines 9 protected characteristics, making it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender etc. • Disability Discrimination Act 1995 – promotes equality and opportunities for all learners eliminating discrimination or harassment of disabled people. • Data protection Act 1998– Requires teachers to keep relevant, accurate data that not excessive or kept longer than is necessary. • LLUK and DfES outline core principles or value which include: learners succeed, learning is real, relevant and enjoyable and learners progress and develop knowledge. Carl Rogers places self assessment at the start and heart of the learning process. The learning from experience cycle devised by Kolb (1984) also places heavy emphasis on self assessment. It is evident from the enclosed theories, standards and legislation that it is necessary to continually self assess and evaluate my lessons and teaching methods, ensuring that the individuals learners requirement are at the centre of my decision making. Bibliography Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today. 4th ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Mcleod, S. A. (2010). Simply Psychology; Kolb | Learning Styles. Last accessed 20 November 2011, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Kolb, David (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0132952610.  Fleming N. (2001)  VARK- a guide to learning styles. Last accessed 15th Nov 2011. www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp   M.Alan Klazlev. (1999). The Four Quadrant Model of the Brain. Available: http://www.kheper.net/topics/intelligence/Herrmann.htm. Last accessed 18th Nov 2011. Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc. APA Citation: Forehand, M. (2005). Bloom's taxonomy: Original and revised.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 16th Nov 2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ Pashler H, McDaniel M, Rohrer D and Bjork R (2008) "Learning Styles; concepts and evidence" Psychological Science in the Public Interest vol. 9 no.3; available on-line at http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf accessed 21 Nov 2011. Atherton J S (2011) Teaching and Learning; Ground rules for the class. Retrieved 20th Nov 2011 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/ground_rules.htm Marzano, R. et al (2003) Classroom Management that Works Alexandria: ASCD. Retrieved 20th Nov 2011, from www.ascd.org