C and G Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector free essay sample

CG Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) Participant: Kristina Marinova Course Start Date: 27/01/2010 Level 4 Theory Assignment 1. Review your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher in terms of the teaching/training cycle. My current role is limited to the learner support at the training centre that I am currently working. The courses that our learners do are English (Entry levels, Level 1 and Level 2), mathematics (Entry levels, Level 1 and Level 2), Home and Office IT (Level 2) and NVQ in Customer Service (Level 2). I normally deal with the learners face-to-face and when they come to the centre I need to identify their learning needs and to provide them with the information that they need with respect to their needs. When I am aware of those needs, I need to put them on Initial Assessment for determining their current levels in the relevant subject. Once the results are available, I am able to decide, along with them, on which programme they can be enrolled. Once enrolled I need to explain to them how they can access the courses as the learning that we provide is also self-learning and most of the courses can be accessed from home. I then have to make sure that the learner is comfortable with this type of learning and are also aware of the possibilities to get support and help even from home. In many cases we receive many requests for help by e-mail but in most cases we encourage the learners to come to the learning centre so they can get one-to-one advice and help. When a new learner is joined, the tutor is supposed to keep all the records in the learner’s personal folder. In this folder, we keep the personal details of the learners, their results from Initial Assessments and Diagnostics, learning agreements, results from tests, exercises, etc. Part of my personal responsibilities is to keep the file updated and to make sure that everything stays confidential and no information is lost. Another aspect of my job is to carry out one-to-one reviews with the learners so I am aware of their progress and how far they have gone in the achievement of their learning goals. For this purpose, the tutors in our centre are obliged to carry out regular progress review where they get an idea about the learning journeys of the individuals and to make the necessary correction in their learning plans so they suit the needs of the learners. That needs change with the time as the learners are acquiring new knowledge and skills so the tutor should be flexible with respect to this. As a tutor, I have a duty of care for the learners and I also have to act and speak appropriately and to treat the learners with respect. Building the trust and establishing a relationship with the learner is also important in the whole process of delivering teaching. In many cases, the teacher needs to know more about the learners in order to be prepared to take the right approach towards the learners and their needs. Alongside with my duties and responsibilities, I also have certain boundaries that I need to consider. Those professional boundaries are about knowing where my role as a learner stops. There are some strong ethical issues with respect to the above limitations, mainly, the appropriateness of the teacher/learner relationship and disciplinary lines for misconduct. The teacher should utilize effectively when the student requires further help, which is beyond the teacher’s limits. In such a case, a referral to another organization should be made, where the learners can meet their requirements. In my job as a tutor, I am constantly trying to stick to my role and responsibilities and to make sure that I keep my authority within the professional boundaries that I have. As a reference I can provide a detailed description of my position which can be found on the website of our company: www. tletraining. com[-0] or http://tleconsultants. com/intranet2 2. Summarize the key aspects of current legislative requirements and codes of practice relevant to your subject and the type of organization within which you work. As a tutor I need to be aware of the key aspects of current legislation and codes of practice that are relevant to our organizations. As I have to summarize the key aspects of those codes and requirements, I will not cite them but just state what they are about. In our organization, we need to consider: ?Equality Act – eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality, protect human rights and making sure that everyone has a fair chances to learn and take active part in society. Disability Discrimination Act – all learners must be given the necessary adaptations needed to allow them to participate in learning to their full potential. ?Sex Discrimination Act – no man or woman should be treated less favorably on the ground of their sex or marital status. ?Race Relations Act – none should be discriminated on the basis on their color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins. ?Data Protection Act – making sure that the learner’s private informatio n is kept strictly confidential. In our centre we have a client questioner where the learner provides personal details. Moreover, we keep proofs of identity, proof of address (bank statements, bills, etc) and eligibility proofs. I also need to make sure that no personal information is left unattended or disposed to third party. The learner’s folder is stored in a cabinet and all records are kept for 6 years. After that period the file should be destroyed. Reference: Data Protection – opsi. gov. uk Health and Safety Executive – hse. gov. uk 3. Discuss issues of equality and diversity and ways to promote inclusion with your learners. Review other points of referral available to meet the potential needs of learners. The above aspects refer to the acknowledging and respecting the individual needs of our learners, helping and supporting them. As a tutor I need to continuously monitor any barriers or boundaries that the learners so they can participate efficiently in the learning process. Equality is about the rights of learners to attend and participate no matter what their gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation and race are. In our centre we strictly monitor whether any of our learners are being discriminated by any member of staff or another learners. So far in my practice, I haven’t had any cases of discrimination or any complaints with respect to this matter as we treat equally the different learners that come to us and make sure that they are feeling comfortably in the centre amongst others learners. Diversity refers to valuing the differences in people including all aspects of such differences – gender, sex, race, age, disabilities or any other individual characteristics. Some issues, that might be considered, are: financial pressures, reluctance to train, learning difficulties, travel issues, access to resources, cultural pressure, etc. However, access to our courses is being given to anyone regardless of any of the above issues and all learners are able to benefit from the training that we provide. One of my priorities is to reach out to people who have never before been able to participate in learning and enable them to become fully engaged. I am trying to offer them ways of learning that they have never been introduced to before and to help them access the information and resources that they need for their learning. There is a variety of ways to promote a sense of inclusion (group discussions, group activities, feedback, etc. and make the learners comfortable in the learning environment. The most important, however, is to build a meaningful dialog with the learners. By listening to what the learners have to say about their individual needs or requirements, helps me to identify and use strategies to overcome barriers to successful learning. â€Å"Know your learners† is the main principle for every tutor to follow. Last but not least, I need to ensure that I provide equal support to all of the learners so all individuals meet their needs within the group. In some cases there are learners that have needs that cannot be met by our organization. In such cases we need to refer them to another organization or individual that would be able to provide them with the information or help needed. As an example, I can give cases where learners are not fluent in English and their knowledge is not sufficient for them to benefit from our courses, as they are not able to speak or write in English. For such learners we recommend ESOL classes (more basic English classes) in local organizations and colleges. We also have IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) advisor in the centre, who is able to personally talk to the learners and get more information about their personal and professional needs. The advisor is able to refer them to the write educational or working organization that would satisfy the needs of the individual learner. We as tutors, learner mentors and teachers, also require additional help and qualifications, as we need to update and develop our skills. For this purpose, we may need to refer to some training organizations or may be enrolled on courses sponsored or provided by our own company. Reference: Brown, S. and Race, P. (1994) Assess Your Own Teaching Quality. London: Kogan Page Reece I and Walker S (2003) Teaching, Training and Learning: A practical Guide (5th Edition) 4. Analyze different ways in which you would establish ground rules with your learners, which underpin behavior and respect others. When it comes to behavior, I can say that the learners differ in respect to that and for this reason some ground rules need to be established in order to balance this difference. A group discussion about those rules can make the learners feel heard and included. Ground rules can be established by the tutor/teacher or they can be decided with the participation of the learners themselves. If the tutor is the one providing the rules, he/she needs to list them on a handout or slide making sure that the learners would understand them, add more and negotiate the rules. Another way of stating the rules is by putting notes in the classroom, as it is the case with the centre that I work in. We have notes on the walls or at the entrance door where each learner could read. Some of the rules that we have established in our centre are: ?Put your phone on silent or switch it off. Don’t disturb the others and take your calls outside. ?Make sure that you book your next session before you leave. ?Don’t print unnecessarily and collect your print outs as soon as possible. ?Don’t leave your personal belongings unattended. ?Switch off the monitor once you end your learning session. As discussed above, there are different ways to establish ground rules, but whichever way we decide to use, the importance is that those rules ensure that the class environment is respectful and that everyone has an opportunity to participate and remind students of the need for respect, openness, and ensitivity. From my practice I have seen that the learning process goes smoothly and pleasantly for everyone when all learners are sticking to the determined ground rules. They feel equal in this way and start proposing some additional rules. In this way to feel committed to the group and useful for the rest. The learners often interact with each other in the process of t he ground rules foundation and that serves as icebreaker. Ground rules enable students to have a clear understanding of acceptable behavior. Reference: http://gsi. berkeley. edu/resources/discussion/purpose. html http://www. learningandteaching. info/teaching/ground_rules. htm http://www. faculty. londondeanery. ac. uk/e-learning/small-group-teaching/setting-ground-rules 5. Evaluate a range of ways to embed elements of Functional Skills, in you specialist area. Functional skills are practical skills in English, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and mathematics, that allow individuals to work confidently, effectively and independently in life. In our organization, the functional skills are embedded in the courses themselves as we provide levels in English, mathematics and some additional courses, which are NVQ in Customer Service, Business Administration and Management. It is not surprising, that most of the learners are interested in the basic skills and the most of all they are enrolled on English and mathematics. What we do at the beginning is to test the basic skills of each new learner, as they are the basics that are required so they can move to more advanced and highly skilled courses. It is a requirement that the learner has at least Level 1 in English and mathematics so they are allowed to start one of the advanced courses. In case the learner is working at Entry level 1, 2 or 3, they need to spend some time working on their language or mathematical skills until they reach the required level to be able to do IT courses or NVQs. In my practice, most of the learners start with the basic skills and most of the time my support is focused on the variety of topics for English and mathematics. I am able to help learners develop their skills by learning about spelling, grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking and listening concerning the English. For the mathematics, we focus on whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, shape and space, common measures and handling data. It is my duty to make sure that the learners are well picking up on all of the above topics and help them to overcome any difficulties that they come across in their learning journeys. I have to make sure that it is easy for them to follow the courses and to support them by providing different types of activities such as exercises, handouts, worksheets, mini tests, quizzes, etc. Without acquiring the functional skills, it is very difficult for every learner to progress onwards and to achieve good results. *The functional skills are embedded in my specialist area in variety of ways. English, for example, is required when the learners are filling the client questionnaires, where they show their abilities to read, understand written information and write in order to answer the questions. English is also required in the starting conversation where we need to explain them more about the courses that we offer and when providing them with whatever information they need in order to decided whether we can satisfy their learning needs. English is also required in order for the learner to understand the material and to work on the different courses that we provide. Mathematics in embedded when planning their learning journey as they need to be aware of the length of the courses, the hours that they need to spend or the duration of the session that they have in the centre or at home. They need to be aware of that and make the right calculations when booking their sessions in advance. ICT and the ability to use a computer are essential to our learners, as we are an organization that provides distant learning. That means that the courses are online and it is very important for the learner to know how to use the mouse, the keyboard, how to regulate the volume and connect the headset, how to log into their accounts and how to access the courses, for example. Reference: http://curriculum. qcda. gov. uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/functionalskills/index. aspx Functional Skills Pupil Book (2009) by Trevor Senior, Keith Gordon, Chris Pearce 6. Justify the need of keeping records and describe the types of records you would maintain. Keeping records is very important part of my job, as I need those information for planning, navigating and developing the learning process of the learner. We start collecting information as soon as the learner arrives in the centre. The first thing I would ask the learner is to fill a client questionnaire, where he/she provides me with information about his/her social and working status, previous learning or job experience and learning needs and goal. We also collect proofs of address, identity and eligibility. According to the Data Protection Act, this information is kept strictly confidential and some important data such as bank accounts balance sums, other names, etc are being blacked out. None of this information is shared with a third party or exposed to another learners. The next records that I keep, are those of any Initial Assessments, Diagnostics in English and mathematics and IAG forms (Information, Advice and Guidance). This information is essential for justifying the programme that the learner is enrolled on. Once the learning journey is agreed between the tutor and the learner, the learner is being enrolled on a programme and a Learning Agreement is printed out. One copy is given to the learner and the other is kept in the personal file of that learner. We also keep and individual learning plan containing progress reviews and some additional notes of the tutor. The personal folder of any learner contains also any assignments or exercises the learner has completed. For most of the courses I have to access a section called â€Å"Additional Documentation†, which contains exercises or different types of activities. Such information is a proof of the progress and the personal achievements of the learners. Those exercises and assignments are later used when the tutor provides feedback and discusses the learning process of the learner. When the learner completes a certain level in English or mathematics, for example, they need to pass an Online Test in order to achieve their qualifications. It is very important to keep the result slips in the learner’s file for a proof of achievement. Any progress reviews or exit interviews (when the learner finishes his/her learning and doesn’t want o be enrolled on any other courses) are kept in the files as well. Without keeping records, the learning process would be incomplete and ineffective so it is essential to keep such information and refer to it when necessary. Reference: http://www. teachersnetwork. org/ntol/howto/align/c15768,. htm 7. Review a range of different assessment methods available and explain the ones you would use for your subj ect area. Evaluate the use of assessment methods in different contexts, including reference to initial assessment. Justify the types of assessment records you would complete and explain why. When selecting the assessment methods, it is very important to think about the abilities and qualities we are seeking to discover in the learners. There are different assessment methods that are suitable for the needs of the students, the teacher’s curriculum, the learning and teaching strategies. Some of those methods include: examination, testing, essays writing, written assignments, oral assessments, visual assessments and other methods (discussions, simulations, peer assessments, self assessment, work based assessment, portfolio, etc. All methods have advantages and disadvantages but there are essential for the learning process, as students need to know they are achieving the required standard and what their strengths and weaknesses are. At my work place we have several types of assessments that are standard and on which we put every new learner, regardless of their previous learning experiences and qualifications. Those types of assessments are:  ·Initial Assessment We use computer based Initial Assessment tool, which has two sections – Numeracy and Literacy. This type of assessment has different stages and the numbers of questions that the learners are answering depends on the proportion of correct and wrong answers that the learner is giving. Once the assessment is completed the possible results can be: Working towards Entry level 1; general Entry level 1, general Entry level 2, general Entry level 3, general Level 1, High Level 1, general Level 2 and High Level 2. Those apply for the Literacy and Numeracy parts. Number Skills Check/Word Skills Check – if the learner is working generally on one of the above levels we need to put them in further diagnostic which gives the tutor more information about the strengths and weaknesses of the learners. It also provides more detailed information about how the learner is working on the different components. If we take the English, for example, the Words Skills Check examines the knowledge of the learner in the following sections: Speaking and Listening; Reading; Writing; Vocabulary, Spelli ng and Grammar. Based on this diagnostic, I can then create a complete programme about the courses, which the learner needs to be enrolled on in order to fill his/her knowledge gaps and to improve his/her skills.  ·Entry level Certificate in Literacy or Numeracy; Online National Test in Adult Literacy or Numeracy – after completing their programmes, the learners need to pass a test according to the National standards in order to achieve their qualification and gain a certificate. The rewarding body is OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations). Module examinations for the Home and Office IT – there are different modules in the programme for the IT course: Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations. After completing each module, the learner is required to pass the relevant module examination in order to achieve the qualification.  ·Portfolio – when a learner is enrolled on NVQ in Customer Service Level 2 , they don’t have to pass any exam but they need to create their portfolio which will be evaluated by internal and external assessor. Reference: http://www. heacademy. ac. uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/assessment [-0] http://www. tletraining. com