PTLLS Theory Quesion 7: Range of different assessment methods

ASSIGNMENT 7: REVIEW A RANGE OF DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT METHODS
AVAILABLE....
BY Matthew Oronsaye

There are various forms of assessment methods in the teaching learning process. What is imperative is to use the right and most effective method of assessment for the objective(s) stated. In my practice as a teacher, I choose the assessment methods based on the immediacy of assessing my students’ learning in a session, and also using them for wider aims of the course towards the all-round development of my students. The abilities and qualities I expect to furnish my students with actually dictates what assessment methods I use as a teacher. This is why in 1996; Nightingale et al stated eight learning outcomes with their corresponding assessment methods.
Some, amongst many of the range of assessment methods available are: group work, case analysis, problem scenario, role play, demonstration, report, observation, journal, portfolio, project, dissertation, applied task, essay, oral and written exams, Q&A, performance, presentation, discussion
Group work: In using group work as a form of assessment, shared group score can be allocated to the group or individual student can be awarded marks based on his or her contribution. Assessment of group work can be formative or summative. When assessment is diagnostically used, then it can be termed formative (Rowntree 1987); but when it is used for information gathering (i.e, continuous assessment or examination at the end of a course) about students that can further be given to a third party, then it can be termed summative assessment. Though there is no clear or massive division between group formative or summative assessments, they should however be a part of learning process for students.

Journal: Learning journals are not just gathering of required tasks and assignments, I sometimes use this to make students take responsibility for their own learning through a reflection on it, on a continuous basis; thereby, assessing their progress. This then makes learning journals of great importance.
Observation: This is a form of seeing while students work. This method of learning about students’ ability or inability helps me (the teacher) to figure out a ways or helping, motivating, encouraging students to be excited in their strengths while working on their weaknesses. These are ways students can approach problems mentally, think strategically, internalise knowledge, and use physical materials. With this, observational tools like anecdotal notes, anecdotal notebooks, anecdotal note cards and labels/adhesive notes can prove vital.
Role play: This is where students take on various roles to portray real events, ideas or concept. I use this method to assess students’ fluency in speaking, accuracy in grammar usage, and ability to handle appropriately content and ideas.
Written examination: Portfolios, dissertations, assignments, reports, diaries, workbooks, and essays are all forms of written assessment. It may take place as course work or in an examination. As a teacher, I feel reasonable adjustments may be employed, depending on the needs of the individual.
Oral examination: I use this for student coursework presentations that support the
key skills of communication and presentation. I often use this for assessing students studying English as a second language

Experiment: Assessing experiments takes a lot of time and specialty. However daunting this is, the result of the assessment gives me, the teacher, a very accurate and better outcome of students’ knowledge, understanding and ability.
As regards explaining the range of assessment methods I would use, I find that in teaching English as a subject, especially creative writing, since the learning outcomes of my lessons fall within the range of recalling, describing, recognising, identifying, imagining, visualising, designing, creating, producing, performing, innovating, carrying out instructions, reflecting and evaluating, I choose such assessment techniques as presentation, demonstration, role play, observation of students’ performance, group work, applied task, written exam, oral exam etc to measure the progress of my students through both formative and summative methods. Again, learning journals can be very helpful in the teaching of English as a subject. They serve as tools which students can use to record their active use of the English language in sharing and describing view points and experiences, much more so as students can compare their past and present language use to communicate. Learning journals are a source of information for teachers and students to track students’ academic progress over the duration of the course. As regards reflections of students on their own learning process, they can use them to note their areas of strengths and weaknesses and what to do to surmount their weak areas.
In evaluating the use of assessment methods in different contexts, I would like to refer to Nightingales’ eight learning outcomes (contexts) that different assessment methods could support. For the learning outcomes of:

- Critical thinking and judgement making; assessment methods of journal, essay, report etc could be used.
- Problems solving and plans development; assessment methods of group work, case analysis, problem scenario, work based problems etc could be used.
- Procedural performance and techniques demonstration; assessment methods of role play, demonstration, experiment, observation etc could be used.
- Self development and management; assessment methods of portfolio, group work, journal etc could be used
- Accessing and information management; assessment methods of project, applied tasks, dissertation, etc could be used.
- Understanding and knowledge demonstration; assessment methods of report, written and oral examinations, essay, etc could be used.
- Performing, creating, designing; assessment methods of projects, performance, portfolio, presentation, etc could be used.
- Communicating; assessment methods of group work, role play, oral presentation, written presentation, discussion, etc could be used.

Green, M. (2003) stated that initial assessment is done ‘with learners’ instead of ‘to them’, and that it should be of benefit and help to learners so as to make them feel positive about themselves and their potentials to learn. To this end, the use of initial assessment is to know one’s learners so as to meet their needs accordingly. This however has to be planned and well executed for learners’ progress and achievement to be measured.

For the sub question: Justify the types of assessment records you would complete and explain why, refer to the answer for theory assessment question 6.

REFERECES:
Green M., 2003. Initial Assessment: a learner-centered process. Learning and
Skills Development Agency.

Nightingale, P., Te Wiata, I.T., Toohey, S., Ryan, G., Hughes, C., Magin, D.,1996. Assessing Learning in Universities Professional Development Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia.

Rowntree D., 1987. Assessing Students: How Shall We Know Them? London: Kogan Page.

PTLLS Theory Question 6: The need for keeping records and type of records to keep

Assignment 6: Justify The Need For Keeping Records And Describe The Types Of Records
You Would Maintain
By Matthew Oronsaye

The need for keeping records is so vital to the success of education in all its ramifications. The usefulness of record keeping for teachers, training providers, verifiers, inspectors and learners cannot be overemphasized as it helps to track students’ progress and development. Linda Wilson (2009) emphasizes the importance of records in aiding departments. This is why record keeping process should be simple, reliable, accurate and consistent in order to serve as one of the most important management tools for good documentation that maximizes return on education investment. Good record keeping is important in meeting education outcomes and providing the necessary information for initial assessment, needs identification, planning and designing, delivery, evaluation of teaching and learning process for the present, and if need be, for the future. Record keeping saves a lot of time and effort, keeps good track of students as regards their performance, provides management information to base education decisions on, highlights quickly areas where problems could arise and enable remedies to be put in place, and assists in providing information required by qualification bodies to base their judgments on. In doing this, there is wide range of records to be kept. The records include that of: initial assessment, attendance, observation records, feedback reports, tracking sheets, individual learning plans (ILP’s), continuous assessment, scheme of work, session plans, etc

Record keeping through feedback report can be of great benefit to both the teacher and learners. For my students, they get the necessary information as regards how they are faring, that is, where they are progressing, stagnant, or even retrogressive. By this, students are able to work on their weak areas while being motivated to do better in the areas of their strengths. For me, the

teacher, it enables me to quickly have information on any of my students in taking decisions as to how to use the feedback report to strategize for teaching and learning.
Admission records provide background information on students’ background knowledge: the name, sex, date of birth, place of origin, schools attended, skills, previous knowledge, health status, and other information. From this, students needs can easily be identified through initial assessment which enables me, the teacher to understand and judge if a particular course would be suited to prospective students or not. This type of record also helps me to identify any additional needs of the students and how adequate support to learners can be given to help them to successfully complete their course. This timely arrangements for extra support, which makes my students feel included during the course, goes a long way to make their educational experience worthwhile. This is why Francis and Gould (2009) stated that the recognition of individual differences and needs actually starts from the moment that learners apply for courses.

Attendance register is where I enter the names of my students in alphabetical order, using their surnames. Through this, I know the number of students who enrolled for my course. It is on the bases of this number that I make plans for appropriate instructional materials that would be adequate for the number of students in class for teaching sessions and also help in referral of students to other professional bodies. Another reason for attendance register is that it can explain why students achieve or not in their course of study. It is likely that students who don’t attend sessions regularly cannot perform well academically as those whose attendance is regular. This record can also be used to spot students who may be having family or personal problems that are obstructing their regular access to their course of study. With this, measures that are appropriate could be taken to fix the problem through one to one discussion between me, the teacher and the student. Attendance register also equips me (the teacher) with the information to use for advising my employer. For instance, I can advise my employer as regards the upwards and downwards trend in enrolment: whether this is influenced by the seasons of the year, celebrations or special annual festivals. Enrolment for a particular course could be upward during the summer than in the winter season. This helps my employer to plan for the efficient application of resources to prevent wastage.

Continuous assessment record kept by me tracks the progress of each student for the duration of his or her course, the assessment of students' conduct through periodic observation.

In record keeping, syllabuses and schemes of work are kept and made available readily to teachers when needed for purpose and direction. This is why Reece, Walker (2007) describes scheme of work as ‘series of planned learning experience,’ that are sequenced in order to achieve the aims of the course in the most effective way.

REFERENCE

Francis and Gould., 2009. Achieving Your PTLLS Award: A Practical Guide to Successful Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Sage Publications Ltd.

Linda Wilson (2009) Practical Teaching: A Guide to PTLLS and DTLL. Cengage Learning Publisher.
Reece and Walker., 2007. Teaching Training and Learning: A Practical Guide. Sixth edition, Business Education Publishers.

PTLLS Theory Question 5:Range of ways to embed elements of functional skills in subject area

Assignment 5: Evaluate a range ways to embed elements of functional skills in
your specialist area.
By Matthew Oronsaye

For individuals to work confidently, independently and effectively in life, practical skills in numeracy, ICT and literacy (Petty G, 2009) which together are termed functional skills or transferable skills due to their different applications to context and situations (Gravells, A. 2008) have to be acquired. This is also underscored by The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (2010). When functional skills are deliberately embedded in the teaching process, they become what the students are used to directly or indirectly.
In evaluating range of ways in which functional skills are embedded into my subject area, English (creative writing), I would state that it starts from my planning of the lesson for the session. If for example I have the topic ‘Poetry Appreciation, with focus on the sonnet’, what I do is to build the functional skills around the topic. For example, a sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines. This can be made of some stanzas. Each stanza might concentrate on different points which sums up a general idea put forward by the poet through his poem. For each verse, there is a topic sentence or line which other lines within the verse lend support to. In teaching this to students through the usage of ICT, they can be told to view each stanza of the poem as spread sheet in which each grid takes the main point of the poem. If the poem has three stanzas, there could be three points in three grids on the horizontal plain while vertically; the grids below each point would contain information to support each point on the horizontal plain.
Bringing numeracy into the equation, it would depend on how the poem is structured and the diction used as a vehicle to convey the message as poetry is not just ‘what said’ but ‘how said’. If for example one of the lines states: Here comes the engine of my being! My wife is

symmetrical! Symmetrical is an allusion to maths or numeracy which has to be explained to the students so that they can understand what the poet is talking about in the poem. Symmetry which is an exact correspondence in position or form about a given point, line, or plane in Maths can be taken to mean in its usage in the poem that the persona (poet) is saying that his wife has an identical twin sister that sometimes his mind cannot comprehend due to their exact correspondence when they stand side by side. Also, when I tell students to count the lines and stanzas in a poem, I am indirectly embedding and reminding them of their numeracy. When a student is able to say ‘This is a poem of fourteen line with three stanzas’, it means that the student has a certain level of numeracy.
The way I sometimes incorporate literacy into the teaching of poetry is to tell students to use the dictionary to check out some of the words which they think are difficult for them to understand. By doing this, they build their vocabulary and also understand the poem the more. Again, telling them to read poems during sessions actually helps students to develop reading and comprehension skills. As per the use of punctuations, I teach students through poem appreciation of how to focus on punctuations in the poems they read so as to be able to unlock the full meaning of the poem they are either appreciating or analyzing. It is also through this that structure of writing could be discussed. This I do by telling my students the similarities amongst stanza in poetry, paragraph in essay, chapter in prose, and Act in plays.

With the above, it is very possible that functional skills can be brought to bear in any subject in as much as the teacher thinks his lesson sessions through and through before actually delivering the lesson.

References
Gravells A., 2008. Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector – Level 3 Coursebook. Learning Matters Ltd.
.
Petty G., 2009. Teaching Today: a practical guide. 4th Ed Nelson Thornes.

QCDA., 2010. Introduction to functional skills. Available at:
http://www.qcda.gov.uk/qualifications/30.aspx
[Accessed 26 Nov 2010]

Ground rules with learners

ASSIGNMENT 4: ANALYSES OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO ESTABLISH GROUND
RULES WITH LEARNERS, FOSTERING BEHAVIOUR AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS
BY MATTHEW ORONSAYE

To protect students and discourage bad feeling amongst them, ground rules are a necessary safeguard. To be able to build consensus in a classroom, ground rules are the yardstick. This, I usually explain to students as to what ground rules are and why they are needed. When consensus building is the reason for initiating ground rules or community norms, this is sometimes referred to as a protocol (code of correct conduct). Hence, academic protocol is a code of correct conduct that are agreed on by everyone in the class (both students and myself – the teacher) to be adhered to during lessons. Ground rules could be put together in my class by me (the teacher) setting my own rules, allowing the students to set their own, or by shifting grounds to allow for both students and myself to set the rules together. Any of these I choose, depends on age, region, and other contextual factors which support the fact that there is no one correct set of ground rules; as different approaches are appropriate in different circumstances. For example, the approach used in setting ground rules for adults in adult education could be different from that used for teenagers in secondary school or children in primary school.

One of the ways I have found very effective is to allow the students to suggest the rules and so have ownership of whatever list of rules they generate. Roger and Schwarz (1994) corroborates this as it makes my students feel greater responsibilities towards the rules suggested by them. If however, students are finding it difficult to suggest rules or do not suggest any suitable rule or rules that I regard as important to the success of my class, as it sometimes happens, then, I try to guide them towards such rules or add them to the list for further discussion; that is, if they can’t still generate rules in spite of my guiding them.
Susan and Carpenter (2001) talked of the importance of equality and fairness in setting ground rules. Therefore, the use of ground rules (i.e behavior and procedures) that students consider fair in my class is my own way of sending that important message to them that everyone should be treated equally and fairly.

At the commencement of my class with new intakes, setting of ground rules is taken seriously by me as this sets the tone for how the class is to run. This is an indirect way of stamping my authority as a teacher without overtly being mistaken as autocratic by students. Paul (2010) underscores this and talked of how suggestion of rules by participants in a group could help in achieving the goals of the group. For example, the class can agree that people should attend lesson on time, that they should talk one at a time, that they raise their hands and wait to be called on, or that they speak freely, that they must listen carefully to opposing statements or views, or that they must treat each other with dignity and respect, that no one is permitted to dominate a discussion, that derogatory language or attacks on other people's values or culture are not permitted.

In setting ground rules for my class, I try as much as possible not to be autocratic (domineering or dictatorial) but to be democratic (i.e, setting ground rules popular with all or for the benefit of all). This is why in my class, when students are deviating from obeying the ground rules directly or indirectly, it is easier for me to quickly call them to order by reminding them thus: Hope you suggested and agreed to abide by the rules? This has a way of curtailing the excesses of students as they wouldn’t want to let themselves down or to be seen as immature, or irresponsible. But a rebellious stance by students could be the case when they are told by the teacher: Remember to obey the rules I gave you! (Autocratic)

However, care should be taken not to exclude the concerns of some students when making ground rules. For example, there was a student in one of my classes who raised his hand to suggest that students should always raise their hands to indicate for teacher’s attention in order to contribute to discussions or to answer questions. But most of the students in that class didn’t like the idea as they felt the suggestion would make the class immature. Unknowingly to me (the teacher), that suggestion was ignored and never made it to the suggestion list, and by implication;... the final draft. I noticed after some lessons in class that this particular student never contributed in any class discussion, nor asked questions. In fact, he excluded himself psychologically from the class. It was later when I called him out to ask why that he confided in me that he didn’t like a class where people just speak at random without students’ indication for the teacher’s permission to contribute or ask questions. The lesson I learnt from that episode is that, during students’ suggestions to ground rules, what particular students suggest shouldn’t be ignored as that could just be what would make their learning worthwhile.

Ground rules therefore are the oil lubricating the wheels of lesson plan activities with which the success of teaching and learning rest.

References:

Carpenter S. L. and Kennedy W.J.D., 2001. Managing Public Disputes: A Practical Guide for Government, Business, and Citizens' Groups. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 118.

Paul C. Gorski, 2010. Guide for Setting Ground Rules. Multicultural Education and the Internet, Second Edition. Available at: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi_new/activities/groundrules.html,
[Accessed 28 Oct 2010]

Roger M. Schwarz, 1994. The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 64.

Equality and diversity and ways to promote inclusion with learners

ASSIGNMENT 3: DISCUSSION OF ISSUES OF EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY AND
WAYS TO PROMOTE INCLUSION WITH LEARNERS....
BY MATTHEW ORONSAYE

Equality and diversity has to do with creating a fair society by treating people fairly and making them feel valued despite the differences in age, sex, colour,, race, religion and other considerations. These are protected by appropriate legislations like Equality Act (2006) Sex Discrimination Act (1995), Race Relations Act (1976), Special Education Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 etc. When I use teaching resources as a teacher in my class, I try as much as possible to use resources that can cater for all. For example, the resources that will meet the learning needs of gifted, average, below average students, and of course students with learning difficulties.
In the process of planning for equality, I make sure that the course documents: scheme of work, lesson plan, initial assessment, and Individual learning plan (ILP), take care of the individual needs of my students. I also make sure that the environment for learning is conducive to students by making sure that every student’s safety and wellbeing is assured.

In delivering equality, I ensure that time is allocated during the induction of learners for information and discussion on equality and diversity, policies etc. I also make sure that the students and I (the teacher) set appropriate ground rules to govern the class. In my scheme of work and lesson plan, the learning styles of students e.g auditory, aural, visual and kinaesthetic are also taken into consideration in choosing the teaching methods to use in delivering my lessons. Because I know students are not the same, any differences in them are identified, so as to monitor effectively and remove appropriately learner barriers through determining what learning styles the students use as underscored by Felder and Silverman (1987). For example, I find that the visual learners in my class are often quiet and prefer learning by looking at pictures and texts. To this end, within the lesson, I find myself making room for demonstrating things more to this group through the use of film or other visual means. For the aural students who are easily distracted and don’t fancy writing that much because they are more interested in trying new things and talking in my class, I also make allowance for discussing more with them the topic and allow them to contribute. For my kinaesthetic students who like to move their bodies and manipulating things with their hands, I put them in the lesson equation by introducing role play, ice breakers, and demonstrations into the lesson to take care of them. The truth is, this is not easy for me as a teacher, but because I have to be fair to all, I have to make room for the learning styles of my students to get them on board and be interested in the lesson. When I assess my students, I make sure my assessment is fair to all, and that it is not discriminatory against anyone. All learners in my class are assessed with appropriate assessment methods through differentiation. In my class, during my teaching, I try as much as possible to mind my use of words so as not to offend any section of the students in class either by sounding discriminatory or inappropriate. It is also a part of my duty to ensure that discussions and comments within the class by students are managed so as for them not to engage in the use discriminatory and inappropriate language.

My way of taking care of diversity through lesson plan and resources in the class is to try to include it within teaching, by making reference and or using illustrations from traditions, cultures, religions and exposing the deceptive dangers of stereotyping. Other topics that foster equality are also used indirectly in my class to point to the fact that though humans can be different in orientation, perception, and beliefs, that it is imperative for them to respect one another for sanctity and the common good of humanity. Also knowing that diversity in learners in a class can be harnessed for advantage, I deliberately ask students in my class to relate answers to questions to their peculiar experiences, whether be it cultural, traditional, religious etc so that the class can be endowed with rich knowledge from different dimensions or angles.

As for students that need extra resources to enable them access information, they are helped by me directly or indirectly by referring them to the specific bodies like victim support, child line, Drug line, Samaritans, NHS Direct etc that can be of help to them. This type of intervention is likened to School Action Plus as obtainable in secondary schools and other education levels where the school collaborates with outside agencies and professionals to make up for what the school does not have the expertise to cope with in dealing with peculiar difficulties, problems and anxieties of students. Within the school however, (i.e School Action), for those who need extra help, there are mentors, first aiders, counsellors and other support staff in the school to help out. All these are put in place to make sure that there is fairness as regards equality and diversity in the school.

References

Equality Act, 2006. Available at:
http://www.soas.ac.uk/equalitydiversity/developments/the-equality-bill-(2006)/
[Accessed on Oct 29 2010]

Felder, R.M. and Silverman, L.K., 1987. “Learning Styles and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education,” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York

Race Relations Act, 1976. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/74
[Accessed 26 Oct 2010]

Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2001/10/contents
[Accessed on 27 Oct 2010]

The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975. Available at:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/sex_discrimination_act_1975.pdf
[Accessed 25 Oct 2010]

Current legislative requirements and code of practice relevant to subject and Organisation

Level 4 Theory Assessment Question 2: KEY ASPECTS OF CURRENT LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND
                                                                         CODE OF PRACTICE RELEVANT TO SUBJECT AND ORGANISATION 
                                                                         
Answer to question 2 written by MATTHEW ORONSAYE

As a teacher of English and Business Studies, I am expected to have an understanding of current legislation and guidelines. The Equality Act (2006) is about the rights of learners to attend and participate, regardless of the, race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, and ethnic origin. Examples of such legislations are:
- Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. This governs the rules that provide a suitable working
environment and making any adjustments where necessary.
- The Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- The Race Relations Act 1976
- The Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Data Protection Act 1998. This governs the protection of personal data of my learners.
- The Child Protection Act 1999
Again, as Business Studies is one of the subjects I teach, since it involves Customer Service, I regularly update my knowledge of relevant legislation regarding consumer rights including:-
- Sale of Goods Act 1979
- Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982
- Trades Description Act 1968
- Consumer Protection Act 1987
The relevance of the above legislations to me as an English and a Business Studies teacher, would be: to act in accordance with school’s laid down regulations, uphold my professional reputation to meet my professional responsibilities and obligations to my learners and the institution, to care and ensure the safety and welfare of learners, support their wellbeing and development, and to recognize diversity and not discriminate in respect of race, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

The Health and Safety at work etc Act 1974 covers fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation, and enforcement of workplace health and safety within the United Kingdom. As a teacher of creative writing, because most of the activities are practice and movement based, I consider the issue of health and safety during my lessons. The way the chairs are laid out, making sure the chairs are not placed haphazardly to trip any student in the course of moving around the class for activities, is an important part of the lesson. Where the toilets and exit doors are for convenience and evacuation when needed are made known to students so that they won’t be taken unawares in case of emergency. Students are also made aware of fire drills so that they are used to the process of evacuating the building when necessary. As a teacher, I am familiar with first aid issues so that I can help students out directly or indirectly when the situation calls for it.

The sex discrimination Act 1975 protects men and women from discrimination on the ground of sex and marriage. In my class I treat male and female students fairly and objectively. Resources, teaching methods, and general class disposition are geared towards the good, development, and attainment of all students. In my class, I make sure there is no form of discrimination between male and female during identification of needs, planning and designing, lesson delivery, assessment, and evaluation. The success of lesson and students informs education delivery in my class.

The Race Relations Act 1976 covers discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin in the fields of education, employment, provision of goods and services etc. In my class, there are students from different parts of the world: some from Europe, Africa, and Asia. There are even some that have ancestry from a mix of continents. The students are of different skin colour, different countries and backgrounds. These students come to my class with their differences in lifestyle, orientation, culture etc. My duty as a teacher during my lessons is and has been to harness the differences for strength and solid educational base. The experiences from different cultures, the wealth of knowledge from different parts of the world as evidenced in my class through the students I teach makes it possible for my class to be dynamic and vibrant. I also directly and indirectly inculcate in my students the need for them to respect one another no matter the nationality, race, colour etc.

The Data Protection Act 1998 which was enacted to bring UK law in line with the European Directive of 1995 required Member States to protect peoples’ fundamental human rights and freedoms, and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data. This provides people with how to control the information about them. My responsibility as a teacher has been that of making sure that the information about my students is kept confidential only to be used professionally for their progress and betterment. For example, it is through students’ data that I am able to plan for teaching and learning methods, differentiation etc.
The legislation makes it a must for teachers to have current Enhanced Disclosure checks by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). This is to safeguard the lives of students from people of questionable character and criminal tendencies. My students knowing that I have undergone such checks makes them feel secure in the teaching learning process.

The above current legislative requirements and code of practice discussed above have been of great importance and immense help as per relevance in my teaching subjects and the organization I work for.

References
Child Protection Act, 1999. Available at: http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/C/ChildProtectA99.pdf
[Accessed 25 Oct 2010]

Consumer Protection Act, 1987. Available at:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file22866.pdf
[Accessed 24 Oct 2010]

Data Protection Act, 1998. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents
[Accessed 25 Oct 2010]

Race Relations Act, 1976. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/74
[Accessed 26 Oct 2010]

Sale of Goods Act, 1979. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/54
[Accessed 24 Oct 2010]

Supply of Goods and Services Act, 1982. Fact Sheet. Available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/fact-sheets/page38337.html 
[Accessed 27 Oct 2010]

The Disability Discrimination Act, 1995. Available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/contents
[Accessed 27 Oct 2010]

The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975. Available at:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/sex_discrimination_act_1975.pdf
[Accessed 25 Oct 2010]

The Trade Descriptions Act, 1968. Available at:
http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/tstradedescr
[Accessed 23 Oct 2010]

Roles, responsibilities and boundaries in teaching/training cycle

Level 4 Theory Assessment Question 1: Review your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching/training cycle.

Answer to question 1 written by MATTHEW ORONSAYE

Introduction

As a teacher of English Language and Business studies, reviewing my role, responsibilities and boundaries in the teaching cycle is not that simple and straight forward as they sometimes overlap during my practice in both their implementation and definition. In my opinion, it is for convenience and simplicity that division between roles and responsibility has been made.

Identify needs
There are different procedures for identifying learning needs. Many times, in trying to identify the needs of students, one finds oneself going back to students’ application forms which contain personal details and learning needs with information on their preferred learning styles. Students’ gender, age, moral, social, cultural and spiritual backgrounds do vary, so are their reasons for the course. This is why as a teacher in my subject areas; I look at students’ motivation closely in order to identify their needs. Maslow (1987) concentrated on human potential for self-actualization. He is chiefly known for his ‘hierarchy of needs’. He explained that it is the quest to satisfy needs as humans that inspires humans to achieve and in doing so that humans would want to satisfy their immediate need before satisfying the higher needs. From this I always ask myself as a teacher: What does a student want? How does he think he can get what he wants? What does he like to do to get what he wants? Getting answers to these questions from a student helps to identify his learning needs. Again, students might have physical disabilities that might impinge on their learning. Some others might be with learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysphasia, dyscalculia etc which have to be taken into account for differentiation so as to make the lesson meet the needs of all. The learning styles of students needs to be taken into account because some students prefer learning by seeing, hearing, or manipulating things with their hands in order to learn best. Sometimes, from my experience, it becomes simple when I (the teacher) have the individual learning plans of students which shed light into their learning patterns and the kind of support they could need. This helps me prepare appropriate scheme of work, plan my lesson, and research my subject, with clear objectives for the needs of learners using learning/teaching aids and teaching/learning styles. Having said this, I always have it in mind not to overuse one learning style to the detriment of other learning styles. In supporting my students, I don’t get personal or overfriendly with them. I only keep contact with students at professional level and not get involved emotionally.

Plan and design
From what I have learnt from my subject area, planning and designing what is to be taught needs a careful planning. In writing about planning and designing, Gagne and Briggs (1974) refer to lesson objective, teaching methods, media, learning experience with their organisation and evaluative procedures as ‘anchor points’. Mager (1968) corroborated this with the use of interrogatives: Where am I going? (objective), How will I get there? (steps) How will I know when I have arrived? (use of appropriate evaluative procedures). Sometime, when the school you are working in already has a syllabus for what to teach in a subject, one has to try to tailor the topics to the learning needs of students identified through adequate scheme of work for the term and appropriate lesson plan. In planning a particular lesson therefore, I have always used pre starters for thereabout 3 minutes to make the students gel, relax and be focussed on the lesson of the day. The objectives, outcomes and success criteria have to be made known to students so as for them to be aware of what is required of them for a successful lesson or learning. One has to also decide the type of teaching materials that would best convey successfully the lesson of the day. Is it through the provision of handouts, role play, discussions, film show, flip chart, interactive whiteboard etc. For example, I have always found out that in teaching poems in poetry classes, that the use of hand outs, flip chart, discussions and interactive white board are very helpful. But in teaching drama or play, the use of flip chart, discussions, interactive white board are outside the equation as they don’t help or serve any purpose since a play is meant to be ‘shown’ and not ‘tell’ to be ‘demonstrated’ and not ‘narrated’ to be ‘engaged in by all’ and not ‘told to the students by their teacher’. In all of this, time has to be allocated to different activities so as to make sure that nothing as per content or stage is left out within the time allocated for lesson since the driving force is the completion of the syllabus within the time frame for students’ success. Also, in the stage of designing, I have to recognise equality and diversity, the various ways students learn, a fact supported by Gibbs and Habeshaw (1989). Added to this, the required written work (essays and assignments), how it is assessed, number, length of contact time for learners to complete the course has to be abided with by me as set out by the awarding bodies for the qualification.

Deliver
The stage of delivery for me as a teacher is very vital. This is where, after all the planning and design, I have to deliver the content of the lesson to students successfully as any failure here means the whole process is rubbished. Describing the different processes or ways of learning as concrete, reflective, abstract and active, which of course students fit into, Kolb (1984, p. 38) believes “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”. So, the teaching methods I choose must support the content of my topic. Brown and Atkins (1988), Newble and Cannon (1991) talk of teaching methods such as laboratory teaching, small group teaching, lecturing, research and project supervision, student learning, helping students to learn etc. For example, teaching a play successfully needs me to use the appropriate teaching methods of role play or class participation and demonstration. The resources to use in such a class would be handouts of the play or text of the play itself as each student has to have a copy of the play to read and in some cases demonstrate what each character is saying. Here the use of the white board and lecture method of teaching would not be adequate. It is also at this stage that there is self reflective process which promotes students attainment. The bidirectional process which Cowie and Bell (1999) talk about happens between the teacher and students in order to enhance, recognise and respond to learning. According to Black and William (1998), formative assessment is actually when the feedback from learning activities is actually used to adapt the teaching process (delivery) to meet the learner's needs. Assessing the formation of the students is by observing them on how they ask questions, interact with one another during activities or respond to questions. This enables the teacher to evaluate own delivery, and relevance of content as he delivers content. As part of my duties, I provide safe and supportive environment for teaching and learning, establish and enforce rules like respect for one another, suitability of subject materials for smooth teaching/learning sessions. I also help students access knowledge but not spoon feeding them with it to the detriment of their studies or learning.

Assess
Assessing students in my subjects has to do with how well students have learnt a kind of knowledge or particular set of skills. My satisfaction therefore would be if my students have learnt what I intended them to learn during my teaching session. I assess this by asking them questions on the topic taught, giving them tests and encouraging them to make contributions. In doing this, one has to make sure that there are boundaries. Testing should be fair to all students, it should reflect capabilities as regards differentiation (if possible, a dyslexic student whose writing in scruffy should be given a laptop to word process his thoughts), testing should not be used to discriminate between and among students. Assessment should also be valid. For correct assessment and students’ opportunity to learn, it is for me to make sure that learners meet minimum attendance requirements for the course.

Evaluation
In my opinion, the principle of P.A.R (Presenting, Assessing and Reviewing) comes in handy. Evaluation of teaching and learning process is successful when I record students’ progress, behaviour and performance with informal and formal assessment results, paying attention to the learning methods which most enhances students’ learning in order to adjust my present and future lesson plans for my subjects if need be. Here, my reflective practice comes to play as I have to review my role as a teacher at every stage of the teaching learning process. Scrutinizing what has worked well and what has not worked with the use of measurement techniques and observation in order to make judgements and amends for future lessons. For example, typical soul searching questions could be: have I used my teaching methods to the utmost to achieve the best result? Have I used the most adequate instructional materials for teaching learning process etc? Kolb and Fry (1975) talk of learner centred approach which has to do with experience that triggers the reviewing, reflecting, and applying process of what has been learnt. Reflective practice therefore helps me to evaluate properly the teaching learning process for positive reinforcement to both myself and students in facilitating good learning. In doing this however, I try as much as possible not to deviate from the guidelines for valid evaluation.

 
REFERENCES
Black, P. & Wiliam, D., 1998. Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2): 139-149.

Brown, G and Atkins, M., 1988. Effective Teaching in Higher Education, London, Methuen, 245pp.

Cowie, B. & Bell, B., 1999. A model of formative assessment in science education, Assessment in Education, 6: 101-116.

Gagne, R. M. and Briggs L. J., 1974. Principles of Instructional Design, New York, Holt Rinehard and Winston.

Gibbs, G and Habeshaw, T., 1989. Preparing to Teach: An Introduction to Effective Teaching in Higher Education, Bristol, Technical and Educational Services Ltd. 260pp.

Kolb, David A. 1984. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Kolb. D. A. and Fry, R., 1975. Toward an applied theory of experiential learning. in C. Cooper (ed.) Theories of Group Process, London: John Wiley.

Mager, R. F., 1968. Developing Attitudes Towards Learning. Belmont, Carlifornia: Lear Siegler, Fearon.

Maslow A., 1987. Motivation and Personality (3rd edition) New York: Harper and Row.

Newble, D and Cannon, R., 1991. A Handbook for Teachers in Universities and Colleges. A Guide to Improving Teaching Methods, (revised edition) London, Kogan Page, 161pp.