PTLLS - Assignment - Roles & Responsibilities

7/30/2019 PTLLS - Assignment - Roles & Responsibilities

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Page 1 PTTLS Assignment 2 Role and Responsibilities January 2011 Aminder K Nijjar

Review your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher in terms of the

teacher / training cycle.

My role as a teacher involves numerous responsibilities which include: planning and

preparing sessions; making the sessions fun and inspirational; maintaining a positive

learning environment; being supportive; acting as a role model; enabling learners to

feel safe; being inclusive; being friendly and approachable; facilitating

communication; providing constructive criticism; giving learners the tools to find

answers for themselves; applying a variety of learning styles to teaching;

empowering learners to feel they can achieve their potential; assessing learning and

good understanding; applying relevant information and knowledge; liaising with

moderators and organisations; providing detailed feedback and opportunity for learners to discuss their learning; and administration. A major part of my role is

setting and maintaining boundaries. This is discussed below through a focus on the

teacher/training cycle based on the learning cycle as developed by Kolb (1984). It is

important for me to be clear about my role as a teacher as part of my duty of care to

my learners.

As part of the course I am teaching I would follow the five inter-connected stages of

the teacher cycle: identify needs; plan and design; deliver; assess; and evaluate.

Next, I will address how I will work through each stage in helping to define my role

and responsibilities as a teacher. Whilst working through these stages of the

teaching cycle, it would be important for me to develop and maintain my boundaries

as a teacher throughout the cycle.

My ac tions in the first stage of identifying needs would be to begin ...with the needs

of the learner and the learning outcomes they need to achieve... (Laurillard, 2010,

p.5). I would seek to gain an understanding of my learners capabilities by obtaining

their application forms or records and looking at their qualifications, educational and

professional experience and special needs requirements. In addition, I would

administer a learning styles questionnaire as an integral part of the course and

discuss with the learners their preferences and needs in relation to the course.

Another method I would use in the first session would be to assign a piece of work in

order that I be able to ascertain their approach, strengths and understanding early in


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the course, wh ich will help me better meet learners needs. If appropriate, I may also

administer a literacy and numeracy assessment and use the results to gain an

insight to the learners competencies and needs. In the first stage of the cycle in

which learners needs would be identified, I would need to ensure that I do not

influence the learners in any way so as to bias the outcomes. By setting an activity, I

would then step back and allow them to be honest in identifying their needs.

The second stage of planning and designing would involve me considering the

length of the course and of each lesson; the syllabus and assessments; the

resources available during class (for example a teaching room with computers for

each student and a screen at the front of the class) and that students can access

away from the class (for example the internet); the outcomes from the first stage(identifying needs); the requirements of the awarding body for the course; a lesson

plan for each session; and I would practise the delivery. It would be worthwhile for

me to spend some time especially on considering the results of the preferred

learning styles questionnaires, and as much as possible integrating a range of

teaching methods to suit the four distinct learning preferences as defined by Honey

and Mumford (2000), as Activist, Theorist, Pragmatist and Reflector. In this planning

and designing stage of the cycle, I would maintain my boundaries by allocating tasksand responsibilities to my learners and myself appropriately, taking into account their

needs identified within the first stage.

The third stage would involve me actually delivering what I had developed in the

second stage. Although I would have planned the sessions, it would be important for

me to remain flexible and not assume that I now know and can predict everything.

Parts of sessions may need to be adapted due to unforeseen circumstances such as

extreme weather, a learner being ill or equipment not working. In this delivery stage,I would need to also maintain boundaries, for example during a group-based activity;

I would adopt a facilitative approach, as opposed to directing learners.

In the fourth stage, even when there is no formal assessment as part of the course, I

would integrate assessment into the course as advocated by Laurillard (2010) as it

...functions as a bridge between teaching and learning (p.7). I would take ongoing

responsibility of behaviour management within the session and ensure an open


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dialogue is maintained with the learners in which I address their questions and

concerns. During this assessment phase, boundaries would again feature, as it is

paramount that the assessment reveals the learners true position and progress on

the course, and not just what I want or expect the learners to have achieved.

The fifth stage would be for me to evaluate the session and the course. I would do

this by gaining learners opinions in a formal (for example end of course

questionnaire) and informally within, at the end of and at the beginning of each

session; writing a self-reflective paper; analysing the outcomes of the course, for

example by comparing the learning outcomes achieved against those set at the

beginning of the course and the assessment results; and requesting feedback from

my manager or peers. This evaluation would help me to identify areas for improvement and help me understand if I had fulfilled my role and responsibilities as

a teacher throughout the course. This self-reflection would require a level of honesty

on my part. I would use the outcomes of the evaluation to support my professional

development and to directly inform my next course.

Within this final evaluation stage, I would need managing to maintain boundaries, as

learners would be assessing the course and I would be conducting a self-

assessment. Both elements would be important, but I would be careful not to

influence learners feedback by asking for their independent feedback, with the

choice of anonymity as well as through discussion.

Word count: 1023 words

References

Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (2000) The Learning Styles Helpers Guide ,

Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd

Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and

development, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Laurillard, D. (2010) An Approach to Curriculum Design : London, Institute of

Education, University of London

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PTLLS - Assignment - Roles & Responsibilities