Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning

City and Guilds 6302
Preparing to Teach in Lifelong Learning

Unit 008

Responsibilities and Relationships in Lifelong Learning

Unit 008 – Roles, responsibilities and relationships in lifelong learning

1 Understand your own role and responsibilities in lifelong learning 1.1 Summary of key aspects of legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice that relate to the role of a ‘trainer/teacher’ at a secondary school and responsibilities to ‘learners’ and employer

The author’s role is to ‘teach’ ICT to teachers, who will be referred to as learners from this point forward to avoid any confusion. Having no teaching experience to start with this was a very daunting prospect and in addition to this, the learners will themselves be qualified teachers. The PTTLS course seemed the obvious place to start training.

In this proposed new job, the teacher’s role would be to communicate ‘areas’ of ICT training at a suitable level so that all the participating learners will have full understanding of the subject matter. The teacher should be knowledgeable of the subject and facilitate the session in a way to engage the learners, motivating them to learn. The teacher should use clear language and show enthusiasm for the subject and an interest in the learners.

It will be the teacher’s and the school’s responsibility to ensure this learning takes place within a safe and supportive learning environment.
A teacher must be aware of the Health and Safety Act 1974 (HASAWA) and also of any policies or guidelines relating to this that the school /organisation also has in place. This could include : * Being aware of fire procedures and acquainting yourself with fire exits and meeting points * Checking the classroom for potential hazards and knowing the procedure for reporting these, for example trailing wires or faulty ICT equipment. Make sure you and the learners can move around the room freely * Be aware of what to do in the event of an Accident, familiarise yourself with where the First Aid supplies are or how to contact the nominated First Aider if required. The teacher may be aware of any medical conditions or disabilities such as Epilepsy or Diabetes within the group and therefore by mindful of what to do in the event of a learner taking ill. * A simple thing but very important, you may wish to move a desk or furniture. This should not be done alone, it is important to request the caretaker to rearrange a room on your behalf before and after sessions they will be trained in manual lifting, or ask someone for help!
The teacher must think/plan in advance to make the environment safe for both learners and the teacher too, this will be assessed throughout the session in the event of an accident or incident occurring.

The teacher should be especially mindful when teaching ICT to learners of the Data Protection Act (2003) as there will be times when ‘live’ data will be used to demonstrate to the learners how the database works or how to manipulate data. This data may contain student academic data as well as student personal data, for example if they are a Looked After Child; when using academic data as a training tool the teacher should ensure the students’ names are replaced with numbers and demonstrate with this amended data only, for example, student1, student2 etc.
Keeping records on your learners should be qualitative and used for the purpose of : a record of attendance, for assessment of learning and tracking progress, showing feedback to the learners and the organisation (proof of the sessions success) and are to be held for no longer than necessary. The teacher should check with the organisation the policy for record keeping and archiving and should adhere to these.

When using resources from the internet or from booklets or exam papers the teacher should be aware of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988) and the schools license to photocopy certain amounts of resources and also ensure the resources are acknowledged.

The Legislations mentioned above are not exhaustive and it is the responsibility of the teacher to familiarise themselves with the organisations own Policies and Procedures too, most of which can be found on the school website or paper copies are held in the Head’s PA’s office.

1.2 Analyse own responsibilities for promoting equality and valuing diversity
In this proposed new job, the teacher’s role would be to communicate ‘areas’ of ICT training at a suitable level so that all the participating learners will have full understanding. The teacher should be knowledgeable of the subject and facilitate the session in a way to engage the learners and motivate them to learn. The teacher should use clear language, show enthusiasm for the subject and interest in the learners.

The teacher will be aware of and comply with the Equality Act 2010 and understand that the learning provider has a responsibility to provide Inclusive Learning. This should be reflected in the teaching style and the utilisation of appropriate resources.
There are currently nine protected characteristics:

Age Disability Gender Gender identity Race Religion and belief
Sexual orientation Marriage and civil partnership Maternity and pregnancy

The teacher should challenge others and know what to do should any type of discrimination arise during sessions, the school has a procedure in place for reporting any discrimination in regard to these areas both to governors and to the local authority.

The teacher has a responsibility to promote inclusive learning and treat all learners equally and fairly, to be non-judgemental, to challenge any discrimination, to respect and accept each other and not impose their own attitudes or beliefs onto others. All these values should be promoted by both the teacher and the group and can be worked into the ‘Contract’ , agree this with the learners at the beginning of the session/s and make known your expectations from them.

According to Gravells (2012)
“Equality is about the rights of students to have access to, attend and participate in their chosen learning experience. This should be regardless of age, ability and/or circumstances.
Diversity is about valuing and respecting differences in students, regardless of age, ability and/or circumstances. If you have two or more students you will experience diversity.
Inclusive Learning is about involving all students, treating them equally and fairly, without directly or indirectly excluding anyone. Some learners could feel excluded during the session if their particular needs were not met.”

There should already be provisions in place to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Learning as the teacher should already have identified the needs of the learners prior to the session commencing. This is a very important first step in teaching, identifying the needs of your learners. It will be an integral part that will affect every part of the Teaching and Learning Cycle thereafter, planning, facilitating, assessing the learners and evaluating the session and making changes where necessary. The cycle stages are shown in figure 1.1 below.

Figure 1.1 The Teaching and Learning Cycle : Gravells (2012)

The teacher may wish to start a discussion which will get the learners talking about rules and the need for them and even negotiating these rules and making these part of the ‘contract. This should be done at the start of the session/course and can be added to or amended at any time.
A leaners needs could change at anytime so the teacher should always be prepared to look at the Teaching and Learning Cycle again, for example, a learner breaks their leg and now needs wheelchair access - Identify the needs and plan etc.

2. Understand the relationships between teachers and other professionals in lifelong learning
2.1 Analyse the boundaries between the teaching role and other professional roles
The teacher will always have professional boundaries whatever organisation they work for and it is very important that these are established and enforced from the start of the session/course with the learners. The teacher must maintain appropriate standards at all times and be aware of over familiarisation with learners. There should be no favouritism or unbalanced support offered to learners.

Teachers are discouraged not to be ‘friends’ with learners on Social Networking sites and it is a good idea to check with Line Managers or the organisation what their policy or view is on this.
The teacher’s main responsibility is to the learners although throughout the teaching cycle the teacher may have to liaise with others. This could simply involve communicating with staff within the school or organisation e.g. ICT technicians and caretakers who help with the setting up of your classroom to external agencies such as Ofsted inspectors who may visit the school. The teacher should remain professional at all times.

Ann Gravells (2012) shows that most boundaries or constraints to teaching can fit under the main headings of the Teaching and Learning Cycle See figure 1.1 above. Some examples of these are below :
Identify Needs :
Demands from managers and students
Funding constraints or lack of IT equipment or resources
Lack of information about student requirements
Organisational policies and procedures
Planning Learning:
Capability of students to achieve
Health and safety regulations
Lack of access to computers
Unsupportive colleagues
Facilitating learning:
Ability of student e.g. lack of English
Broken or faulty equipment
Student’s lack of motivation, demands or high expectations
Own personal problems , e.g. child care issues
Assessing learning:
Data protection and confidentiality
Demands of paperwork and administration
Meeting deadlines and targets
Quality Assurance and Evaluation:
Organisation targets and demands
Lack of time to complete own CPD and training events

Further information on teacher boundaries, Codes of Practice and what is expected of the teacher can be found here on the Institute for Learning 's (IfL) website. http://www.ifl.ac.uk/membership/professional-standards/code-of-professional-practice 2.2 Review points of referral to meet the needs of learners
Inclusive Learning was mentioned in 1.2 earlier and it is all about supporting learners. In order for the teacher to do the job effectively however they will need support themselves. The teacher should know the limits of their responsibility and if in any doubt should ask a Line Manager or Mentor for advice and/or support and be aware of how and where to access support for their learners too if the need arises. Within this teaching role at the school however the learners are not children or vulnerable adults and therefore there may not be a specific need for referrals about behaviour, abilities, fears etc. or the need for a referral to counsellors, careers advisors or examination officers etc.
However as adults a learner may discuss openly or confide in the teacher or with other learners something that they think they may be able to help with by passing on certain contact information e.g. Citizens Advice, Trade Unions for employment advice, Department for Work and Pensions, first aiders in school if they are feeling unwell or have an accident or NHS Direct. For further training or support there is an excellent Microsoft website that allows learners to access free tutorials and practice working with exemplars online and this link should be passed on at the end of the session and will promote independent learning. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support The teacher should use this website to keep up to date with the ever changing ICT enhancements or upgrades like the drastic changes from Word and Excel 2003 to 2010!
It is a very good idea to have contact details of agencies and websites to hand should the teacher feel they can direct the learner in the right direction for any further support they may need.

3. Understand own responsibility for maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment 4.1 Explain how to establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment
The school/organisation and the teacher have the responsibility of providing a safe environment for which the learners can be taught. The teacher must be aware of the Health and Safety Act 1974 (HASAWA). This has also been covered in section 1.1 above and examples were given of what the teacher can do to provide this : arranging desks in the classroom sensibly and checking for hazards like trailing wires or faulty equipment to familiarisation of fire procedures and knowing Fire and First Aid procedures.

This responsibility to provide a safe environment can also fit nicely into the Teaching and Learning Cycle mentioned previously. The teacher would:
Identify needs - carry out an initial assessment of the learners themselves and the organisations facilities
Planning learning - plan the session to incorporate the needs of the learners e.g. learners with a disability, ensure access and appropriate resources are used
Facilitate learning - use different teaching styles and approaches to support all learners
Assessing learning - continually assessing your learners progress and deal with issues as they arise e.g. an illness or injury – get First Aid. Perhaps the equipment goes faulty during the session, contact the technicians. These things can have a negative impact on learning and you should be aware of such policies and procedures that are in place at the school/organisation.
Evaluation - obtain feedback from others and evaluate yourself throughout the Teaching and Learning Cycle, make improvements as necessary and re-evaluate. This will be on-going for each session.

The teacher will encounter different groups, these groups will contain individuals, these learners will all behave differently both as individuals and as a whole group. The teacher should always remain in control and may wish to try different teaching styles depending on group dynamics and the way the groups work together or not as the case may be. Assessment of learning and of the learners themselves will be an on-going process throughout and will determine any change to the session as it progresses. Using group activities especially in smaller groups will enable the teacher to assess the learners’ confidence, abilities and experience. The ultimate goal would be to achieve a cohesive group that would learn well together and be supportive of each other.

According to Gravells (2012)
“When working with groups a teacher may like to consider Tuckmans (1965 and 1975) group formation theory of forming, storming, morning and performing, adjourning.
Forming - getting to know you and what shall we do stage storming - it can’t be done stage, conflict or concerns can occur norming - it can be done stage, cohesion takes place and supporting of each other performing - we are doing it stage, individuals feel safe to express opinions & have enthusiasm toward tasks). adjourning – we will do it again stage. Members leave the group and keep in touch”

This group formation theory may to help the teacher understand how a group goes through changes and may well adapt their teaching styles to empathise with the learners’ feelings and emotions a these different stages. Discuss the theory with the learners and the majority will agree and feel relieved that the stages of emotions they are going through are normal and more importantly they are expected.

If a new learner arrives this may well affect the group so the teacher would assess and start the process again. Having a cohesive group is very important as the learners would: support each other, share concerns, feel confident to challenge, get involved, respect each other and more importantly learn!

3.2 Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect for others

According Petty (2009)
“Good teacher-student relationships are based on mutual respect. The student respects the teachers for his or her teaching skills, personal qualities, knowledge and professionalism; and the teacher respects each student as an individual, and that student’s attempts to learn. It is important to realise that respecting each individual student is not the same as some kind of generalised respect for the class as a whole; and that the teacher’s respect must be shown as well as felt, otherwise the student will be unaware of it.”

Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect for others starts with the teacher and how they conduct themselves. The teacher should treat all learners fairly and with respect and dignity and not impose their own beliefs on the group and be confident to challenge any discrimination, stereotyping, bullying etc.
The teacher should stay in control at all times and should be aware of the organisation’s behaviour policy and of what is not acceptable behaviour and what to do should an incident occur. This policy will indicate what support is available to the teacher.
Good practice would be to have a ‘contract’ (briefly been mentioned in 1.2) with the group, right from the start, discuss this and agree it with learners and set the ‘ground rules’ for the duration of the session/s. This lets everyone know what is expected of them. Equality and diversity was also covered in 1.2 and a teacher is responsible for enforcing it, this can be discussed as part of the ‘contract’ to let learners know that it should be complied with and make them aware of the nine protected characteristics .

References and further information
Gravells. A (2012) Preparing to teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, The New Award, 5th Edition. London, Learning Matters
Petty. G (2009) Teaching Today, Fourth Edition, Nelson Thornes
Websites
http://www.ifl.ac.uk/membership/professional-standards/code-of-professional-practice http://www.cla.co.uk/ www.hse.gov.uk/education 4.

5. Make a reflective learning journal entry to address assessment criteria
1.3 Evaluate own role and responsibilities in lifelong learning – 9 May 2013
The main points I learnt from this part of the course so far are:

I think my new job in school teaching ‘teachers’ ICT will be very interesting and I am now looking forward to putting what I have learned and will learn in future on this course into practice; I am now feeling much more confident and knowledgeable to be able to take on this new role at my organisation.

As a teacher to the ‘teachers’ my main role will be to communicate the subject matter at a level that the learners will be able to understand using the resources available. I have previously held one to one training and also a small training session in school for staff but it was very informal and basic. I know now I can improve on this dramatically and am looking forward to putting what I have learnt into a lesson plan.

I will be responsible for ensuring key aspects/Acts of legislation are adhered to for example, (HASAWA mentioned earlier in 1.1) which will ensure we provide a safe learning environment and to enforce other areas/Acts in the classroom (Equality & diversity also mentioned in 1.1 and 1.2) as learners have rights to their chosen learning experience regardless of their personal circumstance or age and ability. I have looked into my schools Copyright and Permissions guidelines and they have posters displayed in reprographics rooms of the Copyright Licensing Agency guidelines and after speaking with the technicians, they are very much aware of these and advise staff on the dos and don’ts.
I currently work very closely with the Database Manager and Office Manager in school and we all actively ensure the Data Protection Act is enforced and go on conferences to keep up with any updates or changes to the schools policy or guidelines, this will be continuous and I will remain a part of this.

I have taken on board the Teaching Learning Cycle and how these 5 elements can guide me in my new role as the teacher and my responsibilities in many areas of teaching whether it be choosing an appropriate teaching method or keeping records :
Identify needs – I will definitely qualify the learners needs in advance so will be aware of any disabilities or access needs. There will most certainly be differentiation between the learners; from personal experience some staff are very ICT literate whereas others do just enough to get by. I may have to therefore offer two varied sessions at basic or advanced levels especially Microsoft Excel which I have been asked to run twilight sessions for. It would also help to know which areas they would like to focus on within the session so I can work this in to the lesson plan.
Planning AND Facilitating – After I have identified needs I will take more time in future to plan a session and certainly look at other teaching methods, perhaps introducing a flip chart discussion at the start of the session discussing what staff ‘already’ can do with the subject and then at the end of the session add to it what they can do now. I will still use a PowerPoint presentation but will also set up files on the computers in the room so the learners can ‘do’ the applications themselves. I have been on several courses and this teaching methods works very well.
I will check the room in advance of the learners arriving ensuring it is safe and that everything is in working order and the session can run smoothly.
Assessment – I would like to use the flip chart discussion idea of ‘before and after’ leaner knowledge as part of my assessment of the session. I will also be mindful throughout the course that the learners are following the session and are able to use these applications on the computer in front of them. At the end of the session I will ask the learners if they are happy with the session and give out the schools own evaluation forms for session held in school for feedback from the learners.
Evaluation – I will use the feedback from the learners returned evaluation forms and also use my experience of how the session went to make any changes to future sessions and these will continually improve especially as these sessions have not been held before and this is a new teaching role in school.

1.4 Review own role and responsibilities in identifying and meeting the needs of learners
According to Petty (2009)
“Each learner is unique and has individual needs. If the needs of our learners are discovered and met, the chances of success are greatly increased.”

In my current role I am very lucky to already know professionally the majority of my learners, as I have worked at the school for over 8 years and have got to know most of the staff over this time and working in the general office I also get to know new staff quite quickly too.
I would expect as teachers they have a good academic foundation however I do not know all their ICT experience or how much they use it in school or at home. It is very important for me to Identify needs prior to planning the session as I feel the groups will be differentiated in their ICT abilities as I mentioned earlier and had already lead me to plan to run two sessions, a basic one and an advanced one.
We have facilities in school for wheelchair users if a member of staff needs it. I am a qualified First Aider and am confident to deal with those staff with medical conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy should the need arise.
2.3 Evaluate own responsibilities in relation to other professionals
Working in the general office I have a solid working relationship with many other professionals and key staff within the school including: Database Manager, IT technicians, Caretaker and the CPD Co-ordinator.
Any training/teaching I plan and implement will be sanctioned by the Assistant Head teacher who is also the one who suggested the PTLLS course to me. She has agreed to be my mentor on my journey onto teaching for which I am very grateful and no doubt will call upon her support in the near future. I have worked closely with her in my role as CPD officer and my new teaching role will extend this role beyond administrating the training needs of staff to actually teaching them myself.
When I organise CPD twilights I always make sure that any remaining refreshments are sent to the caretakers who work later than us all. The caretakers appreciate this very small gesture and I know if I need them they are always on hand to help, whether it be fixing the chairs, unblocking the sink, or moving our desks around to face the sunshine.
Being ICT orientated and having recorded ICT faults for staff in school, passing them on accordingly to IT department, I have worked closely with the IT technicians and we have a good relationship and are always happy to help each other out. I am confident that I can call on them at anytime whether it be setting up the training room in advance or even if a problem occurs whilst the session is in progress.
Then there is the Database Manager with whom I have worked with for 8 years developing my Schools Management Information knowledge to surpass his in some areas. We work together very well and continue to attend training courses to stay ahead of the changes in schools IT systems. We have run small training sessions for staff in school together and he has offered his full support for me to run sessions in the future.
My ‘can do’ attitude to work in the general office has enabled me to build up an excellent rapport with both support and teaching staff at the school and this will be a great foundation for my teaching to begin where I am familiar and comfortable and will receive honest and valuable feedback.
I know I could ask just about anyone in school for advice, whether it be on teaching methods or PowerPoint Presentations or even help setting up a classroom and for now in this proposed new role I feel I will have all the basics covered! The rest will be down to me to ‘teach!’

To further develop my knowledge and understanding :

* I am researching the schools policies and guidelines further and have become part of the schools Behaviour Working Party * I have asked to run some small groups sessions with support staff before September for experience before planning session for teachers in the new academic year * I have asked the Head of ICT if I can observe a GCSE ICT lesson * I have started reading G Petty’s book of Teaching Today, although I must admit Ann Gravells book is much more friendly, less daunting and isn’t so heavy! * I have asked the Assistant Head teacher who is also the CPD Co-ordination to be my mentor throughout this course and she has agreed * I have asked to go on a further advanced training course for my subject area Microsoft Excel * Think more about the future and CTLLS !!

References: Petty. G (2009) Teaching Today, Fourth Edition, Nelson Thornes Websites 1.4 Review own role and responsibilities in identifying and meeting the needs of learners According to Petty (2009)