The Oxford English Dictionary explains ‘role’ as “the function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation.” ‘Responsibilities’ are described as “a thing which one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation.”
Lifelong learning is a hugely varied and diverse sector, it is essential to identify your specific role and responsibility in order to successfully implement the learning cycle and help the learners to achieve. The cycle consists of identifying the learners’ needs, planning and preparing teaching sessions, assessment and evaluation. Breaking down this cycle and analysing its six stages we can examine the roles and responsibilities in more detail.
This cycle is a constant process and each stage can be analysed to determine the teachers’ roles and responsibilities within each stage.
Assessing the learners needs
The teacher must first carry out an initial assessment; this is done to identify any specific needs of the learner. There are several ways to undertake this assessment; it can be informal, such as an interview discussing the goals, objectives and any barriers they may have which could stand in the way of them having a positive learning experience. Or this could be a formal assessment such as an observation or test. It is vital that the teacher carries this out to get the correct information on how best to style the teaching to optimise each individuals learning experience.
Once this initial assessment is complete the teacher can establish how to meet the needs of the learner and put in place a plan or route to achieving the goals set. This is also where any diverse needs are recognised and if any additional support is required. This could mean extra resources to aid the learning or referrals to other professionals that could give learning support. This could mean liaising with support workers, function skills assessors or even social workers. Professional
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