Teaching in Education and Training
Teaching qualifications within the Further Education and Skills sector have undergone several changes in the last few years. The Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training was introduced in 2013 replacing the previous Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS), as a consequence of the findings of the 2012 Lingfield report (BIS, 2012) into professionalisation within the sector. The new diploma is part of a suite of qualifications (including the Level 3 Award and the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training) introduced with the intention of simplifying the overall qualification structure and bringing it into line with the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The diploma is built up by combining a number of units. These are divided into two groups. Group A contains a number of mandatory units at Levels 4 and 5, which will be taken by everyone who is enrolled for the diploma. They are:
- Teaching, learning and assessment in education and training (20 credits, Level 4)
- Developing teaching, learning and assessment in education and training (20 credits, Level 5)
- Theories, principles and models in education and training (20 credits, Level 5)
- Wider professional practice and development in education and training (15 credits, Level 5)
The remaining 45 credits at Levels 4 and 5 required to complete the diploma are taken from a list of optional units contained in Group B.
Although there is some overlap with various optional units, the chapters in this book primarily address the requirements of the mandatory units. The âfitâ between chapters and units can be found in the mapping document in Appendix 1 at the end of the book.
Role of the teacher in education and training
When we think about a âroleâ, we consider the duties or activities we associate with a given job or position. If you take on the role of a lorry driver, for instance, your role is to drive a lorry. If you are a dancer, you dance; if you are a cleaner, you clean. Logically then, if you are a teacher, you teach. Is this the full story of the role of the teacher though? Certainly, teaching will constitute a large proportion of what you do, but unlike the other examples above, being a teacher involves much more than the âcoreâ role that the name of the occupation suggests.
Activity 1.1
Take a moment to reflect on everything that you do in a working day. Keep a brief log for a week of all the activities in which you engage during your working day to get an idea of the scope of the job that you are doing. For example:
- Monday
- 9.00 Answer emails â two course enquiries.âŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..
Activity 1.1 illustrates that although it is reasonable to assume that passing on knowledge or skills to learners is the main activity in which teachers are involved, a good proportion of the working day is spent on other pursuits. Your analysis of your daily work pattern will have identified a number of sub-roles, many of which will appear in Figure 1.1. The initial impression given by the results of this exercise is that the list is scarily long and one is tempted to wonder how we can possibly fulfil all of these functions within the hours allocated â but somehow we do!
An analysis of the overall role that we fulfil helps in coming to a conscious recognition of all that we do. This recognition can help us in managing and organising our time. For this purpose, it can be helpful to consider the various roles as falling into discrete categories. For example:
Figure 1.1 Roles of the teacher
Teaching-Related Roles
Writing schemes of work and session plans; preparing resources; preparing and delivering teaching sessions; marking work; giving feedback to learners; acting as an internal verifier; taking part in course development.
Administrative Roles
Writing reports; marking registers; keeping learnersâ records; implementing quality procedures; corresponding with parents, employers and examining bodies.
Institutional Roles
Attending parentsâ/open evenings; preparing prospectus entries; dealing with course enquiries; acting as a mentor to new colleagues; attending meetings; providing data.
Pastoral Roles
Acting as a personal tutor; chasing absences; dealing with lateness or discipline problems.
Once identified, the various sub-roles can be prioritised, enabling them to be more effectively and efficiently managed. Tensions can still arise, however, as various roles compete for our time and difficult decisions often have to be made. A further complication arises in that considerations of what constitutes a priority can depend on the viewpoint taken. Others may put pressure on us to engage in what we consider to be less important tasks at the expense of what we see as more important tasks. Your view and your line managerâs view, for instance, may differ as to whether thorough preparation of tomorrowâs teaching session is more important than completing those employer feedback forms that have been lying around for some time now. If both have to be completed for the next day and there is only sufficient time to tackle one properly, which will it be?
An awareness of all that is asked of us also means that we are better able to identify which aspects of our role we feel uncertain about so we can plan our CPD opportunities accordingly. Whilst we may feel reasonably confident in the performance of the main duties we have to carry out, we sometimes have to take on a role with which we feel less comfortable. You may have been asked to take on a tutoring role, although you feel you do not have the necessary experience or preparation, especially if having to teach aspects of social and personal education are included in this. This could be raised as a developmental issue at appraisal or you could enquire at an earlier stage about the possibilities of shadowing a more experienced colleague who was in this role.
Reflective task 1.1
Take a moment to consider the different sub-roles that you are expected to fulfil during your everyday working life. Which of these do you consider to be your core âprofessional rolesâ? Can you identify any tensions between any of these roles â if so, how can you resolve these?
Responsibilities
As we have seen, a lorry driver has a narrower and more easily definable role than a teacher. Within that narrower role, however, there are a number of responsibilities. There is an expectation that the lorry will be driven in a safe manner showing due respect for other road users and with regard to any speed restrictions that might apply. The lorry driver will be expected to keep up to date with relevant legislation, such as the number of hours that can be spent driving in a 24-hour time period; to check the roadworthiness of their vehicle and ensure that it is securely loaded before venturing onto the road. Lorry drivers are not unique in this respect, and, over and above the defining of tasks or duties associated with the specific role to be filled, all jobs are accompanied by an associated set of responsibilities. As well as carrying out all of the duties associated with the teaching role we are to fulfil, there is also an expectation that we do a âproper jobâ, subscribing to what is considered âgood practiceâ, carrying out the role in a professional manner. But what exactly does this mean?
For a start, we are expected, like our lorry driver, to be aware of and keep up to date with the various bits of legislation that apply to our role.
Activity 1.2
Whilst some legislation is at least in part subject-related, there is a considerable body of legislation that applies within the Further...