Pttls Roles and Responsibilites of an Fe Teacher

| 2012 | | Blackpool and the Fylde College Leigharna McKenzie | [an examination of the roles and responsibilities and boundaries of a contemporary subject specialist teacher.

] | Within this essay the author discusses the roles and responsibilities of a teacher within the context of the teaching cycle and makes reference to legislation and codes of conduct, internal and external points of referral and record keeping. |As a contemporary teacher in Academic Studies there are many roles and responsibilities to be considered, most can also be found across a range of teaching sectors. Gravells suggests teachers practice differing roles within a model referred to as the Teaching Cycle, which encompasses five stages; Identify Needs, Plan and Design, Deliver, Assess and Evaluate. Gravells also states one is not only a teacher but a coach, counsellor, trainer, and assessor amongst others encouraging and supporting learners where necessary.

Such roles and responsibilities are shaped by legislation, organisational policies, and situation requirements, (Gravells, 2010). At the initial stage of Identifying Needs, the teacher acts as an assessor of their learners, either using information from assessments on learning styles such as the Honey and Mumford test, (1986), which can aid in choosing assessments and learning activities, or information gathered from initial interviews/applications to the course, i. e. what learners wish to achieve at the end of the course.The teacher is responsible for selecting and applying different initial assessment methods and using information from these to create an inclusive framework. As a boundary, learners may not want to disclose needs and the teacher must respect their right to refuse to divulge sensitive information.

The Data Protection Act (1998) provides key principles such as only be using data for the specific purposes for which it was collected and not be disclosing to other parties without the consent of the individual whom it is about to guide teachers in this area.Inclusivity may be addressed by adapting lessons to fitting activities to the learning styles of the learners i. e. in respect to the Honey and Mumford test, having group discussions and role-play included for active learners but also having time to think about how to apply learning in reality for pragmatic learners in the class.

Other needs may be physical e. g. with a leaner that is differently abled. Guidance in this area is covered by much legislation, such as the Disability Discrimination Act (2005).Norse and Wilkinson state that this act means legally an organisation should not treat disabled students less favourably than their peers however the Disability Rights Commission (2006) suggest 52% of those covered by the act do not consider themselves disabled and do not want to receive unfavourable/special treatment. With respect to disability a teacher should find out what can be done to make things easier for the person concerned but also be aware that everyone’s abilities are different and different people have developed differing strategies to help them cope with challenging situations.

It may be wise to discuss with the learner themselves how they wish to be treated within the learning environment at this stage, (Norse and Wilkinson, 2008). Gravells reminds us that there are also internal points of referral for instance such as Senior Tutor Support and Guidance who can give advice from their experience and the organisation’s policies or a teacher may wish to ask the college’s Learning Support department to become involved should the learner wish for additional aid. In the event that a learner discloses sensitive information that cannot be referred to internally, (e. g.

here is an incident of violence in the learners home life) external points of referral such as the National Domestic Violence Helpline are available, (Gravells, 2010). An inclusive framework is of upmost importance in ensuring that no learner is excluded from the learning process and forms a major part of the second stage of the second stage of the cycle, Planning and Design. Ashmore et al. propose that valuing diversity creates a learning environment which includes and respects difference.

Inclusivity can be as simple as using gender neutral language in presentations and hand-outs or being lexible with work arrangements to allow for cultural and religious practices. Legislation such as the Equality Act (2006), which has 9 areas protected by law, (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation), requires one to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment as well as promote opportunity between men and women amongst promoting other areas of inclusivity, and can be used by all teachers as a guide to promote equality, (Ashmore et al. 2010). With an inclusive plan one can move into the third stage of the cycle, Delivery. Here a teacher acts as a guide to learning, it is key not to spoon-feed learners information but use a variety of approaches to engage and enthuse learners to take responsibility for their progress. To give teachers guidance on conduct during delivery the Institute for Learning provide a Code of Professional Practice which was enforced April 2008; it outlines the behaviours expected in terms of Integrity, Respect, Care, Practice, Disclosure and Responsibility.

This code protects not only the interest of the learners but defines professional behaviours expected of a teacher. In Delivery teachers have a boundary to overcome in that they are also responsible, along with the learners, for being safe within the classroom; this is a requirement legally due to the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) which covers a wide range of subjects, from control of substances to working at height. Being safe in the classroom can be as simple as ensuring bags are kept under tables or arranging the classroom so that routes to fire exits remain unblocked.During the Delivery there should be also be differing forms of Assessment which itself forms the fourth stage of the learning cycle. Gould and Francis suggest at this stage it is key to ensure that progression is checked and that methods are fair linking to planned tasks.

Assessment on the course forms an on-going record, which is important to look at how learners are grasping objectives and provides valuable feedback for both the learners and teacher.Monitoring student achievements, skills, abilities and progress through on-going assessment tracks their progress and giving feedback using these records can confirm that learning objectives have been met. Records can also assist in evaluating the teaching programme, and show if improvements or redesigning is necessary, (Gould and Francis, 2009). Redesign can form a part of the final stage of the teaching cycle, Evaluation. Morrison states evaluation is an essential part of the educational process, and suggests that it ensures teaching is meeting students' learning needs.Through this stage teachers are constantly learning their best practice and improving standards so that correct deficiencies can be acted on, that methods continue to improve, and that content is updated.

Once Evaluation is complete then the teacher can start the cycle all over again, (Morrison, 2003). From this review it may be suggested a teachers role is never stagnant and always adapting. REFERENCES: Ashmore. L.

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