Cert Ed Year Two Module TS2302

University Degree Education and Teaching

Cert Ed Year Two Module TS2302 Tutor:

Reflection on my own practice is something I have always done, this has come from my personal background and my drive to come into the teaching profession. I only thought about teaching first aid after attending a first aid course seven years ago which I was disappointed with. This has given me the drive to make my teaching as effective as possible and an enjoyable experience. As I have been given the opportunity to observe and reflect on others teaching and learning I want to utilise it as much as possible. My preference was to observe, analyse and evaluate two other people who teach in a completely different sector to mine, as described in my Journal entry one.

My current teaching practice is teaching first aid. These courses are either one or three days in length. Both courses require practical participation of all learners as it is such a practical skill they are learning. The courses and syllabuses are very strictly governed by the awarding body and not much flexibility is given.

I therefore grouped myself with peer one, who teaches beauty therapy within a college setting. I read a copy of her personal background and teaching influences essay and found similarity here were this is quite a practical subject like mine but the teaching is within a college setting and the course is over a full academic year. This allows the teacher to build a longer term relationship up with the students which is completely unlike mine.

The second person I decided to group with is peer two who is on a secondment from her normal job to teach in a University teaching first year Foundation Degree students. The degree is in Policing and is a three year qualification. The difference here between myself and peer two is the level of academia and again the length of course.

I observed peer one for one hour of a three hour teaching session, as described in my Journal entry five. There were six students out of the normal ten present that day. The observation was half way through the length of the one year course and was a fast track levels two and three in beauty therapy. All the learners were female aged between twenty and forty, however the majority of the group were at the younger end of that range. The session was delivered in a beauty therapy practical room with twelve couches around the edge of the room with a white board and flipchart stand at the front. I arrived at the start of the session, the aims and objectives were given and left on display at the front of the room, the students then set themselves up with all the equipment and resources they would need in order to complete the aims. The main aim of the session was for each student to “practice giving a full body massage within an hour”. After the first hour of massaging the students were scheduled a fifteen minute break then another hour slot was planned so that the pairs could swap over. This use of peers within a group is described by Petty (2001) when he states;

“Peer tutoring involves students helping or teaching each other.” (p.199)

During the observation I witnessed a number of teaching and learning methods being used. The main method was practical hands on doing; this is due to the aim being “To practice giving a full body massage”. I feel this learning method best suits the kinaesthetic leaner. Petty (2006) describes a Kinaesthetic persons as someone who;

“Learns best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.” (p. 209)

I saw a lot of questioning being used which were linking back to previous sessions and drawing on learner’s prior knowledge. The questioning I saw also was used as a differential to push the more advance students. The second aim was to read a section of their handbook and complete an activity within the book. This was another teaching and learning method used.

During the practical teaching method peer one was managing the group offering advice and guidance when a learner needed one to one, but also observed every leaner asking the occasional open question to help with the group dynamics and keeping them as a whole group. Positive recognition was also given to individual learners when they used a skill previously learnt and made the other learners in the group change what they were doing.

The atmosphere within the room was very quiet and relaxing, but professional. I believe this is due to two reasons. Firstly the skills being used are to help people relax and de-stress so the whole room was relaxing and the aroma of the massaging oils helped. The reason for the professionalism is peer ones presence within the classroom. Even though there was not much of an age gap between the learners and peer one she had built a professional presence and gained respect from the students over the last six months. Despite the professional presence and respect that had been gained, the students still felt as if they could ask questions directly to peer one knowing they would get additional help or support. In my opinion this is an excellent position to be in with students. The worry I have is how approachable do I come across during my short intense practical courses.

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The resources available within the room were excellent. The room had five couches down each side of the room all with a curtain for privacy. Each couch had a trolley at the foot which housed the massage oils. The room was very well utilised and peer one ensured all learners used the couches on one side of the room so that she could stand back and oversee all three pairs in one go. I never noticed and would not have known that she had forgotten one of the resources unless she told me, this is the only weakness that I observed during the sessions. She informed me that normally she would have a CD player in the room which would play relaxing music. On a grand scale of things I believe this is only a minor resource and would not have effected any of the learning that took place.

I believe peer one found it hard to differentiate with the main aim of the session. I can understand the problem with this as it is such a practical subject. I myself have the same problem while teaching practical first aid. The only time I feel I can differentiate is with the level of questioning, and only when using direct questions. I do believe that the amount of support given to an individual learner during the practical activities could also be classed as differentiation. In which case, this is easy to do and comes naturally to me while using summative observational assessment skills.

I observed peer two for fifty minutes which was the full length of the session, as described in my Journal entry six. The session took place in a lecture theatre at a local University. Within the room there was a mixture of both males and females with the majority of learners being predominantly male and under the age of twenty five. All of the students attending had paid for their place on this Foundation Degree, this tells me they must be motivated and also want to be there. I would class these learners as having a “Growth Mind set” from Dweck, (1999) and are extrinsic motivated as this course leads to a qualification needed to pursue a chosen career.

The learners were spread out across the seating but sat in groups; peer two came across as very professional and appeared very strict. I think that this is due to the Police uniform she was wearing and the manner in which she conducted herself.

The session started with peer two stating the aims of this session. These aims were only vocally given and were not displayed in any form, and no more reference was made to them during the course of the session, which after observing peer one, in my view is an area of improvement. I must use this in order to reflect on my practice as I believe that I sometimes do the same.

Open questioning was used at the start of this session which linked back to the previous session from the day before. This was possibly used as a form of assessment to see how much learning took place the day before but I also think this open questioning acted as a motivator at the start of this session. In my own practice I normally ask if anyone has any questions on the previous session before moving on to a new session. Maybe I should use open questioning like peer two to motivate my learners. I think the best time for this is maybe after the lunch break to reinforce what was covered in the morning session but also to motivate the learners after lunch which is typically when some start to flag.

The main aim of the session was “How to issue a summons & reporting offenses”. The legal side to the summons and offenses were covered in the previous session, so this session was about how you would conduct yourself and what you would say while issuing such a document. I noticed that peer two saw the practical side to “Issuing a summons” so she thought of using role play as a teaching and learning activity. This made the session practical, which would suit the kinaesthetic leaner. As this session built upon last sessions of abstract conceptualization and this session was practically issuing the summons this was active experimentation which are two parts of Kolb’s Learning Cycle. Scales, P. (2008).

There would be a few problems by using this type of teaching and learning method and I believe some of these were shown in peer two’s sessions. Firstly the type of room this session was in was not best suited to role play activities. This was a tier seated lecture theatre with very little space for role play. I believe peer two did all that she could physically do regarding this matter. She did say in her rationale that she ideally wanted another room but due to measures out of her control this was not possible. She sees the University as a power culture, with the Dean as the ‘central power source’.

As Handy (’99) state:

“This culture depends on a central power source, with rays of power and influence spreading out from the central figure.” (p.189).

I believe the room was still inclusive as regards to access and the facilities just hard to use the room to its advantages. The other problem with doing role plays with such a large group is ensuring all learners stay focused and the ability to observe the groups, and offer support where it is needed. I know peer two found this a massive problem, some groups just stood there waiting for support while other groups just needed so much of the teachers time. The physical shape and layout of the room did not help peer two either, it was hard to observe all groups and for peer two to get around to all groups was also a problem.

All learners sat in small groups which I guess is their friendship circles. This is fine as all learners are comfortable with this but maybe this is not the best for constraint as learners are easily distracted by their peers. One point I have learnt from peer two is the way in which she split the whole group up. She asked them to write down there date of births and to add all the digits up then they had to arrange themselves in one long line at the front of the room in order. Smallest was at one end and the largest number at the other. Peer two then split the line up into groups of six. This made sure the whole group was split up and it was done in a very fair and democratic way. This little activity also made all learners communicate with each other and was an active activity.

After a couple of role plays were demonstrated to the whole group, the session ended very bluntly. I believe this was due to time constraints. The session was not summaries and no apparent link was made to what was happening at the next session. Peer two planned to use summative assessment in this session during the practical group work. I feel she found this hard to do due to the fact she was having to give so much support to each group in turn. I think the assessment turned into just supporting and motivating each group into completing the task.

After observing both peers, I have found a number of comparisons and differences. Firstly the learners themselves, I think that peer ones learners were very active and wanted to be there to learn the skills and gain experience where as peer twos learners seemed quite passive. This is not just because of their setting, subject or how active they are within the classroom was but passive meaning “something students do to themselves” (Petty 2008:47) Petty describes the many advantages in encouraging learners to be more active these include, learners setting self targets, assessing their own work and learning and by the teacher asking searching or puzzling questions. I think within a University type situation this is very hard to achieve mainly because University is geared towards lectures and seminars. Active learner’s huge advantage over passive leaner’s, Chris Day;

“Active learners acknowledge their need to understand the material being presented and will do what they need to do to master the learning objectives. Passive learners will only do what they are assigned to do and are, therefore, limited in their mastery of the subject.”

I believe most of Peer Twos students fit into this category only after they were assigned there task it was completed to the word.

The amount of assessment and checking on learning I saw in both teaching sessions were completely different. Peer ones session there was constant assessment taking place where as in peer twos session she found it hard to assess the learners because they needed so much more support and motivation to work in their groups. Alan McLean’s believes that the best form of motovation is “Self-motivation, pupils need to connect with teachers if they are achieve this.” I am not sure how connected these University learners are with Peer Two.

The number of resources used within both sessions we’re also completely different. Peer two only used a handout for the use in the role plays. Whereas peer one used the flipchart, the course handbook, the couches, the massage oils and the students themselves for models.

Due to the class size and the short session peer two had I did not see any type of differentiation. Going back to the point about it being a University, all students must have a certain level of education to be on the Foundation Degree course so do they need to use as much differentiation, as maybe a level two and three course.

This whole reflective process has certainly made me think about my teaching I have gained so much from observing other teachers within their roles. I am going to go away and change my current practice in the hope to better the way in which I teach. The first issue I want to address is looking at how approachable I am within the classroom environment when I am teaching, I noticed how easily peer ones students found it to ask her questions. Whether it be to ask for more help or support or even if they just needed reassurance. The asking of questions should be a two way thing and not just one way, as I am currently used to.

I liked how peer one visually displayed the aims of the session clearly at the front of the room. In my opinion this is a good idea as it can keep the learners focused and they all know what the end goal is. When teaching I verbally tell all of my learners the aims of each session, just as peer two did, however after observing peer one I now think that displaying the aims of each session at the front throughout would be more valuable. As per my reflective Journal point number five.

During the planning stage of my teaching I must ensure that my classroom will aid the learning taking place and not hinder it. I think that peer twos room created barriers for the learners and made it hard for the role plays to work. This is very hard for me sometimes due to the fact that I go onsite to companies premises and deliver a day’s training in a room assigned, therefore I do not get to see the room until an hour before I start teaching. The only way of ensuring this room would be suitable for teaching is to agree with the company beforehand that their room meets my criteria.

When using role play as a teaching and learning method, I need to ensure that all learners know what they need to do and that they know the aim of the session before I set them any task. This is very pertinent to me as I use role play as a method very frequently.

After discussion with my team colleagues we all agreed that this sort of collaborative learning, of observation between teaching peers, would be better suited to those within the same teaching subject, establishment or type of learners.

Although we have observed good practice in the lesson’s of fellow group members, we felt that we would be more likely to gain ideas for our own lesson’s from those used by other teachers within the same subject area.

This is backed up by Armitage (2003);

“The chance to view different teaching styles can focus your attention on classroom activities and lead to improvements negotiated with those who are operating in the same environment as yourself. This is a non-threatening way of providing dynamic, ever-developing practices.” (p.51)

After this sort of collaborative learning experience it would be beneficial for groups to communicate back through network meetings, about what they have observed. For this to continue to work, or be sustained, the process would need to continue on a regular basis.

Bibliography

Armitage, A. (2003). Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Day, C. (1999). Developing Teachers: The Challenges of Lifelong Learning: Growing as a Professional (Educational Change & Development): Routledge; 1 edition

Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. Hove: Psychology Press, Taylor and Francis Group.

Handy, C. (1999). Understanding Organisations, 4th ed. London: Penguin Group.

Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., and Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children's intrinsic interest with extrinsic rewards: A test of the “overjustification” hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28, 129–137.

McLean, A. (2003). The Motivated School: Sage Publications Ltd

Petty, G. (2006). Evidence Based Teaching: a practical approach Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes

Petty, G. (2008). Teaching Today: A Practical Guide, 4th Ed. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes

Scales, P. (2008) Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, McGraw-Hill Education

Journal

I selected to be in a group of people who I sit next to within the classroom. This is due to a couple of factors, firstly because I know these people and I get along well with them both. More importantly these two peers teach in completely different sectors to mine. This was important to me because I wanted an insight into the other sectors and I wanted their feedback into my teaching and sector. I was very happy with the group and was excited about the start of this assignment.

The first time we sat down as a group we came up with a set of ground rules, these included informing each other if we were running late or had to change an observation at last minute. Also rules while we was observing like making sure our mobile phones were turned off etc. These rules were very basic and I didn’t have any problems with any of them. It was a positive session because we all worked well together and came up with similar ideas.

Peer One came and observed me very early on. The observation went very well, she stayed for about an hour and she was writing lots. I didn’t feel nervous at all because I am use to being observed and knowing what the observation was for I was fine with. The feedback from the observation was very positive and peer one told me she really enjoyed it and learnt lots from it.

I gave Peer two a series of dates for her to come and observe me locally, at the time this wasn’t a problem because I was doing a lot of teaching locally. Unfortunately due to her other commitments she wasn’t able to make any of them. This then became a problem because she could not get any time off work and we found arranging an observation very hard. Being informed she couldn’t make it just a few hours beforehand was sometimes frustrating. Eventually she was able to come and observe me while I was teaching near her work. This made it easy for her, the session she observed wasn’t the best. She observed an hour’s session with a group of new mums all wanting to learn CPR, the problem with this session was all their newborn babies were present and there was so many distractions. I guess it was a massive learning curve for me and made the observation a little more interesting for Peer Two. I never got any formal feedback on this session due to time restraints. She did say after the session that it was really good and she had lots to write and reflex on which I guess is good.

I really enjoyed the observation I made on Peer One, I was slightly apprehensive about this, this was due to the fact that I knew there we’re being taught how do give a body massage and I knew all the learners were female. I guess I was more nevus about this then when I was observed by my peers. I observed Peer for an hour and it was very relaxing and I could have laid down on one of the couches for a massage! I picked up on hwo she visually displayed both the aims and learning outcomes at the front of the room which is something I have taken back into my classroom.

I found it hard to observe Peer Two because she had just changed her job and wasn’t in current teaching for a period of six weeks. At a last minute thing I managed to observe Peer Two just as she started to teach her new class the last week before this assignment was due in. This made it very hard for me to write everything up and submit this assignment on time. Again the not being able to observe Peer Two was because she had changed her jobs and wasn’t teaching, this wasn’t anything she could help but made my work harder because it was all last minute.

The worst part of the assignment was to follow for me. All the information needed putting together and writing up. This was done at the last minute due to constants out of my control. I found evaluating and reflecting very easy but I found linking it with theorist and referencing very hard. This is normal for me.

One the whole I have enjoyed this assignment and I have changed parts of my teaching practice because of it.