PREFERRED TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS
Peer two relies totally on her resources for her teaching methods. She is told by her `power’ where the individuals have got up to in their work books and has to continue teaching from there. Peer two does not follow a lesson plan as her individual learners are at different stages. Peer two ensures all learners have the resources they need to begin their learning. The resources are limited as each learner is only allowed one pen and it must be kept in the classroom so the pens can not be used on the wings for dangerous things. As the learners only get issued with one pen there are a number of stolen pen cases which then impacts on peer two’s lesson. Peer two delivers one to one as and when needed. The learners must work through the book every lesson. Peer two must differentiate between her learners as they all have different cultures, ages. They also have different abilities and past schooling experiences. Peer two speaks to the learners in a relaxed, friendly manner. Maslow’s humanistic approach to learning theories said that, `the concept of free-will is important. Students should want to learn. As the teacher you need to create a positive environment`. I could see from peer twos observation that she is very good at creating a supportive environment but maybe sometimes this isn’t enough when the learners do not really want to be there. She explained that a lot of her learners don’t want to be there so firm persuasion will not help. Peer two sets lesson targets such as, ` today I want you to have completed two pages by the end of the lesson, ` then she signs their book off and the learners get their prison pay.
From the observation I conducted I would say these teaching methods were suitable and very effective. Peer two must be aware of new learners and have all their resources ready, this is similar to my teaching experiences of a roll on roll off course, however a new learner on my course would stay on the course until their completion but peer two looses learners at rapid pace due to the nature of her job role (prison teacher). After observing peer two I believe that lesson targets are a good idea and could make the learners more aware of the amounts and quality that’s expected during my lesson, although my learners do not have as much of an incentive to meet these targets as peer two’s learners have.
Peer one also doesn’t use a lesson plan as her learner’s have mixed abilities and needs similar to peer one. The difference between the two is that peer ones learners want to be in the lesson also they have their own support from their carers. Peer one again relies heavily upon her resources and learner participation to influence the teaching and learning methods in the group. Peer one works with a group of learners who have additional needs both physically and mentally. Peer one sets up all her resources before hand, she is friendly and open when the learners arrive. Peer one allows the learners to choose the activities they want to use and provides support to enable them to do so. Peer one works individually with each learner similarly to peer two however peer two does not apply class targets. She explained that as long as her learners have participated in one or any of the activities then that is enough and a good achievement, peer one explained that it is very important that her learners are cared for and loved so they feel part of the group she also strives to build her learner’s self esteem and confidence which in turn leads to more positive and creative, vocal learners. After the observation on peer one I could see that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs played an important part in the lesson. Peer one has a vast resource and equipment bank. She can use which ever resources she so wishes. This is very different to peer 2 where one pen is all the learners are issued. However peer one has explained that pre-entry level three departments receive very little funding through her organisation so most of the resources are borrowed or loaned from charities and sponsors. I have learned from peer one and two that it’s important to differentiate effectively between learners. Peer ones teaching methods have allowed me to think about and realise how important it is not to expect too much from my learners. Peer one has taken the time to get to know her learners well and to celebrate their achievements how ever big or small with them.
Each lesson I use a lesson plan which is broken down into timed activities. Each lesson must cover one full unit; this target came from the power, so the lesson has a quick pace. I learned from my mentor last year that learner experiences and my own experiences are very good for the learners learning so now I try and include a lot of discussions and group work but only for set time limits as there is also a lot of handouts and worksheets to get through, these are used as evidence in the learner’s files. I use a power point presentation throughout the full lesson and also provide the learners with one to take away for further research. I feel the structured lessons go well but some learners believe that attendance is enough however an NVQ is portfolio and work based so the learners need to complete work as evidence and not just listen or take part in discussions.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT – CRITERIA 3
Peer 2 used quantity and quality as her methods of assessment. She checked the work was correct and that the learners had met the lesson target before signing to allow the learners to receive their prison pay. Peer two also records in the individuals file if they struggled and had help on any section of the work book.
Peer one records each learner’s progress and achievements by observing their facial expressions and acceptance of the activities she also listens to the vocalisations of the non verbal learners to establish acceptance of the activities. Peer one explained to me whilst carrying out a learner massage that this particular learner does not cope well with physical contact with anybody.
I observe responses to oral questions and group activities as an assessment of learning in my lessons. I also ask the learners to complete an end of session quiz, this allows me to monitor the learning and progress made by each individual learner.
All of us agreed that assessment is necessary to evaluate our teaching methods and the learner’s progress however each of us had different expectations of what should be achieved in each lesson. I think this has been influenced by the variety of learners.
THE RESOURCES USED AND WHY- CRITERIA FOUR
Peer one had a lot of resources, she used sensory lamps, mats, music and massage equipment. Peer one had chosen suitable resources for her group of learner’s. This was quite an easy task for her as she knows her learners very well.
Peer two’s resources were very different due to the prison’s policies. Peer two has to teach and promote learning with only a pen and a work book. Peer two has no choice of resources this is a health and safety thing so she has to plan around what she has got already.
Unlike peer two I have no restrictions in place for resources however I struggle to get resources ordered and collected on time due to the lack of resource funding or the `power` not being accessible to order them from. I use power points and hand outs a lot during my lessons to ensure the learners have evidence for their portfolios. Power points and hand outs are not a huge problem it is the resources such a felt tips and flip chart paper which are hard to get hold of.
All three of us again have different issues with resources. Peer one has lots of resources but has to work hard to get them. Peer two has to work with minimal resources and again I have a struggle to receive the correct resources in time for my lessons. All of the teaching methods I observed were suitable to the resources that were available. I think that most teachers can learn to manage their lesson according to the resources available but I feel this has an impact on the learning as we can’t change things or adapt activities to better our teaching practice.
PACE OF THE SESSION – CRITERIA FIVE
Peer one allowed the pace of the session to be determined by her learners because for her pre-entry level learners any involvement in the sensory lesson is an achievement due to their abilities and additional needs.
Peer two had a very different approach because of her organisations timescales, policies and procedures. Peer two had to ensure a certain amount of work was completed by the end of the lesson to warrant the learner’s prison payment. Therefore she maintained a quick pace throughout the lesson.
Like peer two I have to ensure a full unit is covered by the learners in each lesson therefore I must keep the lesson going at a steady pace. I plan each activities time using the lesson plan to ensure correct timescales are met at all times. I always remind the learners of the time left on each activity to ensure a good pace.
Me and peer two follow strict time scales but for different reasons. I believe peer twos learners and my own learners progress and understanding may be affected by these timescales as time for questions and extra support for those who are unsure is limited. Peer two must try and incorporate individual help into her lesson to ensure understanding. Unlike peer two, I use class discussions and shared experiences to help the learners to understand in class these are incorporated into the learning activities. I find others experiences promote good understanding of a procedure in the subject I teach. If a learner still requires additional support I arrange a time after the lesson to meet one to one with them. This cannot happen with peer twos learners as they have to be back on the wing at a certain time. Peer ones pace is different completely, I feel it works well for her type of learners but perhaps would not be so positive for me and peer two to use as a method of teaching due to the planned quantities which must be achieved in our lessons.
COLLABORATIVE WORKING
I have learned that an effective group needs a relaxed atmosphere so all group members feel they can discuss and share relevant ideas. A group must reach decisions by consensus and allow ideas to be expressed freely, this agrees with McGregor’s (1960) findings. The observations have enabled me to learn that a learner centred approach to teaching methods and lesson pace is a positive, effective way to teach. This had made me think about changing the quantity of activities or worksheets I use in my lessons to ensure more time for learner lead lessons. I enjoyed the observations on my peers, I have learned from their expertise and also compared areas that we all struggle with. In our group we held discussions on these areas to see if we had any ideas to help each other with these problem areas. I have also learned that learners are happier and will have better course retention when the teacher uses a learner centred approach but not all learners manage effectively without any timescales to work from. Therefore a timescale could be put in place for certain activities or group work but not generally for all the lesson as some learners may feel pressured if every activity is pushed upon them and timed. I feel now that the timescales may affect the quality of some learners work.
I feel my group made sure that we clearly understood the task before beginning the observations. James Hartley (1998) a theorist believed that `learning is helped when objectives are clear`. We shared leadership ensuring all decisions were reached by consensus. Festinger et al (1950) defined cohesiveness in the terms of attractiveness of the group and the degree to which a group satisfies the goals of individual members. The physical relationships of the group could have affected the group communication but we quickly organised times to suit all in the group and confirmed the observations with our managers. Peer two had the most difficult procedures to follow when arranging observations and times to meet as a group so she became the pivotal person at the groups centre for this section of the group work. Peer two organised her dates with her manager and then we organised our dates around her. During the group discussions it became less centralised, every ones personalities and skills became important to the group. As a group we generated ideas to make important decisions using a technique known as brain storming. Osborn (1957) popularised the technique of brainstorming. Members of a group are encouraged to put forward as many ideas as they can irrespective of quality, and to build upon others` ideas where they can.
I feel collaborative working is a very useful approach to teaching and learning. Being able to observe others teaching practice enables me to reflect on my practice and try new approaches with my learners. Observing new methods of teaching shows me how effective they can be rather than just reading about them or being told how to approach something new. James Hartley (1998) said that `activity is important`, meaning you learn by doing. I agree with this theory. After the observations we could discuss the methods we had observed and find out why these methods were of use or why they were so effective, this helped me to understand the teaching methods fully. I could then apply this new knowledge to my existing practice. Kolb’s model of learning identifies four stages, each one follows on from each other, he said there is a concrete experience – what do I want to learn?, a reflective experience – have I understood?, an abstract conceptualisation – independent research and an active experiment – which is the ability to apply the information. In my group we applied all these learning theories but not necessarily in that order. I researched after the observation not before hand. Throughout this collaborative study I used my journal to record positive teaching methods, resources and assessment methods to help me to remember to ask more questions about them at our group discussions.
CONCLUSION
I conclude that collaborative learning can have a powerful influence on my teaching methods. In a group I can learn from my peers by observing and discussing methods with them. I believe that you can become set in your ways using the same strategies and teaching methods throughout the year but after observing teachers and in some cases seeing a new method for the first time, you can gain knowledge about more effective ways to teach. The group discussions after the observations are useful to allow more probing on the teaching methods or strategies seen. Probing further into why these methods were used and who they are useful for or where the resources came from helped me to implement these positive methods into my own style of teaching. I can see that I have gained a lot of new knowledge from this collaborative study, I believe this is because I followed Blooms taxonomy after the practical bits were complete such as verbally evaluating each others teaching, in a group analysing the positive and the negative and discussing each method observed until full comprehension was had by all on reasoning for using that method, this enabled us all to gain the knowledge we required to apply the positive approaches to our teaching.
WORD COUNT- 3170
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. F. Osborne, Applied Imagination: Principles and Practice of Creative Thinking. (1957).
Douglas McGregor, 1960, The Humans Side of Enterprise, McGraw Hill.
Festinger, L, Schachter, S. back, K. The Spatial Ecology of Group Formation, In L. Festinger, S. Schachter, & Back, Social Pressure in Informal Groups, 1950. Chapter 4.
Hartley, J. (1998). Learning and Studying. A research prospective, London: Routledge.
Kolb, D. Experimental learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. (1984).
Maslow, A (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper. pp. 236.
