A brief evaluation of the different roles and responsibilities of a teacher /trainer in the lifelong learning sector

University Degree Education and Teaching

A teacher in the lifelong learning sector has a multitude of roles and responsibilities and within this paper I shall attempt to identify and evaluate each role with an explanation of where each fits into the ‘teaching and training cycle’ as illustrated below

The first job of the FE lecturer is to identify the needs of existing and potential learners and their levels of literacy and numeracy which are assessed through the completion of ‘skillbuilder’. Potential learners are interviewed to ascertain their suitability for their chosen course and if they have any additional learning support requirements. We also need to identify the preferred learning style which enables learning to be orientated according to the individual’s favoured method.

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This enables us to design the programme of study through compiling a scheme of work (SOW) and individual lesson plans (LP). The SOW and LP’s have to meet the requirements of the awarding body for the course within the time constraints of teaching weeks whilst ensuring matters such as equality and diversity, inclusivity, health and safety of the learner, matters of differentiation and embedding of literacy, numeracy and information learning technology into all lessons with a variety of teaching methods and resources to meet the needs of individual learners. Once the SOW has been compiled we must deliver and facilitate learning whilst having a wide range of skills and attributes that include, mentor, role model, subject specialist, and tutor, as a tutor we have a duty of pastoral care and this carries different responsibilities to that of a teacher, these include the monitoring of progress through one to ones and progress reviews, monitoring individual needs of the learner and implement action plans. Tutors should be supportive and show respect and empathy with their learners, Walklin (2002) observes that characteristics including advisor, advocate, enabler, facilitator, and technical expert are implicit to the role of tutor.

Assessment is an ongoing progress, each and every lesson has assessment at its centre and a variety of techniques can be employed such as question and answer, multiple choice tests and the imitation of skills. The main purpose of assessment is to check that learning has occurred and comes in three basic forms, initial, formative (ongoing) and summative (usually in the form of examinations for the awarding of qualifications).

The teacher has the role of evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting the needs of the awarding body, and the satisfaction of candidates on the programme and evaluating the effectiveness of individual lessons through reflective practice.

The way in which a teacher carries out each of the above roles may impact on the learners involved, there has been much research into teacher beliefs and the impact on their learners which has built on the work of Bandura (1977) into self efficacy, Bandura believed that human performance is influenced by the individual and the environment. Outcomes are affected by external (environmental) factors, and by individual (intrinsic) factors. Teachers with low efficacy beliefs find it difficult to teach to the individual needs of their students and conversely, research shows that teachers with high efficacy is linked to student efficacy and increased student motivation (Anderson, Greene & Loewen, 1988).

Since the introduction of The Further Education Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development and Registration (England) Regulations 2007, which states that every teacher employed in the FE sector must, by law register and join the Institute For Learning (IFL) and as a member of the IFL, it is my responsibility to complete a minimum of thirty hours continuing professional development every year. This is a statutory requirement to maintain a license to teach.