Most teachers follow the cycle from beginning to end; however, your job role might not require you to be involved with all of them. For example, you might not carry out the identifying needs stage as other staff within your organisation will do this. You will, however, need to liaise with them to obtain relevant information to help you plan your sessions. You might be training a member of staff in the workplace and only carry out the planning learning and facilitating learning stages, as someone else might assess their progress. Again, you would need to liaise with whoever else is involved with your learner to help support them adequately.
To teach effectively involves not only the approaches you use to teach your subject, i.e. discussions, group work and paired activities, but many other factors that go before and after the taught session. This includes:
• planning logically what you will cover during your sessions
• preparing your materials and resources
• assessing that learning has taken place
• giving feedback on progress and achievements
• keeping records and carrying out administrative duties
• evaluating your performance and the experiences your learners have had.
Never underestimate the amount of time you will need to dedicate to the role. You will need good time management skills to ensure you are well prepared and can give a good service to your learners.
Table 1.1 (on pages 38 and 39) lists examples of roles and responsibilities (in alphabetical order) which relate to the teaching, learning and assessment cycle. However, some people might consider a role to be a responsibility and vice versa, depending upon their job requirements. Don’t be daunted by the list, you might not need to carry out everything depending upon your job role.
Activity
Look at Table 1.1, make a note of which roles and responsibilities you consider to be the most important for a teacher to carry out. Why do you think this is? Do you think any of the responsibilities should be classed as a role, and vice versa? If you can, discuss this with another teacher and see if you agree or disagree. If you have a job specification, you could compare it to the list. Don’t worry if there are any aspects you are unsure of, they will be covered as you progress through the book.
Teaching or training?
Would you consider yourself a teacher or a trainer? You might think that teaching occurs in an educational establishment, whereas training occurs in the workplace or a workshop. However, that defines the role by the location, rather than the job. You might also think that teaching is a way of someone imparting knowledge, and training is a way of enabling someone to acquire skills. Whatever you consider the role to be, it’s all about the learning that’s taking place. This will occur by using different approaches and activities to help your learners gain the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding they need at a given point in time. The process should also help their progression in education, life and work. Throughout this book, the term teacher will be used more than trainer, but it implies both roles.
Activity
What do you consider the difference is between teaching and training? Think about it first, and then research a few definitions. Discuss your response with someone else and see if you agree or disagree. Do you think the two roles are interchangeable?
Table 1.1 Examples of roles and responsibilities
Record keeping
Record keeping is a crucial part of the teaching role. This is not only to support the teaching, learning and assessment process, but to provide an audit trail of each learner’s progress, and to supply information to others. Records are needed to satisfy auditors, inspectors, regulators, internal and external quality assurers, and to meet your own organisation’s requirements. For example, the information and data gathered can inform quality assurance, equality and diversity, and health and safety policies. The information contained in records helps to measure learning, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of the programme overall. Information such as attendance, progress and achievement could be shared with your colleagues if they are also involved with your learners, for example, to look for patterns of non-attendance or behaviour issues.
Records should be kept confidential and secure at your organisation, for example, in a locked filing cabinet or a password protected electronic file. The Data Protection Act (1998) in the UK is mandatory for all organisations that hold or process personal data. In May 2018 this will be replaced with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The current Act contains eight principles, to ensure that data are:
• processed fairly and lawfully
• obtained and used only for specified and lawful purposes
• adequate, relevant and not excessive
• accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
• kept for no longer than necessary
• processed in accordance with the individual’s rights
• kept secure
• transferred only to countries that offer adequate protection.
Records must be kept for a certain amount of time, depending upon your organisation’s requirements, which could be several years. They must be up to date, accurate, factual and legible, whether they are stored electronically or as hard copies. If you happen to be absent for any reason, a colleague will be able to effectively take over if they have access to your records. Data is also useful to your organisation for purposes such as accidents, appeals, equal opportunities, and funding. If accurate records are not maintained, your learners’ progress and achievement might not be recognised.
Example
Nigel has set up two lever arch files. One contains all the documentation relevant to deliver and assess the Certificate in Sport and Recreation. This includes a printed copy of the qualification specification, a scheme of work, session plans, and teaching and learning materials. The other contains alphabetical records relating to each of his learners. In these are: application forms, interview notes, initial assessment results, action plans, tutorial review records and assessment results. These files ensure he has everything to hand, not only to carry out his role effectively, but also for auditors and inspectors. His organisation has recently installed computer software to enable all staff to store these records electronically; therefore, Nigel will be able to use the new system when it’s introduced. This will save him having to carry heavy files around.
Try and keep on top of your record keeping and administrative work. If you leave it for a while, you may forget to sign or date something. An important record you will need to maintain, and often a legal requirement, is the register or record of attendance. You need to know who is in your session, not only for fire regulations or evacuation procedures, but also to keep track of attendance patterns. If a learner is absent regularly you could find out why, in case they need any individual support due to certain circumstances. Some learners might receive funding based on their