Roles responsibilities and relationships in education and teaching essay sample

Understanding Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Teaching and Education

In this assignment I am going to explain how to understand the roles, responsibilities and relationships in teaching and education and how they relate to the teaching cycle and the theories of learning.

1. 1 Explain the Teaching role and responsibilities in Education and Training

The roles and responsibilities of a teacher will differ during the teaching cycle, there are five stages to the teaching cycle starting with identifying the needs of the learner. At this stage the role of teacher could be an assessor, the responsibility of the teacher is to identify the needs of the learner and to monitor their own practice to ensure the learner needs are met. The planning and design stage of the teaching cycle, the role of the teacher is a planner and a researcher and it is the teacher’s responsibility to plan a session which meets the needs of the learner and the requirements of the course. The facilitating stage the teacher would be a demonstrator, communicator or a listener and have the responsibility of supporting the learners through a range of activities and assessments.

The role of the teacher in the assessing learning stage is that of an assessor, reviewer and provider of feedback and the responsibility is to give the learner accurate feedback and the progress the learner makes is checked according to the course requirements. The last stage of the cycle is the evaluation stage, the role the teacher will take is that of a reviewer or reflector, and has the responsibility to review the effectiveness of the course. During the whole teaching cycle other teaching roles might include interviewing learners, communicating with others, establishing ground rules and other responsibilities could include following the organisations policies and procedures, following the relevant codes of practice and legislation, keeping a record of attendance, maintaining records of progress and own CPD.

1. 2 Summarise Key aspects of legislation, regulation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice relating to own roles and responsibilities

As a teacher it is important to keep up to date with all relevant legislation and the particular subject you are teaching and to remain current in your knowledge. It is important to know the difference between a legislation and code of practice. A legislative requirement is a duty to act accordingly to the law as defined in an Act of Parliament and usually enforceable through the courts. A code of practice is a set of rules outlining how a person in a particular profession should behave. There are generic legislation and codes of practice of which here are some examples Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Race relations Act 2000
Equality Act 2006
Data Protection Act 1998
Also, in my own role in Health and Social Care there is more specific legislation of which here are some examples Manual Handling 1992
COSHH 2002
Mental Health Act 1983
Adult Safeguarding
There are public bodies, corporations and agencies who create regulations which must be followed if applicable to your job role.

1. 3 Explain ways to promote Equality and Diversity

Equality is making sure that every learner is treated in the same way. A teacher needs to be aware of different learning styles and to ensure no learner is treated unfairly. When planning a lesson the teacher needs to consider the environment, how the classroom is laid out, does the teaching style include auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning styles. Ground rules need to be set which are appropriate for all learners and the teacher needs to ensure all resources are accessible to all learners. Diversity is valuing individual differences, and as a teacher this could be promoted by planning lessons that are achievable, allowing learners to work at different levels according to their ability and using resources from different cultures, backgrounds and religions. The Equality Act 2010 has taken current laws that protect people from discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age and put them together in one piece of legislation. It has also made the law stronger in some areas, so depending on your circumstances the new law may protect you more.

1. 4 Explain why it is important to identify and meet individual learner needs Lessons need to be designed to reflect the individual differences so no learner is made to feel excluded. The teacher needs to make sure the learner can attend, participate and achieve. Learner needs can vary from social, physical, intellectual, cultural and emotional so any resources used needs to be accessible and inclusive to all learners. These needs can affect how a learner interacts, accesses learning and how they can gain new skills. The VAK learning styles describes three styles of learning:

Visual learning style prefers to see or observe things and will be best at learning a new task after reading instructions or watching someone else do it first. Auditory learning style prefers to listen to people or sounds and can best perform a task after listening to the instructions. Kinaesthetic learning style prefers physical experience, touching, feeling and doing and can best learn new tasks by trying and learning as they go.

2. 1 Explain ways to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment An appropriate venue is needed, health and safety needs to be adhered to, lighting should be adequate and the heating at an appropriate temperature. To provide supportive learning icebreakers to help learners get acquainted, provide opportunities for discussion and teachers should be enthusiastic. Teachers can create a safe and supportive learning environment that can promote social interaction and engage active learning. Teachers need to provide support and establish clear expectations and ground rules, these can be decided and agreed as a group.

2. 2 Explain why it is important to promote appropriate behaviour and respect for others What is respect, “ Admiration felt or shown for someone or something that you believe has good ideas or qualities.” – Cambridge Online Dictionary Individuals do not feel excluded or victimised when everyone’s views are considered and learning can be maximised without disruptive behaviour. The teacher needs to set ground rules and lead by example this all helps to encourage good behaviour. Good communication can help manage and improve behaviour. The teacher needs to be consistent and have a positive approach. Ground rules need to be set out from the beginning so learners know what to expect from you and what you expect from them. Examples of ground rules could include arriving on time, being polite and respectful, bringing correct items to lessons, submitting work on time and switching mobiles off.

3. 1 Explain how the teaching role involves working with other professionals There will be times when the teacher will have to liaise with other professionals, this could be with other teachers contributing to lesson planning, a caretaker, administrative or teaching assistant or an internal verifier. External professionals could include an external verifier, health professionals, police, social workers or care workers. You would also need to communicate the learners needs to other professionals if you have signposted the learner to extra support. You as a teacher will be assessed by various professionals as well as by the organisation you work for. You should always conduct yourself in a professional manner and never let personal issues affect you in any way.

3. 2 Explain the boundaries between the teaching role and other professional roles Personal boundaries, as a teacher is knowing where your role as a teacher stops and try not to get personally involved. Professional boundaries could include lack of support from colleagues, lack of access to resources, faulty equipment, unmotivated learners or learner expectations. Deadlines and time restraints can also act as a boundary. When liaising with other professionals as a teacher you must always act professionally and remember to act appropriately when representing the organisation you work for.

3. 3 Describe points of referral to meet the individual need of learners There are many ways to identify learner needs which can include the application or interview process, initial assessment or during a review. You do not have to meet all the learner needs on your own, you can refer or signpost the learner to the appropriate service, it is important to know when to refer a learner to an appropriate service, for example a learner with dyslexia would need to be signposted to a specialist colleague or a learner with health issues could be signposted to an appropriate health professional. Points of referral can be internal, within the organisation you work for such as a first aider, a specialist colleague, student services or even their peers. External points of referral could be health professionals, police, carers, social services, charities or the Samaritans to name just a few. As a teacher it is important to know what style of learning your students fall into and how learning occurs.

There are different Theories of Learning, the main three are cognitive, behaviourist and humanism. Cognitive theorists believe that the mind is an empty vessel waiting for information to fill it, according to Piaget, Bandura and Bruner. Behaviourists believe a learner will repeat desired behaviour if positive reinforcement follows and will not be repeated if negative feedback is given (Skinner 1974). They also believe that a person’s environment determines their behaviour and people have no free will. Humanists like Maslow and Rogers believe that personal growth and fulfilment in life is a basic human motive and self-actualisation is about psychological growth. I personally relate to the cognitive theory, I like to think that our minds are waiting to be filled with new information and I believe that in children especially, their minds are like sponges just waiting to soak up any new information.

References

Francis, M and Gould J. (2009) Achieving your PTLLS Award. Sage Publications Ltd, London

Award in Education and Training Course Book

Cambridge Online Dictionary

www. anqdevelopment1-linux. co. uk
(viewed 7/1/2015, 9. 00pm)

www. livingsta. hubpages. com
(viewed 7/1/2015, 11. 30pm)

www. studymode. com
(viewed 8/1/2015, 8. 30am)

www. adviceguide. org. uk
(viewed 9/1/2015, 8. 45pm)