Week 14...

This was our final session before the Christmas break and also the final microteach of our group. Jackie, with whom I had delivered the group presentation, presented a session on Steganography which I had not heard of perviously.

It was a fascinating presentation about hiding coded messages within images. Jackie had designed a website which we all accessed from our computers and used an online system to hide our own coded message in the form of a spam email. Jackie hit the delicate balance of presenting a complex subject whist keeping it simple and engaging.

Finally this session we were given our final deadline to hand our work in which will be 12th January 2015, which due to the busy Christmas period I expect to find extremely challenging!

Week 13...

It was my turn to present my microteach this week. I did my very best to ensure I went last and I was entirely successful in this endeavour. In hindsight this may have come with its draw-backs as I think by this point everyone was a bit tired.

The session has started earlier than usual to try and fit everyone's sessions in and because of the time I finish work this meant I arrived half-way through the first session, presented by Chantal. Her microteach was centred around beauty therapy and involved the group being able to make their own body scrub from baby oil, salt and scented oils. It gave everyone a nice practical activity to take part in, as well as having a memento to take away at the end of the session. This is something I had incorporated into my own session and reinforced my belief that it was a good approach.

Joe delivered a presentation on cinematography which, as a cinephile myself, I found fascinating. There wasn't anything physical to take away, but Joe had designed a quiz / assessment based on the content of his presentation which was a great way to assess the group's knowledge and also to introduce a bit of friendly competition- a nice touch!

Juanita, who works as a chef, delivered a presentation based on the health and safety considerations of using different coloured chopping boards for different produce and was very adept at answering the questions the learners had.

Finally I delivered my microteach session on juggling. I will cover this in more detail in the written report, but for now I am happy to say that I believe it went well.

I had learned from the lack of preparation in my group presentation for Unit 1 and taken the time to rehearse my microteach session, timing how long each section would take and adding or removing parts which detracted from its effectiveness. I managed to have a practice run using my long-suffering girlfriend as my learner and found that I was able to keep the session within the 20 minute time whilst still covering everything that I wanted to.

I started by addressing the possible health and safety risks in the practical section of the presentation, before providing a brief history of juggling throughout that ages. This was delivered lecture-style, though in my assessment feedback the tutor quite rightly pointed out this could have been made more interactive and engaging as a Q&A.

Next was a video which I had sourced from YouTube showing different types of juggling, which even before the presentation I had my concerns that it might be too long at around two minutes. Feedback from my peer assessments confirmed this and tutor feedback that I could have asked the learners to take mental notes of details of the video makes perfect sense.

The practical part of the session, where I gave a brief demonstration of juggling three balls before asking the group to open the parcels I had placed under their chairs before the session. Parcels contained three juggling balls, a foam red clown nose and a set of printed instructions I had prepared beforehand.

My intent was that, to cover differentiation within the group, learners could choose to follow the printed instructions (which were also displayed on the big screen) or they could follow my own instruction and demonstration as I moved within the group providing one-to-one coaching. However, on reflection I feel that providing the printed instructions was unnecessary and only confused things for the learners. Certainly they were good to takeaway, but needn't have been included in the session.

I was also surprised that there were some learners who were reluctant to take part in the practical exercise and felt a little dejected by this. I made an effort to get everyone involved with varying degrees of success.

My peer feedback was extremely positive and didn't really criticise anything I didn't already feel could have been better or had doubts about going in. In particular, comments about the pace, presentation and delivery echoed those made about my part of the group presentation, which I feel reflects my experience as a trainer.

I feel I have learned a lot from this unit, particularly in regards to the design and planning of a teaching session, of which I have had very limited experience previously. I believe this is something I will find very helpful in future.

Week 12...

This was the first week I got to view some of my peers microteach sessions. The variety of subjects presented was amazing and the effort Karen had gone to in setting up the learning space for her napkin folding presentation was fantastic. Everybody had the opportunity to try some napkin folding and had something to take away.

Afeefa had also brought an amazing collection of models and provided a very interactive session. I think that for some in the group this proved to be a little over-stimulating as there was a couple of times where Afeefa lost control of the group, with some learners (quite rudely, in my opinion) holding their own conversations while Afeefa was attempting to address the group.

I recognise this could be a challenge in my own session, which is scheduled in for next week. And I still have so much preparation to do!

Being able to review and assess the work of my peers is providing me with an amazing opportunity to fine-tune my own microteach session; ideas and approaches I hadn't considered and things that could go wrong.

Week 11...

Due to a severe migraine I was unable attend the session this week, meaning I missed the first of the microteach sessions; something I feel very badly about.

Looking back to the group presentation, I recognise that peer assessment is invaluable in one's development as a teacher. I strongly regret not being able to help my peers with this and hope that there is still a good turn out when I present my own microteach session.

I have decided on the subject of juggling for my session, which I intend to have as an interactive experience where learners will have the opportunity to try their hand at juggling up to three ball after a brief tutorial delivered by me.

I intend to provide everyone with a pack of three juggling balls which they can use in the session and also take away with them as a keepsake, should they wish.

I am both excited and terrified about delivering my microteach session.

Week 10...

This week we delivered out group presentations for Unit 1. Jackie (my fellow learner, not the old tutor) and I had developed our slides independently and sent them by email to Halah, who added them to her slides and brought the whole document to the session.

Halah presented her slides first, then myself and finally Jackie. Our tutor had provided everyone in the group with peer assessment forms with which we could note the things we liked or disliked about each other's presentations. Our presentation ran far over the designated 20 minutes (almost double!), despite each of us attempting to plan out the time it would take to cover each of the assessment criteria. I honestly could not say how long my section of the presentation took as it seemed to be over very quickly. In hindsight, rather than just guessing how long it would take me to cover the assessment criteria (and thinking "it'll be alright on the night") I should have actually practiced it beforehand.

All things considered, after reviewing the feedback from my peer assessment forms I think it went pretty well. My feelings that my personal experience evidence was strong seems mostly to be reflected in the comments from my peers. I was particularly happy to read some positive comments about how I delivered my part of the presentation, such as being clear and maintaining good eye-contact as I wasn't sure if I had succeeded with this at the time.

I certainly feel that I have learned a lot from this unit and intend to use the experience and the feedback I have received towards my microteach session (when I finally decide what I am going to do!).

Week 9...

Today we were given some more information about what is expected in Units 4 and 5 of the course. I have still not decided what subject to cover for my microteach session (Unit 4) though I am leaning towards a juggling presentation. My skill in this juggling is limited - amateur at best -  though I cannot think of anything in my professional role that I could deliver in a 20 minute presentation.

I didn't get the opportunity to discuss this with the tutor this week. We have quite a large group, even though a couple of people have already decided to leave the course and begin it again in January. I recognise from my own experience that teaching a group with too many people in it can mean that it it difficult to ensure that all the learners receive the necessary attention. That being said, I do need to make an effort to speak with the tutor in more detail soon.

Week 8...

This was our first week back in after the half-term break, and an additional week off due to our tutor being off sick. Upon our return we were greeted by a new tutor, Julie, who advised us that our old tutor (Jackie) no longer worked for the college and that Julie would be delivering the course for the remainder of its duration (this would also explain why I wasn't getting a reply to my emails and why I had been removed from the course Google group). No other information was provided, but Julie advised us that we could stay to work on our presentations or go leave if we wished to do research at home or in the library, etc.

I don't know what this change will mean for how the course will run from now. On the one hand I am nervous as some of the details we were given about Unit 1, such as not having to cover all of the assessment criteria individually, may actually be incorrect. Also, the content of the presentation slides may have been mis-advised to us. This is really not what I needed to hear when I already have my doubts about how the course has been going for me.

That said, many others in the group have taken the opportunity the speak up about how they have been feeling, which turns out to be similar to myself and actually makes me feel a bit better (in that there has been issues with how the course has been delivered and it's not that I have just misunderstood the material so far). Also, in the space of the lesson, Julie came across as a far more articulate and engaging tutor and immediately provided some good sources for research, further putting my mind at ease.

I suppose I will find out over the remaining weeks if the course has improved.

Week 6...

This week was focused primarily on working on the group presentation for Unit 1. Within our group of three we had previously agreed to divide the assessment criteria up equally between us. I will be presenting assessment criteria 1.4 (Explain why it is so important to identify and meet individual learner needs), 2.1 (Explain ways to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment) and 2.2 (Explain why it is important to promote appropriate behaviour and respect for others).

Already I am beginning to think of experiences from my work which I will be able to use to illustrate the points I will be making. I like this part of the course, as it is requiring me to reflect on my career as a trainer and be analytical about my experiences. I do feel that reflection allows a teacher to consider ways to improve the learning experience, and anything that encourages me to be more conscious of my work can only be a good thing.

That said, I am not entirely convinced about the method of presentation or this unit. Certainly, being able to stand in front of the group and deliver the presentation provides invaluable experience, particularly for those in the group who have not had such experience before for whom such an activity could be challenging. However, we have been instructed that the powerpoint part of the presentation should avoid bullet points and rather be written in a more long-form style. In my area of work, extensive presentations are often referred to as "death by powerpoint" as such a dry method of teaching usually means that learners switch off. Having a visual cue can be helpful, but surely a written report (much like that required for the microteach) would be more effective? Further, would I not be required to demonstrate that I have understood the other assessment criteria as well, or is it assumed that as a group we have shared the development of the presentation?

More questions than answers at this point.

Week 5...

Hmm. I don't really feel as though there was an awful lot learned in this lesson. It has been a long time (fifteen years) since I was in formal education so I recognise that things may have changed, and that in an adult course such as this we, as learners, are expected to do much of our own research. However I am finding that the current teaching style adopted by our tutor - of delivering the subject material in a lecture-style - sits at odds with what I believe are my personal learning styles (primarily kinaesthetic / secondarily visual).

When researching the course I gathered the impression that this was basic introduction to teaching, with the assumption that learners my have no prior teaching experience, though I now recognise this may have been my own folly - much of the material seems quite advanced to me!

Already in this course there has been much talk about learning styles and differentiation, which I have learned a little about when I have been trained in various employment roles I have held, though when delivering training myself these considerations have largely been made for me by the training designer. I feel that some demonstration of these considerations would help me. Okay, so we're talking about teaching people who learn best visually, so why don't we use some more visual aids. There's a big electronic whiteboard and projector - a fantastic resource - in this room, though so far it has only been utilised to display a few bits of information (academic resources and the like).

Being a primarily kinaesthetic learner I feel that some more practical exercises would help me in assimilating the course information; rather than just have the tutor tell us about a teaching theory or practice and maybe providing a vague personal experience, perhaps we could discuss as a group experiences each of us may have had, or maybe complete an exercise on how different people react differently to the same stimuli.

I don't wish to come across as negative about the course and I have found, much like the weather, my feelings about this course can change week to week. I just hope that I can bring my mind around to the way this course is being delivered (though isn't that against the point..?).

Perhaps I should discuss this with my peers and gauge whether it needs raising to our tutor...

Week 4...

This week we looked in some more detail at the requirements for our group assessments for Unit 1 (Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Education and Training) and the units we will be covering in our group of three.

We also talked about our microteach sessions and the importance of Entitlement, Equality, Differentiation, Inclusivity and Diversity in planning and delivering the session. Much of these considerations are new to me, mainly to my insular experience delivering "pre-packaged" corporate training material. But design is an area I have been wishing to become more involved in, so I intend to take as much from this part of the course  as possible.

The depth of subject we have been exploring is honesty greater than I expected and I am sometimes concerned that some of it it going over my head. Certainly, I will need to spend some time researching the theories and methods we have discussed if I am going to take advantage of these in future.

Week 3

Unfortunately, due to a nasty cold, I missed this week's session.

Jackie was kind enough to send me the session's course materials by email which has made some interesting reading. It has been enlightening to discover training models in theory that I can recognise from situations and experiences I have had in my work without realising such literature existed. In particular, the Tuckman model reflects practically every group I have ever trained though I have not really been consciously aware of the predictability of the group dynamic development. Now being fully aware of of this model, I am already thinking of ways I can begin to utilise it with future trainees.

Kolb's Learning Styles was a bit of a trickier read for me. Material this meaty is a far cry from anything I have covered previously and I think this is what I might need explaining to me in more detail. I find that I can only absorb so much by reading about it and eventually need an experienced guide in explaining details to me, or better yet, giving me a practical application for the material.

If I had to say, I believe I currently I exist at Stage 2 of the conscious competence theory; 'conscious incompetence'. Again, this material makes sense to me. It's something I am aware of in my own learning and that of the people I have trained.

So now I really need to decide what to do for my microteaching session. I want to make sure it is something fun and engaging and I would love for there to be something that everyone can take away with them, other than just new information. I'll keep working on that...

Week 2

This week was the first time it felt like I might possibly be out of my depth. Academia has never been a particularly comfortable place for me, and while I have a fairly good deal of experience in delivering training in call centre and classroom environments I have not really needed to give as many considerations as are being presented in this course (one of the benefits of having a complete training solution waiting for me by the time I even arrive at work).

The sheer volume of information being thrown at me already is quite staggering, though I'm hopeful that will soon be able to shift gears in my mind to accommodate this. I feel extremely fortunate that some of my classmates have more previous experience in delivering structured learning in educational establishments outside of corporate environments.

Jackie instructed us to divide ourselves into groups with whom we would develop and deliver our group presentations for Unit 1 of the course, and I joined with Halah Mahmood and Jackie McGinty. We quickly divided the Learning Outcomes between us and began to form a rough plan on delivering the presentation. We agreed that we would spend sometime researching our assigned Learning Outcome in our individual subject specialism and develop our presentation through email and Google Groups before arranging rehearsal times.

I'm looking forward to the group presentation, though I am already finding it extremely challenging. I am becoming increasingly aware of how easy I have had it in my training roles so far and recognise that I am going to need these new skills if I hope to take my career to the next level.

Week 1

I've been working in call centres for what seems like a loooong time. Before that I worked in bars for what seemed like even longer. Not a single job I have had since leaving school has held very much interest for me... until, that is, I have been asked to teach others.

Whether training others on how to survive a busy Saturday night behind the bar, or coaching a new call centre agent through complex billing systems and telephone soft skills, teaching the job has always been more rewarding than actually performing it. Whilst I have felt fortunate to hold roles delivering mentoring, coaching and training in my various places of employment, I have begun to realise, after applying for several training jobs without success, that these highly transferable skills are not necessarily enough without a qualification to back it up.

After doing some research on the various courses available I settled on the Award in Education and Training (formerly PTLLS), which my father had completed a few years ago and recommended. 

Monday was our first class and, like most new things, came with a combination of nerves and excitement. New faces and names to remember (uh-oh) and trying to find that delicate balance of leading without being overbearing (nobody likes that guy), but also making sure to get involved,which can be difficult in large groups where everybody, understandably and importantly, want their say.

I thought the first session went really well. There's a fantastic mix of people in the group; different ages and backgrounds, and we got to know each other through an ice-breaker presentation where our tutor, Jackie, paired us off with the brief to find out who the other person was, what they do and why they are taking the course.

I was paired with Elaine Dodge, who is employed by the college as an apprenticeship assessor. She's currently learning to play the piano; a life-long ambition which she finds difficult, though recently achieved Grade 1, so she can't be that bad... :P

Once we had completed our interrogation of our new classmates we were then required to approach the front of the class in our pairs, write the other student's name on a temperamental electronic whiteboard and deliver a brief introduction to the rest of the group. Elaine began;

"This is Duncan..." She began.

"Who's Duncan?" I asked

There was laughter and I think that is the sound of ice breaking. 

The rest of the session was made up of a brief tour of the campus, followed by another ice-breaker presentation where we were split into groups of six and briefed to design a spider-gram detailing a particular unit of the course. I always find this bit a little more tricky, particularly with new people, as I want to get fully involved without inhibiting anybody else. It's that delicate balance I mentioned earlier.

So hopefully I made a good impression, it's certainly always my intent, and everyone else seems really nice. I definitely found the first session enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the rest of the course.

Well, that's my first and slightly rambling course blog. More next week!

Gav