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