Professional Issues in F E Teaching

Professional Issues In FE Teaching Professionals are usually described as those belonging to such occupations as law or medicine – but what about teaching? On face value, the explanation of a ‘profession’ is simple , that of a job or career that adheres to certain quality controls, follows certain guidelines and standards and is achieved by the passing of criteria or qualifications necessary. The Oxford English Dictionary states that a professional is “a person competent … skilful or assured in a particular activity” (OED, 2005). These explanations are perhaps broader than most would accept for it would also embrace those occupations not hitherto accepted as professional in the strictest sense. When, for example, does a skill become a profession? Should we perhaps accept that a time-served and experienced artisan is as professional as someone employed at law? Perhaps the deciding factor should be the level of learning and expertise necessary to be able to carry out a particular vocation or function, it’s effect on society and the community as a whole; an attitude that strives to work for the common good and the continuation of development and research together with membership of a body that upholds quality assurance ,such as the IfL (Avis et al (2010):43). Using this criteria, teaching is surely then a profession. Yet, with the onset of the Lingfield report (Lingfield 2012) which has now concluded that teachers within FE do not necessarily need to have a teaching qualification or belong to a governing body, the subject of professionalism in FE sector teaching seems to be still ongoing. Certainly within the broad range that is teaching, there has always existed a hierarchy. For the most part, FE tutors have found themselves on the bottom of this scale, due ( in some part) historically to the fact that most of them came from vocational occupations which needed no formal qualifications of higher status to be able to carry out the teaching or instruction necessary . FE institutions have for a long time undertaken to buttress both the inadequacies’ found in secondary education and in the employment sector. Many now teach HE to students who would find it difficult to be accepted on to standard university courses, alongside sixteen year olds who still have not acquired basic literacy and adults who are seeking retraining in a ‘difficult’ job market. The combination of such diverse curriculum , in the main, requires tutors to be both flexible and highly competent educators with a breadth of knowledge of both pedagogy and androgogy that perhaps those who teach in either schools or universities do not possess – or generally need to. There is also a greater need in such institutions for pastoral care where a higher percentage of learners come from difficult or diverse backgrounds, often juggling family, work, financial and/or personal issues with their course requirements. A high proportion of FE students need to pass or attend such courses to enable them to find either work or to continue to receive state benefits. Such students often come reluctantly and with varying experiences of education at secondary level – many negative. Tutors in FE therefore need to strive hard to motivate such students in understanding the relevance of the courses they attend whilst equally being both sensitive and sympathetic to the basic needs these students face (Maslow 1954), for if these baseline issues are ignored, students cannot and will not continue to succeed within the courses attended. Since 2007 all such colleges were required by law to ensure that all staff possessed either a Certificate of Education or PGCE (or attend the course in-service). There have also been quality assurance strategies in place to continue monitoring the effectiveness and standards of staff and course targets . Mentor training, peer and management observation, continuing professional development (CPD) are but three areas (Derrick(2007)) together with professional body membership and outside inspection from bodies such as OFSTED. How far Lingfield will change this system has yet to be seen (Lingfield 2012). What seems to be certain is that the government still needs to adopt recommendations from the Wolf Report (2011) in ensuring that QTLS is regarded as equal to QTS , governed by one professional body – although how far this will be accepted within schools and academies is uncertain, a situation that requires clarification sooner rather than later. With regard to quality assurance, observation is critical as this has a dual purpose, sharing both good practice amongst colleagues as well as problem solving. A good teacher should never be fazed by observation, be it in house or by inspectors from OFSTED (or in the case of HE, HEFCE), as both positive and negative comments can be useful in developing skills as well as highlighting strengths and weaknesses. CPD (continuing professional development) is exceptionally important. In a fast paced (and ever changing) world, there are always new techniques or resources that can enhance the learning experience for students – particularly from technical support programmes and specialist conferences. Equally, no matter how good specialist knowledge is accepted to be, there are always advancements that can be made and particularly in those engaged in HE courses, research to undertake, papers to write, publish and share with peers. It is important that students acknowledge that those teaching them are themselves pushing forward their intellectual and specialist boundaries of enquiry and excellence. Perhaps the most key area of professional improvement comes through the process of reflection. I believe that we all accept that reflection is an integral part of reaction to anything we do, whether during the process or past tense. Nevertheless, a good educational practitioner will break down this process in order that each element can be deliberated over at greater depth (Kolb 1984 ). The cold reflections that occur after teaching sessions allow tutors to reassess lesson plans, schemes of work, suitability and effectiveness of resources and with experience develop and enhance future lessons and curriculum. These should be analysed in addition to the reflections of peers, students and in light of reflective theories, the “four critical lens” (Brookfield: 1995). Hot reflections on the other hand, i.e. those undertaken during a lesson, can sometimes prove to be the most challenging. If, during the session, a teacher ‘reflects’ that the lesson is not going well, it may well be that they need to change approach immediately to salvage the learning outcome. Such an intuitive form, or what Schön described as the artistry of “reflection in action” in teaching can only be achieved by continuous assessment and reflection, together with experience , depth of knowledge and an absence of arrogance that accepts that there is always room for improvement. (in Avis et al (2010): 194) When I began in the profession, I felt myself to be a good teacher, but required the necessary qualification to proceed to a wider job market – taking into effect GCSE students upward. I had already substantial experience in commercial training, private tuition and teaching at university level – and possibly believed that I would be ahead of the game. In truth, there is little within the educational models studied on my PGCE course that surprised me. Many of them seem to state the obvious, based as they are on psychological frameworks, yet often we can overlook the obvious in practice and need perhaps to critically dissect and analyse that which we accept without a second glance to understand the true complexity that lies beneath. Thus, simple learning processes can flag difficulties when scrutinized. As an example, I once asked students to describe to others step by step instructions to mundane tasks – such as making a cup of tea or doing the washing up – as if they were informing others for the first time. Amazingly all made the fundamental error of missing steps. This was , of course in an acting class and used to explain the basics of improvisation, but I mention it to highlight that although PGCE students may come to the course with an in depth knowledge of their own subject, teaching it to others is not so simple and often we can take for granted or miss relevant information in lessons because to us ‘its obvious’. Teaching is therefore fundamentally about effective communication ,ensuring that we pitch lessons at the right level and by using repetition and differentiated learning , to ensure that students have every opportunity to understand. In the past I acknowledge that I have largely been a didactic practitioner. Commercial training is pressured to time restraints and university lecturing has largely been based around formal lectures and seminar discussion – although, thankfully, this is changing rapidly. Therefore I had not really used many differentiated techniques in the past apart from perhaps small group work, and similarly had not taken into account VAKT (Verbal, Aural, Kinaesthetic, Tactile), Equality and Diversity, Inclusion etc. In addition, learning to be inclusive in both my lesson planning and response to incidents whilst teaching classes, has helped enormously in connecting with students – particularly with those on the autistic spectrum which tends to be a higher percentage than the norm within my field of the Arts. I now believe that , whereas before, I was a subject specialist (my knowledge of which has not really increased to any new exceptional levels this year), I was not a qualified teacher in the sense that without understanding the general models and theories of teaching, together with techniques, awareness of current legislation and strategies, I could never be truly ‘professional’ in my approach. What has been interesting to me , as also a governor of a local school, is that as the course has progressed and my learning and understanding increased, I have been somewhat surprised by some of the standards practiced in schools – some of which fall short of what I would expect of my own teaching and performance. I can therefore find no rationale behind the arguments (propounded mostly by school teachers) that QTLS is lesser than QTS, when FE teaching has become (in my opinion) a more highly complex , challenging and demanding environment. In addition, often schools fail to comply with inclusive policies (despite having them) and QA and CPD tend to be more randomly approached than in FE or HE. That is not to say that there are no negative issues within FE colleges these days. It is my belief , based on experiences, that such colleges are perhaps not the best environments to teach HE courses. There have been times that issues of QA have occurred within courses I have been engaged with – largely because the SOW laid down by the department has been taught at an FE standard basis i.e. to assessment, rather than in the usual university way of knowledge base from which assessment arises. Students are often ‘spoon fed’ and classes made up of those who, given levels of previous learning, cannot really meet the demands of this level of scholarship and yet are taken on it seems to make up the numbers so that the courses can run and appease both institution and government targets. In addition, the resources and levels of staff knowledge, qualifications and academic achievement are far lower than would be acceptable at HE institutions. In my opinion, this further lessens the whole learning experience for students who, naturally, believe that their degree will be on par with those studying similar courses at university. Professionally, I have found this challenging and decided to teach to the level required by the ratifying body and not that of the department as I felt that doing otherwise I would be colluding with a system I did not agree with and selling my students short. Unfortunately I am aware that other HE courses have met with the same issues with sadly, poor results, demotivated students and staff. If colleges wish to continue teaching HE, I feel that higher levels of professionalism and subject specialism, together with an understanding of using university style approaches to learning need to be taken on board whilst still keeping the student centred approach that FE is generally better at. There also needs to be a swing away from the culture of FE learning on a business frame, led by management teams that appear to have lost contact with the true purpose of these institutions and , indeed, with their academic staff. I have been spurred on to continue expanding my own subject knowledge by studying a PhD in my chosen field of Renaissance drama and performance. I had previously positively dismissed this in favour of teaching. However, I have found that the possibility of combining both is attractive –not simply because I now have the desire to continue with my research, but also because I strongly believe that it will enhance my teaching skills and professionalism. In addition , I wish to continue looking at Actor-Network Theory and its impact on both teaching and education as a whole. This theory , which has been engaged with by social theorists and educationalists since it was propounded over twenty years ago by Bruno Latour, initially working with scientists, I feel may well have a greater impact on the way in which we view social networking and education further into this century. It appears to me that it neatly joins the seams between several theories to make a coherent whole (Latour (1987)). I am also passionate in developing and spreading the art of creative teaching to inspire my students, at whatever level they may be. Looking back at my own education, I now accept that those teachers who inspired me were naturally creative teachers and these brilliant lessons motivated their students to want to learn and achieve – which many of us went on to do. It is my wish to pass these good practices and inspiration on to my own students, which is probably the ultimate outcome for any teacher. (Word count: 2,651) Bibliography and References Avis J, Fisher R, Thomson R (eds) (2010), Teaching in Lifelong Learning: A Guide to Theory and Practice, Maidenhead, OUP Press Barr G, Plowright D (2012) An Integrated Professionalism in Further Education: A time for Phronesis? in Journal of Further and Higher Education, No.1, pp1-16 Brookfield G (1995), Becoming a Reflective Teacher, San Francisco, CA, Jossy Bass Derrick J, 2007, The 30 hours directive: using it to stimulate new approaches to teacher-led CPD’, Professional Development , online publication at http://www.basicskillsbulletin.co.uk/ProfessionalDevelopment/tabid/77/Default.aspx Institute for Learning (2010) Brilliant Teaching and Training in FE and Skills: A Guide to Effective CPD for teachers, trainers and leaders, London, LSIS Kolb D.A.,(1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, Engelwood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall Latour, B (1987) Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society, Milton Keynes, OUP Press Lingfield, Lord et al (2012) Consultation on the Revocation of the Further Education Workforce Regulations, London, Department for Business Innovation and Skills Maslow A, (1954) Motivation and Personality, New York , Harper Oxford University Dictionary, 2005, Oxford, OUP Wolf Report, The (2011) Review of Vocational Education, London, Department for Education 7 Jayne Fletcher-Tomlinson June 2015