LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Assignment 3
Diploma in Education and Training
Learning Outcomes:
4. Show an ability to collaborate effectively with all stakeholders in the education
process
5. Demonstrate skilled teaching practice including adaptability and risk-taking
6. Critically evaluate pedagogy and practice and be willing to change in order to
improve
Evidence lists:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Evidence of CPD activity (mandatory)

Scheme of work
Lesson plan
Completed lesson observation form
Teaching resources

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Career Professional Development (CPD)

CPD has had lot of interest over the years. They have been known to: affect the attitude (e.g.
confidence) and understanding of teachers, improved teachers enthusiasm and increased the
willingness of teachers to try new things/ICTs (which they thought was originally too
difficult). For this college, it is the means by which the college improves and broaden the
professional skills of her teaching and non-teaching staff. It also helps the college to
maintain/ keep up to date the knowledge and skills of her workforce.
Since teaching is always evolving, CPD is an agent that encourages collaboration that then
sustains change. Studies have shown that teachers through generic CPD activities, teachers
have changed the content of their lessons, which have then led to a better learner experience.
The CPD evidenced in this report is the BTEC Update.
BTEC UPDATE
One of the stakeholders in FE is the awarding body and in my case, Edexcel. The awarding
body provides the BTEC course specification which later dictates the curriculum (both
planned and received) delivered to the student by the learning providers like Bournville
College. This CPD was aimed at the lead IVs, curriculum manages and BTEC teachers. The
government and the sector skills council on the other hand control Edexcel. This update
affects areas like:

The way the feedback is given to the student

Assignment hand-in time and resubmission policy
New policy to tackle issues of plagiarism

This CPD therefore informs us of the changes and by implementing this changes, we show
our collaboration with stakeholders in this sector. A stakeholder is anyone who is involved in
the welfare and success of a college and its students, including administrators, teachers, staff,
students, parents, and community members, school board members. They have a stake in the
college and its students, which means they have personal, professional, civic, financial
interest or concern in the college
Stakeholder engagement is considered vital to the success and improvement of a college
BTEC provision. Effective collaboration requires regular discussions and feedback loops
between stakeholders (Edexcel for example). This is done through regular communication
with Edexcel support staff and using the online Edexcel assignment brief checker. This meant
that the written assignment brief and assessment must be flexible enough to respond to
stakeholders differing perspectives, changing needs, and varied expectations. The stake
holders later checks how compliant we are to this new updates through the use of Edexcel EV
(external verifiers), who samples marked students pieces of work, written assignment briefs,
assessment forms and observation record forms.

LO4 Covered

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References:
Cordingley, P. (2003). How does CPD affect teaching and learning? Issues in systematic
reviewing from a practitioner perspective. Available:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003231.htm. [Accessed 20th Feb 2014].
Philippa, C.et al (2005). The impact of collaborative CPD on classroom teaching and
learning. Available: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Ei84eDADfNg
%3d&tabid=139&mid=960. [Accessed 20th Feb 2014].

Scheme of Work (SOW)

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Scheme of work is an important tool in teaching and learning. While a curriculum tells a
tutor an overall description of objectives and syllabuses, including a framework of the
different BTEC levels (set up by Edexcel). SOW which can sometimes be prepared by
the teacher or more than one teacher working on a course are means describing in more
detail the learning-teaching content within the overall syllabus for a shorter period of
time, e.g. a week or month. SOW allows teaching staff to organise their work so that
course delivery remains on target and in accordance with the syllabus content (controlled
by the curriculum).
SOWs are very flexible and adaptable working documents that can be moulded to take
account of local teaching needs and resources. Research has shown that SOW have
helped to achieve: the aims and objectives of the syllabus being taught; a time
management tool (meaning you can spend more time on some learning outcomes than the
other depending on their complexity); consistency in the standard of teaching among staff
teaching a particular syllabus (where permanent and agency staff are involved). SOW will
be used as an evidence to critically evaluate the pedagogy and practice.
Pedagogy can be described as: the art of teaching (the responsive, creative, intuitive part),
the craft of teaching (skills and practice) and the science of teaching (research-informed
decision making and the theoretical underpinning) (Smiths 2012). A book written by
Paulo Freire titled Pedagogy of the Oppressed up till today is a key reference in critical
pedagogy explorations. He made a correlation between the class position and cultures to
the different degree of control people had over their lives and educational experience.
Staying on the culture of education, Jerome Bruners in 1997 argued that teachers need to
pay particular attention to the cultural contexts in which they are working and of the need
to look to folk theories and folk pedagogies (Bruner 1996: 44-65).
A shift in the governments focus in education in England later created a growing interest
in pedagogy. As well as seeking to control classroom activity via the curriculum there was
a movement to increase the monitoring of classroom activity via regular scrutiny by
senior leadership teams, target grade sheets, pro-monitor etc. Expected requirement for a
classroom observation includes a variety of learning styles addressed, pace, dialogue, the
encouragement of independent learning and so on (Ofsted 2011 and 2012). Due to the
pressure this have on teachers, a number of popular guides have appeared to help
teachers: The Perfect Ofsted Lesson (Beere 2010).
So while everything sounded progressive, and the practices promoted had merit, however,
there was a problem in the framework it was placed. Its now a matter of compelling to
some paperwork with disregard to experience; quoting a section from Culture and
Pedagogy. You may be steeped in educational research and/or the accumulated wisdom
of 40 years in the classroom, but unless you defer to all this official material your
professional judgements will be uninformed (Alexander 2000: 17)
Given to the nature of the BTEC engineering course, it was essential that this course offer
the student a good mix of theory and practical activities. Since the theoretical aspects is

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often the least interesting to students, a range of ICT tools have been employed to make it
more interesting and engaging; Succrative, SMART board tools, Prezis, NearPods and
classroom role playing activities. The students are also set tasks relating to research and
afterwards required to create and upload there resources/findings to Moodle; which can
then be accessed by all the other students and forum discussions gets generated from this
activity. This also boosts student confidence and can enable anonymity in cases where
students dont want to be recognised in the discussion. This mixed format has enabled
effective differentiation whereby students with learning difficulties and different learning
styles are actively engaged in teaching and leaning. But the growing number of these
tools means colleges have to invest financially to access them, arrange CPDs to train the
teachers, longer prep time in some cases.

LO6 Covered
References:
Alexander, R. (2000). Culture and Pedagogy. International comparisons in
primary education. Oxford: Blackwell.
Beere, J. (2010). The perfect Ofsted lesson. Bancyfelin: Crown House Publishing.
Bruner, J. (1996). The Culture of Education. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press.
Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Ofsted (2011). Lesson observation key indicators. London: Ofsted.
[https://www.ncetm.org.uk/public/files/725865/Ofsted+key+indicators.pdf.
Retrieved: May 4, 2015].
Ofsted (2012). The framework for school inspection from September 2012. London:
Ofsted. [http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/framework-for-school-inspectionseptember-2012-0. Retrieved: May 4, 2015].

Smith, M. K. (2012). What is pedagogy?, the encyclopaedia of informal education.

[http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-pedagogy/. Retrieved: May 4, 2015].

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Lesson Plans
The stakeholders that affect lesson plans are also the same influencing the curriculum, they
are: politics (the government), economics (industry, business, commerce and professions),
social (family) and cultural. In 2014, the business secretary Vince Cable stated that the UKs
skill gap is crippling the countrys manufacturing sector. The CBI (Confederation of British
Industry) also foud that nearly 40% of firms looking for staff with STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills have had difficuities recruiting. The repot also
mentioned that the shortage is acute in construction, structural engineering and architecture,
quatity surveying. This have now made the overmning to give more powers to employers
through the UKCES (UK Commission for Employment and Skills). Employers are to:
-

Take a lead in imporving skills level

Provide more vocational pathways to work
Integral the worlds of work and education
Provide more apprenticeships
Make work experience an integral part of education

Lesson plan has been used as an evidence to explain how I have collaborated effectively with
all stakeholders in the education process and also demonstrated skilled teaching practice
including adaptability and risk-taking. A lesson plan is a road map that tells a teacher what
the students needs to learn in lesson and how that can be done effectively. A good lesson plan
will have; the key objectives for students learning, teaching/learning activities and strategies
of assessing learning and checking students understanding. The following STEM sector
related skills were achieved:
-

Analytical skills to research a topic, develop a project plan and timeline, and draw
conclusions from research results.
Mathematic skills for calculations and measurements.
Attention to detail to follow a standard blueprint, record data accurately, or write
instructions.
Technical skills to troubleshoot the source of a problem; repair a machine or debug an
operating system, and computer capabilities to stay current on appropriate software
and equipment.
Communication skills to listen and interact with project partners.
Creative abilities to solve problems and develop new ideas.
Leadership skills to lead projects.
Organization skills to keep track of lots of different information.

In this lesson the following teaching styles were used; Group discussion, Practical and
Technology enhanced learning to achieve some of the STEM skills above. The use of group
discussion encouraged creative and communication skills; the practical activity encouraged

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

analytical and research skills, with technical skills and mathematical skills; and the use of
technology make them more versatile in the use of softwares and computer programmes.
Evidence
A good lesson will always start with an engaging introduction after the students have had
time to settle down. This will create great interest in the lesson. This 2-hour class session was
for the second year BTEC engineering student. During the first 25minutes of the attached
lesson plan, the students were tasked to brainstorm an electronic component and present to
the whole group afterwards. This approach caters well for my students with different learning
styles, due to the wide gap in learning styles (using Honey and Mumford http://www.peterhoney.com/); I used a variety of discussion sessions in order to cater for the
different learning styles and to differentiate accordingly, through the use of adaptable
resources that makes learning and teaching accessible to all.
Discussion/Q&A was later generated when this exemplars where been passed around, which
helped improved there STEM skills. They were also given key words to learn both their
meanings and spellings (it was adapted for the dyslexic students); this will be assessed
towards the end of the lesson. This aspect of the teaching again has literacy and language
embedded in it (STEM skills), student feedback was adapted for non-confident student; by
allowing them to display their answers on a slate, without having to present in front of the
classroom.
The final 10 minutes of the lesson is used so summarise the whole lesson through quiz
questions (coloured questions papers adapted for dyslexic students), SMART board
interactive Q&A (adapted for Kinaesthetic students) and individual student directed questions
aimed at stretching their understanding. The structure of my lesson plan shows a realistic
timeline of events (important for the inclusiveness of dyslexic students).

LO4 and LO5 Covered

Reference
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30224320 [assessed 4/5/15]

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Lesson Observation
The class been thought was the AS Electronics. The lesson is theoretical and practical in
nature. The lesson was planned accordingly and the classroom was arranged to facilitate
discussion during the group activities. The lesson gradually emerged into discussions with
questions and answers where the students displayed professionalism and there understanding
of the unit, through poster design and presentation. The completed lesson observation was
used to show the pedagogy employed to ensure teaching and learning was achieved.
Learners progress was examined during the course of the lesson through question and
answers and a recap quiz questions at the end of the lesson. Also, through adequate direct
questioning, learners understanding were challenged and high expectations was reinforced.
The whole class was divided into groups based on their abilities (differentiation) during the
class activities. This is aimed at encouraging peer mentoring, independent learning
To encourage equality and diversity, a video was shown during the teaching, which brings
home the application of an electronic device we have been looking at (amplifier) in a
developing country. Embedding this video shows the inclusivity of other race/culture and it
also shows how different culture or race might use a particular technology.
Strengths:
-

There is a good level of challenge and pace throughout the lesson.

E&D (equality and diversity) was adequately embedded in the lesson
Throughout the lesson, the learners showed enthusiasm, high degree of interest and
cooperation.
Learner outcomes were clearly written on the board and let their throughput the
lesson, so that learners can continuously check there learning.
Independent learning through practical tasks
Strong evidence of planning and motivation
Strong evidence of learner engagement
Learners were challenged and high expectations expected

Established Professional Standards Met:

-

Inspire, motivate and raise aspirations of learners through your enthusiasm and
knowledge
Be creative and innovative in selecting and adapting strategies to help learners to
learn
Build positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and learners
Motivate and inspire learners to promote achievement and develop their skills to
enable progression
Address the mathematical and English needs of learners and work creatively to
overcome individual barriers to learning.

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Improvement:
-

Use of direct questioning

Conclusion
This feedback has shown that the lesson was designed in an adaptable way to reflect the
different academic level of students and also to meet their individual learning needs. The
activities provided are also relevant tot the students level, while the most developed student
where given a modified activity to stretch and challenge them. The lesson delivered also
reflects pedagogy in; the responsive and creative part, the enhanced skills and the use of
research-informed decision making and the theoretical underpinning.

LO5 and LO6 Covered

LLQT2513 THE PROFESSIONAL TEACHER

Teaching Resources
Adaptability means being flexible when things change. An adaptable teacher is one who is
open to new ideas and concepts relating to teaching and learning. Flexibility and adaptability
in teaching can be enhanced through the following:

Changing the context;

Trying something new;

Questioning our thoughts (reflective practice) and words;

Planning to be spontaneous;

Deliberately trying to think in different ways.

This means that I design the teaching environment in such a way to encourage inclusiveness
and adaptability. This is done is the following ways:

Create an atmosphere that is open, supportive and welcoming of new ideas, especially
when it comes to practical related projects and other classroom activities
Help each individual student to feel they are a valued member of the group, through
active engagement, stretch and challenge and direct questioning.
For those who have difficulty focusing on appropriate detail or who are easily
distracted, provide a working environment that is not too busy, e.g. by screening off
desk space.
Some people (for example, those with autism) rely heavily on routines as a source of
security and comfort and dislike sudden change. Let people know well in advance
about changes to routines in order to let them adjust to the idea and to avoid upsetting
them.

Students with learning needs are ever so present on our BTEC engineering course; and could
mean students: that are easily distracted, easily confused, poor long and short term memory,
low tolerance and high frustration level, poor handwriting skills, poor time management,
difficulty in following instructions, and so on
The following ways have been used to adapt my teaching materials to the students with
learning difficulties:

Make activities concise and short, whenever possible. Long, drawn-out projects are
particularly frustrating for student with severe HDHD.

Whenever possible, I provide students with learning needs concrete objects and items
they can touch, hear, smell, etc.

Provide learning-disabled students with frequent progress checks. Let them know how
well they are progressing toward an individual or class goal.

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Provide oral instruction for students with reading disabilities. Present assessments in
form of oral interview and observed practical activity can also help.

The teaching resources used in my lessons are mostly: smart board, Prezis, Kohoot, Nearpod,
Socrative, videos, PowerPoint. The usage of any of these resources could be risk taking as
some students who dont like change to their normal teaching routine fight the use of these
ICT technologies. An instant of risk taking is playing a YouTube video that shows the use of
amplifiers in a middle easy mosque. The video was relevant to the lesson but some student
turned the conversation afterwards to a religious debate, which was distracting from the focus
of the lesson. This was a risk taken but the situation was later put under control.
Another risk I took was when I had an engineering key word learning activity set up using
anagrams on smart board. Due to the grammatical/spelling level of some of our students, they
were reluctant to come up to the front to partake in the activity. This is probably due to their
lack of confidence and inadequate English language skills. To circumvent this situation
(making the teaching resource adaptable), I asked them to do the anagram on paper; that way
they get to do the task without having to come to the front of the class.

LO5 Covered