Minimum Core Skills

Providing a rich and varied context is essential, tutors should utilize a range of different methods to engage all students interests and learning styles. Identifying and meeting the learners needs are important so that tutors can facilitate students learning and ensure that both the students and tutors meet the required goals. Each learner is unique and brings to the learning situation their own different learning style, knowledge set, past experiences and motivational levels. It is important for tutors to consider the level of knowledge and skill development attained by the learners prior to instruction through a variety of different types of assessment, in order to offer a high quality learning experience, delivered and resourced to suit the needs of the learner. Tutors can assess learner needs through numerous means, such as; informal and formal assessment strategies, pre-course interviews and learning style tests. This will allow tutors to tailor lessons and activities to support learners individual needs.

There are numerous ways of meeting a student’s individual needs. These can be by differentiated tasks which will be linked to their individual education plans. (See IEPS include). Other ways can be giving some students who it

Some pupils may find the activity either too easy or too difficult therefore the activity may need to be adapted to suit the needs of these pupils. Also additional activities may be included for those pupils who finish quicker than others. The teaching assistant must take each pupil’s learning needs into consideration.

In this assignment, I am going to describe how my knowledge and understanding and skills in Literacy, Numeracy and ICT help and impacts on my teaching assistant role at my school.

When resources are produced, consideration is taken to represent the diverse range of learners who access provision A variety of teaching methods are used following an assessment of different learning styles Assessment is fair and does not discriminate against any learner Language used by the tutor is non-discriminatory and appropriate Discussion and comments within the learning environment are managed to ensure learner language is appropriate and nondiscriminatory Materials and topics are presented in a way that are sensitive to equality and diversity Resources are adapted to ensure that learners can access information and to meet individual needs

I will need to consider the resources I use to ensure they meet the needs of the learners. It will be important to use a wide variety of resources when I am teaching, the main reasons for this is to accommodate different learning styles but also to help learner stimulation and interaction.

As a teacher/trainer, there are certain roles and responsibilities that you have when it comes to the needs of learners. Teachers/trainers should look to the teaching and learning cycle as this contains an outline

4.4 explain how assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners

In my assessment plan I would identify any specific need that the learner may have e.g. Dyslexia (I would check with the relevant department within the training establishment to see what help could be offered to the learner i.e. extra time given for assignments and written tests). I would then agree the level and extent of their current knowledge

The most effective method of differentiating is to ensure that resources and assessment methods, as well as teaching and learning approaches meet individual learner needs. According to Francis and Gould (2013) setting a single objective for a whole group will not be appropriate for all learners, due to the diversity of the group, therefore, as Gravells (2008) suggests we must identify the learning needs, styles, aspirations and potential of our learners. At this very stage, any barriers and boundaries should be identified, so the teaching and learning approaches, assessment methods and resources can be planned accordingly.

Teaching demands a lot of creativity and being able to adapt to different situations and environments. However, in order to experience lasting success, more than pot luck, charisma and spontaneity are required. Planning is essential. Planning and preparation gives a certain level of confidence. Whether it is a single lesson or a whole course, planning allows you to design the learning journey you wish to take your students on. In designing, you can make sure that you are catering for all your learners’ needs. This includes sufficient differentiation; for SEN needs as well as your gifted and talented students. In planning you can ensure that your lessons have a definite beginning, middle and end and have clear aims and targets. At this stage you will also prepare and plan resources. Also, you must plan your assessments. How will you know when the students have learned what you set out to teach? How will they know? How are you going to prove that learning has taken place at the end of the course? All these points will be addressed in the planning stage of the teacher training cycle.

The assessment process may have to be adapted to be suitable to the individual learner’s needs such as learning support for those with learning difficulties needs to eventually lead to the same outcome.

The assessor needs to gather information that is personal from the learner in order to adapt and provide special needs that they might have. Also the assessor will need to treat all learners equally, ensuring that equality and diversity issue are met. Once this information has been gained, the assessor can then produce an action plan for the learner which is both realistic and achievable so they are comfortable to achieve the best possible results.

As an instructor it is important to always be flexible in regards to the learning objectives and the teaching plan in an effort to meet the individual needs of each learner.

As a teacher, one’s role and responsibility should be towards the learners’ ability to learn and for learning to be as tailored made for the individual learner.