Roles and Responsibilities in Lifelong Learning Essays

The boundaries between the teaching role and other professional roles, including points of referral to meet the needs of learners.

As a teacher or trainer, there are a variety of roles and responsibilities that are important to consider. The main role of a teacher is to create a relaxed, comfortable learning environment for students to meet their learning needs. In many cases, the teacher’s role also involves delivery of

A teachers primary role is to deliver information. The 2003 workload agreement (Woodward and Peart, 2013) not only defined the levels of work a teacher could reasonably expect but also defined the roles which would provide a framework of support to the specifics of the teaching role. Though this applies to secondary education the principles can inform teacher roles in the lifelong learning sector. A teacher must develop an awareness, understanding and professional respect of all the roles which support them in their efficacy. In the Institute of Learning's Code of Professional Conduct is states

Supporting the curriculum is also one of my roles. Under the guidance of a classroom teacher I will understand the theories of learning. I will be aware of the development process in learning and any difficulties, the factors that affect pupils and how each national strategy works, including national numeracy and national literacy.

The research has proved that teachers should be instructing and assessing for diverse learners. “However, few teachers are adequately prepared to effectively teacher diverse learners.” (Edyburn, 2011, p. 38). Professors subconsciously plan to teach to the top students and view any diverse learners as a class weakness or as someone else’s problem. If professors want to enhance the classroom for today’s learners, they must embrace the diversity and change how they think about and respond to the learner’s differences. Professors should be addressing the diversity of learners during the planning of assessments and moving away from the one size fits all paradigm. How do we address the learning styles and plan for all students’ success during the assessment? There are two frameworks that can be used to address these questions which are Understanding by Design (UbD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

These boundaries could have a negative effect on us as teachers as well as other professionals within the organisation. We therefore need to deal with these boundaries by referring to the Institute for Learning's Code of Practice (2008) which outlines the behaviours expected of teachers.

This model is centred around principles of rights, rules, respect responsibilities, and relationships. Rogers emphasises the need for teachers to establish a set of student led classroom rights, rules and responsibilities during the establishment period of the year (Killian, Ogden, Shipston, & Facas, 2017). These rights, responsibilities and rules entail the behaviours that are expected in the classroom and protect the student’s rights to; feel safe, be treated with respect and to learn. The rules are to be developed reasonably and provide freedom in the sense students are free to move around the boundaries. As the rules are decided and agreed upon by the students, this develops a sense of understanding and accountability for their own behaviour and learning (Edwards, & Watts, 2008). In order to ensure students are respectful to the rights of students, the teacher must also treat students with respect. The teacher must consider the dignity of the students and their rights in the classroom ensuring they avoid any behaviours they

The government and educational institutions place a heavy emphasis on safeguarding to be a teacher’s main priority in which they must be responsible for; part of that responsibility means teachers must ensure all and any required safeguarding training is completed and knowledge of legislative changes must be updated regularly. Another responsibility that a teacher must uphold is to be a strong role model and set an example for children and young people, by promoting equality, diversity and British values. Teachers do not only have the responsibility to pass on knowledge to learners, challenge them and develop their higher order thinking skills (Bloom et al, 1956), but also to embed British Values within their sessions by promoting democracy, the rule of law, mutual respect and for learners to be open-minded of others beliefs and faiths (Gov.uk,

The teacher is aware of the diversity of the student population and provides instruction that is appropriate for all students.

The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.

Diversity in the classroom can come in many forms, these include but are not limited to differences in language, culture, social status, religion, and learning styles. As educators, it will be our job to make sure that we are able to support our diverse students in their learning, and it is also essential that we make our classroom a place where diversity is accepted and all students feel safe engaging in the learning. Not all students that we encounter will have been exposed to diversity and it is our job to help them recognize that underneath all the differences, there are so many important similarities. The best way to do this according to Matthew Lynch “is to provide students with ample evidence that people that don’t look like them are, at the core, people just like them. Such a viewpoint can be taught by promoting a culture of learning from one another rather than a culture of passing judgment on differences in values and beliefs” (2012). By teaching our students to embrace diversity, we are creating an environment where all our students can thrive.

These strategies for students can be built on their strengths of learning. The students can demonstrate their work through ways that help them build on their weaknesses through using their strengths. The students will begin to feel confident in themselves and their individual learning. One way of implementing UDL into the classroom is through a three step model that focuses on Respecting Diversity, Inclusion Instructional Practices and System and Structure. The first model Respecting Diversity, according to Katz (2011) states, “ Programs that help teachers to create a classroom climate that improves students’ self- concept, sense of belonging, and respect for diverse others” (4). I believe that respecting students' diversity in learning styles will help provide a safe learning environment for all students. When working with students with diverse needs in an inclusion classroom it’s important for the students to believe in themselves. Students with learning needs can feel overwhelmed with the other students in the class. It’s our job as the teachers to help build a community amongst the

As an educator, it is my role to teach as well as learn. The role of a teacher allows me to experience both Andragogy and Pedagogy. “Andragogy” is “the art and science of helping adults learn "where as “Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children” (Knowles, 1984, p. 13). In my profession, it is a daily task to teach concepts to children. Children are generally, teacher directed learners meaning, they are always looking to the teacher to guide them in their learning. They seek out answers and need direction to what they will be learning and what activities are provided to solidify the learning concept. This is quite different than the self directed, or the adult learner. According to Caruso (2011), adults learn by performing

Human development is key in allowing people to have the opportunity and freedom to decide who and what they want to be. By discussing contextual factors, teachers can ensure they cater their styles to assist all students to ensure they reach their full learning potential. Each educational establishment has it’s own culture and identity. Therefore it is important that all teachers, especially new ones are familiar with the individual schools contextual factors and the systems they work from. Diversity is also an important focus point as classes will include students from different race, genders, religion as well as levels of skill, therefore it’s important these factors are taken into consideration when lesson planning so teaching is as effective as possible.

Teachers have a great responsibility in shaping the schooling experience of learners in their care. Just as worldwide policies shape Government and societal attitudes to difference, so too do school wide attitudes impact on students’ understanding and acceptance of diversity (Ashman & Merrotsy, 2008). The language used, environmental adaptations, instructional methods, assessment practices and learning experiences utilised in a school setting are critical to the success or failure of a student with diverse learning needs, and it is the teacher’s role to modify these to the needs of students with the best knowledge and resources available to them.