I have recorded an audio relfection on the two sessions I have been observed delivering recently, plus my relfections on using the digital observation record. I uploaded it to Soundcloud, an audio file sharing site akin to YouTube. Click this link to listen.
I have also recorded a further reflection based upon the informal feedback that I received from learners following the peer observed session in Usk on 14/4/18. Here is the link to a recording of this reflection.
Thursday 19 April 2018
Reflection on another Combatting Cyber Bullying session
On Friday 17th November I was delighted to be back delivering again for Ceredigion County Council, the employer with whom I worked very closely with earlier this year on the Inspire! award-winning "Digital Skills in the Workplace" programme.
Once again I was delivering my pioneering "Combatting Cyber Violence & Online Bullying" session for Adult Learning Wales and UNISON's Connecting Learners in South West and Mid Wales WULF project.
Prior to the session I made a couple of changes based on my reflection on the session last week down in Llantrisant. Some things went really well, others were challenging and when I consider both sessions together my experience goes to show that two sessions are never alike.
Here is a copy of the Google Form that I created for the discovery learning/research task, which replaced the previous Google Docs-based task.
And here is my reflections on my observed sessions, and on my experience of observing a peer.
Once again I was delivering my pioneering "Combatting Cyber Violence & Online Bullying" session for Adult Learning Wales and UNISON's Connecting Learners in South West and Mid Wales WULF project.
Prior to the session I made a couple of changes based on my reflection on the session last week down in Llantrisant. Some things went really well, others were challenging and when I consider both sessions together my experience goes to show that two sessions are never alike.
Here is a copy of the Google Form that I created for the discovery learning/research task, which replaced the previous Google Docs-based task.
And here is my reflections on my observed sessions, and on my experience of observing a peer.
Sunday 19 November 2017
Reflection on delivering embedded digital literacy
This week I successfully delivered a one day course to a group of six NHS staff in South Wales about online bullying and cyber violence.
I also attended the third session of the Digital Literacy Practitioner course, and here is my vlog post reflecting on my delivery on Thursday 9th November and on the DLP course:
Here is my reflection on my teaching session in Aberystwyth on Friday 17th November.
This is a course that I originally co-designed with UNISON and colleagues in Adult Learning Wales last year as the centrepiece of UNISON Cymru Wales' contribution to the UK International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and later adapted for a wider audience and I have delivered the course to over eighty people in the last 12 months.
The course is entitled "Combatting Cyber Violence and Online Bullying" (CCV) and is based on the 1 Credit, Level 1 Agored Cymru QALL unit "Understanding Cyberbullying". The session is framed by my ever-evolving tutor presentation:
I also attended the third session of the Digital Literacy Practitioner course, and here is my vlog post reflecting on my delivery on Thursday 9th November and on the DLP course:
Here is my reflection on my teaching session in Aberystwyth on Friday 17th November.
Sunday 29 March 2015
Respect, Individuality, Equality & Diversity, and Health & Safety in the informal adult learning classroom
I've recently started delivering an unaccredited course for WEA Cymru Workplace Department, which provides learners with a fun and hands-on introduction to using the Prezi presentation tool whilst at the same time building multiple and diverse digital literacies within each individuals. It's called "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" and you can view the course materials on our dedicated blended learning environment on the P2PU open source learning platform by clicking here.
In this post, I want to reflect upon the fist two sessions of the course as it has provided me with an insight into why it is important to create learning environment that supports values of respect, individuality, equality & diversity and health & safety.
Respect
The "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course is brand new - indeed I've created it especially for this first group of learners. It's also rather different to most workplace learning courses in that there is no accreditation available and it relies heavily on digital technologies. Even though the learners had all chosen to pay for and attend the course in their own time, I wanted to set some ground rules for the course right at the outset. However, in order to respect the fact that I had a group comprising of professional people, I termed the task, "how can we make sure we're all happy on the course", which I illustrated with a smiley face (see below).
As a group, the learners all contributed the rules by which they wanted the course to proceed. This was very important, because some of the rules were slightly different to those you might expect. The group decided that because people may have childcare or work responsibilities to attend to, it is okay to keep our mobile phones on, answer messages and take calls when necessary, so long as that person leaves the room to talk. We also agreed to some of the more usual rules such as respecting others opinions and using appropriate language. I feel that this helped to ensure that everyone on the course would be comfortable and included in the learning ahead. Already, after two weeks, we've managed to create a lovely team spirit and sense of collective purpose amongst the group and I think this task helped me to achieve that.
From my perspective as a tutor, the most important rule we agreed to was to "not be afraid to ask silly questions", as these were probably not silly at all and would help everyone to learn and were also points that I'd neglected to include. As the sessions progressed, the "silly questions" posed by the learners have indeed become important points of clarification and elaboration.
This setting of group roles was a really important step in the process of building trust between the learners themselves and between the learners and me as the tutor - indeed, being right at the start of the course it served as a nice icebreaker for all involved. I've also made a conscious effort to model respect for others in all of my conversations and communications with the group as it is my experience that a good way to ensure appropriate behaviour from a group is to behave appropriately yourself.
Individuality
This is my first teaching activity for WEA Cymru and the first time I've delivered a session on this topic to an external, fee-paying audience, therefore it was always going to be important for me to understand exactly what the learners wanted from the course. As it turned out, all of the learners on the course started at a similar level of experience with the Prezi tool itself - little or none - but had a range of different pre-existing skillets and digital literacies.
I established these individual learning right at the beginning of the course, both by chatting to the learners as they arrived at the venue and by posing the following questions to the group in relation to Prezi
The answers to these questions provided me both with confidence (as many of the points raise were to be addressed within the session or later in the course) as well as food-for-thought (as one or two, such as license types and using Prezi on a tablet device, had not been part of my original planning). I took a photograph of the flipchart that I used to record these needs with my iPhone and emailed it to myself - which is a neat little trick.
In many ways, the non-accredited nature of the course can be seen to have aided me in identifying individual needs tailoring the course to meet them. The content of course can be easily tailored and adapted "on the fly", and the small group (originally 4, now 5 learners) allows for one-to-one tutor and peer support to take place throughout each session.
In week two of the course, I was delighted that a new learner joined our group but it posed a challenge; her needs at this stage could be significantly different from the 4 original learners). I was lucky enough to talk with the new learner in the days before the session and the conversation focused upon the computer equipment that she had at her disposal. This allowed me an insight into her existing digital skills, and when she arrived at the course I was able then to observed her setting up her equipment to get a better understanding of her existing digital literacies. However, it was only through chatting with her and giving her a little extra attention that I could ensure that she was up-to-speed. I also incorporated a "Troubleshooting & Catch-up" section at the start of the session in order to allow everyone, including our new learner, to ask questions that had arisen during the week between sessions.
All learners have their own preferred learning styles. I have endeavoured to use a combination of teaching methods that address different aspects of the VARK (Visual, Audio, Read-Write, Kinaesthetic) classification of learning styles by incorporating video and practical sessions alongside my direct instruction to the group. One important and innovative aspect of my differentiation strategy has been to introduce an optional "blended learning" environment to the course, which hosts the presentation for each session along with the "HomePlay" tasks for between session and gives the learners the ability to submit their work to me in order to gain recognition for their newly developed skills in the form of an Open Badge. This allows those learners who want to learn more and "dig deeper" into the theory behind our short, practical sessions, to do so without alienating those who do not wish to go so deep at this stage. This is an entirely new method for WEA Cymru, and I am conscious to ensure that all of the learners are able to access this on an equitable basis. As such, I will be providing further orientation to the group on how to use the resource and claim their badges.
Today, after reflecting upon the need to give more opportunities for the learners to express their individual needs throughout the course, I have also added a post to the discussion forum on the P2PU online blended learning resource inviting them to ask further questions and tell me as the tutor about any aspects of the course or the Prezi tool about which they'd like to know more. I also think that this is important in creating a supportive learning environment for the learners, as some may be less willing than others to speak up in class and may prefer an online communication where they have more time to formulate their questions.
Equality & Diversity
I am personally committed to and passionate about the promotion of Equality & Diversity in the classroom and in society more generally. Offering multiple modes of communication, such as adding the discussion section on the P2PU site, is one way of addressing the potentially diverse needs within the group, but there are many other things that we have taken into consideration to ensure that the course is equally accessible to people regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion & belief, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, maternity and pregnancy. All of these protected characteristics are considered at the planning, delivery, assessment and evaluation stage of the course and reasonable adjustments have been made to ensure that we abide by the Equality Act and other relevant legislation.
The group rules that we established include treating people equally and with respect, listening to and valuing everyone's contributions to discussions and not using language others may find offensive. This has helped to ensure that nobody feels victimised or harassed on the course. And making the course as flexible as possible, for example by allowing new learners to start in week 2, has been an important way of ensuring that we do not indirectly discriminate against those who may have been put-off by a strict cut-off limit for starting. This is another area in with the unaccredited nature of the course has been to the direct benefit of learners.
In creating and organising the course, I've worked with my WEA Cymru Development Worker to find the right venue and arrange the course for a convenient time for this group. As we did not know who would be attending the course, we ensured that the venue was accessible for all and that a range of marketing materials were produced and displayed in a variety of settings, including online via Facebook and other social media. This is important as different groups in society access different media and we wanted to ensure we appealed to all.
As it happens, the group of learners on the course are all women but are of a different age groups and, as I've discovered through our informal chats over coffee breaks, have a range of different caring responsibilities outside of work. We had already made sure that the course was scheduled around the Easter school holidays and the sessions took place after normal working hours (6.00 start), ending at a reasonable time (8.00 finish). However, after my discussions with the group during the first session, the start and finish times were changed to 5.30 - 7.30 in order that we could all - tutor and learners - fit in with our varying childcare commitments. This is an example of how it is possible to make a reasonable adjustment to a course based on the diversity of learners in the group.
We have a diversity of Welsh language abilities within the group and at least two of the learners prefer to converse with one another in Welsh when not speaking to other members of the group. These are elements of diversity that I need to be aware of as the course progresses and make provision for in my planning and preparation. For instance, it may be necessary to include a section on "bilingual presentations" in one of the two final sessions of the course. Again, this is one of the advantages of the flexibility afforded to both tutors and learners when delivering non-accredited learning.
Health & Safety
I am keenly aware that all of the best planning and teaching methods can be quickly undone by not paying attention to issues of health and safety in the classroom. I've reflected in previous posts about the importance of risk assessing the classroom environment. As it happens, the room in which I am teaching the "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course is the same room that the first part of my current "Award in Education & Training" course was set and all of the same risks remain for learners.
Trailing computer power cables has been an issue, as has getting the appropriate lighting to allow my background presentation to be clearly visible to all of the learners. The trip hazard has been mitigated to a certain extent, but not eliminated, through the use of the power sockets embedded in the floor of the room, but I have ensured that learners are made aware of any remaining hazard. The lighting issue has been resolved through a process of "trial and error" whereby I have asked the learners to tell me if and when they are unable to see the presentation clearly.
I have ensured that housekeeping is an important part of the start of each session, including noting the location of toilet facilities and agreeing breaks. The ability to take comfort breaks and get refreshments throughout the session was also part of the group's ground rules established in Session 1. This is important as it helps learner to feel comfortable and confident that they can use the facilities as and when they need without having to wait or ask permission.
In general I look to ensure that I have happy and contented learners in my group, and most importantly that I created an environment where they are supported and enabled to have fun.
And long may it continue....
In this post, I want to reflect upon the fist two sessions of the course as it has provided me with an insight into why it is important to create learning environment that supports values of respect, individuality, equality & diversity and health & safety.
Respect
The "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course is brand new - indeed I've created it especially for this first group of learners. It's also rather different to most workplace learning courses in that there is no accreditation available and it relies heavily on digital technologies. Even though the learners had all chosen to pay for and attend the course in their own time, I wanted to set some ground rules for the course right at the outset. However, in order to respect the fact that I had a group comprising of professional people, I termed the task, "how can we make sure we're all happy on the course", which I illustrated with a smiley face (see below).
 |
| Part of my presentation for Session 1 of the "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course |
From my perspective as a tutor, the most important rule we agreed to was to "not be afraid to ask silly questions", as these were probably not silly at all and would help everyone to learn and were also points that I'd neglected to include. As the sessions progressed, the "silly questions" posed by the learners have indeed become important points of clarification and elaboration.
This setting of group roles was a really important step in the process of building trust between the learners themselves and between the learners and me as the tutor - indeed, being right at the start of the course it served as a nice icebreaker for all involved. I've also made a conscious effort to model respect for others in all of my conversations and communications with the group as it is my experience that a good way to ensure appropriate behaviour from a group is to behave appropriately yourself.
Individuality
This is my first teaching activity for WEA Cymru and the first time I've delivered a session on this topic to an external, fee-paying audience, therefore it was always going to be important for me to understand exactly what the learners wanted from the course. As it turned out, all of the learners on the course started at a similar level of experience with the Prezi tool itself - little or none - but had a range of different pre-existing skillets and digital literacies.
I established these individual learning right at the beginning of the course, both by chatting to the learners as they arrived at the venue and by posing the following questions to the group in relation to Prezi- What do you know?
- What do you want to know?
- Why did you sign up to this course?
- What do you want to achieve?
The answers to these questions provided me both with confidence (as many of the points raise were to be addressed within the session or later in the course) as well as food-for-thought (as one or two, such as license types and using Prezi on a tablet device, had not been part of my original planning). I took a photograph of the flipchart that I used to record these needs with my iPhone and emailed it to myself - which is a neat little trick.
 |
| Learner needs captured during Session 1 of the "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course |
In week two of the course, I was delighted that a new learner joined our group but it posed a challenge; her needs at this stage could be significantly different from the 4 original learners). I was lucky enough to talk with the new learner in the days before the session and the conversation focused upon the computer equipment that she had at her disposal. This allowed me an insight into her existing digital skills, and when she arrived at the course I was able then to observed her setting up her equipment to get a better understanding of her existing digital literacies. However, it was only through chatting with her and giving her a little extra attention that I could ensure that she was up-to-speed. I also incorporated a "Troubleshooting & Catch-up" section at the start of the session in order to allow everyone, including our new learner, to ask questions that had arisen during the week between sessions.
 |
| Additional learner needs captured throughout Session 2 of "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" |
All learners have their own preferred learning styles. I have endeavoured to use a combination of teaching methods that address different aspects of the VARK (Visual, Audio, Read-Write, Kinaesthetic) classification of learning styles by incorporating video and practical sessions alongside my direct instruction to the group. One important and innovative aspect of my differentiation strategy has been to introduce an optional "blended learning" environment to the course, which hosts the presentation for each session along with the "HomePlay" tasks for between session and gives the learners the ability to submit their work to me in order to gain recognition for their newly developed skills in the form of an Open Badge. This allows those learners who want to learn more and "dig deeper" into the theory behind our short, practical sessions, to do so without alienating those who do not wish to go so deep at this stage. This is an entirely new method for WEA Cymru, and I am conscious to ensure that all of the learners are able to access this on an equitable basis. As such, I will be providing further orientation to the group on how to use the resource and claim their badges.
Today, after reflecting upon the need to give more opportunities for the learners to express their individual needs throughout the course, I have also added a post to the discussion forum on the P2PU online blended learning resource inviting them to ask further questions and tell me as the tutor about any aspects of the course or the Prezi tool about which they'd like to know more. I also think that this is important in creating a supportive learning environment for the learners, as some may be less willing than others to speak up in class and may prefer an online communication where they have more time to formulate their questions.
Equality & Diversity
I am personally committed to and passionate about the promotion of Equality & Diversity in the classroom and in society more generally. Offering multiple modes of communication, such as adding the discussion section on the P2PU site, is one way of addressing the potentially diverse needs within the group, but there are many other things that we have taken into consideration to ensure that the course is equally accessible to people regardless of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion & belief, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, maternity and pregnancy. All of these protected characteristics are considered at the planning, delivery, assessment and evaluation stage of the course and reasonable adjustments have been made to ensure that we abide by the Equality Act and other relevant legislation.
The group rules that we established include treating people equally and with respect, listening to and valuing everyone's contributions to discussions and not using language others may find offensive. This has helped to ensure that nobody feels victimised or harassed on the course. And making the course as flexible as possible, for example by allowing new learners to start in week 2, has been an important way of ensuring that we do not indirectly discriminate against those who may have been put-off by a strict cut-off limit for starting. This is another area in with the unaccredited nature of the course has been to the direct benefit of learners.
In creating and organising the course, I've worked with my WEA Cymru Development Worker to find the right venue and arrange the course for a convenient time for this group. As we did not know who would be attending the course, we ensured that the venue was accessible for all and that a range of marketing materials were produced and displayed in a variety of settings, including online via Facebook and other social media. This is important as different groups in society access different media and we wanted to ensure we appealed to all.
As it happens, the group of learners on the course are all women but are of a different age groups and, as I've discovered through our informal chats over coffee breaks, have a range of different caring responsibilities outside of work. We had already made sure that the course was scheduled around the Easter school holidays and the sessions took place after normal working hours (6.00 start), ending at a reasonable time (8.00 finish). However, after my discussions with the group during the first session, the start and finish times were changed to 5.30 - 7.30 in order that we could all - tutor and learners - fit in with our varying childcare commitments. This is an example of how it is possible to make a reasonable adjustment to a course based on the diversity of learners in the group.
We have a diversity of Welsh language abilities within the group and at least two of the learners prefer to converse with one another in Welsh when not speaking to other members of the group. These are elements of diversity that I need to be aware of as the course progresses and make provision for in my planning and preparation. For instance, it may be necessary to include a section on "bilingual presentations" in one of the two final sessions of the course. Again, this is one of the advantages of the flexibility afforded to both tutors and learners when delivering non-accredited learning.
Health & Safety
I am keenly aware that all of the best planning and teaching methods can be quickly undone by not paying attention to issues of health and safety in the classroom. I've reflected in previous posts about the importance of risk assessing the classroom environment. As it happens, the room in which I am teaching the "Introduction to Prezi Presentations" course is the same room that the first part of my current "Award in Education & Training" course was set and all of the same risks remain for learners.
Trailing computer power cables has been an issue, as has getting the appropriate lighting to allow my background presentation to be clearly visible to all of the learners. The trip hazard has been mitigated to a certain extent, but not eliminated, through the use of the power sockets embedded in the floor of the room, but I have ensured that learners are made aware of any remaining hazard. The lighting issue has been resolved through a process of "trial and error" whereby I have asked the learners to tell me if and when they are unable to see the presentation clearly.
I have ensured that housekeeping is an important part of the start of each session, including noting the location of toilet facilities and agreeing breaks. The ability to take comfort breaks and get refreshments throughout the session was also part of the group's ground rules established in Session 1. This is important as it helps learner to feel comfortable and confident that they can use the facilities as and when they need without having to wait or ask permission.
In general I look to ensure that I have happy and contented learners in my group, and most importantly that I created an environment where they are supported and enabled to have fun.
And long may it continue....
Tuesday 21 October 2014
The Snowball effect
At last Wednesdays class I learned a new activity, indeed it's more of a technique for gathering the collective wisdom of groups, and at the same time kick-started a design task that my Project, DigiSkills Cymru, was given a matter of hours previously.
The activity was called "The Snowball Effect", and here's how it played out:
Step 1: We were each given some sticky notes and asked to write a short sentence describing "An Inclusive Learning Environment. Here's mine
Step 2: We then paired up and tried to combine our two definitions, taking the best bits from each and trying to find the common ground. I was fortunate to be paired with our new coursemate, Fareeq, who had been a little more expansive than me. Here's his definition
And this is what our combined definition looked like...
Step 3: We then added another perspective, that of Hajira, another lovely new coursemate of ours who happens to be Fareeq's wife.
Together, we produced a really great definition.
Step 4: Finally, we joined the other pairs and groups to draft a definition based on all of our combined efforts.
I think it's an excellent description, "A friendly communal environment where everyone,regardless of their abilities and differences, feels included, comfortable and enabled to interact, learn and improve their skills"
This was a really valuable experience for me. It shows the power of crowdsourcing and is intrinsically linked to one of the core parts of my Project, namely to create digital learning hubs in public service workplaces.
Earlier that day I had a meeting with Cartrefi Cymru, a nationwide social care provider, and UNISON's Connecting Learners in North Wales Project, about potentially creating an interactive learning space in a new supported living service right here in Bangor. The space would have to be inclusive of the staff and the residents, and I have been invited to lead the co-design of the space.
I've chosen to adopt a methodology called Human Centered Design to ensure that the space meets the users needs and desires and as part of this, on Monday we held a hastily organised Group Interview session with the staff who will work in the new service.
Given the similarity to the task we were set in class last week, it seemed to me to be the perfect opportunity to try out "The Snowball Effect", and here is the result.
So, my reflection is that it's a great idea to continue to apply the lessons I'm learning as part of the "Award in Education and Training" course to my every day work as much and as soon as possible. In this way, I hope that my learning will "stick" as it becomes integral to the approach of the Project.
The activity was called "The Snowball Effect", and here's how it played out:
Step 1: We were each given some sticky notes and asked to write a short sentence describing "An Inclusive Learning Environment. Here's mine
Step 2: We then paired up and tried to combine our two definitions, taking the best bits from each and trying to find the common ground. I was fortunate to be paired with our new coursemate, Fareeq, who had been a little more expansive than me. Here's his definition
Together, we produced a really great definition.
Step 4: Finally, we joined the other pairs and groups to draft a definition based on all of our combined efforts.
This was a really valuable experience for me. It shows the power of crowdsourcing and is intrinsically linked to one of the core parts of my Project, namely to create digital learning hubs in public service workplaces.
Earlier that day I had a meeting with Cartrefi Cymru, a nationwide social care provider, and UNISON's Connecting Learners in North Wales Project, about potentially creating an interactive learning space in a new supported living service right here in Bangor. The space would have to be inclusive of the staff and the residents, and I have been invited to lead the co-design of the space.
I've chosen to adopt a methodology called Human Centered Design to ensure that the space meets the users needs and desires and as part of this, on Monday we held a hastily organised Group Interview session with the staff who will work in the new service.
Given the similarity to the task we were set in class last week, it seemed to me to be the perfect opportunity to try out "The Snowball Effect", and here is the result.
So, my reflection is that it's a great idea to continue to apply the lessons I'm learning as part of the "Award in Education and Training" course to my every day work as much and as soon as possible. In this way, I hope that my learning will "stick" as it becomes integral to the approach of the Project.
Tuesday 14 October 2014
Perspectives on diversity and equalities in Adult Education
Last week was the second session of the course and I was very glad that we were joined by two new classmates, adding a lot to the diversity of perspectives in the room.
In week 1 we had been asked "what does it mean to treat someone equally?" - the answer being to treat everyone differently according to their individual needs, rather than treating everyone the same (what I call a minimal or anaemic definition of equality). This lead nicely onto the second session, which focused on legislation that impacts upon the post-16 education sector, particularly Health & Safety, codes of conduct and Equalities legislation.
The first task we were given was on risk assessment. We split into two groups and Glyn (a trade union activist of long standing - I choose my allies well!) and I worked together to complete a Health & Safety check list for the classroom environment. We went down the list identifying and taking action to mitigate the issues that we found in and around the Conference Cube (the perennial problem of trailing power cables and an uncovered floor power point being the two most pressing, both mitigated by making everyone aware of the risk).
It's certainly a good discipline to get into as it forces you to think critically about the environment within which you teach. Not only "is it safe to teach here?", but also wider issues such as "is it comfortable in here?", "is the venue it accessible to all?" and "can everyone see the screen without getting a cricked neck?". And I came to understand more clearly that, as Tudur pointed out, there are some risks that you cannot control; the biggest risk for us in attending our course on these dark Autumn evenings is the drive or cycle to and from the venue, which isn't something that he as a tutor or WEA Cymru as a provider can do very much about short of providing us with clear directions. This brought to mind the futility of corporate ICT systems managers (sometimes with the full support of trade union reps) blocking access to useful online tools in the workplace in order to eliminate the risk of staff misuse.
Tudur then lead the discussion onto the history and current operation of equal opportunities legislation in the UK. As something of a constitutional scholar and because I'd been on a fantastic training course with the Equalities and Human Right Commission (EHRC) who oversee compliance with equalities legislation, I was able to contribute significantly to the section on the Equalities Act 2010 and outline some of the differences between it and the Acts it superseded. The most interesting features of the Act are that it specifies 6 characteristics (gender, age, race, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation and disability) that are given rights protecting them from discrimination, that it requires anyone providing a good or service to comply with the legislation (by making reasonable adjustments) and protection from discrimination extend to those associated with someone with a protected characteristic (to the carers of people living with disabilities, for instance).
We also discussed the interesting idea that reasonable adjustments made by service providers, such improvements in accessibility to buildings made by businesses and public services in the wake of the Equalities Act). This was interesting as we reflected both upon how it took legislation to make people and organisations take action and change their behaviours and how compliance has had positive effects on people not directly targeted by the Act - the clearest example adjustments made to allow disabled access to buildings helping millions of parents pushing babies in buggies to move around. A win-win-win situation.
The second bit of group work asked us to think beyond the Equalities Act itself to consider how we design and deliver inclusive educational experiences that take account of the equality and diversity of adults. Here are the notes on our discussion, displayed on a Prezi presentation.
The session has made me think a little deeper about the accessibility of the work of the DigiSkills Cymru project that I manage, the resources we produce and the learning opportunities that we deliver. Inclusivity, particularly digital inclusion, are central themes of the project and I'm already trialling the innovative Browse Aloud inclusivity app on our website. But I'd be interested in learning more and continuing to make our project more accessible, and perhaps I should invest in the e-learning course produced by the EHRC,which takes a deeper looks at web inclusivity.
And, building on the theme of design that also underpins much of my everyday work, I'm also very interested in the concept of Human Centred Design and it's application in education. On first viewing, by adopting these processes, addressing matters of equality and diversity will become integral to everything we do. Today I have a meeting to discuss proposals for a new workplace Digital Learning Hub with a 3rd sector social care agency dedicated to supporting people who live with learning disabilities. The space needs to work for both the staff and the people supported by the agency, so issues of equality, diversity, inclusiveness and accessibility will be front and centre of our design process.
 |
| Our tutor, Tudur, addresses the Award in Education & Training class |
The first task we were given was on risk assessment. We split into two groups and Glyn (a trade union activist of long standing - I choose my allies well!) and I worked together to complete a Health & Safety check list for the classroom environment. We went down the list identifying and taking action to mitigate the issues that we found in and around the Conference Cube (the perennial problem of trailing power cables and an uncovered floor power point being the two most pressing, both mitigated by making everyone aware of the risk).
 |
| The Health & Safety Executive's classroom checklist |
It's certainly a good discipline to get into as it forces you to think critically about the environment within which you teach. Not only "is it safe to teach here?", but also wider issues such as "is it comfortable in here?", "is the venue it accessible to all?" and "can everyone see the screen without getting a cricked neck?". And I came to understand more clearly that, as Tudur pointed out, there are some risks that you cannot control; the biggest risk for us in attending our course on these dark Autumn evenings is the drive or cycle to and from the venue, which isn't something that he as a tutor or WEA Cymru as a provider can do very much about short of providing us with clear directions. This brought to mind the futility of corporate ICT systems managers (sometimes with the full support of trade union reps) blocking access to useful online tools in the workplace in order to eliminate the risk of staff misuse.
Tudur then lead the discussion onto the history and current operation of equal opportunities legislation in the UK. As something of a constitutional scholar and because I'd been on a fantastic training course with the Equalities and Human Right Commission (EHRC) who oversee compliance with equalities legislation, I was able to contribute significantly to the section on the Equalities Act 2010 and outline some of the differences between it and the Acts it superseded. The most interesting features of the Act are that it specifies 6 characteristics (gender, age, race, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation and disability) that are given rights protecting them from discrimination, that it requires anyone providing a good or service to comply with the legislation (by making reasonable adjustments) and protection from discrimination extend to those associated with someone with a protected characteristic (to the carers of people living with disabilities, for instance).
We also discussed the interesting idea that reasonable adjustments made by service providers, such improvements in accessibility to buildings made by businesses and public services in the wake of the Equalities Act). This was interesting as we reflected both upon how it took legislation to make people and organisations take action and change their behaviours and how compliance has had positive effects on people not directly targeted by the Act - the clearest example adjustments made to allow disabled access to buildings helping millions of parents pushing babies in buggies to move around. A win-win-win situation.
The second bit of group work asked us to think beyond the Equalities Act itself to consider how we design and deliver inclusive educational experiences that take account of the equality and diversity of adults. Here are the notes on our discussion, displayed on a Prezi presentation.
The session has made me think a little deeper about the accessibility of the work of the DigiSkills Cymru project that I manage, the resources we produce and the learning opportunities that we deliver. Inclusivity, particularly digital inclusion, are central themes of the project and I'm already trialling the innovative Browse Aloud inclusivity app on our website. But I'd be interested in learning more and continuing to make our project more accessible, and perhaps I should invest in the e-learning course produced by the EHRC,which takes a deeper looks at web inclusivity.
And, building on the theme of design that also underpins much of my everyday work, I'm also very interested in the concept of Human Centred Design and it's application in education. On first viewing, by adopting these processes, addressing matters of equality and diversity will become integral to everything we do. Today I have a meeting to discuss proposals for a new workplace Digital Learning Hub with a 3rd sector social care agency dedicated to supporting people who live with learning disabilities. The space needs to work for both the staff and the people supported by the agency, so issues of equality, diversity, inclusiveness and accessibility will be front and centre of our design process.
Tuesday 7 October 2014
A flying start
This is the first post of my new reflective blog, The Learning Mirror, which I hope to use to gather my thoughts about my development as an adult education tutor-in-training as I work towards the Level 3 "Award in Education & Training" with WEA Cymru. The course has replaced the PTTLS (Preparing To Teaching in the Lifelong learning Sector) course and this is the first time that the WEA have delivered the new qualification.
Just to give a little background to me, I currently run a lifelong learning project for UNISON based at WEA Cymru; I develop (and often deliver) unaccredited digital skills workshops and recruit volunteer Digital Champions for public service workplaces. If you're interested in my day job, take a look at http://www.digiskillscymru.org.uk and as the weeks progress, I'm sure this blog will address some of the work of my project and some of my previous experiences as a learner, an educator, a learning technologist and a public servant. I'm quite sure it will also reflect my passion for developing digital literacies and using digital technologies to enhance learning experiences.
I also want to make it clear that whilst I've got a good amount of experience in Higher Education teaching, workplace training and informal group facilitation, and have attended a number of courses on the subject in the past, this is the first time that I've formally enrolled on a teacher training course.
My first reflection is that the choice of venue for the course is great; a modern room with a good wifi internet connection and resources. I'm a big fan of modern architecture and design, and I go along with the idea that the environment within which people learn is an important factor in framing the whole experience. It can help to set the expectations of the learner and getting the venue right sends the message that the learning experience is important and has been properly considered. To me, the Conference Cube venue screams "innovative", "cutting edge", "professional" and "important". These are themes I'd like to carry on into my learning and practice.
On to the content of the session itself. The key topics we addressed were Individual Learning Needs, the Attributes of an Adult Education Tutor and Setting Class Rules.
I struggled a little with this task, possibly because I was tired after a long day at work, and found it a little difficult to separate out individual learning needs from some of those issues that may be addressed prior to the learner entering the classroom, such as the identification or disclosure of learning differences like Dyslexia. But once I had this clear in my head, thanks to the patience of my fellow learners, Debbie and Glyn, we drew up a list of questions that might help a teacher to understand the needs. The answers then should form the basis of an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each learner, but it was stated that this process often will be carried out with the whole group as many individuals on a well constituted course (i.e. with a broadly similar group of learners) would share many needs. The ILP sets a baseline from which the learner and the tutor can judge progress and measure achievements. This plan would be made up of SMART targets or goals, i.e, ones that are Specific Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, Resourced and Time Bound or Timely. It will be interesting to get the chance to create an ILP for real in the weeks and months ahead.
After sharing our positive and negative experiences, we worked together as a group to put together a Job Description for the role of Adult Education Tutor. Here's what we came up with:
Just to give a little background to me, I currently run a lifelong learning project for UNISON based at WEA Cymru; I develop (and often deliver) unaccredited digital skills workshops and recruit volunteer Digital Champions for public service workplaces. If you're interested in my day job, take a look at http://www.digiskillscymru.org.uk and as the weeks progress, I'm sure this blog will address some of the work of my project and some of my previous experiences as a learner, an educator, a learning technologist and a public servant. I'm quite sure it will also reflect my passion for developing digital literacies and using digital technologies to enhance learning experiences.
I also want to make it clear that whilst I've got a good amount of experience in Higher Education teaching, workplace training and informal group facilitation, and have attended a number of courses on the subject in the past, this is the first time that I've formally enrolled on a teacher training course.
Setting the Scene
So, the course began last Tuesday evening in the fantastic venue of the Conference Cube at Ty Menai near Bangor and is taught by Tudur Evans, an experienced teacher and trainer who also happens to be my line manager at WEA Cymru. We were a small group of 3 learners last week, but hopefully this will rise to a healthier 6 or 7 this week.My first reflection is that the choice of venue for the course is great; a modern room with a good wifi internet connection and resources. I'm a big fan of modern architecture and design, and I go along with the idea that the environment within which people learn is an important factor in framing the whole experience. It can help to set the expectations of the learner and getting the venue right sends the message that the learning experience is important and has been properly considered. To me, the Conference Cube venue screams "innovative", "cutting edge", "professional" and "important". These are themes I'd like to carry on into my learning and practice.
On to the content of the session itself. The key topics we addressed were Individual Learning Needs, the Attributes of an Adult Education Tutor and Setting Class Rules.
Individual Learning Needs
The first task we were set was to look at Individual Learning Needs, and specifically what questions might be asked of an individual (or group of learners) in order to establish their specific needs beyond the learning objectives of the course or qualification, ensure that overall the learning meets their expectations and that it makes sense within their individual learning journey.
I struggled a little with this task, possibly because I was tired after a long day at work, and found it a little difficult to separate out individual learning needs from some of those issues that may be addressed prior to the learner entering the classroom, such as the identification or disclosure of learning differences like Dyslexia. But once I had this clear in my head, thanks to the patience of my fellow learners, Debbie and Glyn, we drew up a list of questions that might help a teacher to understand the needs. The answers then should form the basis of an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each learner, but it was stated that this process often will be carried out with the whole group as many individuals on a well constituted course (i.e. with a broadly similar group of learners) would share many needs. The ILP sets a baseline from which the learner and the tutor can judge progress and measure achievements. This plan would be made up of SMART targets or goals, i.e, ones that are Specific Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, Resourced and Time Bound or Timely. It will be interesting to get the chance to create an ILP for real in the weeks and months ahead.
Attributes of an Adult Education Tutor
We were asked to recall the best and worst teachers we'd ever had the pleasure and misfortune of learning from and write down their attributes. The hard part of this for me was choosing one teacher - but in the end I settled for my former British Politics tutor and PhD supervisor, Professor Philip Norton from the University of Hull. His style of teaching is rather unique (2 hour seminars with tea and cake, all the 18 year old learners being addressed by their formal titles.. ."Mr Speight", "Miss Pilling", etc) and involved respectfully challenging received wisdom and lazy assumptions in a way that made each of us on his course us think deeply about the merits of our own positions whilst having a firm understanding of the foundations of opposing views. As a schooling in how to be a thoughtful and consensual politician it was second to none (and this is reflected in the number of Hull graduates employed in politics at Westminster and beyond, the so-called "Hull Mafia")
After sharing our positive and negative experiences, we worked together as a group to put together a Job Description for the role of Adult Education Tutor. Here's what we came up with:
The big challenge here was differentiating between duties and responsibilities, skills and characteristics, but I think we managed to put together a really comprehensive set of attributes. I particularly like the final characteristic we noted down, that a good tutor will "challenge pre-conceptions". It brought me back to something that the head teacher in my 6th form once told me, that the root of the word "education" is "bringing into the light" and reminded me of the progressive role that teachers play in the development of a civilized society.
Class Rules
We learned that an important first step for a tutor to take with a group is to set the ground rules for the class. We reflected that rather than the tutor laying down the law and expecting unquestioning compliance, a more effective method is to allow, within reason, each group of learners to generate their own rules. This approach encourages a sense of ownership over the rules, and enforcement becomes both less necessary and also peer-driven - "These are not my rules, their your rules".
I used this technique when teaching groups of undergraduates in political science seminars , and it was generally successful. One problem was that recording and displaying these rules was difficult, so adherence did tend to slip. Also, sometimes they were a little ambitious and even too strict so that rules like "if you've not done the reading you will be asked to leave" were rarely if ever enforced.
Our final task was to collectively agree on class rules for the "Award in Education & Training", and here they are (bad spelling included):
I plan to stick rigidly to one rule in particular, "Ask Stupid Questions"
My final reflection, and resolution, is that my next post on this will be shortly after tonight's second session and not left until the last minute again!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Rich Speight
- Mackem immigrant to wonderful North Wales. Surrounded by mountains, sheep and chickens I muse on politics, education, sport, music and culture.