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The role of a teacher
Introduction
The role of a teacher is about ensuring that meaningful learning is taking place. It also includes many other aspects such as administration tasks, working with others and following relevant guidelines. Being passionate about your subject and enthusiastic in the way you facilitate the learning process will help give your learners an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
This chapter will explore the different aspects of your role, how other people can support you, and how you can deal with any learner behaviour issues. Relevant legislation is covered, as are other aspects which support or impact upon your role.
This chapter will cover the following topics:
• Roles and responsibilities
• Wider professional practice
• Professional boundaries
• Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect
• Creating and maintaining a safe, supportive and effective teaching and learning environment
• Legal, regulatory requirements and codes of practice
Roles and responsibilities
Your main role as a teacher will be to manage and facilitate the learning process. This will be by teaching your subject in a way which actively involves and engages your learners. This might be in the workplace, in a college, or another training or educational environment. However, it’s not just about the teaching, it’s about the learning that takes place as a result. You can teach as much as you wish, but if learning is not taking place then your teaching has not been successful.
Most careers are quite challenging and demanding; teaching is no exception to this. You should want your learners to become confident, knowledgeable and independent by the time they leave you. The role can be very rewarding, particularly when you see your learners’ achievements and successes, which are as a direct result of your contribution and support. It would be wonderful if your name was remembered by your learners for years to come, as someone who was an inspiration to them.
The subject you teach might be based on a job, a trade or a profession you have, or a hobby or an interest. You will need to make sure you are up to date with your own skills and knowledge in your subject area, as things can change quite quickly. As you progress through this book, you will gain lots of ideas regarding how to teach your subject, i.e. how to pass on your skills and knowledge to others, how to keep up to date, and how to assess that learning has taken place. Assessment can be formal by asking questions to confirm knowledge and/or observing practice to confirm skills. It can also be informal by using discussions, quizzes and other activities. If you don’t assess your learners, you won’t know what has been learnt.
When you are with your learners, it’s best to use clear language at an appropriate level for them, and in terms they will understand. Although you know what you are talking about, this might be the first time your learners have heard it. Therefore, never be afraid of repeating yourself or demonstrating something again. Think back to when you learnt something for the first time, perhaps you didn’t take it all in at first. You need to know this will be the same for your own learners. You can always look for aspects such as body language and facial expressions to help you see that they are taking an interest in the subject. Getting to know your learners from when they commence will help you to support them with any particular concerns or needs they might have.
It’s best to involve your learners as much as possible to keep them motivated and keen to learn more: for example, by making your sessions interesting and relevant with fun activities. This will help you to engage your learners in the subject and encourage them to leave the session wanting to come back for more. However, you do need to check that they are learning something while they are with you, as well as having fun.
The requirements of your job role will depend upon how many hours you will be working, and where and how your subject will be taught. It will also depend upon the age and experience of your learners, the environment you are in, and any organisational requirements, policies and procedures. This will all become clearer as you progress through the book. If you haven’t already read the Introduction chapter, this will help set the scene for your role.
Becoming a good teacher includes being enthusiastic and knowledgeable, being approachable, and taking pride in your work. This should then be conveyed to your learners through your professionalism and passion for your subject.
Example
Jim, a new teacher of English literature, always arrives early to his classes. He ensures he has enough books and handouts, and organises the furniture in a way that encourages communication between everyone. He delivers his subject with passion and enthusiasm using a variety of methods. He includes all his learners by addressing them by name and asking each a question at some point. He remains fair with the support and advice he gives, not favouring one learner over another, and is always polite. He encourages his learners to leave the room tidy, and offers to email additional learning materials if required. His learners see how conscientious and professional he is. They begin to emulate this by being early, being polite and submitting work on time.
A good first impression will help you establish a positive working relationship with your learners. The way you dress, act, respond to questions and offer support, will also influence your learners. They don’t need to know anything personal about you, but they will probably make assumptions about you. If asked personal questions, try not to give out any information. By remaining professional, and not becoming too friendly, you will retain their respect. Most teachers of adults are on first name terms with their learners. However, you will need to decide what is appropriate for your situation and the age range of your learners. Establishing routines will help your sessions flow smoothly, for example, always starting on time, setting and keeping to time limits for activities and breaks, and finishing on time.
Often, your personality and mannerisms will be noticed by your learners. You might do things you are not aware of, for example, waving your arms around or fidgeting. It is really useful to make a visual recording of one of your sessions if you can, as you may see things you didn’t even realise you did. You might need permission from your organisation and your learners if you wish to do this.
Personal qualities such as arriving early, being organised and smiling when your learners enter the room, will help you all relax at the beginning of the session. Using your learners’ names when you get the opportunity will make them feel you are getting to know them as individuals. You could use name cards or badges to help you and the other learners remember people’s names in the early stages. Alternatively, you could draw a seating plan and add the names of who sits where. However, this won’t help you if people move to different places. Using learners’ names as often as you can might help you to remember them.
Observing your learners’ body language will help you to see if they are not understanding something or not paying attention. You can then ask a question to refocus them. Don’t be afraid of regularly recapping points and repeating topics. Remember, you know your subject, but for your learners it’s probably the first time they have seen or heard anything about it.
If you are new to teaching, you may find you are teaching in the same way you were taught at school or college. This could have included lecturing, reading from a book, or copying information from a board which might not have been very effective for you. You won’t yet know all the other approaches and activities you could use to make learning interesting and engaging. As you become more experienced, your confidence will grow, and you will be able to experiment with different approaches. Not everything you do will suit all of your learners all of the time. However, if you plan effectively, and choose appropriate teaching and learning methods, you should ensure learning takes place.
If you are ever unsure of anything, make sure you ask someone you work with. You should never feel you are on your own. Teaching can sometimes be an isolated role depending where you work, and you might not always get the opportunity to meet with others regularly. However, there are professional networking sites such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) which have free discussion groups you could join. You could also keep in touch with your colleagues via email or social media.
Activity
How could you create a good first impression with your learners? What would influence this? For example, your own previous experience of attending a session, which was either good or bad.
The teaching, learning and assessment cycle
The teaching, learning and assessment cycle, as in Figure 1.1, is a systematic process which helps ensure your learners have a positive experience and are able to achieve their goals. The process can start at any stage of the cycle and keep on going; however, all stages should be addressed for learning to be effective. Quality assurance should take place continuously to ensure all aspects are being taught and assessed fairly and accurately (covered in Chapter 11). Don’t worry if what follows doesn’t make sense at the moment as it will be covered in detail throughout the book.
Figure 1.1 The teaching, learning and assessment cycle
Your role might follow the cycle, with all aspects focusing on the learner, and will briefly involve:
• identifying needs – finding out what your organisation’s, your own, and your potential learners’ needs are, finding out why learners are taking the programme and what their expectations are, carrying out initial and diagnostic assessments, agreeing individual learning plans, ensuring learners are capable of achieving their goals and progressing to their chosen destination
• planning learning – preparing schemes of work, session plans and materials to ensure you cover the requirements of the programme, liaising with others
• facilitating learning – teaching, training and facilitating learning using a variety of approaches, activities and resources to motivate, engage and inspire learners
• assessing learning – checking your learners have gained the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding at all stages throughout their time with you, using formal and informal types and methods of assessment
• evaluating learning – obtaining feedback from others, reflecting on your role, and all aspects involved with the learning process in order to make improvements.
Obtaining feedback from others, and evaluating your practice can also take place after each stage of the cycle. Running throughout the cycle is quality assurance. This is a system of monitoring all aspects which occur with learners from when they commence the course through to their completion. Good practice for all programmes is to include a system of internal quality assurance (IQA). This might be a formal requirement if you are teaching and assessing an accredited qualification. These are offered by awarding organisations (AO), who will issue a certificate to all successful learners. Depending upon which country you are in, this might be known as an awarding body or an examination board. The IQA process involves a colleague at your organisation monitoring and sampling aspects of everything you do. This will ensure you are being fair to all your learners, making correct decisions and following the relevant policies and procedures. If you are teaching towards an accredited qualification, there might also be an external quality assurance (EQA) system. This involves a person visiting from the organisation that awards the qualification, to ensure all staff are following the requirements correctly.
Most teachers follow the cycle from beginning to end; however, your job role might not require you to be involved with all of them. For example, you might not carry out the identifying needs stage as other staff within your organisation will do this. You will, however, need to liaise with them to obtain relevant information to help you plan your sessions. You might be training a member of staff in the workplace and only carry out the planning learning and facilitating learning stages, as someone else might assess their progress. Again, you would need to liaise with whoever else is involved with your learner to help support them adequately.
To teach effectively involves not only the approaches you use to teach your subject, i.e. discussions, group work and paired activities, but many other factors that go before and after the taught session. This includes:
• planning logically what you will cover during your sessions
• preparing your materials and resources
• assessing that learning has taken place
• giving feedback on progress and achievements
• keeping records and carrying out administrative duties
• evaluating your performance and the experiences your learners have had.
Never underestimate the amount of time you will need to dedicate to the role. You will need good time management skills to ensure you are well prepared and can give a good service to your learners.
Table 1.1 (on pages 38 and 39) lists examples of roles and responsibilities (in alphabetical order) which relate to the teaching, learning and assessment cycle. However, some people might consider a role to be a responsibility and vice versa, depending upon their job requirements. Don’t be daunted by the list, you might not need to carry out everything depending upon your job role.
Activity
Look at Table 1.1, make a note of which roles and responsibilities you consider to be the most important for a teacher to carry out. Why do you think this is? Do you think any of the responsibilities should be classed as a role, and vice versa? If you can, discuss this with another teacher and see if you agree or disagree. If you have a job specification, you could compare it to the list. Don’t worry if there are any aspects you are unsure of, they will be covered as you progress through the book.
Teaching or training?
Would you consider yourself a teacher or a trainer? You might think that teaching occurs in an educational establishment, whereas training occurs in the workplace or a workshop. However, that defines the role by the location, rather than the job. You might also think that teaching is a way of someone imparting knowledge, and training is a way of enabling someone to acquire skills. Whatever you consider the role to be, it’s all about the learning that’s taking place. This will occur by using different approaches and activities to help your learners gain the relevant skills, knowledge and understanding they need at a given point in time. The process should also help their progression in education, life and work. Throughout this book, the term teacher will be used more than trainer, but it implies both roles.
Activity
What do you consider the difference is between teaching and training? Think about it first, and then research a few definitions. Discuss your response with someone else and see if you agree or disagree. Do you think the two roles are interchangeable?
Table 1.1 Examples of roles and responsibilities
Record keeping
Record keeping is a crucial part of the teaching role. This is not only to support the teaching, learning and assessment process, but to provide an audit trail of each learner’s progress, and to supply information to others. Records are needed to satisfy auditors, inspectors, regulators, internal and external quality assurers, and to meet your own organisation’s requirements. For example, the information and data gathered can inform quality assurance, equality and diversity, and health and safety policies. The information contained in records helps to measure learning, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of the programme overall. Information such as attendance, progress and achievement could be shared with your colleagues if they are also involved with your learners, for example, to look for patterns of non-attendance or behaviour issues.
Records should be kept confidential and secure at your organisation, for example, in a locked filing cabinet or a password protected electronic file. The Data Protection Act (1998) in the UK is mandatory for all organisations that hold or process personal data. In May 2018 this will be replaced with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The current Act contains eight principles, to ensure that data are:
• processed fairly and lawfully
• obtained and used only for specified and lawful purposes
• adequate, relevant and not excessive
• accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
• kept for no longer than necessary
• processed in accordance with the individual’s rights
• kept secure
• transferred only to countries that offer adequate protection.
Records must be kept for a certain amount of time, depending upon your organisation’s requirements, which could be several years. They must be up to date, accurate, factual and legible, whether they are stored electronically or as hard copies. If you happen to be absent for any reason, a colleague will be able to effectively take over if they have access to your records. Data is also useful to your organisation for purposes such as accidents, appeals, equal opportunities, and funding. If accurate records are not maintained, your learners’ progress and achievement might not be recognised.
Example
Nigel has set up two lever arch files. One contains all the documentation relevant to deliver and assess the Certificate in Sport and Recreation. This includes a printed copy of the qualification specification, a scheme of work, session plans, and teaching and learning materials. The other contains alphabetical records relating to each of his learners. In these are: application forms, interview notes, initial assessment results, action plans, tutorial review records and assessment results. These files ensure he has everything to hand, not only to carry out his role effectively, but also for auditors and inspectors. His organisation has recently installed computer software to enable all staff to store these records electronically; therefore, Nigel will be able to use the new system when it’s introduced. This will save him having to carry heavy files around.
Try and keep on top of your record keeping and administrative work. If you leave it for a while, you may forget to sign or date something. An important record you will need to maintain, and often a legal requirement, is the register or record of attendance. You need to know who is in your session, not only for fire regulations or evacuation procedures, but also to keep track of attendance patterns. If a learner is absent regularly you could find out why, in case they need any individual support due to certain circumstances. Some learners might receive funding based on their attendance and achievement. They will not be happy if they don’t receive their full allowance due to incorrect record keeping.
Table 1.2 (on page 42) lists some of the records you might need to keep (in alphabetical order), in relation to the teaching, learning and assessment cycle.
Extension activity
Make a list of the records you will need to maintain for your particular subject, and the reasons why you will need to keep them. If you are currently teaching, find out what the procedures are for keeping records, i.e. where they should be stored and for how long. Can you save them electronically? If so, how will you go about this and will you be required to make backup copies or give copies to anyone else for any reason?
Wider professional practice
Wider professional practice is all about working within the boundaries of your role, following relevant policies and procedures, and contributing to aspects such as quality improvement. It’s also about working with colleagues, collaborating with, and being accountable to others, such as stakeholders (covered in Chapter 3).
Teachers are often referred to as dual professionals: a professional teacher and a professional subject specialist. Your professional practice will, therefore, involve being a proficient teacher and an expert in the subject you will teach. Keeping up to date with both of these is all part of your professional development (covered in Chapter 12). Having some knowledge of local and/or national government policies, initiatives and reports is also useful in case they will have an impact upon your role.
Table 1.2 Example records
There will be other people with whom you will need to work or liaise with at some point during your teaching career. These could be people within your organisation (internal) or outside it (external) and could include (in alphabetical order):
• administration staff
• assessors
• budget holders
• career guidance staff
• caretakers
• catering staff
• cleaners
• community leaders
• co-tutors
• council staff
• counsellors
• customers
• e-learning staff
• emergency service personnel
• exam invigilators
• financial support staff
• government officials
• governors
• guest speakers
• health and safety officers
• health care professionals
• human resource staff
• journalists inspectors
• internal and external quality assurers
• language translators
• learner/learning support assistants
• maintenance staff
• managers
• mental health staff
• other teachers and trainers
• other training organisation staff
• probation officers
• religious leaders
• reprographics staff
• security staff
• safeguarding officers
• staff development personnel
• social workers
• supervisors
• support workers
• teaching assistants
• technicians
• union staff
• witnesses in the workplace
• work-placement co-ordinators.
When communicating with other people, it’s best to be polite, remain professional, and treat everyone with respect, no matter how they treat you. This should be by whatever method you use, i.e. telephone, email, in person or via online face-to-face communications. You will want to build up a good reputation; therefore you should try not to let any personal issues or problems affect your role. You might not yet know about all the different people who can help you; therefore you will need to find out who they are and how you can contact them. There might be an organisation chart you can locate to see who does what and how the lines of communication work.
It would be useful to understand a little bit about the job roles of the people you will work with the most. This would help you to know how they can support you, and how you can support them. However, don’t feel you need to support them too much by carrying out aspects of their role for them, otherwise you might be blurring the boundary between your own professional role and theirs.
Activity
How will your role involve you working with other professionals? Make a list of those who you might work with who are internal, and external, to your organisation. It might be useful to ascertain and keep a note of their contact details for when you need to get in touch.
Examples of working with other professionals might include (in alphabetical order):
• attending team meetings and contributing towards issues under discussion
• communicating with administrative staff to ensure that your learners have been registered with the relevant awarding organisation for a particular qualification
• contacting companies to purchase or hire equipment, resources and materials
• getting handouts photocopied by the reprographics department to ensure they are ready in time
• liaising with an internal quality assurer to enable them to sample your work, and/or an external quality assurer from an awarding organisation
• liaising with learning support staff to address individual learner needs
• liaising with the caretaker to ensure the room and/or building is open when you start and secure when you leave
• obtaining technical support when using equipment you are not familiar with
• talking to a learner’s supervisor or a witness in their place of work to gain feedback regarding their progress and achievement
• team-teaching or co-tutoring with other members of staff, i.e. planning who will do what and when.
You might experience some issues and need to know who to turn to. You should never feel you have to resolve a situation on your own; there should be others who can help you if necessary. There might be occasions where you are teaching a session in a venue or a building away from the main premises. If this is the case, it would be useful to know who you could contact and how you can contact them in case of an emergency. Having a mobile phone with you, with contact details saved in advance, would be useful.
You might have other roles besides teaching which involve working with others. For example, attending promotional events and conferences, or visiting learners who are taking part in a work placement. If so, always remember you are representing your organisation and should uphold its values and act professionally at all times.
Example
Frieda, an experienced teacher, attended a conference regarding new developments in her subject area of electronics. Although she attended on her day off, she still dressed smartly and wore her name badge. She was polite to everyone she met and ensured she networked with others during the day. She came away with lots of information and the business cards of others she had met. When she returned to her organisation, she produced a report about what she had learnt for her manager and colleagues. She also arranged to demonstrate some practical electronic skills to the staff in her department.
In this example, Frieda maintained her professionalism even though she had attended the conference on her day off.
At some point, you might need to liaise with people who are external to your organisation. For example:
• auditors and inspectors if you are assessing qualifications
• employers and supervisors if you are training and assessing in the workplace
• parents and guardians if you are teaching younger learners
• visiting speakers who are contributing to your sessions.
It might be that you are required to look after relevant people who visit your organisation. If so, you will need to inform reception of their arrival time, perhaps organise parking and refreshments, and be accessible as soon as they arrive. They may need to wear a visitor’s badge and sign in and out of the building.
Extension activity
Consider the term professionalism: what do you think it means in relation to your role as a teacher or a trainer? Think about it first, and then research a few definitions. Discuss your response with someone else and see if you agree or disagree. What situations do you think could occur which might lead to a teacher becoming unprofessional? How could you overcome them?
Professional boundaries
There will be professional boundaries within which to work and it’s important not to overstep these, for example, by becoming too friendly and personal with your learners. Boundaries are about knowing where your role as a teacher stops. You should be able to work within the limits of that role, but know that it’s okay to ask for help when necessary. Don’t try to take on too much, or carry out something which is part of someone else’s role. If you are ever in any doubt about the boundaries of your role, or how you should act in certain situations, you should ask for advice.
You should be able to maintain appropriate standards of conduct and fulfil your role and responsibilities in a professional way. This will involve not only how you act with your learners, but also with your colleagues, support staff and other staff, for example, external visitors. Having boundaries will help you remain professional in your role.
Example
Navinda had been teaching a group of 16 learners once a week for six weeks. She occasionally emailed them between sessions to inform them of room changes. Two of her learners sent her an email inviting her to join their social networking site. She politely refused to ensure that she remained professional and within the boundaries of her role as their teacher.
You might be informed by your organisation what the boundaries of your role will be, or you might not. Defining the boundaries will help ensure that you can fulfil your duties as a teacher, as well as any other roles you might have. For example, you could be classed as a personal tutor, as well as a teacher. The role of a personal tutor is not to become personal with each learner. It is to be their point of contact for help, guidance and support for the duration they are with your organisation. You can be friendly if necessary, but do be careful not to get overfriendly or too personal with a learner. You need to know what is appropriate and what is not, what is part of your role, and what is not.
Example
One of Shammi’s learners confided in her that he could not afford to purchase the required resources for the picture framing course, and he may have to leave as a result. Shammi felt she wanted to lend him the money, but knew this was outside of her role. Instead, she advised him how he could apply for a grant and guided him to the right person for this. She did not let his peer group know about his financial situation. As a result, he obtained a grant, purchased the resources and was able to complete the course. He was not made to feel embarrassed in front of his peers, and the relationship between him and Shammi remained professional.
Your role might involve you interviewing learners and deciding whether they can attend the course or not. You might have difficult decisions to make about this; however, you should always be able to get the support of other staff at your organisation. If you make a decision not to accept a learner, you will need to justify your reasons. There might be an Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) department in your organisation who will be able to support you.
If you are a new teacher, you might have been allocated a mentor, someone to help and support you as necessary, and you will find it helpful to keep in touch with them and ask for advice when needed.
You might feel that you could do something which another member of staff would normally do, for example, photocopy some handouts instead of disturbing the reprographics staff. However, while you might feel you are doing them a favour, there are probably procedures to follow which will be there to help rather than hinder you in your role.
Table 1.3 Example boundaries
Example
Celia was due to teach a First Aid session and arrived early to set up the room. She found the computer worked but the interactive whiteboard didn’t. She needed to show a video clip which was only available online. Instead of calling the technician, she moved the equipment herself to check the cables. In doing so, she accidentally broke the internet cable. Had she not overstepped the boundary of her role and liaised with the relevant person, she would not have caused any further problems.
There are also professional aspects which you are bound by which might hinder or challenge your role. These include policies and procedures, the amount of administrative work you are expected to complete, targets and league tables, or a lack of funding or resources. These aspects can often be interpreted as the negative aspects of your role. You might feel they will put pressure on you which could impact upon the teaching and learning process. However, they are something which you will need to be prepared to deal with, and not let it influence the time that you are with your learners. Other staff, and most of all your learners, will not want to know about things like a lack of funding, what you did at the weekend or what you watched on television last night. Save these conversations for more appropriate people and times. Table 1.3 (on page 48) lists some of the boundaries you may encounter (in alphabetical order) in relation to the teaching, learning and assessment cycle.
Activity
Look at Table 1.3 and choose one boundary from each section. How do you feel you could overcome or work within the boundaries you have chosen?
Being professional
When you are with your learners you should always be professional. This can be achieved by the way you act and react, how you remain in control, how fair and ethical you are, and by not demonstrating any favouritism towards particular learners.
Example
Elija had a learner, Joel, who was often absent from certain sessions of a full-time course. Each time this happened, Elija would telephone him and leave a message for him to get in touch. If Joel didn’t respond, Elija would call again and leave another message. Joel did not respond as he felt he was being harassed. He then gained the confidence to say to Elija that he was having regular hospital appointments which could not be changed, but that he did want to continue with the course. Elija was able to discuss a plan of action regarding what would be missed in order for him to catch up.
In this example it might be sensible to make a telephone call to a learner who has been absent but making repeated calls would be inappropriate.
If you don’t know the boundaries or limits of your role, mistakes can happen: some might be minor, but others could be very serious. Sometimes, it could be due to your not knowing what the limits are, other times it could be a lack of training which has led to ignorance of what is right and wrong. If you give your personal telephone number to learners it could be seen as encouraging informal contact, and you may get calls or texts which are not appropriate. You might not want to take your break with your learners or join their social networking sites, as you could become more of a friend than their teacher. It is unprofessional to use unsuitable language, to touch learners in an inappropriate way, or to let your personal problems affect your work.
Examples of being unprofessional can include (in alphabetical order):
• abusing your power over others
• acting as a confidant to a learner who has personal problems
• asking to borrow money from learners
• becoming overfriendly, in person or online
• becoming personally involved with a learner
• giving a learner undue attention
• giving or administering medicine, unless you are a medical professional
• giving gifts or lending money to learners
• hugging learners
• meeting learners outside of the teaching environment
• offering to give learners a lift in your car; you might not be covered by insurance in the event of an accident
• sharing information about learners to third parties who do not have a legitimate interest
• sharing personal problems with learners
• swearing or using inappropriate language in front of learners
• thinking of yourself instead of your learners
• violating your duty of care and position of trust.
There might be situations where you will need to ensure you are not placed in a vulnerable position: for example, by leaving the room door open if you are alone with a young learner. You will also need to inform your learners if they overstep your boundaries, perhaps if an individual asks you to go for a drink with them after class.
Extension activity
Look at the previous bullet list regarding being unprofessional, and see if there is anything else you could add. How do you feel you can protect yourself from becoming vulnerable in your role? How can you ensure that you remain professional at all times?
Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect
Behaviour is all about how you and your learners interact with each other in an acceptable way. Respect is about accepting others for what they are, not being rude to them, or lowering their confidence and self-esteem in any way. Depending upon the age range of your learners, the subject and the environment in which you will teach, you might encounter issues which you will need to deal with immediately. However, it’s not just about being reactive to a situation. You need to be proactive and promote appropriate behaviour and respect whenever possible, to stop issues arising in the first place.
Example
Katherine noticed one of her learners, Alexis, became disruptive when she commenced the debrief after a group activity. She decided to change the format by asking a learner from each group to state how they worked as a team. She asked Alexis to be the first one and he didn’t know what to say. Katherine then asked another learner who responded well. As the learners were leaving at the end of the session, Katherine overhead Alexis say to another learner that he had felt embarrassed in front of his friends. He was much quieter in future sessions and paid better attention.
Your organisation should have a behaviour code of practice or a policy, which you might like to take a look at. Having ground rules in place could help avoid any issues. Ground rules, such as not speaking when someone else is speaking, can help to create suitable conditions within which learners (and yourself) can safely work and learn (covered in Chapter 4).
Being a role model for good behaviour might encourage the same from your learners. This can include being polite, showing respect and saying please and thank you. Welcoming learners to your session when they arrive, with a smile on your face, can give a good impression. Some teachers like to stand at the door as their learners enter. This gives an air of authority, and shows the teacher is in control. Some teachers like to shake hands with each learner as they arrive, to say hello and state the learner’s name. This is a little more informal, but still shows the teacher is in control and that they know each learner’s name. This might be better than being occupied inside the room and ignoring the learners as they arrive.
It would be wonderful if you could get through a session without any issues arising. Usually, behaviour issues occur because a learner doesn’t follow the ground rules, for example, their mobile phone rings, or they do something other than that which you have asked them to do. If this is the case, politely ask them to stop, remind them of the ground rules, and how they are also disrupting their peers’ learning. Your learners need to know what is acceptable, what isn’t, and why.
Behaviour issues could occur because learners:
• are bored
• are not being stretched or challenged enough
• are seeking attention
• don’t understand what you are saying are doing
• have a learning difficulty and/or disability
• have an attention span which is different to other learners.
Behaviour patterns could highlight the need for additional support as disruption could be a way of asking for help. A way of dealing with a situation is to tactfully say to the learner, ‘I notice you are not paying attention/are being disruptive, is there any reason for that?’ They might not have anything to say, and will hopefully then focus on the session. However, there might be a valid reason, in which case you can tell your learner you will have a chat with them in confidence later. Alternatively, you could redirect them in some way to focus them on the current task.
Example
Phil has a group of 24 learners and one particular learner, Mike, often disrupts the session. During one session, Mike shouted across the room to another learner ‘What did you watch on TV last night?’ The other learner did not respond and so Mike shouted again. Phil went over to Mike and asked ‘What about this task you are working on, how far have you got? Phil had redirected the situation to be about the work, not the shouting.
In this example, Phil was able to help Mike focus on the task rather than interrupting his peers.
You may find it useful to maintain a record of the individual behaviour of your learners during your sessions. This could help you prepare for future incidents: for example, noting a particular learner who becomes disruptive after a certain time period has elapsed, or another who becomes annoyed when asked to carry out a theory task. This information can be useful when planning future sessions: for example, the timing of breaks, the use of energiser activities, or planning who will work with whom for a paired activity.
Ways to demonstrate and promote positive behaviour and respect include (in alphabetical order):
• admitting to your mistakes rather than bluffing your way out of them
• being consistent, i.e. challenging rule breaking each time it occurs
• being fair to everyone by not having a favourite learner, or by letting some learners get away with things
• being pleasant and polite
• challenging inappropriate behaviour, comments and language
• demonstrating good practice by leading by example
• demonstrating positive body language
• encouraging trust, honesty, politeness and consideration towards others
• ensuring you are non-judgemental
• listening to others’ points of view
• praising good practice
• reminding learners of the ground rules
• treating everyone as an individual and with respect
• trying not to talk at your learners, but talk and listen with them
• using learners’ names
• using lots of practical activities to stop learners becoming bored
• valuing others’ opinions and not imposing your own.
Activity
Take a look at the previous bullet list. What other ways could you demonstrate and promote positive behaviour and respect with your learners?
If you do experience any issues, you will need to handle the situation professionally, i.e. by not becoming emotional and keeping to the facts. If a learner insists on interrupting, you could hold up your hand, palm facing them, in the hope that this stops them. If not, you could ask them to make a note of the questions they were going to ask and state how you will answer them towards the end of the session. This should help to minimise any effect it may have on teaching and learning. If you do need to show disapproval, you could make it clear that it’s because of the way they have behaved, not because it’s them as a person. Don’t just ignore the behaviour thinking it will go away, address it immediately. However, with experience, you will realise that some things can be ignored, providing this does not affect the safety of your learners. For example, if a learner is attention seeking, they might stop when they realise they are not getting the attention they wanted.
Example
Shawn was giving a presentation to a group of 15 learners during a Monday morning session. Three learners in the group began talking among themselves about what they had done at the weekend. Rather than reprimand them, Shawn decided to stop speaking altogether and look at them. They soon realised he was no longer speaking to the group and so stopped talking.
In this example, the learners noticed the silence and then paid attention again.
You can help maintain motivation and promote good behaviour by including all learners during the session. Don’t leave anyone out; ensure everyone is asked a question or is involved in some way. Try and keep your sessions active wherever possible, and teach your subject in an interesting and challenging way. Ultimately, you need to find your own way of dealing with situations based upon your experiences. Don’t show favouritism, lose your temper, swear, or make any threats. Try to have a positive approach, praise performance and good behaviour, and be consistent and fair to everyone. Most learners respond positively to a well-organised course taught by an enthusiastic teacher who has a genuine interest in them and the subject.
Attitudes affecting behaviour
If you can model good behaviour, and inform your learners that you expect good behaviour from them, this should lead to a positive learning experience. If you have a positive attitude, hopefully your learners will too. They will want to learn, and will not want their peers to affect that learning. Some learners might not have engaged with education in their past, perhaps had a bad learning experience or had a teacher who could not control the group. They will, therefore, have returned to education not wanting these experiences repeated.
It could be that your learners are not attending your course voluntarily, or they may be there for social reasons rather than having an interest in achieving something. They may, therefore, not be as keen as you would like them to be, and you will need to keep them continuously interested and motivated. A way of overcoming this might be to try and relate the subject to their interests and/or their personal or working life.
Example
Sahib was having problems with two learners on his Computing for Beginners course. One would talk over him and the other would use their mobile phone. He decided to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the next session asking each learner in turn (in front of the rest of the group) to state a reason for using a computer which they could relate to their personal or working life. He also asked the group to agree some ground rules which included switching off their mobile phones. This helped the two learners see the relevance of having various computer skills, and helped the other learners feel they were in a positive learning environment.
Betari’s cycle of conflict
Betari’s cycle of conflict, as in Figure 1.2, also known as Betari’s box, is about how attitude affects behaviour. For example, my attitude affects my behaviour, which affects your attitude which affects your behaviour, which in turn affects my attitude and so on. It’s not clear where the name Betari came from or when it was created; however, attitudes, whether positive or negative, are reflected in behaviour. Positive attitudes should encourage positive behaviour in yourself, as well as in others. This can be through words and actions, verbal and non-verbal messages and body language. If an attitude is positive, it can help others be positive; the same will apply if it’s negative.
Figure 1.2 Betari’s cycle of conflict
Example
Gemma, a learner attending cookery classes, really enjoys the subject. She likes using practical skills and often tries new recipes, makes mistakes and learns from them. Today, she has a different teacher, Abigail, as her usual teacher is absent. Abigail is quick to notice when Gemma is struggling and takes over what she is doing. This continues throughout the session, therefore Gemma now stops when she is unsure of something and calls over Abigail. Because of Abigail’s attitude and behaviour towards Gemma’s learning, Gemma has adapted her attitude and behaviour to fit in with Abigail.
To change the attitude and behaviour of others you may need to be aware of your own attitude and how it affects your own behaviour. You can then notice how your behaviour affects other people’s attitudes and behaviour. You can break the cycle by noticing how the behaviour of others makes you do what you do and by refusing to let it affect you. You will need to recognise negative cycles and turn them into positive ones; this applies to yourself as well as to your learners.
The following are some strategies which you could use with your learners:
• allocate time at the beginning of the course, or each session, to find out what your learners’ attitudes are to the subject, i.e. have they had good or bad experiences which might affect their learning?
• ensure all learners can participate in the session and access all equipment and resources
• hold group and individual tutorials with all learners to discuss progress and concerns
• use learners’ names, use eye contact and treat each learner as an individual
• make sure everyone is aware of relevant policies and procedures
• negotiate and agree appropriate ground rules
• schedule one-to-one discussions with learners who require additional support
• use a suitable and inclusive icebreaker.
There may be occasions during your sessions where behaviours exist that are offensive, directly discriminate, or are distressing to others. This behaviour may be obvious, but it can also be unintentional and subtle. It might involve a learner using nicknames, teasing, name-calling, or excluding someone. Although it might not have a malicious intent it will still be upsetting. You will need to know what steps your organisation requires you to take, and deal with any inappropriate behaviour as it occurs. There are various ways of managing this depending on the circumstances, such as:
• challenging prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping as it occurs
• creating an acceptable behaviour contract which learners sign up to, and revisit it regularly, perhaps as part of the ground rules
• embracing learner diversity within the group
• encouraging your learners to discuss confidentially any of their own behaviour concerns they have, for example, if they are autistic
• ensuring all resources are inclusive through the use of positive images
• establishing at the start of the programme what the unacceptable behaviours are.
There might also be instances where you do something inadvertently and not really think at the time how it could affect a learner.
Example
Jerome was due to attend a week’s summer school programme as part of his Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). All learners were required to complete a form giving the teacher their name, telephone number and relationship of an emergency contact. The completed forms were left on the teacher’s desk where they could be seen by other learners. As a result, it became common knowledge amongst the group that Jerome has a same sex partner. Jerome became distressed as he had not made this public. As a result, he left the course.
In this example, it constitutes a breach of data protection as well as the organisation’s confidentially policy. You will be required to treat personal information in the strictest confidence and your learners will trust you with details about their private lives. Information about learners should not become common knowledge via their teacher.
Extension activity
What situations might arise with your learners which could lead to issues with behaviour and/or respect? How could you effectively deal with these situations? Talk to other teachers to find out what experiences they have had, and how they have dealt with them. Research theories of behaviour management, or read relevant texts regarding behaviour. Some are listed at the end of this chapter.
Creating and maintaining a safe, supportive and effective teaching and learning environment
Learners need to know they are safe when they are with you and not in any danger. For example, any equipment and resources should not cause harm, tables and chairs should be in an appropriate layout for the subject, and all areas should be accessible. Safe also relates to learners feeling safe to express their opinions without being ridiculed by others. You have a duty of care to ensure learning takes place in a supportive and effective environment. This duty requires you to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of your learners. For example, by informing them how to correctly use all relevant equipment and/or to wear protective clothing when necessary.
The teaching and learning environment can be thought of as having three aspects: physical, social and learning as in Figure 1.3. Each has an impact on the others, and all three aspects should be appropriate and relevant. Some aspects will interact and overlap to ensure teaching, learning and assessment can be effective for everyone. Examples of physical, social and learning aspects are given in Table 1.4 later in this chapter section.
Figure 1.3 Physical, social and learning aspects and how they interact and overlap
Physical
The physical environment is concerned with the surroundings and atmosphere within which learning takes place. This need not be a traditional classroom but could be a training room, workshop, outdoors or another setting such as a community centre. The temperature, lighting and ventilation can all affect the learning that takes place. You may need to close blinds to block out the sun, open a window to let in fresh air or even tidy rubbish away that has been left by the previous occupiers. Different subjects might need different requirements: for example, natural light for drawing and painting, dimmed light to view videos. You will need to find out where light switches are, whether you can adjust heating and ventilation systems, and where fire extinguishers and emergency exits are.
While it is your responsibility to ensure the environment is safe and supportive, you might not be able to control some aspects such as external noise. However, what you can do is ensure that your session is interesting, meaningful and engaging to your learners. You would need to take into account your organisation’s health and safety policy and relevant codes of practice. You should not do anything outside of your own responsibility, such as moving heavy equipment. Some resources, particularly electrical ones, require regular maintenance checks and testing. If you see a portable appliance tested (PAT) label on a resource which is out of date, you will need to liaise with the relevant personnel in your organisation to ensure that it is safe.
Social
The social environment is concerned with how you help put your learners at ease, establish a rapport with them and help them work and get along together. Using a suitable icebreaker will help learners get to know each other at the beginning of the first meeting. Creating a social and supportive learning environment will include agreeing ground rules. However, the ground rules will depend upon the age and maturity of your learners. Helping learners relax should lead to effective two-way communication and enable learning to take place. You should aim to use eye contact with everyone and use their names whenever possible, so that they feel valued as individuals.
Learners should know that you, their peers, and others if necessary, will make their time meaningful, productive and supportive. Supportive also relates to giving appropriate advice and/or referring your learners to others if you can’t help them with a concern they have. You should demonstrate inclusion (i.e. not exclude anyone), and challenge any inappropriate or anti-social behaviour as it occurs.
Learning
The learning environment is concerned with giving your session a purpose by having a clear aim of what you want your learners to achieve, using suitable and varied teaching and learning approaches, resources and activities. How you plan to deliver and assess your subject will be based upon the requirements of what your learner needs to achieve. This might be stated in the programme of learning, qualification specification, work tasks, job specification or set of standards. It might be left to you to decide in what order you do this, and what approaches you take with your learners to achieve it.
Try and plan your session content to flow logically, and make the subject material interesting and stimulating. Encourage your learners to become actively involved, to think for themselves, and to use their existing skills and knowledge to build upon. You can give regular feedback regarding individual progress so that your learners know what they have achieved.
You could encourage peer support by using the buddy approach. This enables learners to pair up with someone in the group they feel comfortable with. They can then keep in touch between sessions to discuss the topics and support each other if necessary. This approach is particularly useful if one learner misses a session for any reason and needs to catch up.
Knowing your subject and facilitating it in a meaningful way will help your learners achieve their goals.
Activity
Look at the physical, social and learning aspects in Table 1.4 and add any others which you feel are relevant. Choose at least two from each column. Draw a diagram like that in Figure 1.3 (three overlapping circles) and add your aspects to it. Which do you think will interact and overlap, and why?
You might need to adapt the learning environment to ensure that all learners can access equipment and resources safely. This might involve carrying out a risk assessment to check all equipment is safe to use.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is the term used to refer to the duties and responsibilities that those providing a health, social or education service have to carry out or perform to protect individuals and vulnerable people from harm. You will have a responsibility to adhere to, and maintain, safeguarding measures as part of your role if you work in the UK.
Table 1.4 Examples of physical, social and learning aspects
Following the publication of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) in the UK, a vetting and barring scheme was established in 2008. This Act created an Independent Barring Board to take all discretionary decisions on whether individuals should be barred from working with children and/or vulnerable adults. Teachers may need to have their criminal background checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The purpose of the DBS is to help employers to prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.
In 2006, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), in the UK, produced a document called Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education. This guidance was aimed at local authorities, schools and further education colleges in England who are responsible for promoting the welfare of children and young people, up to the age of 18 (age 25 for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities). The DfES has now been replaced with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Following this, the document Safer Practice, Safer Learning (NIACE, 2007) was produced to provide guidance in relation to adults in further education. It recommends that safeguarding duties extend to whole-organisation policies, values and ethos, and include all staff and learners. It is, therefore, everyone’s duty to promote the concepts of the safe learner.
The Department of Health (2000) document (in England) No Secrets gives a definition of vulnerable adults.
A vulnerable adult is defined as a person ‘who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation’. (Department of Health, 2000, page 8)
A vulnerable adult can be put at risk of harm through a variety of actions, inadequate policies and procedures, and failures of people to act. There are six types of abuse defined by the Department of Health:
• physical
• sexual
• psychological/emotional
• financial or material
• neglect and acts of omission
• discriminatory.
A young person or adult could potentially be the victim of any of the above. It is, therefore, your duty to ensure that you take proper steps to safeguard your learners. If a young person or vulnerable adult discloses any abuse to you, take the disclosure seriously and never dismiss any allegation. An allegation of abuse or neglect may lead to a criminal investigation. Asking leading questions, or attempting to investigate the allegations may cause problems for any subsequent court proceedings.
In this respect, don’t make any promises regarding confidentiality, particularly if you discover something serious which will have to be reported to an authority as part of the law. Explain to your learner that you will need to report the disclosure and share the information with your organisation’s Safeguarding Officer (if there is one) or the person responsible for this (you need to find out who this is at your organisation). They will, where possible, respect the wishes of the individual. However, information will need to be shared with external agencies where it is judged that a person is at risk of suffering significant harm.
Activity
Find out what the policies and procedures are regarding safeguarding at your organisation. What will your responsibilities be and who can you go to should you have any concerns?
Hopefully, the environment you and your learners are in is safe and secure. However, all rooms and equipment should be checked for health and safety hazards. To help ensure that all people in the building are meant to be there, staff, learners and visitors could wear an official name badge. All visitors should be asked to sign in and out of the building, and will possibly need to be accompanied at all times. Anyone not wearing a badge should be challenged if it is safe to do so.
If there is anything you notice, or a learner informs you about which you think could be a potential health, safety or security risk, you must report it. You will also need to be familiar with the organisation’s fire and evacuation procedures, and make sure your learners are too.
There could be circumstances where abuse, threatening behaviour, stealing or bullying might occur. You might notice this, or a learner might tell you about it. If so, you will need to treat the matter seriously and follow it up. Your organisation might have a zero tolerance policy of this type of behaviour, and have a particular procedure which will need to be followed.
Learners will need to know who they can talk to, and know where they can feel safe. There are a number of ways in which they could be involved in identifying safe areas.
Example
During a Sport and Leisure session regarding health and safety, the teacher, Warwick, decided to:
• discuss potential issues and concerns, and what his learners could do if any of these occurred
• identify well-being, personal safety and security issues, and how these might be resolved
• ask his learners to take digital photographs of safe and unsafe areas inside and outside of the location
• encourage his learners to create a display of their pictures and to discuss what they had noticed
• share the information with other learners and staff.
In this example, the learners were able to identity that they were in a safe environment, and to know what to do if they felt unsafe for any reason.
Your learners need to know that their safety and security is of paramount importance to you and your organisation, and that everyone has a responsibility for this. This information can be communicated to your learners in various ways, i.e. through learner handbooks, marketing materials, induction procedures, learner contracts, tutorials, reviews of progress, online information, and learner discussion groups and activities.
Extension activity
What issues might learners encounter regarding their safety and security in the learning environment? How can you maintain a safe and supportive environment for your learners? What can you do if something occurs which is outside of your control?
Legal, regulatory requirements, and codes of practice
Legal aspects relate to laws, regulatory requirements are usually specific to certain industries, and codes of practice vary depending upon the organisation within which you work. It is important for you to keep up to date with all relevant aspects. This will help to ensure that you are remaining current with your skills, knowledge and understanding, and with any changes or updates that have taken place.
Example
Davit wanted to give his learners some handouts rather than ask them to purchase a textbook for the course. He photocopied extracts from a book, but did not add the details of the book to the handouts. Although his organisation paid for a licence to copy extracts, Davit had not realised he had copied more than he was allowed. He had therefore breached the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).
Legislation
This will differ depending upon the context and environment within which you teach. You might also need to be aware of the requirements of external bodies and regulators such as Ofsted (in England) who inspect funded provision, and Ofqual (in England) who regulate awarding organisations.
The following information was current at the time of writing; however, you are advised to check for any changes or updates, and whether they are applicable outside England.
Autism Act (2009) did two key things in England:
• placed a duty on the government to produce a strategy for adults with autism, which was published in March 2010
• produced statutory guidance for local councils and local health bodies on implementing the adult autism strategy. The strategy is to make sure that adults with autism get the help that they need. This guidance was published in December 2010 and updated in 2015.
All people who are autistic share certain difficulties, but will be affected in different ways. Some also have learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support.
Children Act (2004) provided the legal underpinning for the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme. Well-being is the term used in the Act to define the five Every Child Matters outcomes:
• be healthy
• stay safe
• enjoy and achieve
• make a positive contribution
• achieve economic well-being.
Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (2015) will apply if you work with learners who are at risk of becoming radicalised. The Prevent Duty is part of this Act and you should be required to attend a training session at your organisation to ensure you are up to date with the requirements. The Prevent Duty is not about preventing learners from having political and religious views, but about supporting them to use any concerns in non-extremist ways, and to prevent them from becoming radicalised.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) relates to the copying, adapting and distributing of materials, which includes computer software and materials found via the internet. Organisations may have a licence to enable the photocopying of small amounts from books or journals. All photocopies should have the original source acknowledged and be within the terms of the licence.
Data Protection Act (1998) made provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information. It will be updated in 2018 to become the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Equality Act (2010) replaced all previous anti-discrimination legislation and consolidated it into one Act (England, Scotland and Wales). It provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have an association with a disabled person or because they are wrongly perceived as disabled (covered in Chapter 9).
Freedom of Information Act (2000) gives learners the opportunity to request to see the information public bodies hold about them.
Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974) imposes obligations on all staff within an organisation commensurate with their role and responsibility. Risk assessments should be carried out where necessary. In the event of an accident, particularly one resulting in death or serious injury, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may result in the prosecution of individuals found to be negligent as well as the organisation.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) will be applicable if you work with ex-offenders.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) introduced a vetting and barring scheme to make decisions about who should be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. Teachers may need to have their criminal background checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The purpose of the DBS is to help employers to prevent unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults.
Welsh Language Act (1993) places the Welsh language on an equal footing with the English language in Wales, with regard to the public sector.
Regulatory requirements
Public bodies, corporations, agencies and organisations create regulatory requirements, which must be followed if they are applicable to your job role. For example, in education, Ofqual is the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
Regulations are often called rules and they specify mandatory requirements that must be met. There will be specific regulations which relate to your specialist subject and you will need to find out what these are. The following information was current at the time of writing; however, you are advised to check for any changes or updates, and whether or not they are applicable outside England.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (2002) applies if you work with hazardous materials.
Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations (2013) applies to aspects of farming, manufacturing, distributing and the retailing of food.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) were introduced to reinforce the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They require an employer to undertake an assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work activity. For example, use of visual display screens, fire and emergency procedures, and access to first aid. Employees also have a duty to report any concerns.
Manual Handling Operation Regulations (1992) relates to the hazards of manual handling and risks of injury.
Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations (2003) applies to all electronic communications such as email and mobile phone messages.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR) Regulations (2013) requires specified workplace incidents to be reported.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005) places the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out risk assessments to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire.
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations (2014) cover all learners who are aged up to 25 who have special educational needs or disabilities. It stresses the need to inform and involve others, such as parents, guardians and the learners themselves, throughout the learning process.
Activity
Research the regulatory requirements which will apply to the subject you would like to teach in your country. How will they impact upon your role? Take a look at the regulations listed here to check whether they have been updated and if so, what changes have taken place.
Codes of Practice
Codes of practice are usually produced by organisations, associations and professional bodies. They can be mandatory or voluntary and you will need to find out which are applicable to you.
Your organisation should have documented codes of practice such as:
• acceptable use of information technology
• behaviour
• code of conduct
• conflict of interest
• disciplinary
• dress
• duty of care to learners, including personal development, behaviour and welfare duty to prevent radicalisation
• environmental awareness
• lone working
• management of information and records
• misconduct
• sustainability
• timekeeping.
There will also be codes of practice which will apply if you belong to a professional association, for example, the Society for Education and Training (SET) in England. Please see the Introduction chapter for further information regarding other professional associations for teachers which might have a code of practice.
Society for Education and Training (SET) Code of Practice
The SET consists of a community of members, which includes: trainers, teachers, assessors, tutors, support staff, mentors, coaches and managers. If you are in England, you might like to join. The membership reaches across the rich diversity of settings in education and training. This includes colleges, independent training providers, adult and community learning, employer providers, the voluntary sector, the justice sector, and the armed services.
The SET Code of Practice sets out the professional behaviour and conduct expected of their members, including mandatory requirements which must be complied with to become and remain a member. It is an important statement of what it means to be part of SET, and the levels of professionalism that are required or encouraged of all of their members. Committing to the Code of Practice is a key part of becoming and remaining a member of the SET.
If you are a teacher who works in the schools sector, and you belong to SET, you are also bound by the Department for Education Teachers’ Standards.
Policies and procedures
There will be several policies and procedures in your organisation with which you should become familiar. Some might relate to your role and others will be there to support the learners. Think of a policy as a statement of intent, and a procedure as how the policy will be put into practice. Some of the previously listed codes of practice might be classed as a policy depending upon where you work and how they are interpreted.
Examples of policies include:
• access and fair assessment
• appeals and complaints
• confidentiality of information
• copyright and data protection
• equality and diversity
• health, safety and welfare (including Safeguarding and Prevent Duty)
• internal quality assurance
• plagiarism and cheating
• malpractice.
Policies and procedures should help guide your job role and should reflect the vision and mission of your organisation for the benefit of the learners. They don’t need to be long or complicated. They should provide a set of principles to help with decision-making and be reviewed regularly. Procedures should state who will do what and when, and what documentation should be used.
Extension activity
Identify the legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice which are relevant to your role, where you work and the subject you will teach. Summarise the key aspects of these and state how they might impact upon your role.
Self-assessment checklist
Do I know about the following?
If not, re-read this chapter, or research the texts and websites listed at the end.
□ The roles I will carry out as a teacher or a trainer
□ The responsibilities I have as part of my role
□ The boundaries of my role and how I can overcome them or work within them
□ What it means to be a professional
□ How to work with other professionals
□ How to remain professional when in contact with learners and others
□ How to lead by example and model good behaviour
□ What the physical, social and learning aspects are and how they interact with each other
□ How to promote appropriate behaviour and respect
□ How to deal with behaviour issues
□ How to create a safe, supportive and effective learning environment
□ The legislation, regulatory requirements, policies, procedures and codes of practice relevant to my role and my subject specialism
Summary
This chapter has explored the various roles and responsibilities you have as a teacher or a trainer. It can be an overwhelming job at times; however, it can be very rewarding. There should always be other people in your organisation who can help and support you.
You should now be able to perform your role in a professional way and promote positive behaviour and respect amongst your learners. You should also know about relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice which you will need to follow.
You might like to carry out further research by accessing the books and websites listed at the end of this chapter, particularly if you are working towards a higher level teaching qualification.
This chapter has covered the following topics:
• Roles and responsibilities
• Wider professional practice
• Professional boundaries
• Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect
• Creating and maintaining a safe, supportive and effective teaching and learning environment
• Legal, regulatory requirements and codes of practice
References and further information
Beadle, P, (2013) Why Are You Shouting At Us?: The Dos and Don’ts of Behaviour Management, London: Bloomsbury Education.
Berry, J. (2010) Teachers’ Legal Rights and Responsibilities: A Guide for Trainee Teachers and Those New to the Profession (2nd edition). Hertfordshire: University of Hertfordshire Press.
Cowley, S. (2014) Getting the Buggers to Behave. London: Bloomsbury.
Dix, P. (2010) The Essential Guide to Taking Care of Behaviour: Practical Skills for Teachers. London: Pearson.
Fawvert, F. (2007) Teaching in Post-compulsory Education. London: Continuum.
Duckworth, V. (2014) How to be a Brilliant FE Teacher. Abingdon: Routledge.
Gravells, J. and Wallace, S. (2013) The A-Z Guide to Working in Further Education. Northwich: Critical Publishing Ltd.
HMI (2004) Every Child Matters: Change for children. London: DfES.
Lever, C. (2011) Understanding Challenging Behaviour in Inclusive Classrooms. Abingdon: Routledge.
Pleasance, S. (2016) Wider Professional Practice in Education and Training. London: SAGE.
Plevin, R. (2016) Take Control of the Noisy Class. Carmarthen: Crown House Publishing.
Powell, S. and Tummons, J. (2011) Inclusive Practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Rogers, B. (2006) Cracking the Hard Class. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.
Rogers, B. (2015) Classroom Behaviour (4th edition) London: SAGE.
Tummons, J. (2010) Becoming a Professional Tutor (2nd edition). Exeter: Learning Matters.
Vizard, D. (2012) How to Manage Behaviour in Further Education. London: SAGE.
Wallace, S. (2013) Managing Behaviour in Further and Adult Education. London: Learning Matters SAGE.
Wallace, S. (2014) When You’re Smiling: Exploring How Teachers Motivate and Engage Learners in the Further Education Sector. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 38 (3): 346–60.
Wallace, S. (2017) Motivating Unwilling Learners in Further Education. London: Bloomsbury Education.
Websites
Behaviour: Pivotal Education – www.pivotaleducation.com
Behaviour Management Blog by Dan Williams – http://tinyurl.com/hyorsw6
Behaviour Solutions from Dave Vizard – www.behaviourmatters.com
Classroom management free resources – www.pivotaleducation.com/free-resources/
Classroom management free videos – https://tinyurl.com/k5zzvwj
Department for Education (2006) Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education – https://tinyurl.com/ydx7a9tr
Department for Education Teachers’ Standards – https://tinyurl.com/o7hkwwo
Department of Health (2000) No Secrets – https://tinyurl.com/pnajc5u
Disclosure and Barring Service – https://tinyurl.com/ceydl2w
FE Advice – www.feadvice.org.uk
Government legislation in the UK – www.legislation.gov.uk
National Autistic Society – www.autism.org.uk
Ofqual – www.ofqual.gov.uk
Ofsted – www.ofsted.gov.uk
Plagiarism – http://plagiarism.org
Prevent Duty online training and resources – http://www.preventforfeandtraining.org.uk
Reading list for behaviour and motivation – www.anngravells.com/reading-lists/behaviour
Resources for teachers and learners – www.anngravells.com/resources/index
Safer Practice, Safer Learning (NIACE, 2007) – http://shop.niace.org.uk/safer-practice.html
Society for Education and Training (SET) Code of Practice – https://tinyurl.com/m23e9p4
