Module 7 – Reflective Practice and Professional Development

Certificate in Education Module 7 – Reflective Practice and Professional Development Report to compare teaching roles In any organisation there must be some structure and it is this that leads to a selection of teaching and management roles within education. All roles are focused on the quality of service provided to not only the learners but to the community, our stakeholders, awarding bodies, funders and parents. The 3 roles I have chosen for comparison are Team Manager, which is my role at NN, a Trainer on the foundation learning programme at NN and the role of Learning Support Assistant.
I have collected the information by talking to and observing, the trainer on foundation learning. I have researched the post of LSA as this is a role that I need to employ in the New Year for the new programme I will be running. I have 12 learners on programme at any given time, the course is entry 3 and the maximum I have in a group is 6. The courses are a mixture of practical and theory for example the driving theory course as the name suggests is mainly theory however the nail technicians course is mainly practical.
The trainer on foundation learning has a maximum of 16 learners and the level ranges between entry 3 and level 1. He does 75% practical and 25% theory as he gets the learners to take a lot of responsibility for their own learning. The LSA that I will be employing will be working on a 1:1 or 1:2 basis. We all work with 16-18 year olds that have not fitted into mainstream education. . I have split the responsibilities into sections of common themes to compare the roles. My role as Team Manager is to plan and direct the activities of the team.

Through Team meetings and one to one support & supervision sessions we discuss the needs of current and potential learners, with this information in mind, I then need to create Schemes of Work which not only meet the individual needs of the learner and the targets, but also the standards and outcomes set by senior management, funders and regulatory bodies. The session plans are then created by either myself or the trainers for the appropriate programme. The LSA’s, trainers and myself are all responsible for working from the session plans and ensuring that outcomes and targets are met and standards adhered to.
As a group we would also discuss what additional resources and materials would be necessary for the course and create an essential list and a wish list. It would then be my responsibility to check what was available within the budget and authorise any additional spending. I am responsible for risk assessing and ensuring the health & Safety of the staff and learners. The trainers are responsible for the health and safety of themselves and learners during sessions and have a responsibility to bring to the attention of the team manager anything that arises during their sessions.
The LSA has a responsibility to report any health and safety issue to their line manager. We all have a responsibility to ensure that our areas are clean, tidy and secure at the end of each session. I am responsible for learner registrations, arranging internal and external verification and attending standardisation meetings. The trainers are responsible for providing me or their team manager with the necessary information for us to do the registrations and to ensure that learner’s portfolios are completed to an acceptable standard.
The LSA’s can complete learner progress reports and are responsible for completing the tasks with the learners that have been set by the trainer. All of the roles are responsible for discipline and classroom management, the trainer is responsible for the discipline and management of the whole class, the LSA, alongside the trainer is responsible for the learners they are working with and I am responsible overall for making any final decisions about discipline and behavioural issues. On my project specifically, I allow the learners quite a lot more latitude initially as my focus is on engagement following a long period of no education.
The trainer on FL would expect a far greater standard of behaviour as he is preparing the learners for further training or employment. Ideally we would see a journey of improving behaviour from when they start on my course to when they finish on FL. The LSA’s are responsible for setting up equipment and resources whilst the trainer is responsible for deciding which equipment to use, designing any handouts/resources and ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently. I need to ensure that there are adequate resources for the trainers including purchasing and designing my own resources whilst remaining inside the allocated budget.
I am responsible for securing adequate funding to provide appropriate resources. We are all responsible for the learning journey of the learner; the LSA must be impartial when assisting the learners and ensure that their practice is professional and inclusive. The trainer is responsible for ensuring the practice with the group is inclusive and that they can challenge any discriminatory behaviour and attitudes. They design individualised learning plans with the learners and the LSA’s work towards goals set with the learners on these plans.
I need to ensure that any new paperwork is designed within our, and other regulatory bodies, codes of practice. The trainer is responsible for completing initial assessments with the learner and I am responsible for ensuring that initial assessments take place and that all relevant paperwork is completed. The LSA would not be expected to do initial assessments however would be expected to contribute to learning reviews. I am responsible for ensuring that practice and assessments are standardised. All staff are required to attend standardisation meetings for the various awarding bodies that we use.
This ensures that our assessments are fair, reliable, sufficient and valid. The Trainer on FL would be expected to work with external bodies to find and maintain suitable work placements however on my course this is not as relevant. The Team manager along with the health and Safety manager would be responsible for carrying out a risk assessment on the placement. The trainer is responsible for communicating with colleagues and attending meetings to ensure that training is standardised. They are responsible for collecting information that could be needed by others and passing it to their line manager.
I am responsible for collating performance data to present to senior management, external agencies and regulatory bodies. In addition I am responsible for leading, managing, developing and motivating staff, including support & supervision and arranging adequate cover. I control and monitor expenditure against a set budget and contribute to the budget setting process. I am responsible for maintaining the viability of my project and work with my team manager colleagues to ensure that we maximise, and identify any potential use of any shared resources.
I am responsible for developing relationships with referral agencies, stakeholders and partnership agencies and where required work collaboratively in a multi agency setting, whilst maintaining confidentiality of information. The conclusion is that there are a lot of similarities between the roles as they are all predominantly based on supporting the learning journey of young people. All roles are vital for the success of the young people. The differences are based around the levels of responsibility and accountability.