Communication and Learners Essay

Much of my enquiry was carried unwrap online and I have embroild my written research notes and sources. instructor net (2010) says Adopting an approach to your t individu each(prenominal)ying which draws on research and evidence should serve well you in reviewing and developing your practice. With this in mind I conside red-faced Maslows Hierarchy of Needs motivational model which we ofttimes refer to in pedagogics, although the original model was designed as a business motivational tool.Maslow cl sets that motives 1-4 argon deficiency motivators and ar generally satisfied in secern when the previous need is fully or partially satisfied (Businessballs, 2010). If the lower nominate needs of the model are met consequently I do-nothing swallow to back up the assimilator gain the top level and realise their accept potential however, in order to help others dissipate a crap this level I must first fulfill this myself, by researching I am merelying my own knowledge a nd developing myself on an ongoing hindquarters.1a Negotiating With Learners 753 manner of speakingGravells and Simpson state that Initial sagaciousness of you bookmans skills, knowledge and like accomplishment drifts should comeback place onward you begin command the course of piece of work content. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P17). Here they are saying before the program content, so an sign opinion is valid even if it is at the beginning of the posing itself. I do however slightly disagree with the necessity to of all while know the learners likered learning style from the bring byset. If we accept that learners are distinguish fitted then we must accept that we exit be teaching learners during each session with differing learning styles, and must therefore accommodate those differing styles. I usually do not get chance to assess my learners for learning styles before a session so I must compensate utilize a progressive style of assessment, this en ables me to ad bonnie my teaching methods and styles to suit and include my learners. It is therefore not so big to know what the learning style of an individualistic from the initial assessment but, it can assessed as the teaching progresses.Learners precede the learning environment with varying needs and expectations it is my responsibility as the teacher/tutor, through processes such as initial assessment, to en real that the learner is on the correct path/course or at the cover level. weakness this then I should be able to help the learner recognize a more appropriate path. According to Walklin It is great to assess all pile seeking access to procreation and training opportunities, the purpose world to help them to plan their future education and training programme. Initial assessment helps the provider and the learner sort out what it is they wish to achieve, (Walklin, 1993, p.290). The initial assessment is a behavior of evaluating what the learner go out need to achieve the goals set and indeed a way of setting future goals with the learner. I have recently experienced this myself when an experienced teacher found that I was in fact pursual an un commensurate path, he was then able to lurch the course I had applied for, to a more suitable and achievable course.Having an understanding of a learners previous experience is also respectable to the teacher, I myself train professional drivers who often have some age experience inwardly the indus evaluate. Using a short pre-session initial assessment which consists of an informal one to one chat and note taking, and group front sessions allows me to make a connection with these more experienced learners, who often sprightliness disgruntled by the process of having to train within an indus tense up they disembodied spirit they already know. It is heavy then to be aware that experience leave behind affect learning and that it may have a positive or negative influence.After an initial assessment I can set what the learners knowledge and skills provide be to date and a learning follow through plan can be completed, this plan is specific to each individual leaner to ensure their needs as a learner are met. A tutor should spend time with each individual learner and agree learning goals and further actions. Further actions may include special help that may be needed, for a scholar with learning disabilities for example. one time the learners needs have been identified and agreed the trainer would focus on the teacher/training cycle, Kolb (1984) which is made up of the following 5 points, safekeeping in mind that this is an ongoing cycle.* Identify needs and planning* calculating* Facilitating/deliver* Assessing* EvaluatingFurther actions that should be agreed prior to the course commencing is the judicature of ground rules. Ground rules are commonly referred to as, the minimum necessary conditions for getting learning work done in the class. (Atherton, J S 2009). I agr ee with Atherton here and would add that, establishing ground rules in a learning group can also be negotiated between the learners and the teacher. WestOne (2010) deales various strategies for negotiating with learners, it redes that It can often be effective to get together learners some responsibility for rules, such as what time breaks and dinner is interpreted, these small items of negotiation will give in learners a sense of control within the environment and encourage them to take part in the learning process as they will begin to have shared ownership of it. I would say though that to give too much away to learners may lead to a impairment of control for the teacher, one must always consider the fine one and only(a)ment here.I looked at a company called Novadata, they provide training identical to mine but also have a larger portfolio of courses. Their of import initial assessment is carried out over the telephone or via an online earnings form. While I will consid er the option of the online form in the future I do think it may be a little impersonal and I would have doubts about getting the right quality of information, telephone based initial assessment is however a possibility that would allow me to connect with learners part.1b Inclusive Learning 748 hagglingGravels & Simpson discuss inclusive learning and suggest that inclusive learning is about recognising that each of your learners is different from other learners in many ways, and you should plan your teaching and learning sessions to enable all of your learners to take part. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P25). There are various methods to ensure this, we can for instance use different teaching methods to appeal to the different learning styles, for instance VAK or VARK(Visual, aural, reader and kinesthetic), kinaesthetic learners prefer to touch whilst visual learners will prefer to see demonstrations and, aural learners will be more attuned to a discussion while readers prefer the written word. In all of these cases it should be noted that any precondition learner may have a preference for learning but will to differing degrees have traits of all styles. I use this as the basis for any planning but keep myself aware that it is just that, a basis or starting point for a supple plan.It is at one time we begin to understand that learners are individuals with varying needs that we realise that relying on the VAK descriptions alone is inadequate in order to be inclusive. Inclusion UWE states The aim is not for savants to simply take part in further education but to be actively included and fully engaged in their learning (2008). It may be that a special learner is a kinaesthetic learner but for one occasion or another(prenominal) cannot take part in an exercise. In order to agree with the UWE tilt I had to recently change the way I carried out a practical exercise as one of my learners could not look at a small computer screen for very long, by mating him with another learner and allowing them to use a projector connected to the computer they were able to complete the exercise together thus ensuring inclusivity.But inclusivity goes further than just planning sessions and resources. Huddleston and Unwin discuss how teachers must no longer be refer with their own subject and transmitting knowledge but, as managers of learning, teachers will need to seek the help and support of other professionals in their college, including non-teaching staff. (Huddleston and Unwin,1997, P117). While I do agree in principle with what they are saying, for example, a student with problems of childcare can easily be helped by being pointed toward crche facilities within the learning establishment, I would also have to point out that it is important to facilitate a solution rather than be the solution. I think a teacher must maintain a trusted distance from the student, so it is weaken to offer information on cargo ships subsidies than to offer a lift .Another example of how we can be flexible to promote inclusion recently happened to me, When I arrived at a put to carry out training many of the delegates found that in order to start for their working(a) shift the following day, they would have to finish 45 minutes early, as the requirements for the training to be completed miserlyt they had to carry out a full 7 hours of training I could not de jure cut the course short. We then came to an arrangement whereby tea breaks would be taken as we carried out practical exercises thus allowing for the full session to take place. By making this small adjustment I was able to put up to the individual needs of a few of the learners which again placed them in a position where they did not have to worry about working the following day and, could continue the learning process.Preparing to Teach Inclusively states There are many issues to consider when identifying a students needs, but it is important to remember that they may fluctuate f rom day to day. As the course progresses, try to review with students whether you are meeting their needs. (2006). Students needs do change constantly, it may be that a bus service is delayed and a issuing of students will be late by 10 minutes or another may have employment difficulties, while it is not the contemplate of the teacher to fix these problems, it is the responsibility of the teacher to make provision for them and to suggest agencies or information that can help. A solution can be as simple as asking another learner to take extra copies of handouts and pass them on, whatever the action, the aim is always to enable the student to return to a successful learning environment.1c Integrating working(a) Skills 557 wordsQCDA says that useable skills are practical skills in English, information and communication engine room (ICT) and mathematics. They allow individuals to work confidently, effectively and independently in life (2010). Functional Skills are often apt(p) different names such as Key Skills or Minimum Core, but they all substance to the same thing, the basic integration of Maths, English and Information & Communication Technology. short states The alternative to integrating key skills is to teach them disassociately. The problem with this approach is that students hunt to see them as an irksome irrelevance to their main course of study.(G subaltern, 2009, P538) Whilst I agree with his point and I agree with the methods and reasons for teaching Functional Skills in this way, I also intend that this statement pays little economic aid to those of us who would thrive in a situation where those key skills are taught separately, people such as myself, I trained as a chef when I was young, attached to this course I did a C&G in communicating and in computer programming. I enjoyed having a separate learning session for this and was able to gain another certificate to be proud of in conclusion I would say that this is again an vault of heaven where we can see how people differ in so many ways.Gravells and Simpson state that As a teacher, you should be able to demonstrate your own competence in the areas of literacy, phrase, numeracy and ICT. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P59). As a teacher I believe it is important to have a good understanding of Functional skills, recite and maths mistakes within a handout or presentation will be transferred to learners, why should they not believe you if you are the teacher. To this end it is important as a teacher to continually give consideration to up my own Functional skill on an ongoing basis.The embedding of these skills within a teaching session is not difficult but should be given careful consideration at all times, for instance, I recently had a learner who was dyslexic, I try where possible to provide printed material on different coloured papers as this can often help people with this condition. It turned out that this was the first time this particular(a) learner h ad come across this aid to meter reading, so instead of just ignoring the reading exercise he became interested enough to ask about further help. I was able to give him a contact at Learndirect. This particular learner now has the confidence to learn to read and write at higher standards than he thought possible. It is this gaining of confidence and belief in oneself that will cause the attitude change that is contributing(prenominal) to learning.In order to commingle Functional Skills into any given session you could consider exercises such as multiple choice quizzes for reading, discussion sessions for language skills. By adding in maths questions to a PowerPoint presentation you can elicit answers from learners, by watching the chemical reaction of other learners it is often possible to see if anyone is struggling with these concepts thus allowing you to go over the question in more detail until you are sure the learner has grasped it. ICT can be integrated in just as many way s, for instance asking learners to find and print a particular style of picture for the next session.1d Communication 677 wordsJust out of interest I typed into a leading search engine verbal non-verbal communication, within the first five listings I found the following (Minority chargeNet, 2010) Nonverbal CommunicationAccording to A. Barbour, author of Louder Than Words Nonverbal Communication, the totality impact of a message breaks down like this 7 pct verbal (words) 38 percent vocal (volume, pitch, rhythm, etc)55 percent dead body movements (mostly facial expressions)This is a misquote that can be found time after time in books, on websites, and more worryingly within training courses. In fact, this statement is based on the work of professor Albert Mehrabian in the mid to late 1900s. The research actually concentrated on the communication of feelings and attitudes, it has since been misquoted to define all types of communication. It is somewhat ironic that his message has b een so misused and misunderstood.I raise the point of this because I am blameful of using it in the incorrect context, assuming that because those that have taught me use it, then it must be so. It really does not matter how I contort my face wave my arms in front of learners, unless I exempt verbally or with written instructions very few of them will understand what I am trying to communicate.Different people answer to different forms of communication, when we teach we give consideration to the varying types of learners, Visual, Aural, Readers, Kinaesthetic (VARK), we try to design our lessons to include all of the styles. I asked myself the question, Why do people learn in these different ways? My research results led me to check into a condition known as synaesthesia, in which one sensory(a) input produces unexpected results for example, a synaesthete may see the colour red when they see the number 2 and blue if they see number 3, in some cases sound caused a visual effect for the synaesthete. It occurred to me that this may go some way to explain why one person responds better when information is given in a verbal format, another responds better if it is visual and so on.The connections between these different sensory areas of the brain mean that we all have our own unique way of perceiving what is being taught or communicated (please refer to my micro teach for more information). For me the advantage of this seemingly odd line of research had the effect of allowing me to empathise with learners of different styles and gave me meaningful reason to consider how I communicate to learners with differing learning styles.Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with people by means of an central of experience. The important word is successfully, which implied that a desired behaviour change results when the receiver takes the message (Walklin, 1993, p.164). I think what Walklin is trying to tell us is that it is not enough to communicate the instructions, it is also important to deliver extolment or constructive criticism in order to encourage and fall the learner into new discovery, if you ask the learner to complete a line a feeling of accomplishment will encourage behaviour conducive to further learning. This is important to me when teaching as my own learners can often be hostile to the learning process, feeling it has been imposed upon them. It is also important to listen to the students, if you set tasks that are above the students modern abilities then you are likely to create a barrier to communication whereby the student will close in on themselves not neediness to admit they cannot continue and the learning process will cease.Achieving two way communications with our students is not straightforward. Barriers can often present themselves. It is crucial that a teacher can identify barriers and help students overcome them. Petty (2009) suggests that wrong level of work, jargon, vocabulary and other use of language, environmental factors, fear of stroke and an inapproachable teacher can be barriers to students learning experience. Whilst I agree in principle to this, I also believe that introducing new vocabulary and language usage is essential to the students further development.ATHERTON J S (2010) Learning and Teaching Ground rules for the class (Online) forthcoming http//www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/ground_rules.htm (Accessed 03 January 2011)Anne Gravells and Susan Simpson (2010) planning and Enabling Learning (2nd Edition), Learning MattersBusinessballs (2011) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, (Online), purchasable http//www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm , (Accessed 15 February 2011)Inclusion Further Education (2008)(Online) Available http//inclusion.uwe.ac.uk/csie/tmlnsn.htm (Accessed 10 January 2011).Minority Career Network Inc. (2011) Non Verbal Communication, (Online), Available http//www.minoritycareernet.com/newsltrs/95q3nonver.html , (Accessed 15 Feb ruary 2011)Open University (2006) Preparing to Teach Inclusively (Online), Available http//www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/preparing-to-teach-inclusively.php (Accessed 20th January 2011)Prue Huddleston and Lorna Unwin (1997) Teaching and Learning in Further Education (2nd Edition), Routledge Farmer.Petty G (2009) Teaching Today (4th Edition), Nelson Thornes.QCDA (2010) Introduction to Functional Skills (Online),Available http//www.qcda.gov.uk/qualifications/30.aspx, (Accessed 11 January 2011).Teachernet (2010) (online),Availablehttp//www.teachernet.gov.uk/research/Learning_about_research/ (Accessed December 15 2010), (Note-now removed) Walklin, A. (1993) Teaching and Learning in Further and Adult Education. Cheltenham Stanley Thornes (publishers) Ltd. West One (2010) How to negotiate learning (Online)Available http//www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolbox8/taa/elearn/toolbox/resources/e_space/e_sources/quickguides/interaction/negotiating/howto.htm (Accessed 03 Januar y 2010)