Communication and Learners Essay

Much of my look into was carried out on line of credit and I leave wholeowd my written research nones and sources. t all(prenominal)er net (2010) says Adopting an approach to your article of faith which draws on research and evidence should helper you in reviewing and developing your practice. With this in mind I meaned Maslows Hierarchy of Needs motivational model which we much confab to in commandment, although the original model was be aftered as a business motivational tool.Maslow cl mystifys that ineluctably 1-4 are deficiency motivators and are generally convenient in dress when the previous need is fully or expoundially satisfied (Businessballs, 2010). If the lower aim needs of the model are met hence I erect begin to help the pupil gain the top train and realise their receive potential besides, in order to help round other(a)s knock oer this level I must(prenominal)(prenominal) first light upon this myself, by researching I am superchargeing m y own experience and developing myself on an ongoing basis.1a Negotiating With Learners 753 levelGravells and Simpson state that sign taskment of you scholars skills, knowledge and preferent acquisition trends should take place before you begin regulation the curriculum mental ability. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P17). Here they are saying before the program content, so an initial assessment is valid even if it is at the send-off of the posing itself. I do however slightly disagree with the indispensability to al ship elan know the scholarly persons preferred instruction style from the outset. If we accept that disciples are assorted therefore we must accept that we ordain be teaching prentices during each session with differing acquirement styles, and must therefore accommodate those differing styles. I usually do not get chance to assess my accepters for tuition styles before a session so I must animate exploitation a progressive style of assessme nt, this enables me to adjust my teaching methods and styles to con digit to and include my pupils. It is therefore not so fundamental to know what the learnedness style of an exclusive from the initial assessment but, it can assessed as the teaching progresses.Learners enter the prepare environment with vary needs and expectations it is my debt instrument as the instructor/tutor, through processes such as initial assessment, to ensure that the learner is on the correct path/ flow or at the rightfield level. Failing this then I should be able to help the learner choose a much appropriate path. According to Walklin It is substantial to assess all concourse lookking access to education and didactics opportunities, the pattern being to help them to plan their emerging education and reproduction 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 way of evaluatin g what the learner go away need to achieve the goals set and indeed a way of setting future goals with the learner. I have recently pay offd this myself when an experienced instructor anchor that I was in fact pursual an unsuitable path, he was then able to change the course I had applied for, to a more suitable and achievable course.Having an find outing of a learners previous experience is withal beneficial to the teacher, I myself train professional drivers who often have umteen years experience within the effort. Using a short pre-session initial assessment which consists of an informal genius to sensation chat and note taking, and sort out introductory sessions allows me to make a connection with these more experienced learners, who often feel disgruntled by the process of having to train within an industry they feel they already know. It is important then to be aware that experience result affect information and that it may have a optimistic or negative influen ce.After an initial assessment I can ascertain what the learners knowledge and skills will be to date and a learning action 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. gain actions may include additional help that may be needed, for a schoolchild with learning disabilities for framework.Once the learners needs have been identified and agreed the trainer would centering on the teacher/training cycle, Kolb (1984) which is made up of the following 5 minds, remaining in mind that this is an ongoing cycle.* Identify needs and grooming* Designing* Facilitating/deliver* Assessing* EvaluatingFurther actions that should be agreed prior to the course commencing is the establishment of ground rules. Ground rules are commonly referred to as, the minimum inevitable conditions for acquire learning work done in the clas s. (Atherton, J S 2009). I agree with Atherton here and would add that, establishing ground rules in a learning group can besides be negotiated between the learners and the teacher. WestOne (2010) discusses unhomogeneous strategies for negotiating with learners, it suggests that It can often be effective to give learners rough responsibility for rules, such as what time breaks and dinner is taken, these small items of negotiation will give learners a sense of control within the environment and foster them to take fall in 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 loss of control for the teacher, one must always consider the first-rate balance here.I looked at a company called Novadata, they provide training similar to mine but also have a larger portfolio of courses. Their main initial assessment is carried out over the telephone or via an online internet form. While I will consider 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 better.1b Inclusive education 748 oral chatGravels & Simpson discuss inclusive learning and suggest that inclusive learning is about recognising that each of your learners is distinct from other learners in legion(predicate) 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 slip use distinguishable teaching methods to appeal to the different learning styles, for eccentric VAK or VARK(Visual, aural, reader and kinaesthetic), kinaesthetic learners prefer to touch whilst opthalmic learners will prefer to depict demonstrations and, aural learners will be more at tuned to a discussion while readers prefer the written word. In all of these cases it should be noted that any given 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 smudge for a flexible plan.It is once 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 students to simply take part in further education but to be actively include and fully engaged in their learning (2008). It may be that a particular learner is a kinaesthetic learner but for one reason or another cannot take part in an crop. In order to agree with the UWE statement 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 secrecy for ve ry long, by pairing him with another learner and allowing them to use a projector connected to the computer they were able to complete the exercise together and so ensuring inclusivity.But inclusivity goes further than just planning sessions and resources. Huddleston and Unwin discuss how teachers must no longer be concerned 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 regulation 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 dissolving agent rather than be the solution. I think a teacher must maintain a certain distance from the student, so it is better to crack information on tran sport 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 site to carry out training numerous of the delegates found that in order to start for their working shift the following daylight, they would have to finish 45 minutes early, as the requirements for the training to be completed meant they had to carry out a full 7 hours of training I could not legally cut the course short. We then came to an system of rules whereby tea breaks would be taken as we carried out practical exercises consequently allowing for the full session to take place. By making this small registration I was able to cater to the individual needs of a some 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, bu t it is important to remember that they may fluctuate from 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 overhaul is delayed and a number of students will be late by 10 minutes or another may have usance difficulties, while it is not the job 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 ask 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 available Skills 557 wordsQCDA says that Functional skills are practical skills in side, information and dialogue technology (ICT) and mathematics. They allow individuals to work confidently, effectively and respectively in life (2010). Fun ctional Skills are often given different names such as Key Skills or Minimum nerve, but they all amount to the same thing, the basic integration of Maths, English and Information & Communication Technology.Petty states The alternative to integrating delineate skills is to teach them separately. The problem with this approach is that students tend to see them as an obtuse irrelevance to their main course of study.(G Petty, 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 believe that this statement pays little attention 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 communication 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 area 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, language, numeracy and ICT. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P59). As a teacher I believe it is important to have a good understanding of Functional skills, spelling and mathematics 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 improving my own Functional skill on an ongoing basis.The embedding of these skills within a teaching session is not difficult but should be given studious 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 t ime this particular learner had do across this aid to reading, so instead of just ignoring the reading exercise he became sidelineed 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(prenominal) standards than he thought possible. It is this gaining of confidence and belief in oneself that will nominate the attitude change that is conducive to learning.In order to integrate Functional Skills into any given session you could consider exercises such as quintuple 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 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 ju st as many ways, 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 (MinorityCareerNet, 2010) sign-language(a) CommunicationAccording to A. Barbour, author of Louder Than Words Nonverbal Communication, the total push of a message breaks down like this 7 percent verbal (words)  38 percent vocal (volume, pitch, rhythm, etc)55 percent body movements (mostly facial nerve 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 iro nic that his message has been so employ and misunderstood.I raise the point of this because I am guilty 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 event wave my arms in front of learners, unless I explain verbally or with written instructions very few of them will understand what I am trying to communicate.Different people respond 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 investigate a condition known as synaesthesia, in which one sensory input signal 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 s ound 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 share-out meaningful information with people by means of an interchange of experience. The important word is successfully, which implied that a desired behaviour change results when the manslayer takes the message (Walklin, 1993, p.164). I think what Walklin is trying t o tell us is that it is not enough to communicate the instructions, it is also important to deliver praise or constructive criticism in order to encourage and guide the learner into new discovery, if you ask the learner to complete a task 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 see to the students, if you set tasks that are above the students current abilities then you are likely to create a barrier to communication whereby the student will close in on themselves not wishing to get they cannot continue and the learning process will cease.Achieving two way communication theory 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 inappropr iate level of work, jargon, vocabulary and other use of language, environmental factors, fear of failure 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 economic consumption is essential to the students further development.ATHERTON J S (2010) Learning and Teaching Ground rules for the class (Online) ready(prenominal) http//www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/ground_rules.htm (Accessed 03 January 2011)Anne Gravells and Susan Simpson (2010) Planning and enable Learning (2nd Edition), Learning MattersBusinessballs (2011) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, (Online), Available 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 earnings Inc. (2011) Non Verbal Communication, (Online), Available http//www.minorityc areernet.com/newsltrs/95q3nonver.html , (Accessed 15 February 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 twentieth 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/tool case8/taa/elearn/toolbox/resources/e_space/e_sources/qu ickguides/interaction/negotiating/howto.htm (Accessed 03 January 2010)