Assignment 1 – Report of Clinical Supervision Cycles 1 and 2 Web view1Assignment 1 – Report of Clinical Supervision Cycles 1 ... to follow them to proceed further in the tutorial

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Assignment 1 – Report of Clinical Supervision Cycles 1 and 2

ASSIGNMENT 2 – REPORT OF SUPERVISION CYCLES 1 AND 2

3231VTA – CORE VOCATIONAL TEACHING

CONVENOR: DR. IAN JAMES

SUBMITTED BY: DAVID MARTIN

STUDENT #2636349

[email protected]

DATE SUBMITTED: 24 APRIL 2008

David Martin 3231VTAStudent #2636349 Core Vocational Teaching

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This assignment will report on the first two clinical supervision cycles by analysing the choice of

classroom activities and preparation used to create the lessons and it will be shown that adult

learning concepts have been used to create a positive learning environment. Firstly, a

description of the setting and pre-teaching conference will be followed my teaching history.

Preparation, delivery strengths and weaknesses will be identified and analysed against existing

teaching theories and practices. Strategies that were used to engage students and identification

of when learning was taking place will then be analysed. It will be argued that many of the

teaching practices in place are in line with current adult learning concepts but improvement can

be made, especially in the areas of lesson focus through questioning and that learning theories

can further be used to empower the learning ability of students.

DESCRIPTION

The supervision was done in a vocational education setting with a range of students, from high

school age through to mature age students with a range of previous vocational and educational

backgrounds. Eighty percent of the students were female, including two international students,

though all had English as a first language. A survey is used in the first session; with around 60%

of the students self-assessing themselves has having working or expert knowledge of computer

applications.

The course I am teaching is well established as a foundation for further study as well as core

computer literacy skills for industry. It is a cluster of competencies, prepare business

documents, use business technology, produce simple word processed documents and perform

office skills, often grouped together as “the computing cluster.”

Teaching aids I use include interactive video tutorials that allow students to work through topics

on screen; they are given instructions and need to follow them to proceed further in the tutorial.


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Before using the tutorials, a projector connected to the teacher’s computer is used to highlight

the electronic delivery plan, lesson schedule, learning outcomes and to demonstrate topics or

skills.

I have taught the same course to around nine groups over the last 3 years. The first group was

my introduction to teaching, while I had given lots of one on one computer support and tried

small groups there are a number of factors that make this situation different; the course being

part of a vocational qualification, the number and range of students in a class as well as AQTF

requirements. As a beginner teacher I was given a delivery plan, textbook and assorted printed

or electronic resources and told that the course was self-paced; the students were given an

introductory lesson and then were to work through all material on their own, requesting help

where necessary. I was supervised for around an hour and the supervising teacher gave me

the nod and left me to the class, though ongoing support and moderation has always been

made available when needed.

My mentor was chosen on the basis not only of his experience as a teacher, but his tendency to

speak out where others sometimes sit back and his ability to articulate theories and ideas in

detailed and specific ways. Our pre-teaching conference was brief and informal, with little

information being exchanged but enthusiasm was shared for the upcoming sessions.


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ANALYSIS

Reflection of practice is an essential part of teaching, and I have used a continuous cycle of

improving both the resources and my teaching methods during and after delivery. This reflection

process assists in a teaching moving from novice, towards expert (Fry, Ketteridge, & Marshall,

2003, p. 217). This supervision cycle has also provided positive feedback, the chance for

extensive moderation and made me feel that experienced teachers are more approachable.

The major change I have made to the course over the three years is that the option of self-

paced learning is available but not the primary method. When teaching the initial groups I

observed that most students were using surface learning, tending to do as little work as possible

(Krause, Bochner, & Duchesne, 2006, p. 178) to complete the set tasks. One of my aims is

towards a more constructivist learning environment, one that acknowledges prior learning and

backgrounds, encourages active participation and group interaction (Krause, Bochner, &

Duchesne, 2006, p. 192). This will create a deeper and more satisfying experience for the

students.

Teaching aids in the classroom are being transformed by electronic media, and I have taken

advantage of this. As part of the introductory lesson an electronic copy of the study guide and all

resources is created on CD, allowing the students to view and work through material outside of

the classroom. This allows for self-paced study, which increases the potential for education and

learning (Burns, 2002, p. 276). However some students prefer structure, face-to-face teaching

and the support of a teacher (Burns, 2002, p. 277) and I try to allow both in the classroom.

Video tutorials that force interactivity have been developed and I am trialling their use in favour

of a textbook, which I find too passive and non-student centred. International students have also


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been observed to have difficulty with comprehension of the written instructions so a multimedia

approach will be of assistance.

My teaching sessions all follow a similar format; each is a combination of lecture,

demonstration, self-paced learning and assessment. Using demonstrations is a common

method in skills training and involves breaking down skills into discrete stages (Burns, 2002, p.

265) and enables students to access the resources, skills or knowledge that help facilitate the

learning process. Formative assessment is “used to monitor student progress during instruction”

(Gronlund, 2006, p. 6) through quick quizzes and teacher led group activities in class, and

submission of completed work by email at the end of each session. Feedback is given

immediately for the in class activities and submitted works receive comments before the next

session. This helps provide motivation for students through short-term goals (Gronlund, 2006, p.

9) and also gives an indication if my teaching methods are working. Summative assessment is

also used to demonstrate competence in this subject and students also complete another self-

assessment survey at the end of the course. By comparing the start and of course surveys I can

identify areas that students are missing during delivery.

I am confident that learning occurs in the classrooms I am involved in through a wide range of

well planned questioning, demonstrations as well group and individual activities. This planning,

along with many hours of practice and reflection will continue to improve my teaching ability and

therefore the learning experiences of the students.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Critical reflection allows the development of teaching practices, and a way to do this is to

continue sampling the work by videotape or keep written records of what is novel and what is


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routine (Olson, 1992, p. 89). From the observations made in these cycles a major component

that needs development is questioning techniques that allow use of the large range of pre-

existing knowledge that adult students bring to the classroom. Students’ lack of responses

shows this as a source of instructional difficulty (Gronlund, 2006, p. 11) and I think that my

technique can be improved. Questioning needs to be well structured and thought out, and

practice will be needed to refine this skill.

Reflection on the comments and videotape of the supervision cycle shows that introductions

that I use for activities and for the session in general are not focussed enough and they do not

explicitly outline what the outcomes hope to achieve.

The reflection processes will continue not only to refine my teaching, but also to attempt to bring

innovative practice to the classroom. This will be done by using known learning theories,

feedback from my mentor, students and peers as well as critical analyses of my own teaching.


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LIST OF REFERENCES

Burns, R. (2002). The Adult Learner at Work (2nd Edition ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Fry, H., Ketteridge, S., & Marshall, S. (2003). A Handbook for Teaching & Learning in Higher

Education. London: VA Taylor & Francis.

Gronlund, N. E. (2006). Assessment of Student Achievement (8th Edition ed.). Boston: Pearson

Education.

Krause, K.-L., Bochner, S., & Duchesne, S. (2006). Educational Psychology for learning and

teaching. Melbourne: Thomson.

Olson, J. K. (1992). Understanindg teching: beyond expertise. Buckingham: Open University

Press.


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APPENDIX 1: CYCLE 1 FEEDBACK FORMS


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APPENDIX 2: CYCLE 1 FEEDBACK FORMS


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Documents

Assignment 1 – Report of Clinical Supervision Cycles 1 and 2 Web view1Assignment 1 – Report of Clinical Supervision Cycles 1 ... to follow them to proceed further in the tutorial