Study Skills for PTLLS

Jacklyn Williams,Ann Gravells

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9780857258885
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Formation pour adultes

The PTLLS qualification has since been replaced with the Award in Education and Training (with a text book of the same name). However, the text in this book will help you to:
*make the most of your taught sessions and self study time by examining effective note taking, group activities, research and resource evaluation;
*succeed in your practical sessions;
*prepare for assignments and use academic writing and referencing.
Please note: The qualifications and standards mentioned in the book have since been updated.

CHAPTER 1 PREPARING FOR YOUR PTLLS AWARD

Introduction

In this chapter you will learn about:

• meeting the Lifelong Learning professional teaching standards
• interpreting the skills needed for the PTLLS Award
• becoming an expert learner

There are activities and examples to help you reflect on the above which will assist your understanding of how to prepare for your PTLLS Award.

Meeting the Lifelong Learning professional teaching standards

In 2007, new regulations in England introduced professional teaching standards with licensed practitioner status for all new teachers of government-funded programmes in the Lifelong Learning Sector. This includes all post-16 education, including further education, adult and community learning, work-based learning and offender education. Full details of the standards can be accessed at www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publication Detail/Page1/LLUK-00559-2007.

The Award in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) is the first stage of the qualifications which were produced from the teaching standards. It is a four-unit Award on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), and provides an entry point and introduction for those new to teaching or those wishing to teach.

If you are currently employed as a teacher, or wish to teach, the teaching you undertake will be classed as one of two distinct roles:

• An associate teaching role which involves fewer teaching responsibilities and requires Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS) status.
• A full teaching role which includes the complete scope of teaching responsibilities and requires Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

You will need to obtain your professional teaching status within five years of commencing your role, and the PTLLS Award is the first step towards achieving the relevant teaching qualifications. You will also need to register with the Institute for Learning (IfL), the professional body for teachers in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

This book was written prior to the Lord Lingfield Interim Report Professionalism in Further Education (2012). There may have been some changes to the requirements for teachers in the Lifelong Learning Sector as a result of the subsequent report which was due after this book was published.

The PTLLS Award

PTLLS is a four-unit Award on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) which has a credit value of 12, this means it takes approximately 120 hours to achieve. This will be a mixture of contact time with a tutor/assessor and non-contact time for self-study. Achievement of the units provides an entry point and introduction for those new to teaching or those wishing to teach. The PTLLS Award can also be embedded into the first part of the Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (CTLLS – 24 credits) or the Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS – 120 credits). The latter is also known as the Certificate in Education (Cert Ed) or the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

The PTLLS Award is made up of the following four units available at both level 3 and 4 or their accepted alternatives.

• Roles, responsibilities and relationships in lifelong learning
• Understanding inclusive learning and teaching in lifelong learning
• Using inclusive learning and teaching approaches in lifelong learning
• Principles of assessment in lifelong learning

Accepted alternatives come from the Learning and Development qualification. For example, if you have already achieved the unit Understanding the principles and practices of assessment you could use it as an alternative to Principles of assessment in lifelong learning. However, there are rules as to which units can be used instead of those above.

The accepted alternative units are:

• Facilitate learning and development for individuals
• Facilitate learning and development in groups
• Manage learning and development in groups
• Understanding the principles and practices of assessment

The PTLLS Award is offered at two levels to allow for differentiation. For example, if you are taking level 3 you will explain how or why you do something, at level 4 you will analyse how or why you do it. Your teacher will be able to give you guidance regarding the levels and the amount of work you will need to submit. Besides preparing and delivering a micro teach session, you will need to submit evidence of your achievements which might take the form of:

• action plan
• assessment grid and checklist
• assignment
• essay
• observation checklist
• online assessment
• peer feedback
• practical task
• professional discussion
• reflective learning journal
• responses to questions
• self-evaluation record
• summative profile
• theory task
• worksheet

Your assessor will be able to give you the specific assessment requirements for the level you are taking. You will also find information about the various assessment methods and Awarding Organisations’ requirements in the companion textbook by Ann Gravells, Passing PTLLS assessments. Whichever form of assessment tasks you complete, you should submit them in a folder known as a portfolio, either electronically or manually depending upon the requirements.

PTLLS Award requirements at level 3

At level 3 your work needs to be attractively presented, logically structured, free from error, and should describe relevant methods and activities. Sometimes you will also need to include justification; for example, explaining why and how you did something. For more information about the meanings of terms used in assessment questions, see Chapter 6. It is also good practice to include a record of wider reading in a bibliography. A bibliography is a list of books, journals, etc. that have been accessed during the study process, but have not been directly quoted from within your writing.

Activity

Think about how you would approach your response to a written assessment task at level 3. Make a list of everything you think it should have/do and also those things that it definitely should not have/should do. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

PTLLS level 3 written assessments

Should have/do:	Should not have/do:
Full question stated at the top of the page	Spelling errors
Double- or one-and-a-half-line spacing	Mistakes in grammar

When you have finished, look at Appendix 1 to see how many aspects you have identified. Refer to this list when you are working towards your assessments.

PTLLS Award requirements at level 4

At level 4, your assessment content needs to move beyond describing and justifying, to include an element of evaluation; for example, identifying strengths and areas for development, advantages and limitations. For more information about the meanings of terms used in assessment questions, see Chapter 6. You also need to carry out independent research and use citations (paraphrasing another author’s work) or insert direct quotations from books and internet sites to support your arguments. Your work will need to show that you:

• understand the relationship between theories, principles and practice, and the relevance of this in your own teaching context
• have considered how professional values relate to, and impact on, your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher
• can plan effectively and write focused and concise responses
• can write in an academic style, using a recognised system of referencing (the Harvard system is recommended, which is explained in Chapter 5)

Activity

Think about how you would approach your response to a written assessment task at level 4. Make a list of everything you think it should have/do, and also those things that it definitely should not have/do. If you have already completed this activity for level 3, you can add the extra requirements for level 4. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

PTLLS level 4 written assessments

Should have/do:	Should not have/do:
Full question stated at the top of the page	Spelling errors
Double- or one-and-a-half-line spacing	Mistakes in grammar
…	…
Use of complete sentences with only minor use of bullets and tables	Use of inappropriate references which have no evidence of origin or authenticity (known as provenance)

When you have finished, look at Appendix 1 to see how many aspects you have identif...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Author statement
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. Preparing for your PTLLS Award
• 2. Taught sessions
• 3. Self-study
• 4. Reflective practice and reflective learning journal writing
• 5. Referencing your PTLLS work
• 6. Presenting your PTLLS work
• 7. Moving forward
• Appendices
• Index