¶ … Education
The three main types of assessments for the Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance Level 3 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector qualification specifically gauge whether or not a pedagogue understands the three primary components of his or her profession: that of the responsibilities of the teacher, that of the responsibilities towards the learners, and that of the responsibilities of proper classroom management. Although these areas are far from mutually exclusive in scope and focus, the fact that they are listed as distinct from one another alludes to the individual importance each assessment is given within the realm of education. Foremost of these assessments involves the primary role of the educator, and details both the legal requirements and common practices inherent in the professional status of this occupation. Candidates must demonstrate mastery of these mandates, as well as of those which directly affect their particular didactic focus, be it academic subject matter or otherwise. Additionally, teachers must illustrate their proficiency in this area by writing a formal paper (typically four pages in length, with the line spacing sometimes required to be 1.5 instead of double spaced) indicating their understanding of what students expect of the teacher's contribution to the learning practice as well as what the true responsibility of their position actually is.
The second written assignment a candidate must complete is an assessment of his or her understanding of the specific needs of students. Such needs, of course, are directly affected by a variety of factors such as learning styles, prior knowledge and skills, and projected goals which learners have for whatever topic a particular course is addressing. Additionally, teachers need to explain what specific resources they have available for the needs of their individual subject matter, while establishing the fact that they are able to control the temperament of their students and effect any such
These environmental aspects directly relates to the final written assessment, in which teaching candidates demonstrate they have the necessary means of promoting a healthy classroom environment involving diversity and an atmosphere generally conducive to learning, while imparting such principles upon students in a classroom setting.
To successfully conduct an initial assessment of learners, a pedagogue must initially realize the value in such a tool, which inherently lies in its process of differentiation. Given that students vary in their ability in a specific subject, and that one of the primary goals of a learner assessment is to offer as individualized a method of instruction as possible, there is no solitary optimum method of assessment. Depending on the nature and focus of a pedagogue's subject matter, the intensity of the class and the experience of the students, the most appropriate assessment may be an initial questionnaire which elucidates the instructor as to the needs of the learners, or possibly a simple classroom discussion in which individualized participation is actively sought regarding the topic of erudition. Other common methods involve students bringing in a portfolio of prior work to demonstrate their varying levels and degrees of mastery of a subject, or possibly bringing in works-in-progress. Whichever method of assessment a pedagogue deems best suits his or her particular group of learners, the point of the diagnostic is for the instructor to accurately gauge the students' understanding of the subject matter and to determine what specific areas of focus or issues needs to be addressed to best aid their learning.
The primary utilization of assessment methods lies in the strengthening of pedagogy which a teacher employs. The value…
