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Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
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Who is this for
This qualification is for those Diploma level 6 delegates who wish to achieve apprenticeship status with ITS. This new level 3 qualification is called Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector (PTLLS for short.) It can also be used by anyone wishing to start the pathway on to becoming a teacher outside of ITS.
This is a mandatory qualification for anyone who wants to deliver government funded adult education courses after September 2010
What is the definition of a “teacher” or “tutor”?
A teacher is any trainer, assessor, or member of staff who delivers learning to one or more learners. This can be in a classroom or at the employers’ premises and includes the running of group inductions or the provision of underpinning knowledge.
What is PTLLS?
It is a one unit, level 3 qualification designed to provide…
- Training for those who want to enter the teaching/training profession
- Opportunities for trainers in vocational education to gain a level 3 qualification
- First steps to QTLS award (full teacher qualification)
- Knowledge and essential skills needed to teach
- PTLLS is only available to learners of 19 and over
As much as knowledge of the subject you are teaching, the profession requires you to have an appreciation of the principles of learning, teaching and assessment of the success of the learner. The PTLLS qualification will centre around delivering this appreciation and knowledge to a satisfactory level, enabling the candidate to have the required tools and skill set for delivering on every required front. Whether this leads then into a further teaching qualification or a job in the education sector is up to the candidate.
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How is ITS providing PTLLS?
ITS is providing 16 hours training over a period of 2 days. This can then be assessed to allow the award to be achieved in a practical way, whilst developing your ability to teach. There is a 1200 word written assignment in the achievement of this award with ITS. You will demonstrate your learning and knowledge through your micro-teach, a reflective journal, through professional discussion and the written assignment. The discussion and micro-teach will allow you to review with your ITS tutor, the progress and competence you have demonstrated thus meeting the requirements of the qualification.
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PTLLS content
The exact content of the course depends on where and from whom it is gained, but there are certain principles which are indispensable parts of the course wherever it is learned. The suitable candidates for a PTLLS course are anyone who would like to work in the lifelong learning sector and is new to teaching adults, and those who have been teaching for a short time and have no subject-specific training.
In order to efficiently deliver learning to adult or post-compulsory learners there are a number of aspects which a candidate must satisfy. Adult learning in general is substantially different from childhood learning - not least in the fact that adult learners in any class will generally have chosen to be there and will be learning the subject for their own reasons. It is necessary for someone looking for a PTLLS qualification to appreciate these differences and to identify the learners with whom they will be dealing, so as to appreciate how best they can angle the teaching.
Another major part of teaching - at any level - is planning lessons. Knowing how to get the maximum delivery of learning in the allotted teaching time is something that plays a huge part in how good a teacher can be. Planning lessons does not come naturally, and it is important to take account of how a classroom period - be it an hour, a half-day, a full day or just a fraction of an hour - can be broken down to give the optimum time in each aspect of the class. Staying on that plan and keeping to the delivery of it, allowing enough time for transitions between different parts, is something that a teacher needs to know if they are to maintain fluent control of the class.
The ITS PTLLS qualification is designed to teach and demonstrate competency in the above elements and also in some other key areas such as teaching in our specialist area. Teaching being as varied a profession as it is, it is important to have this part of the job tied down in the qualifications process. It is also important to cover the issue of delivering inclusive lessons which keep a full class motivated. In any classroom you may have a spread of different abilities which stretches from the very able students who pick things up instantly, to those who struggle with the subject matter and may require a particular way of pitching the classes. In ensuring that the potential teacher has an appreciation of all these elements, there is a 30-minute micro-teaching session for each of the candidates during one of the final classes, to measure the effectiveness of their approach.
In order to get on the course in the first place it will also be necessary to demonstrate a sufficient level of literacy and be qualified in the subject you wish to teach. It is unnecessary to have taught before. The idea of the assessment process is to decide whether or not you have the competency to teach.
The Assessment process of a PTLLS candidate is as follows: One assignment measuring the candidate's ability to keep an on-going review of the learning goals of their group of students, its effectiveness and an evaluation of the process used (this assignment is compiled over time); an assignment to develop a lesson plan detailing how the lesson is relevant to and meets the needs of its learners; and finally as part of one of the last classes of the course, a 30-minute mini-lesson which puts into practice the theories and findings of the candidate regarding how a class should be carried out and how the planning can be transferred into practice. This demonstrates an ability to keep to the tenets of learning in both on-going and ad hoc situations.
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