Special interest group on teacher training for adult education
7214
Report of the Special Interest Group on teacher training for adult education
Mr. G. O. Douglas (chair), Mr. R. D. S. Fielden (Secretary)
This was a small group in which we readily accepted each other’s point of view. We hope that this indicates that the contributions were wise rather than that we were too rosily uncritical. In the event, we trotted over some familiar ground but hope that our findings cover the basic issues.
The discussion centred round the concern of one member who was organising a new Diploma course. We reminded ourselves that any course designer or organiser must take into account the initial characteristics of the students (their experience, knowledge and skills): the general and specific objectives of the course, the intended terminal outcomes and the mode of evaluation and assessment. He would have to pay particular attention to the organisation and structure of the various components of the course to serve these aims, the students’ expectations and those of the institutions involved, both those doing the training and those in which their skills would be practised and finally performed.
As we imagined that most groups of students - however precisely the regulations were to specify entry requirements - would themselves be not unlike other A.E, groups at least in the wide variety of experience and learning ability, we felt that it was most important to decide on a suitable balance between theoretical and practical studies. Also, for the same reason, there should be a wide variety of methods, suited to individuals and sub-groups. The relationship between theory and practice needs to be very carefully worked out and strategies for improving teaching performance planned. In particular we felt that elements of experimentation should be incorporated into teaching practice (in whatever way this was organised) and that some concepts should be built up from observation of their own teaching (via CCTV or by a sympathetic observer) or of others teaching. As the course referred to is to be part-time, one of the major problems of adult teacher training - that of creating sufficiently realistic practice situations was resolved. In this case the issue becomes that of exploiting for learning the students’ current work.
We did not attempt to delineate in full the theoretical content but we agreed that it would want to spend ample time on factors involving student motivation. The course designer too would have to practise what he preached! The means of arousing and maintaining interest or ensuring that progress is being made and that the student himself feels that he is benefiting cannot be taken for granted and the feedback required for formal assessment purposes would not be adequate evidence in the early stages.
Another element which we saw as important was that of planning for learning and we saw that adult educators often play different roles in relation to this: they may plan courses to teach their own subject; they counsel or supervise other teachers or they may design training courses for other teachers. In all these cases, they should take into account the factors discussed above and ideally should also involve their students in this planning. Although regulations and assessment may inhibit involvement in such a process at one levels methods of teaching and the nature of the tasks and projects set should make it possible to involve the student in being involved in the general direction and emphases of parts of the course.
Reproduced from 1972 Conference Proceedings, pp. 1-2 SCUTREA 1997