Resources Review

Part 1: The Overview at Horticare

Resources Used in My Teaching

I decided to use and adapt a online resource provided by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The RHS run the Campaign for School Gardening. This aims to encourage and support schools to develop and actively use a school garden. One of the main aims is enriching the school curriculum, teaching life skills and contributing to children's mental and physical health. This PDF contains the main scheme on which I will build my Scheme of Work and Lesson Plans. The RHS Gardening for Schools is designed to integrate well with the curriculum and that there is strong focus on Reading, Writing, Maths is particularly useful for the group I am teaching.

I am utilizing presentations and almost entirely produce the lessons that way, but they have to be printed and handed out because there are no technology resources at Horticare.

Much of the resources I used are sourced online, usually images that lend to the understanding of a topic. These are then embedded in to a Presentation which has to then be printed out for the students.

I do make use of games such as Scrabble, Dominoes, Jigsaws and such. That can be used in Numeracy and Literacy development. These are available at Horticare. I have outsourced some sowing modules for the students to practice sowing seed and then follow the progress week by week.

I utilize the printing facilities available at Kendal College, as well as the Library Computers.

The following image is an example of some laminated flash cards I used during the RHS Horticultue Skills course:

The 'Key Weeds' sheet was used with an outdoor collection activity during week 15. The log of that lesson can be found in the following TRL section. The selection of Fruit, Trees and Shrubs required word association and were also used in week 15.

Room for Improvement:
I was able to keep making improvement to my use of resources, based on reflection of each lesson, on feedback from students and with the help of peer assessment from my tutor Tam. Resources were limited at Horticare and it might be possible for Horticare as an establishment to seek to improve such provisions. But at a personal level, I'd say I'd like to see some ICT in use there. Certainly it could help with embedding the minimum core subjects.

Part 2: In Teaching IT at Kendal College

In teaching students about Linux and it's deployment in business, gives me opportunity to feature a much wider range of resources, especially IT based. I have a series of 4 lessons (mini course) with 2 different groups. My teaching will make use of slideshow presentations and live demonstrations. Students will be grouped for the 3 main teaching lessons (lesson 1 will be more of an introduction), and each group (3) will have access to old PC hardware/system for use during their mini course. Additionally I have prepared access to multiple CD's and DVD's to provide live Linux distributions for the students use. I have colour card assessment being used in Lesson 1 and a question sheet.

1. Colour assessment sheets
2. Wide spectrum Live Linux Media CD/DVD
3. Live Demonstrations (via the OHP)

The colour assessment sheets offer students a means of self assessment and at the same time it offers an indication to the tutor of each individuals level of understand and or confidence. The only things I don't like about this assessment method, is there seems to me to be the possibility of peer pressure affecting the choice of some students who don't want to appear 'unintelligent' to the their peer group, and as a result might pick a colour that reflect a greater understanding or confidence than is really true in their case. I have used it nevertheless, it's a method of self directed learning and should encourage active learning. Combining it with the question sheet in the same lesson should offer a summative assessment of the given lesson.

The Wide spectrum Live Linux Media offers students a range of Linux distributions that can be described for sake of the layman as: Easy, Medium, Hard. In that, this technology resource provides for entry level up to expert. The above image represents a small section of the overall collection and some media has been manually downloaded and written to CD's for student use too. It will allow for an inclusive learning environment and at the same time permit a development of ICT skills as well as related areas such as literacy, language and numeracy. There are some limitations of this resource in that it's response time can be slow when compared to the same media on a USB. However USB booting ready machines could not be confirmed and the cost of using USB's for each student had some cost issues.

Live Demonstrations, is a utilizing of the white board/OHP. It's not a slideshow, but a live feed directly from the demo machine to the OHP, used in conjunction with teaching discussion. Offering the student step by step walk thru instructions/directions to follow/practice. It's used equally to demonstrate what not to do on what is effectively a 'sandbox' machine. The teaching process is very adaptable to include the learning needs of all students. It's probably one of the most effective teaching methods I have used before when dealing with the subject of partitioning and system admin. It will be interesting to see how well it works in this setting at Kendal College.

Room for Improvement:
Through my reflective practice on the IT lessons I quickly established that for the sessions and teaching I was doing there were several improvements that could be made.
1. We needed to provide individual resources (1 PC per learner), which was only possible by dividing the group. Splitting the group was not ideal.

2. The classroom layout was also not conducive to the method of practice. In future I would seek to equip and layout a room specifically for they type of learning session being used.

Review Ways in Which Elements of the Minimum Core can be Demonstrated in Planning Inclusive Learning and Teaching

‘Embedded teaching and learning combines the development of literacy, language and numeracy with vocational and other skills. The skills acquired provide learners with the confidence and motivation necessary for them to succeed in qualifications, in life and at work’ (The National Research & Development Centre, 2004).
The above quote demonstrates how literacy, numeracy and IT skills can help support the learner as they progress to further study or the world of work. We looked at LLUK too. And during our sessions we learned of the importance of incorporating all aspects of the Minimum Core. We might for example use IT during teaching sessions, use an activity to have students do research, which involves reading and writing and even calculating. I did in fact use a good example of embedding numeracy during my IT teaching at Kendal College, where students used IT resources and had to calculate percentages when dividing HDD's for installations. Details of the IT lessons can be seen in my TRL and RJ. We discussed embedding the minimum core here.

During my teaching at Horticare there was ample opportunity to embed minimum core elements, though it was at a very basic level. For example in week 6 lesson we had word to cut out and associate with aspects of life, this involved a discussion of the meaning of words and images, recognition of words and spellings. In week 8 and 9 we actually did minimum core specials. The details are listed in the TRL. 

Teaching Role and Log (TRL)

Horticare Teaching Hours:

RHS Horticulture Skills at Horticare Kendal:

Scheme of Work

RHS Skills Curriculum Map

My work at Horticare Kendal as part of the practical training for the Level 4 Ascentis Certificate in Education and Training focuses on a small group (6) special needs learners with profound learning difficulties. It requires a thorough preparation for each lesson and a need to focus on ways to make lessons simple, practical and enjoyable. I'm working with John Taylor, a full time member of Horticare staff to adapt a Royal Horticultural gardening for Schools curriculum and deliver it to this learner group. John has years of experience with the members of the group and can offer valuable guidance to help build effective lesson plans. Clearly we all work within the framework of legislation that protects the needs of vulnerable adults with such profound learning difficulties.

Hours 0-2 : 13/11/13  (Week 1)

This is my first week of teaching practice at Horticare Kendal. The Aim of this weeks lesson was to break the ice and make introduction as well as make a assessment of learner cognitive ability/ differentiation. This is my Lesson 1. My completed Lesson Plan is here, which includes my post lesson assessments. Overall the first lesson went well and at least the objectives were covered. I've had to make some adjustment for the next session to allow for some significant variation in differentiation. 

Hours 2-4 : 18/11/13  (Week 2)

Week 2 and already I know my student group by name. Not such a spectacular achievement as it sounds, there are only 6 to remember. I was able to make some adjustments based on week 1 reflection, to cater for the differentiation. This involved writing main points down on the white board for some students to copy and during that time I could enhance the points with more advanced students by discussion. This is my Lesson 2/3. My completed Lesson Plan is here and includes post lesson assessments.

Hours 4-6 : 25/11/13  (Week 3)

This week was catch up from 18/11/13. It's still a big learning curve for me to just find the right level to pitch with the group at Horticare. We took the lesson much slower and simplified the projected objectives. It's becoming apparent that learning is greatly increased by the use of practicals. Next week has been simplified even more and contains practical lessons.

Hours 6-8 : 02/12/13  (Week 4)

This was my first assessment week and the adjustments I had made to the lesson worked well, though I still see the need to bring the learning level down a little, at least for the most part, but that there is room to push at least one of the more advanced learners on an individual basis with extension activities. The group weren't surprised to see Tam because I had informed them the week before. This was the Lesson 4 and my completed Lesson Plan.

Hours 8-10 : 09/12/13  (Week 5)

This week was a continuation of the previous lesson (week 4), looking at plant growth from seedling, then linking in the times, seasons, months etc. Some of the open discussion was very useful for the students and it lead to a productive discussion of the 12/24 hr clock over and above the original lesson. By using one of the more advanced learners in a leading role, it was possible to stretch his potential whilst at the same time allow the others in the group to keep up. This was the Lesson and my completed Lesson Plan.

Hours 10-12 : 16/12/13  (Week 6)

I brought this lesson down to the very basics and inserted practical activity this week. The students seemed more at ease with the practical elements and the level of learning. This is the Lesson and this is the completed Lesson Plan. It was clear through the questioning that the students were more comfortable and they were more inclined to participate as a result. I want to build on Maths and English elements in the Horticultural curriculum because there is a general weakness here, though two of the stronger students could be used to lead groups and at the same time push their own boundaries.

Hours 12-14 : 06/01/14  (Week 7)

It looks like I'm one student down, probably for the remainder of the course. This evens out the ability levels a little, leaving me with just one really weak student. This weeks lesson continued with a large practical element which continues to help the students attention and level of learning. This was my Lesson Plan and it pretty much went to plan. I want to try and keep up the success of theses last few lessons, especially over the next couple of sessions which are looking at building on Maths and English but with a Horticultural twist.

Hours 14-16 : 13/01/14  (Week 8)

Only 4 students this week. This weeks Lesson was difficult for the group and I needed to improvise the original Lesson Plan. The lesson did though reveal the differentiation more clearly, which given some reflection will help with the planning of future lessons. It was obvious early in the lesson that the students were uncomfortable with Maths. It was actually partly just the sight of numbers that seemed to be the trigger. Once we took numbers out and started counting blocks and dots, the group relaxed some.

Hours 16-18 : 20/01/14  (Week 9)

This was the flip side from last week (Maths), this week was English, at it's very basic. This is the Lesson and the Lesson Plan. It was as much a flip side too in that where last week the students struggled, this week they really enjoyed it. The lesson achieved it's objectives and left room for related discussion that helped maintain their attention. I had 5 students again this week, with the possibility that all 6 will be back next week, which is my second assessment. All in the group were excited to know Tam was coming next week.

Hours 18-20 : 27/01/14  (Week 10)

The students really enjoyed the lesson again this week, partly perhaps because Tam was assessing me again and they do enjoy her visits. The bad parts about this lesson were:
1. I was really poorly and albeit Man Flu, I did not perform too well.
2. I was being assessed so point 1 above kind of mattered.
Nevertheless, I carried on like a trouper.
The lesson was about pests in Horticulture. I had brought in some physical samples too for the students to handle and view. The plan was to have the students identify a small selection of pests, damage and control, and whilst doing that, improve their word/picture association. Tam came up with a couple of suggestions to improve the differentiation approach that I can try in next weeks lesson. This is the Lesson Plan with reflective feedback. See also the second assessment reports and feedback from Tam in the section below.

Hours 20-22 : 03/02/14  (Week 11)

This weeks lesson had some adjustments based on feedback from Tam's visit on week 10. The main lesson was Like This. I had though made some differentiated lesson plans:

1. Less able: Lesson
2. More able: Lesson

The lesson plan with differentiation and reflective feedback Looks like this.
Overall, I was pleased with the changes and the learners certainly benefited from the adjustment for differentiation.

Hours 22-24 : 10/02/14  (Week 12)

Weeds were the focus of attention in class today and the two hours went quickly as the students were attentive and eager to be involved, although I was one student down. The standard Lesson set out some key weeds and I had an Adjusted lesson for two of the students. Learning covered 2 main points:
1. Identification
2. Weed Control (with some added understanding of good and bad)
We used a happy face for control methods that were good/natural
And a sad face for control methods that were bad/chemical
We then used a 10 min practical hands on for identification to enhance learning outcomes.

Hours 24-26 : 17/02/14  (Week 13)

A full house of students for this weeks Lesson. Largely consisted of images for discussion and reasoning of the topic. Students were able to draw on previous learning which helped greatly with reaching the learning outcomes. The results of the lesson can be seen Here.

Hours 26-28 : 24/02/14  (Week 14)

All students present for this weeks Lesson, which was also in a differentiated form Here. Students worked well with the subject PPE and already had a reasonable understanding of the topic. The lesson plan can be seen Here. We also made some closing preparation for next week, being my last session with them and also my final assessment. Additionally, we organised their files. It was a good and productive lesson.

Hours 28-30 : 03/03/14  (Week 15)

My last week and lesson at Horticare.It should have been my last assessment too, but that was cancelled due to illness. A slightly delayed Lesson and differentiated Lesson*. Students were congratulated for their hard work, especially this lesson. The Plan went well and it was evident that the students were sad to have the course end:

Feedback from Horticare:
Following the completion of my 30HRS teaching. John Taylor submitted feedback to my tutor at Kendal College. It was as follows:

Further to our telephone conversation yesterday, I would like to give you some feedback regarding Carl Fletcher's Teacher Training placement with us.

Carl has proved to be a big hit with our service users. He has successfully motivated the group to attend each week and provided stimulating activities that have integrated the whole group. Many people have said they are going to miss him and the lessons.

Some people have even managed to remember some of the weed names that Carl has been teaching them (for our group that is significant).

I have appreciated Carl's efforts which have supplemented our normal activities, but from a different perspective. He has always kept me informed and taken on-board any advice that was given.

We wish him well in gaining his qualification.

Kind regards

John Taylor

Supervisor | HORTICARE

Adult & Local Services| Cumbria County Council

54 Wattsfield Rd | Kendal | Cumbria | LA9 5JN

I submitted a reply to John's feedback:

Thank you for providing such positive feedback in response to my Teacher Training practice at Horticare. It's always encouraging when something works in teaching and whilst it was always a challenge to produce interesting and engaging lessons at Horticare, it was nevertheless a pleasure to do, especially with such a friendly group as one could ever hope for. You personal observations and recommendations were really appreciated, as we usually managed a little chat before and after each session.

_______________________________________________________________

Observed Teaching Reports

Week 4 Assessment  02/12/13:
This was my first assessment in the teaching workplace and I found it very beneficial. I'm actually quite looking forward to the next one. My only concern is the amount of work. Some people say teacher have a cushy number... think again, they work very hard. My assessor Tam gave me a Report and I have followed this up with the Candidate Reflections.


Week 10 Assessment 27/01/2014
My second assessment and feeling under the weather. I had some useful observations and feedback from Tam, her report and my reflections can be read Here. It was a lively class and the students really enjoyed themselves as usual. More on this lesson can be read just above these comments and in the Reflective Journal.


Week 21 Assessment 19/03/2014
My third and final teaching practice assessment was done not at Horticare, but at Kendal College where I am doing a special Mini (IT) course over four weeks. Tam observed one of my weeks two sessions. The details of the lessons are recorded just below here, under the heading Linux Basics. Tam sat in on the first of two classes I had back to back today. Her report, which includes my feedback and reflection is here

________________________________________________________________

Linux Basics Teaching at Kendal College

Scheme of Work

This course is over 4 weeks. Each lesson is 90 mins.
Two different groups are taking the course. The lessons are on Wednesday afternoon and are back to back, making a total session of 180 mins.

12th March 2014

Lesson 1
Lesson 1 Lesson Plan

Lesson 1 Group 1
Overall the lesson went according to plan. All students were able to grasp the basic details being presented on Linux and it's use today. We used an assessment of learning at start and finish as well as a question sheet and all learners agreed they had a better understanding by the end of the lesson. The question sheets, which I reviewed afterwards, also indicated an 80% level of understanding.

Lesson 1 Group 2
Quite a different group from the first group. Much more self confident though not offering a better understanding of Linux. Overall the lesson with this group went pretty much as with the first. Whilst like group one, their self assessment indicated little knowledge of Linux, most did actually know some of the basics. Actually both groups, I know, have been working with Raspberry PI and a version of Linux for those devices.

_________________

19th March 2014

Lesson 2
Lesson 2 Lesson Plan

Lesson 2 Group 1
Today's lesson was 90% practical, with groups of 2 or 3 stationed at a Linux Box. The students were then following the practical from my lead. Compared to last week their behaviour was disappointing, as quite a number were messing with mobile phones. I found myself using proximity to address the situation, moving around the room. However, in practice, this wasn't too easy to do as the lesson required me sat at a computer too. As far as teaching was concerned, the group did well and the main aims and outcomes of the lesson were achieved. I need to have a chat with their course tutor though regarding their behaviour.

Lesson 2 Group 2
These are a more mature group. Well, only by a year or two I think. On a Linux skill level though, the first group has some stronger students in there. Group 2 also seem to be less focused. However, although they also suffered from some mobile phone mania, they likewise were successful in demonstrating a practical understanding of partitioning as outlined in the Lesson 2 above.

_____________________________________

26th March 2014

Lesson 3
Lesson 3 Lesson Plan
50/50 Split Questions

Lesson 3 Group 1
I had made some dramatic last minute changes to this planned lesson as a reaction to my observation last week. Splitting the group in half, leaving 5 or 6 in each half. This meant for better resources for the work on the PC's, leaving a PC for each student. Doing this solved another issue from last week, meaning where we previously had 3 students crowded around the PC monitor and becoming distracted, we now had just one per PC and the others in the group were engaged in another related research activity. Overall the results of the changes were positive and certainly the students were much better engaged and learning improved.

Lesson 3 Group 2
Ditto as above regarding the changes. Some in this group, who last week were somewhat scathing about Linux as a OS, had made some adjustment in their opinion, or at least in their outward negative way. The better conditions for the lesson surely helped with the overall learning and this group were a marked improvement on last week. I did notice a point, and something I need to watch in future, where they engage you in a debate/discussion, I just need to be careful that it doesn't go way off track or basically torpedo the lesson plan.

2nd April 2014

Lesson 4
Lesson 4 Lesson Plan
50/50 Split Questions

 Lesson 4 Group 1
Students were more engaged this week, getting to grips with Linux and this lesson was a practical they seemed to enjoy. I had come in early to set everything up, which involved completely re-installing 6 machines. They were all up and running when they arrived, which is what I wanted. I had also taken the power away from all the other machines in the room, as given a moment they'll try switching them on.  There were some puzzled looks at first, then the penny dropped and they realised there was going to be no messing in this lesson.

Lesson 4 Group 2
There were a few absent from this group this week but it wasn't a great problem. Of the two groups that I teach, these started out the most sceptical of the value of Linux, but it became apparent that their attitude was feigned. Both groups admitted they had learned some interesting new things and a few of this group, one the most sceptical, actually lingered on after everyone else had gone. They actually wanted to talk about Linux.

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Equality and Diversity in Education:

A discussion of this can be found here:
Equality and Diversity 1
Equality and Diversity 2

Promoting Safe, Secure and Supportive Learning Environment - Respect for Others:

These areas are discussed here:
Legislation, Class Rules
Inclusive Practice



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