Last month I was observed by a member of the AdEd Observation & Support Team. The overall feedback I received was very positive and useful and both myself and my learners benefited from the experience - after he left some of them said how unobtrusive he'd been and they'd enjoyed "showing off" their achievements.
I was disappointed to be awarded a 3 for RARPA. I record initial assessment of learners. I use an A4 sheet of lined paper rather than the form from the AdEd CD, as this has nowhere for recording initial assessments. I have a sheet for each learner, where I record mid-term and end of term progress and achievement.
I take photos each session of my learners' work as they experiment and progress. I post some of these photos to the AdEd Flickr site. My learners know about Flickr - I tell them about it and give them a handout telling them how to acess Flickr. I encourage them to make comments on each others work. When I can I access the internet with them so they can see their work on the Flickr site. (I look forward to being able to use a "Dongle" to increase learners' access to the internet).
At the end of the term learners display their work, in this case we had asked for an area in the Community Centre entrance for just this, and learners were looking forward to the opportuninty. The observer knew of this plan as it was recorded in my scheme of work and I discussed it with him.
What more can a tutor do to record learners' progress and achievement, to achieve a "good" rather than "satisfactory" for RARPA when observed? I would appreciate some feedback from anyone but especialy members of AdEd Observation & Support Team. As tutors we have a limited amount of time into researching and preparing courses we deliver and recording progress and achievement. Most importantly, how much would learners benefit if I put more time into recording progress and achievement?
This question is on my mind as I work at Cinderford Artspace and this morning we have a tutors' meeting - RARPA is on the agenda. I would love to feel I had a positive contribution to make to the discussion but as my efforts are deemed satisfactory rather than good I'm not sure that I have.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A blog for Gloucestershire AdEd tutors to share their ideas and expertise using ILT in their work.
Labels
- digital photos (15)
- online resources (14)
- videos (13)
- ideas and inspiration (12)
- sharing ideas (12)
- recording learning (11)
- fun (10)
- hardware (10)
- thoughts (10)
- learners (7)
- Teaching and Learning (5)
- challenges (5)
- Flickr (4)
- events (4)
- printers (4)
- New blogger - eek (3)
- PictureMate (3)
- docucam (3)
- podcasts (3)
- voice recorders (3)
- Equipment for Ad-Ed (2)
- images (2)
- mimio training (2)
- online learning (2)
- powerpoint (2)
- welcome (2)
- 'need some help' (1)
- EEE-PC (1)
- Feedback (1)
- MSWord (1)
- Netbook (1)
- PC (1)
- Power Point (1)
- RARPA (1)
- computers (1)
- copyright (1)
- digital camera (1)
- laptop (1)
- safety (1)
- storage (1)
- storyboard (1)
- turning point (1)
- voting system (1)
- whiteboard (1)
AdEd Interest Links
12 comments:
Hi Lizzie
Just wanted to say that I am sure you will make a positive and valuable contribution to discussions about RARPA today. I certainly value your ideas on this - hence asking for a case study from you for our project!
I have forwarded your post to Jacquie re the specifics of your observation.
RARPA is the first entry in the bluffer's guide to teaching - as a good teacher, you're practising RARPA all the time.It lost a lot of its meaning when the powers that be decided that RARPA was something you could fill in a form or tick a box for.
In the example you've described, it seems the problem lies with the inadequacies of the observer.
My advice is to accept that as tutors, this happens to us from time to time and we are observed by people who are experienced and qualified enough to make such judgements. Or that's the theory, anyway.
Hi Lizzie, I've been away for a few days and only just caught up on blog posts.
Sounds like you've built in all kinds of interesting methods of recording your learners progress (many of which I've enjoyed seeing here and on the Flickr page) and I can imagine how puzzled you are by the observation grade. Not sure that we can talk specifics here but hopefully we can glean some details from your experience which we can use to work out some answers to your questions.
I'm not sure I have any myself!
Thank you Jane, the Blog served a very useful purpose as since I'd aired my unhappiness here I was able to discuss ways of recording progress and achievement at our meeting, and my colleagues are keen to start contributing to Flickr.
Thanks Rob, yes I agree we are constantly recognising our learners' progress achievements, using the camera and AdEd Flickr is a very economically and environmentally friendly way of recording it.
Thanks Gill, I do think a discussion needs to take place around what is expected of a tutor for his/her efforts to record progress and achievement to be graded as good rather than just adequate.
Hi one and all - congrats on opening up healthy debate on T & L practice, the obs process and searching out new ways to work with learners.
As the Quality Assurance officer who oversees the observation team and the records and the action plans that arise from these obs it's always interesting to get feedback whether that is through the "formal " evaluation forms given to the tutors or this media.
sorry I have not got back earlier but been away on hols and then suffered with dreadful bugs!
Clearly it is not appropriate to embark on discussion through this forum sbout either specific obs reports nor specific observers but Lizzie and i have now had a pow wow at the moderation meeting event and hopefully we will resolve some of the queries that hve been posted .
Since those who have chipped in so far are all on the observation team I'm sure they are well aware that we review the criteria each year and that reports and findings can be challenged and moderated through agreed systems.
Via newsletters and regular meetings with the obs team we do try to keep refining the process - unlikely ever to get an absolutely bullet proof system but we do our best within the team and i have to say all team members freely contact me to offer suggestions, improvements and flag up their concerns.It's a really difficult(But rewarding) role and without exception all of the OS team come to training regularly, keep their CPD up to date and try to be as fair and professional as they can be.
So back to the topic in question.... How about the following as first steps?
1. Since RARPA has been raised here perhaps we can all agree to look at the criteria as a first step to improvement and then to review the report template ready for 09/10 just in case there is a way we can make our judgements more robust.
2. I am doing some work with LSIS and a consultant on the obs process so I'll get her to have a look at our criteria and offer suggestions.
3. Also some of you will remember that two years ago we had a session with the observers just looking at RARPA judgements? - perhaps next time we meet we need to revisit what we all mean by Good/Satisfactory/Inadequate and check it matches our grading criteria?
4. For those tutors who are reading this and wondering what the grading criteria is and the basis on which we make judgements we will be putting all the docs up on the VLE site during 09/10 but in the meantime they are all on your Tutor CD for your reference. It sometimes helps when you get an obs report back to have a look back at the grading criteria to see why observers might have come to the conclusions that they hve.
Hope this all helps - a bit lengthy i know - anyone reading this feel free to email me or phone if they have other concerns about observations and I'll endeavour to help 01452 425952
thanks Lizzie for raising RARPA as an area for us to revisit
jacquie
just catching up on the recent debates. I too use flickr, portfolios, exhibitions etc. to record and recognize progress and achievement (written in full as I feel the acronym does not help a full understanding of this on-going process). I have been aware for some time that there needs to be a debate around how all this innovative and 'real' activity to
ensure 'best practice' learning takes place, can be conveyed to the Observation and Support Team. Aware of this, as a member of the Observation and Support team, I ask specific questions to gain this information. Often, lots of strands of RARPA are taking place and the tutor is unaware that such activities (exhibitions etc.) are part of the process. Too much emphasis is placed on the RARPA form which 'does not work' for many learners. In a recent obsevation the tutor apologied for the RARPA forms not being 'up-to-date' when there was clearly lots of relevant and meaningful RARPA going on. Great that this debate is taking place.
Watch this space! Ad Ed are hoping to run another e-learning project in the autumn and have recognised a need to work with the observation team to identify what is good practice with e-learning generally, not just for RARPA purposes. Please feel free to contribute your ideas and suggestions to help shape the training we plan to hold in January 2010.
Jane CD this sounds a very valuable piece of work/training. Recognising and recording progress and achievement is at the heart of effective learning. It is a challenge to keep up with all the innovative possibilities.
Jane CD and I have had a chat and we've agreed since there is already Alerters Guide training and Lightbulb training going on during the autumn term for many of you in other roles that we will run Observation team training in Jan sometime. We will certainly take this as one of the topics to cover during the day. Remember we had a half day a couple of years ago but things have moved on and good practice then is considered normal practice now so delighted that some of you feel it is time to revisit our judgments.
Yes, Sara - that RARPA form !! I do agree despite all the tutor training we have done I still find tutors/ providers sending me in RARPA forms for me to keep here for "our" records. So we clearly have some way to go to get the message across that the process is about practice in the session, exhibitions, displays, scrapbooks, conversations, presentations, learner events etc..... and capturing those achievments in appropriate ways.
come along in jan with thoughts, ideas and examples where good practice has been seen and share it with other observers.
in the meantime - hope most of yu are finding time to relax at some point during the summer...
Since the new OFSTED handbook and CIF (First for 5 yrs) has been published today i suspect i'll be doing some reading!
jacquie
PS: Sorry folks that my first comment came up as anonymous,the joys of so many passwords hopefully I've rectified that now -
http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/search.aspx?o=search&ss=rarpa&lb=0&ub=9
And in the meantime, if it helps,here are 233 ideas about RARPA on the Excellence site to start us off!
jacquie
this is the first time I have logged onto the Bloggspott - I have found the RARPA debate very interesting to read - thank you - I will be looking at the excellence site for more...information.
Post a Comment