Task 1 Resubmission

Q1: Compare the strengths and limitations of teaching and learning approaches used in your own area of specialism in relation to meeting individual learner needs.

Delivering Employability Skills courses can most of the time be described as “challenging”. My approach is to combine a reasonable amount of practical activities and engaging aids, like flash cards, tarsia puzzles, video presentations and demonstrations, with usual “teacher talks” and group discussion.

“Teacher talk” or is a good way to explain the subject to the whole class at once, which can be particularly beneficial for the low-skilled learners, especially if combined with active listening. It gives learners a chance to receive a set of clear instructions for activities and a solid introduction to the subject, which will benefit those who learn by listening. From the other hand, it can quickly transform into an uninteresting monologue, the information is not being retained by the learners who have other learning styles, so they become passive and unengaged. To ensure everyone can benefit from it, I try using a vocabulary which can be adjusted accordingly to the level of my learners, and avoid using unnecessary phrases or overcomplicated definitions.

Group discussion allows me to engage more learners and assess their understanding of a subject at the same time. It also gives them a chance to develop communication skills and ability to analyse the subject of discussion. It can be, however, dominated by a few members. Shy and withdrawn learners may have knowledge and a lot of interesting points to convey, but feel hesitant to contribute and decide to exclude themselves from the group. From the inclusion point of view it’s vital to mix less able learners with the more advanced ones, to ensure all learners are involved in learning.

Audio visual aids (tarsia puzzles, flash cards, video presentations and