This report is aimed to provide the description of the course I teach, touch upon the ohilosophy, teaching materials, give characteristics to one of the subjects as well as describe used teaching approaches.
At the college (the name of college is needed) I teach Employability Skills, Introduction to Computers, and Business Travel. These subjects form part of the newly opened Business Department.
Philosophical values and approach
The philosophical values that are maintained by the program are based on the adult education concepts of such scholars as Ellias and Merriam.
The program that I teach supports behaviorism in adult education and emphasizes such concepts as control, behavioral modification, learning through reinforcement and management by objectives (Elias, 1980). By maintaining these values students can focus on the course aims as well as on the best ways to achieve the expected results.
The approach applied to teaching the course is based on the idea of Humanistic Adult Education by Ellias & Merriam (1999). Humanistic Adult Education is related in its development to existential philosophy and humanistic psychology. The key concepts that are emphasized in this approach and also highlighted by the program are freedom and autonomy, trust, active cooperation and participation, and self-directed learning. The Adult Education practices connected with this philosophical approach are group dynamics, group relations training, group processes, sensitivity workshops, encounter groups, and self-directed learning. The main focus of humanism is the learner’s personal goals and aspirations. Humanistic approach is learner centred and concentrates on the learner’s motivation.
My role, as a business instructor, is to facilitate the learning process, and ensure that students reach the learning outcomes required by the SSS (Saudi Skills Standards).
The SSS outcomes can be used to plan teaching and learning. Business teachers need an in-depth understanding of the SSS requirements and need to be clear about how any accreditation relates to the goals of individual learners. They need to produce schemes of work based on the core curriculum for learning programs. Teachers may work with learners of mixed levels within one class, so they need to identify learning outcomes for different levels of progress and achievement by different groups of learners in the class.
As the SSS does not sufficiently supply teachers with resources, most of them need to be developed. There is, however, a wealth of content online as well as material available from colleagues teaching similar courses.
Much of the course outcomes are not easily achievable, for all students have different capabilities. Many of them lack basic study skills, which results in the constant absence of homework. These issues create a very challenging task for maintaining a balance between satisfying SSS outcomes, and creating material that students could understand.
Background experience
The experience of working in customer services environment, as well as extensive travelling can assist me with the Employability Skills and Business Travel courses respectively. Dealing with clients in a busy contact center required skills such as courtesy, friendliness, good attendance, punctuality, flexibility, and a positive attitude towards work. These are terms and virtues that formed part of the SSS outcomes that needed to be taught to the second level students, and also skills needed for employment.
Introduction to Computers: the description of the course
Introduction to Computers requires learners to learn and understand basic IT functions such as opening programs, closing programs, printing, saving, and using Microsoft Office functions. Due to having much experience of working with computers, I can achieve the course outcomes without difficulties.
Much of the resources are found online, and then tweaked to make it more understandable for students. It has been a point of contention, that the level of students does not meet the standards of the SSS, and that much of the outcomes are of too high level for students to grasp. This problem has been compounded by the fact that students have to commute up to two hours each day to get to college.
Decrepit and obsolete infrastructure also represents a challenge for reaching the course outcomes. The computer laboratories contain computers over seven years, and these consequently are prone to switching off in the middle of exercises and examinations. This hindrance results in a general lack of motivation. The college is also prone to power outages, which results in valuable time being lost.
After one year of study, students can to pass an external exam called the Capstone, which would enable them to achieve an Associate Diploma. They have the option of continuing their education, in order to complete a Diploma in Business Studies. The department at the college dealing with creating and maintaining contacts with companies, organizations and government institutions assists students in gaining employment upon completion of the diploma.
Below is a scheme of work for Introduction to Computers for this term:
The scheme of work is mapped to the SSS core curriculum. The outcomes of the scheme of work are incorporated into lesson plans. All lesson plans have differentiated objectives to cater for widely differing educational backgrounds, different language and literacy needs. Language relating to the business course is presented in the contexts which are relevant and interesting to the learners.
Teaching approach
My approach to delivering this subject was to start with the basic topics in computer studies. They included:
-Theories relating to ergonomically friendly ways to use office furniture. Although many of the learners are quite adept at using smart phone technology, they still lack the basics awareness of Information Technology functions.
-Word processing skills. They are required in most other subjects, so this is an ideal topic where students can develop their typing, and Microsoft Word skills. These correspond to the SSS outcomes that require students to have basic computer skills.
Below is an extract of the Skills Scope, from the Qualifications Specification Booklet of the SSS.
Although the scope is quite basic, many students still struggle with these concepts, and much repetition and practice is required for the weaker learners to master these tasks.
My approach also incorporates using stronger students to assist the weaker ones, and even call up the stronger students to act as teachers and demonstrate IT functions. This form of facilitation is very effective in creating the atmosphere of inclusiveness. Students do not feel shy to ask questions, as they are in groups of four and are able to consult one another.
In conclusion, this report has analyzed the way in which resources for the course meet individual needs of learners. Making the most of the almost obsolete technology, is a challenge, but can result in outstanding achievements. All of the outcomes have been reached for this course, as is evidenced by assessment results and feedback from students.
The following report is going to dwell upon some challenges met during the lessons and describe the approaches and methods which I apply to teaching my course.
Cultural miscomprehension
The depiction of females, especially if they are not respectably dressed, can be very offensive. The depiction of alcohol, drugs, and anything that may be considered explicit should be avoided, when developing resources for lesson plans. However, learners are still very interested in western culture and norms in the west. For example, I was teaching a subject called business travel, and students were curious as to what the different modes of travel were, as well as tourist attractions in other countries. This was easily illustrated by means of YouTube videos, but students were quick to point out that there were many females on the video, and that this was not appropriate.
Approach to address different levels
There are students of varying levels within most classrooms, and I try to deal with this issue using different methods.
The first one is differentiation, when students are divided into “weaker” and “stronger” groups. The “weaker” group is assigned easier tasks, whereas the “stronger” group is assigned more difficult ones. This results in creating a more motivating atmosphere for the “weaker” group, and a more challenging atmosphere for the “stronger” group, so that they are not bored with easier tasks.
The other method is to pair weaker and stronger students, so that they can assist one another. Students are sometimes shy or afraid to ask questions for fear of being ridiculed or laughed at. Sometimes, calling upon a student to demonstrate how to do a task in front of the class, is an excellent way of building confidence. However, it could also lead to embarrassment if the student is not capable of completing the task correctly.
Approach of constructive criticism
For the subject of Marketing, I called upon the services of the college’s Marketing Manager to do a constructive criticism of the Marketing students’ creation of a poster, that formed part of the college’s marketing campaign. The manager advised students on the intricacies of poster design, and initiated changes to their designs to make it more professional. These posters were then displayed around the college, as part of the clean-up campaign.
Work-based learning approach
During the term, a field trip to the airport was organized for the Business Travel students. The purpose of the trip was for students to gain better insight into the inner workings of the airport, and also to learn more about employment at the airport. Students were briefed on the daily operations of the airport, and informed on the safety regulations that needed to be followed to ensure that the airport operated in an efficient manner.
The worksheet below was given to students before they embarked on their field trip to the airport. It proved to be effective in generating interest in employment at the airport, as well as improving general knowledge. Students were required to ask the related questions to the relevant staff at the airport, and this formed part of the outcomes that needed to be learned by mandate of the Saudi Skills Standard.
Example of Resource (3):
Algonquin College Jazan
Business Travel
Put the following sentences in the correct order:
_____________ Wait at the boarding gate
_____________ Board the plane
_____________ Go to check-in desk
_____________ Go through immigration
_____________ The plane takes off
_____________ Arrive at airport
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does the immigration officer check for?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the difference between “carry-on” luggage and “check-in” luggage?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How many flights leave Jazan Airport in a week?
__________________________________________________________________
What happens if someone is found with a weapon in his luggage?
Learners from our college listening to a lecture by management of the airport.
Involving technologies into teaching
There is a flexible online learning platform called “Blackboard” which is a learning management system that is used by our branch in Canada. This system can be downloaded onto smart phones, which enable learners to communicate with teachers and peers in real time. They would be able to monitor their attendance, keep track of their progress for each subject, as well as submit assignments through this application.
Another benefit to using a learning management system is that it offers a centralized source of learning. This means that the training, performance, and development content are offered at all times from the same source. Multiple users can access the information at any given time. These systems ensure consistency in the evaluation and delivery of the material, meaning every user sees the same content through the same manner. These systems let the user design customized training modules that can be used to introduce new equipment, update equipment, or modify operating procedures. On the whole, it would be an exceptional resource that would incorporate blended learning, smart phone technology, as well as old fashioned “chalk and talk” teaching.
Below is an example of a poster that was created on www.canva.com, which is a website dedicated to the sole purpose of creating marketing posters. The user is able to upload images, change font size and color, and create their own text. This was an exceptional tool and resource that was used during my lessons, as it enabled students to work from home at no cost.
The drawback of using this website is that it required much bandwidth or fast internet. Our college has been prone to sporadic or patchy internet service, which made delivering lessons using this resource quite unpredictable.
On the whole it is an excellent resource, as the benefits of its usage far outweigh the disadvantages. It can be used for personal use, as well as in the work environment.
My next resource that I have chosen to use in my lessons is this poster that was found online, advertising McDonalds products.
It created much conversation and generated much interest from students. The poster was presented to them by means of a projector onto the whiteboard, which proved to be effective. During my lesson observation, my observer noted that I could have used another fast food outlet, which was more popular with Saudi Arabian students called Al Baik. This outlet had just opened a new branch in the town, and quite popular among locals.
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
Microsoft word is another teacher’s greatest resource at the college as most of the written exams are designed on this program. Changes can be made with ease; it can be communicated electronically as well as through hard copy.
The disadvantage of this resource is that students tend to lose the handout, and it is difficult to write notes in English, if you are not a native English speaker. This is a skill that, I feel, most students are lacking in, as they rely too much on electronic forms of note taking.
Overall, the report has shown the main approaches and technologies used for teaching my course subjects. The described methods have shown to be effective to meet both students’ needs and SSS requirements.
