The Award in Education and Training

The Award is an introductory qualification for anyone wanting to teach or train others in the further education and skills sector. As it’s an introductory qualification it will not fully qualify you as a teacher, but it will give you a good idea of what it’s like to teach. You can then take a further teaching qualification if required. The Award is ideal if you are not yet in a teaching role, have just started teaching, or just want to know what’s involved. It is the first step on the teaching qualifications' ladder and is offered at level 3 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

It is for anyone who wants to teach or train in the following contexts:

To take the Award, you should:

•          be aged 19 or over

•          have a reasonable command of English, maths, and information and communication technology (ICT)

•          be prepared to study in your own time i.e. reading, research and completing assessment activities

•          have a specialist subject in mind that you would like to teach

The Award is made up of the following three units at level 3 on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

·         Understanding roles, responsibilities and relationships in education and training (3 credits)

·         Understanding and using inclusive teaching and learning approaches in education and training (6 credits)

·         Understanding assessment in education and training (3 credits) There are equivalent units from the Learning and Development qualification:

·         Facilitate learning and development for individuals (6 credits)

·         Facilitate learning and development in groups (6 credits)

·         Understanding the principles and practices of assessment (3 credits).

There are rules of combination which state which of the equivalent units can be used instead of unit two and three of the Award units. To achieve the Award, you will need to gain a total of 12 relevant credits.

The teaching, learning and assessment cycle

·       Identifying needs – finding out what your organisation’s, your own, and your potential learners’ needs are, finding out why learners are taking the programme and what their expectations are, carrying out initial and diagnostic assessments, agreeing individual learning plans, ensuring learners are capable of progressing to their chosen destination

·         Planning learning – preparing teaching and learning plans, and materials to ensure you cover the requirements of the programme, liaising with others

·         Facilitating learning – teaching, training and facilitating learning using a variety of approaches and resources, obtaining feedback to make improvements

·         Assessing learning – checking your learners have gained the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding at all stages throughout their time with you, using formal and informal types and methods of assessment, obtaining feedback to make improvements

·         evaluating learning – obtaining feedback from others, evaluating your role, and all aspects involved with the learning process in order to make improvements for the future. Evaluation could also take place after each stage of the cycle.

Micro teaching

You will be required to deliver a short session, usually to your peers, known as micro teaching, and then evaluate your practice. If you are currently in a teaching role, it may be possible to be observed with your own learners in your teaching environment.

Mentors

If you are already teaching, known as in-service it would be useful to have a mentor. This is someone who is a teacher in the same subject area as yourself. They can give you ongoing support and advice throughout your time working towards the Award.