Education has always had a purpose in my life Essay Example

student in secondary education, I also had a negative experience of reading out loud to the whole class when English was not my strength. As a teacher, I avoid making students feel uncomfortable by only asking for volunteers. Because of my past experiences as a learner, I understand the importance of using different learning styles in my teaching.

During the aforementioned negative experience, the predominant learning style was behaviourist, heavily reliant on teacher guidance and premised on rewards and punishments. Though praise was given sparingly as a reward, punitive measures were more frequent and entailed facing additional questioning in front of the entire group if an answer was incorrect. This would lead to humiliation if there were multiple incorrect responses, thereby creating an environment akin to bullying and belittlement. Consequently, learners developed a fear of failure and there was no room for a humanist approach. The learner's sense of safety and support was compromised and there was no agreement on shared learning objectives.

The teacher displayed bullying behavior rather than facilitating peer-to-peer learning or active learning. The humanistic approach to learning requires self-motivated learners and may not be effective if introduced late in the course. The group in attendance consisted of middle-aged individuals who were personally motivated to attend. However, due to the behaviorist and trainer-led approach, coupled with bullying and humiliation, the learners lost their motivation and the humanistic approach would not have been effective. This experience highlighted the significance of employing suitable learning styles based on the group and subject matter. For instance, for younger groups who are required to attend, a behaviorist approach may be necessary to maintain control of the learning experience.

If a

group of learners is enthusiastic and motivated to attend, the behaviorist approach may be unnecessary. However, it's crucial to consider the negative effects that belittlement and bullying from a teacher can have on students' learning, which could create an unhealthy cycle where pupils fear failure and lose motivation. To counteract this, frequent and immediate praise can be a potent motivator. As Marland (1993) suggests, even completing simple tasks can provide students with educational value and satisfaction. Encouraging positive learning experiences and valuing students' efforts can help break the cycle of negativity and lead to greater academic success. Petty (2003) refers to this as the "Learning Cycle."

During any teaching session, it is crucial to remember the importance of personalized training, especially considering my negative experiences as a past learner. As the Founder and Director of a small Health and Safety Training company established over six years ago, I recognized a market need for high-quality customized instruction. My motivation for starting the company stemmed from my unsatisfactory experience at a local college. Our company prioritizes providing exceptional tailored education while maintaining a well-defined organizational structure in which employees are assigned specific roles and responsibilities under my oversight of all business aspects.

By not having a ranking system, I have complete decision-making responsibility within the company. This allows for easy implementation of new ideas and changes without any hindrance. Communication is crucial, as regular staff meetings and trainer forums serve as important platforms to share experiences and address issues for continuous improvement. The emphasis on development aligns with the company's vision of providing excellent quality and its mission to offer exceptional training by maintaining high standards and encouraging growth

among members. All employees contributed in creating these significant statements during a collaborative staff meeting in 2008, giving them ownership.

To ensure fairness and unity among employees, there are strict rules concerning dress code, use of company equipment, and general behavior. A sense of ownership was fostered among employees in creating the general behavior rules, while the company dress code was implemented according to the creator's standards. When recruiting, it is crucial to pay attention to preserving the organization's culture and values. As a small company, all employees must share or cultivate the company's meaning and values.

Although we are a small team, we must always remember and incorporate the company values, just like larger organizations. It is important to realize that values alone are not effective; processes and structures need to be in place to implement them. Talk is not sufficient; action is necessary. We need to be practical, hands-on, and focused on implementation (Runshaw College, 2002). The current system for teaching staff involves listening to their opinions, potentially implementing them, and developing them into company procedures. This creates a positive atmosphere similar to the positive motivation learning cycle, but for teaching employees instead of learners.

This enhances a sense of belonging and respect that motivates students to embody shared values, leading to improved learning outcomes and overall company performance. As a fortunate member of the company, I am able to implement necessary changes beneficial to students, teachers, and the organization. For instance, I may suggest a teacher use an interactive DVD for young learners during a youth course. Learning strategies vary depending on subject, learning outcomes, assessments, available resources, and time allocation.

According to Petty

(2009:103), the practice of whole-class interactive teaching is not a singular method of instruction, but rather a collection of highly structured approaches. These approaches utilize various learning strategies aimed at promoting active learning among students, which align with the Humanist approach to learning. This approach emphasizes the importance of engaging learners in making sense of information, rather than simply delivering it to them (Scales, 2008:71). When teaching practical subjects like First Aid, active learning activities are easy to incorporate, such as group work, watching presentations or DVDs, role-plays, practicing practical skills, sharing personal experiences, and conducting research and presenting information to the class. During the lesson planning stage, it is crucial to include these different strategies in a way that ensures students will meet the learning outcomes. Otherwise, keeping students busy without achieving the desired outcomes is pointless.

My past experiences have influenced my use of the learning strategy of lecturing. After realizing the minimal benefit I gained from lecturing, I now limit my use of it as a teacher. Instead, I encourage learners to share their own knowledge and past experiences, research topics for themselves, and engage in peer-to-peer teaching. Working in a team of teachers who attend trainer forums provides an opportunity to exchange ideas and thoughts with other teachers who use various learning strategies with different students. This allows us to reflect on past learning experiences and evaluate them.

With a small and reflective team always looking to improve, ideas for enhancing course quality can be quickly implemented. This is due to the ability to make decisions instantly - for example, when purchasing new resources - as I have final say and there is

no need for approval. Overall, this approach has a positive impact on learning.

Assessing a learning encounter holds significance as we inherently think. However, our thinking tends to be partial, distorted, or prejudiced without any guidance. The quality of our creations, productivity, and life relies mainly on our thinking ability. Thus, it is crucial to cultivate excellent thoughts persistently to avoid costly poor thinking patterns.

Both learners and teachers need to engage in evaluation, according to www.criticalthinking.org. Learners must assess the quality of their learning experience, while teachers must do the same. Upon completing a course, all learners are required to fill out an evaluation sheet. The results of these evaluations are compiled and used as key performance indicators. An area for potential improvement involves allowing learners to complete the evaluations after they have had time to reflect on the entire course. Typically, students fill out these forms hurriedly and just before departing from the course.

It may be beneficial for learners to reflect and submit feedback forms in order to gain a complete understanding. An area that the organization can improve on is recording the teacher's evaluation of their courses to show how the courses can be adapted to meet individual needs and how effective the course was. Currently, the teacher's evaluation is not recorded or kept, which makes it difficult to reflect on past experiences. After reflecting on personal teaching practices, it is imperative to ensure that any personal stories shared have meaning and value related to the learning objectives, rather than lecturing or sharing personal experiences with the learners.