Week 8

When the Edges Become Blurred

#AdultConversations #52weeks52speaks

Week 8 Nicola Milton

Introduction

I have recently joined Cambridge Regional College, delivering Functional Skills and GCSE English Language to adult learners. My background includes delivering ICT (Information & Communication Technology) to TAs (Teaching Assistants) to support SEN (special Educational Needs) learners; ICT to adults in the wider community and English and IT to 16-19 year olds.

When the edges become blurred

In the midst of this pandemic delivering online lessons; creating digital materials; hosting online 1-2-1 meetings; attending online CPD sessions and staff meetings, it is no wonder many of us are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

Despite being a lover of technology and possessing a keenness to explore new and exciting digital tools, I have been experiencing a bit of a lag. I have always been someone who has always been able to mentally juggle my to do list. But, not now. My system has become corrupted – the need to have something physically written down to regain control has taken over.

Is it me or has the amount of work we have to do as teachers feel like it has doubled since we’ve been teaching online? It could be that we are all actively working harder as the teacher; the administrator; the online session host; the learner in upskilling on tools and then there’s the online marking – that’s a completely different ball game!

I used to moan about the amount of paper I had to mark, all piled up in paper ream box lids for each class and now I find myself missing them like a dear old friend. There’s a certain level of satisfaction and self-praise moment when you finish the final piece of marking in the box – perhaps it is because I’m a tangible person. You wouldn’t find me reading a book on a kindle – I much prefer the real thing. There’s something about being able to physically turn the pages and being immersed in the physical print on the page into the fantasy world between the lines. But, I digress – marking online doesn’t have the same rewarding feeling for me. Yes, I finish marking submitted assignments via Teams or the work within Class Notebook… but that self-validation doesn’t come. I don’t experience quite the same level of rewarding feeling.

Don’t misinterpret this with a love loss of teaching. Nothing could be further from the truth – I love teaching and have embraced the challenge of teaching online. I think what I’m trying to get at is that the workload for a teacher is immense and a coping mechanism that I have always used is to compartmentalise tasks. Box of marking… done, planning… done, teaching… done. Being online for everything doesn’t feel like I am moving from one task to another. The boundaries of my compartmentalised world seem to have become blurred. Direct messages appear in the middle of lesson planning. Assignment submissions come in whilst teaching another class or whilst in a team meeting. These create an urge to read them and respond as soon as possible – comparable to the pull of social media notifications. Ironically, I am tasking my GCSE learners with a writing task arguing for or against the statement ‘The internet is an addictive drug’. Food for thought, isn’t it?

The 24/7 access that our learners have on us means that if we aren’t careful we can feel like we are always on the clock. The message from an adult learner on Saturday desperately asking for support with a job application, to understand wording; the extra time you give to a learner after an evening online lesson, providing feedback and guidance in their preparation for their spoken GESE exam. It can sometimes be hard to manage our self-care and switch off from our jobs when everything is currently happening under the same roof. Do I begrudge helping? Of course not, that’s what I’m there for, and it doesn’t happen all the time.

The pandemic has pushed many of us out of our comfort zones and we have evolved and grown to meet the challenges presented to us. We are still making a difference, just on a much greater scale, both inside and outside of the classroom. My learner passed her GESE spoken exam; too early to know about the job application. But, knowing that we are making this kind of impact on the lives of our adult learners is the greatest reward and one of the things that helps keep me motivated.

Regarding my online marking frustrations, one which I believe many practitioners are experiencing for a multitude of reasons, I am conducting an action research project into alternative feedback strategies. If you are interested in seeing what I have been working on; would like to share your first impressions on some of my solutions or would like to share what you may have been working on to address the problem of marking online for impact, take a look at my padlet on Alternative Feedback Strategies #feedback4impact

Some words of wisdom from our supporter, Helen Osborne.

#AdultConversations #52weeks52speaks

Week 8 Helen Osborne

I am passionate about Adult Education and believe in the benefits of it. This was rocked slightly last year when the organisation I worked for went into administration after due to our size we lost our direct funding four years ago. We struggled through because of the students. I haven’t written about that time or commented on it really, and I’m not going to here as I want to try and illustrate the community you could be a part of.

The rug has been pulled out from under my feet

Where do I go?

What do I do?

I was always at that class

On Tuesday at 2.

Over the years I have seen those that struggled at school or didn’t feel they were accepted found a place in their adult education community. They feel that they belong finally in a learning environment. When that centre closes, whether it’s been due to lockdown or an organisation loses their funding and closes or a building is shut down to save costs, people feel a sense of loss and in some cases let down by the system yet again.

This past year I have seen staff making weekly calls to learners to ensure they are not lonely or isolated. Sometimes it is the only contact they have, and that’s why they feel the rug has been pulled from under their feet.

Taking a step back into learning can be a big one and can bring about anxieties, but when you do take that step you become part of a community and give yourself a reason for being and it opens up a world of possibilities.

I urge you to go and find what adult education is happening in your area, support your local centre and sign up for a course.

Helen Osborne is Director of Performance, Quality & Inclusion at Aspire Sussex. She has worked with 16-25 year olds on the Prince’s Trust Team programme, and with adults in Japan and the UK. She loves the idea of #AdultConversations and is pleased to reconnect with Lou and make new connections with Jo and Mel to help support the ongoing conversations.