Ann Gravells reflects on the last 20 years in further education

Ann Gravells reflects on the last 20 years in further educationAnn Gravells writes about her experiences as a lecturer in further education during the last 20 years, and explains what it was like to work in a college environment.THE PASTWow, time really flies! When I was asked to write this article I began reflecting on how different FE is now, to 2003 when FE News began. It also made me realise just how long I’ve been working in the sector. I started in 1983 when there was no access to computers, social media or the internet. It certainly doesn’t feel that long ago, but the last 20 years seems to have gone a lot quicker than the previous 20 years. Perhaps that’s part of getting older!I DIDN’T PLAN TO BE AN FE TEACHERI didn’t plan to be an FE teacher, I trained as a hotel receptionist; a job I loved. However, a local college asked if I would teach a group of trainee receptionists on a part-time basis, and that became my route into teaching. I then progressed over the years to teach other subjects, and to train staff when the Learning and Development units were introduced. Do you remember the change from exams to competence based learning and assessment? If so, you will remember D32 and D33, the qualifications which assessors of competence based programmes had to achieve. These have changed several times over the years, and are no longer mandatory for assessors in some subject areas.In 2003, Ofsted took on the role of inspections in further education, and my role as the quality systems manager at the college had helped prepare for this. I standardised a quality assurance system for 98 different qualifications. Prior to that, each department (or each member of staff) had used their own system. It wasn’t an easy task, however, it helped to improve the assessment and quality assurance process. Ofsted still inspects the FE sector which can put a lot of pressure on staff. I remember the vast amount of evidence and paperwork which was requested was phenomenal. The inspection process has changed over the years, and continues to change, some of you may think for the better, others for worse.IT WASN’T A REQUIREMENT ‘BACK THEN’ FOR FE TEACHERS TO HOLD A TEACHING QUALIFICATIONIt wasn’t a requirement ‘back then’ for FE teachers to hold a teaching qualification; just to have experience and/or a qualification in the subject they would teach. Apart from a few years around 2007 when it did become mandatory, the same still applies. You might think it a bit odd that teachers in FE don’t need to hold a teaching qualification. However, most teachers have worked in industry, and have amazing skills and knowledge to pass onto learners, they just some guidance as to how do it.I achieved my teaching qualifications whilst working at the college. I found the practical side much more useful than the theory side. I must confess, I struggled with the assignment work, i.e. relating theory to practice, I just wanted to pass my knowledge on in an interesting and interactive way. I soon learnt that there was more to my role than just teaching the subject.I remember one occasion when a 16 year old learner confessed she couldn’t tell the time. She had only ever had a digital watch and there were only digital clocks at home. I spent time with her, drawing pictures of clocks and explaining about the big and little hands. Ten years later I bumped into her in the supermarket. She was with her husband and young son. She threw her arms around me and proudly shouted ‘this is Ann – she taught me to tell the time’. Although a little embarrassing at the time, I had clearly made an impact upon her, and she had never forgotten me or my name. Being a teacher is not just about teaching your subject, it’s about treating each learner as an individual, and supporting them however you can.FE TEACHER TRAINING WAS UNSATISFACTORYOfsted’s report: The Initial Teacher Training of Further Education Teachers (2003) declared that FE teacher training was unsatisfactory. This led to new q...