The New Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DIT)

This educational researcher has made a huge impact in the world of educational research and is referenced widely in blogs, articles, textbooks and assignments worldwide.  Who is he and what are his main findings?  What makes him so influential?

The new Level 5 DiT (replacing the current DET course) is being launched soon and, at Train Aid, we are very excited about this!  We feel that it is a fully comprehensive teaching course for those aiming to work in further education.  This give us a chance to reflect on how to successfully assess learners in a holistic way.  We want learners to feel that they have the chance to show every aspect of their teaching and learning and to come out of the course feeling confident and ready.  Previously, assessment methods have been fairly traditional, with written assignments dominating.  In this blog, we will explore how the DiT will be assessed at Train Aid.

As you may know, the DET qualification is being phased out and is to be replaced by the DIT (diploma in education and training: further education).  We are very excited about this at Train Aid and feel that this qualification is thorough, interesting and open to more varied assessment methods.

Open fractures are also referred to as compound fractures whereby the broken bone penetrates the outer skin. These are incredibly painful and serious injuries, which require urgent assistance from medical professionals. A little first aid knowledge can help whilst awaiting for help to arrive.

It can be a daunting prospect when you make the decision to set up your own training centre and itis something we are often asked about at Train Aid. The process can vary slightly depending on yoursubject specialism, but generally the process is very similar.

Oil burns have the potential to be far more serious than typical scald injuries from water. These types of burns often occur at home, and sadly in many cases, involving children. Urgent first aid treatment is required in order to minimise soft tissue damage.

Learners’ behaviour can have a massive impact on a teacher, in a positive and negative way. At times, you can be stuck in a cycle of negativity with behaviour management. You know something needs to change, but how? It’s never too late to work on this key aspect of teaching and learning. Remember that any poor behaviour will also be affecting other learners and their access to your subject.

The common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a plant that is native to the UK and can reach heights of up to two metres. The tiny hairs on the plant's leaves can cause the skin to sting and swell. Although not typically threatening these stings will require some basic first aid treatment  to alleviate any pain. 

AI is a huge issue for all of us today – including those of us working in education and training.  Adaptive teaching and assessment is becoming more widely used in education and training – this is the process of adapting the level and materials given to the learner and then setting them an assessment based on this.  This is all AI generated, using a wealth of resources.  Automated assessments are certainly where education is heading and are becoming extremely popular.  Are they ever difficult for the teacher or trainer to manage or are they always helpful?

Neil Fleming’s VARK model, established in 1987, is one of the most popular methods used to help learners to identify their preferred learning style and understand more about how people can learn best and retain information within a teaching setting. 

For any successful course to be taught,  careful planning and preparation must take place. The teaching & learning cycle provides any teacher or trainer with a logical planning system to deliver well-structured lessons and to gain constructive feedback from learners & stakeholders. 

The Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) produced by David Kolb in 1984 is regarded as one of the most widely utilised learning styles models within education and training. The model proposes that people learn best from having a direct experience within an activity for the first time, with the opportunity to reflect on the experience.

We are really excited about the changes to the current Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training coming in September!  The qualification is going to be re-named the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills).

Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1943.  This is regarded as one of the most popular and well-known theories of motivation which can be applied to many different sectors such as: teaching, leadership and management and sports coaching.

There seems to be much discussion about ‘adaptive teaching’ in education as we look towards 2024.  Av Srivastava in ‘Learning Light,’ explains the meaning as ‘...to use technology to improve education and training by providing individualised programmes to students based on data that is gathered both before and throughout the learning process.’

Online learning has been a hot topic for the last few years.  Many employees are being encouraged back into the office after the sudden need for remote/home working during the COVID pandemic era.  Some companies are suggesting a 2 day at home/3 day in the office working routine.  Like anything, remote work has had its advantages and disadvantages in most cases and there has been much discussion in the media about increased or decreased work productivity.  In education, remote or distance learning was a huge change in 2020, especially to primary and secondary school settings.  University courses were mainly taught online and schools and colleges were closed to most learners during the lockdowns, so virtual learning was vital.  Now that the world is largely back to ‘normal’, is there still a place for online learning in education and training?

ChatGPT has featured heavily in the media, both in terms of educational literature and social media.  It is an artificial (AI) chatbot, developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022.  Amongst its skills are: writing texts of varying length, explaining topics or translating text.  You can ‘train it’ to improve its effectiveness, based on your own preferences and likes/dislikes.

Meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It can affect anyone but more usually infants, children, teenagers and young adults. The key to the condition is to spot the symptoms early and get the casualty to hospital as quickly as possible.