Welcome all to our Learning Reps 2020 programme. Here you will find all the supports you need to follow the programme over the Summer months. This page provides some background to the programme itself; introduces all the participants and explains about course structure. As we agree dates and times, they will be listed here also.
About us: This programme was originally developed in conjunction with Dr. Ian Manborde of the RED Learning Co-operative in the UK (formerly of Ruskin) who has had considerable experience training union educators with, for example, the ILO and the ITF. In 2017 Learning Reps was offered at SIPTU College by means of two residential modules, 5 days in June and 2 days in October. Covid restrictions mean we cannot do similar this year hence this online version. I will build on Ian’s original work and he will have some oversight and input, but mostly the tutor is myself, Tish Gibbons, Head of SIPTU College.
About you: There were over 20 applicants for the course which might have been manageable in a physical classroom but not for a virtual one. Selection was based on academic criteria; subject expertise; industrial relations experience; location and general suitability to assist with the ICTU/SIPTU Trade Union Studies certificate programme. The ten of you are those who scored highest on those criteria. You will all meet at Unit 1 via TEAMS on Thursday 2nd of July, but in the meantime, here are your classmates:
Aideen Carberry – SIPTU
Brian McGann – SIPTU
Dimma van Dulmen – SIPTU
Fiona Dunne – One Movement
Hilary Kelleher – FORSA
Lisa Connell – FORSA
Marie O’Connor – SIPTU
Paul Hardy – SIPTU
Sean Carabini – FORSA
Theresa Butler – SIPTU
About the course – there are 10 units in the course and we aim to deliver all 10 in succession over July and August. Some will necessitate attendance at TEAMS while others are designed for you to take at a time that suits you. Each unit will consist of reading/audio/video materials/debate on some aspect of union education/classroom techniques followed by linking that material to the relevant parts of the Trade Union Studies (TUS) programme. So for example, if Unit 1 talks about course aims, objectives and outcomes, it will discuss those from a generic point of view first, and then explore the aims, objectives and outcomes of this course and then, those of TUS. And now for the dreaded homework, yes each unit has one small task for you to undertake and submit, but nothing too onerous. We envisage a commitment of about 2 hours per week so that should be manageable. Each Unit will have its own page here on the Learning Reps 2020 page and you can move back and forward in any order you want, but TEAMS sessions will address them in the order in which they are listed below:
| Unit | Topic | Link to TUS |
1 | Aims, objectives and learning outcomes Barriers to adult learning | TUS Programme Review – aims, objectives, outcomes |
2 | Approaches to adult learning Union education | TUS Return-to-Learn module Learner profile |
3 | Teaching styles/ Teaching methods | Teaching & Learning strategy TUS Core modules |
45. | The Union Educator Teaching Styles and Lesson Planning | Teaching & Learning strategy TUS Elective modules TUS Module Descriptors and Indicative Content
|
6. | Validation Quality Assurance | NCI QA – QQI regulations Learner handbook NCI Learner Support |
7. | Am I ready to teach? | The siptulearn site
|
| 8. | Teaching online | (FutureLearn) |
| 9. | Assessments – what, why, how, who, when, where… | Sample assessments; AVA (assessment, verification and authentication process in TUS) |
| 10 | Marking; 2nd marking; Feedback and “Feedforward” | Sample assessments – external examiner reports |
| Evaluations – mine, yours and theirs | Micro Teach your own TUS! |
I will upload each unit as I get them prepared and you can access each by clicking on the link (the Unit number) in the table above. If there’s no link, I haven’t done it yet – watch this space!
Tish – Wednesday 24th June