Competence in the Work Environment Essay

2.1Comp atomic number 18 the strengths and weaknesses of sound guessment methods. Assessment commode give in place in a variety of settings, a great deal(prenominal) as classrooms, lecture rooms, piece of calculates (or in a simulation of workplace conditions), community and prep establishments or examination h completelys. No matter where it takes place or what remains it takes, appraisal always involves observation, evaluation, or questioning or a gang of some or alone of the three. on that point atomic number 18 many assorted methods of head t severallyer, a few regularly spendd atomic number 18-observation, evaluation or questioning. Whether they be used fix upively or summatively, the most important issue is whether the opinion is appropriate for the intended step to the forecome. individually pupil is initially given a acquisition styles questionnaire to complete. From this questionnaire the tax assessor fucking establish which from judgement white thorn character the bookman best.ObservationThe assessor observes the scholarly persons as they execute start assesss delimit in the standards for the qualification. This observation often takes place in the workplace, or the conditions of the workplace, unless it bed also be carried out in any early(a) place where the savant is under taking practical activities which is a positive. Assessors should ideally envision observations to take advantage of any skills or activities that occur naturally in the discipline environment, and to make the best use of the available resources. There are times however when an assessor whitethorn spontaneously observe a learner carry out a task which great deal be written up as an observation. One of the weaknesses of observations is that some learners amy beome self concious or shy/embarresed and feel they are existence watched and graded. The residents or clients may also act disparately if they are aware that an observation is taki ng place and base lead to a distorted picture of the dead on target nature of the learners role.EvaluationIn some areas, as learners work towards achieving their qualifications they im slice generate evidence in the form of products of their work. This is the case in qualifications in Health and Social cover for instance which is primarily a work-based or practical qualification. Learners may produce CVs, diet plans, weight charts, take a hopive accounts which can all be used to assess their knowledge in a chosen subject area. These can be incredibly posistive and allow the learner to reflect and be proud of his/her praxiss and positives. The weakness with evalution is that it has to be do correctly, with decent time to explore areas that may learn extra work and move on the learner in a positive way. oppugn and talk ofions with the learnerQuestioning can be used whenever an assessor wants to assess knowledge and pinch and the various different applications of knowledge such as reasoning, planning, analysing and evaluating.Questioning can be used to* swan knowledge and understanding where it is non evident from surgical operation * Address gaps in knowledge and understanding in executing based units * Au accordingly(prenominal)ticate evidence by asking learners to explain part of the evidence and/or describe the process of producing it * Assess contingencies where it would not be practical or safe to wait until the skill or activeness can be observed *You can use oral or written questions, depending on the requirements of the outcomes of units being assessed and the circumstances of the assessment. Your choice of method should reflect any special assessment requirements your learners may arrest. For example, some learners do not respond well to written questions in any case, you should always realize that the appropriate reading level is usedDiscussions give the assessor the luck to gauge the learners knowledge and highlight areas lacki ng which can be taught at a later date. A weakness in discussions and questioning is that the assessor has to be careful not to lead or prompt or give the answer to the learner as it may not be valid. way out 3Understand how to plan assessment3.1Key factors when planning assessmentWhen planning an assessment in that respect are a number of factors to be considered. Who are you assessing? What do you want them to achieve? Where will the assessment take place? How long do you have? Once you have answered these you then need to look at applying a holistic approach. victimization a holistic approach means that many areas of work and outcomes can be cover at the same time. The assessment process isnt fair about watching a learner complete a task it is about, discussion, planning, implementing and reflection.Areas of risk that may be mingled when I assess a learner in the care setting are minimal solely may still arise. An example of this would be assessing a learner carrying out a man ual handling task. Has the learner had the appropriate training to carry out the task? Is there a moment of equipment involved and has it been tried for use. Is the learner competent and confident to carry out the task? Do I feel that I have assessed any risk involved and am I happy for my learner to proceed? If I am not happy at anytime then the assessment will be stopped and a further risk assessment carried out. During the initial opposition the learner will have completed a Learning Styles Questionnaire, this should have highlighted any areas such as pass on learning unavoidably or dyslexia and the planning of an assessment should take this into consideration.3.2 Benefits of using holistic assessmentUsing a holistic assessment enables the assessor to cover a life-sized range of outcomes in a number of diploma units with one piece of evidence. Holistic assessment may for example cover infection concord and manual handling. By referencing outcomes well the learner will see that normald progress is being made and opportunities area taken. It saves time from both the learners and the assessors point of view.3.3 How to apply holistic assessment when planning assessmentAs the assessor meets with the learner and plans for each one technical certificate or unit of work they should be thinking about how best a holistic assessment would fit into the plan and how it can be sweep referenced. The learner must then be in agreement and mutual opposition the plan.3.4Summarise the types of risk that may be involved in assessmentWhen lecture about risk there are a number of different kinds. There is physical/environmental risk to learner, client and assessor and there is emotional/psychological risk. Environmental issues in care setting such as fire, health and safety, trip hazards, the clients themselves. Emotionally learners could feel they are being pushed if too much work is given at once or they may not feel they are being challenged enough. This creates u nrealistic and unnecessary risk stress on the learner and is far from beneficial and contributive to good work being produced.3.5.1 How to minimise risks through the planning process. invent number one that is produced with the learner will have ensured that the learner is on the job(p) in safe conditions and if needed any risk assessments have been done, i.e. if the learner is under 18 years old. The plan will also view that the employers insurance liability is up to date. The assessor will discuss with the learner how best to handle their work load to cause minimum stress. Some learners prefer large assignments whilst others prefer small chunks at a time. By knowing your learner you will know whether their work is true(p) and justifiable, it is important that they are told about not copying and pasting articles as their accept work and explain to them what plagiarism is.Outcome 4Understand how to involve learners and others in assessment 4.1 Explain the magnificence of inv olving the learner and others in the assessment processThere are a large number of reasons why its so important to involve the learner in assessment. The diploma is for the candidate, its their work, and there goals and they need to feel as if they own it. By clear amour the learner will know what is expected from them and clearly understand the standards and criteria. By involving others in the planning such as senior colleagues and managers then witness statements can be provided, time allocated for learning and support.4.2 Types of discipline available to learners.In set out for a learner to complete their diploma they should be given any necessary teaching method and resources. This may include handouts, oral teaching sessions and websites to look at. Other types of development are items such as standards and the criteria they need to meet. The learner will be told how the evidence is gathered an in what format such as written accounts, reflective accounts, observations.4.3 How can peer and self-assessment be used to promote learner involvement and responsibility?4.4How can assessment arrangements be adapted to meet the needs of the individual learner? Each candidates assessment needs must be considered in relation to the assessment being undertaken. Most candidates will require more than one assessment arrangement. For example, candidates who have a visual impairment, hearing imparient or advanced learning needs .Outcome 5Understand how to make assessment decisions5.1When assessment evidence we use the following scathe-Valid, authentic, current and sufficient.When assessing a learners evidence as an assessor I have to be satisfied that the work submitted is the learners own work and not plagiarised from a book or the internet. It is often easy to tell when this happens as the terms used and flow of the writing changes. Within the realms of health and social care the standards, policies and procedures are continually updated to ensure national stand ards are met, with this in mind it is important that the learners work is current and up to date with knowledge that his germane(predicate) and not historical. I also have to consider whether the work submitted is sufficient, has it covered the entire outcome required and does it show an understanding of the subject.5.2In order for assessment decisions to be reliable and fair between learners there are a set of learning outcomes and criteria that have to be achieved. Each learner is made aware of these outcomes and criteria and their work should demonstrate this. Each learner is assessed against the criteria and outcomes.Outcome 6Understand how your assessments contribute to the quality assurance of assessment6.1 6.2 6.3There is great importance of quality assurance in the assessment process as it shows whether the procedure targets are being met against national standards that are in place. Within my workplace all work is quality assured by an Internal verifier (IV). The IV is q ualified and occupationally competent in the subject that they insist. The role of the IV is to provide support, advice and guidance to the assessing team. The IV holds regular standardisation meetings with the assessors and also gives matched support and feedback on learners portfolios.When the portfolios of learners have been assessed and internally verified, and all the assessment criteria have been met, the IV should arrange for the centre to apply for attestation for those learners. This will prompt a trim down from the External Verifier to confirm the assessment and verification decisions made at the centre. The IV is responsible for ensuring that the elaborate of the learners applying for certification, the assessor(s) involved, and the IV activity in relation to those assessors. The EV will visit the centre to verify the assessment and internal verification decisions made by centre staff. Where there are large numbers of learners this is normally done on a sampling basi s. The sample is selected by the EV, to allow them to verify the work of all assessors across a range of evidence types and performance criteria and is based on the IVs sampling plan. It may be necessary for the EV to sample more portfolios than was originally planned, or all the portfolios in the group, so all portfolios should be available on the sidereal day of the EVs visit. If a learner feels .Outcome 7Understand how to manage information relating to assessment of occupational competence7.1 7.2It is important to follow procedures for the management of information relating to assessment for a number of reasons. The assessor should regularly update learning records to provide accurate information on the learners achievement. At my place of work we use a com stationer system called Zylab which tracks each learners progress through a colour chart system. The up to date information contributes to evidence of quality assurance and standardisation, pointing out learners that need ext ra help or who are falling behind. I use the Zylab forms to show my learners how they are progressing, to see a visual copy of progress and can be extremely rewarding and increases willingness to learn and achieve.The use of feedback and questioning during the assessment process allows me as an assessor to clarify and judge the learners understanding and knowledge in certain areas. Giving critical feedback to soul is a delicate process. It is very important to assure that you approach the task with sensitivity to the persons feelings to avoid the common problem of a very defensive reaction. An example of giving positive, negative and positive feedback is- You genuinely did an excellent job with that Communication essay everybody has been very impressed In the future, it would be better to avoid naming people that havent accepted all the methods you outline. Its great that you put so much thought into this and a lot of people are going to gain ground from it This is often referr ed to as a feedback sandwich.Outcome 8Understand the statutory and good practice requirements in relation to assessment8.1The organisation that I work for has legal requirements, polices and procedures in relation to assessment. Each visit to see a learner I ask whether there have been any incidents that have occurred, all emotionally or from a health and safety perspective. If there has been then I check an incident form has been completed (if appropriate), what measures have been put in place to ensure it doesnt happen again and I take time to listen to the learner express themselves. All work undertaken is dealt with in a confidential manner. No names of places, clients, service users or staff are used in portfolio evidence and the learner knows that they can talk to me in a confidential manner. Clear records of learning are kept for all learners as mentioned before we use Zylab sheets which must be updated every Friday. The organisation has a responsibility to ensure that all learners are given equal opportunity to develop and learn and the organisation recognises the transition in each one.8.2The use of technology can make in the assessment process is invaluable. I have a learner with advanced learning needs who really struggles with writing and spelling. To overcome this we use a Dictaphone and use the recording as oral evidence. The organisation now offers on line training which for many learners is ideal as the use of figurers indoors day to day lives and workplaces becomes far more common. It has to be remembered though that there are older learners that we assess that dont have the computer skills and would rather use a paper portfolio. Each learner needs to be assessed as an individual.8.3There are legal and best practice requirements that have to be met in relation to assessment with regards to gender, disability, race/ destination/religion and language. Each learner that enrols on a course is initially assessed as to any factors which could le ad to advanced learning needs. These needs may be due to language barriers, religion or culture. For every learning need identified the organisation has a duty to ensure each one is recognised and the appropriate support is given.