Lecturing versus teaching PLC

missmol2010

If you had a choice between lecturing in an Institute of Technology versus teaching PLC which would you opt for and why?

implausible

Lecturing.

Teaching PLC is closer to secondary school. I am a qualified secondary school teacher and teach Level 5 PLC courses in my school. I am assuming (open to correction) that to lecture in an IT you need higher qualifications than a degree and HDip.

Tom Dunne

deemark wrote: »

Teaching PLC is closer to secondary school.

Believe me, sometimes lecturing at an IT isn't too far off secondary school either.

deemark wrote: »

I am a qualified secondary school teacher and teach Level 5 PLC courses in my school. I am assuming (open to correction) that to lecture in an IT you need higher qualifications than a degree and HDip.

You don't need a HDip to lecture at an IT.

What you do need is an honours degree and three years post-grad experience.

Having said that, in the last IT I worked in, all my co-workers had a masters, so it seems as if it is becoming the norm.

LilMsss

It really depends on you and your style of teaching. I've done both and much prefer teaching in Further Ed. as it suits me, my interests and my way of working so much more.

I lectured in a Dublin University and the standard expected is quite high - minimum requirement for lecturers was a Masters and there was an expectation that if you didn't have a PhD., you were working on it in the background. There isn't as much interaction with students at university level, and the preparation for each lecture was a killer (as it also is in Further Ed. BTW) as the students were of a good standard to begin with and were very inquisitive - you really had to know your stuff.

What I love about Further Ed. is the interaction with students. It's not easier than lecturing, just different! I like the structure given by FETAC modules, especially Level 6, as I can design an entire course within a clear assessment structure based on my interpretation of the module/subject. Whereas in lecturing, you have to design the entire course from scratch with little if any imput from the Faculty.

My Further Ed. students come from a range of abilities and while sometimes you have to go back to basics, you can also aim quite high with them as they are able for so much more than you think.

Lecturing can be solitary, as you are doing most of the talking, prep and research on your own. Your colleagues are generally doing the same, so it can be tough. With lecturing, the emphasis is on research, whereas in teaching at this level, on top of your contact hours there will be a mountain or admin, corrections, QA etc - more than you can even imagine.

For me, teaching is the only way to go, as I get so much more than I ever did lecturing. I can communicate with the students on a much more personal level and really see them improve in a way that just isn't possible in other educational settings.

Hope you make a decision you're happy with.

smcgiff

Very interesting, LilMsss

Tom Dunne

LilMsss wrote: »

Lecturing can be solitary, as you are doing most of the talking, prep and research on your own. Your colleagues are generally doing the same, so it can be tough. With lecturing, the emphasis is on research, whereas in teaching at this level, on top of your contact hours there will be a mountain or admin, corrections, QA etc - more than you can even imagine.

For me, teaching is the only way to go, as I get so much more than I ever did lecturing. I can communicate with the students on a much more personal level and really see them improve in a way that just isn't possible in other educational settings.

I seem to be saying this a lot of late, but I think there needs to be a distinction drawn between lecturing at an IT and lecturing at a University.

I don't find lecturing any way solitary, quite the opposite, in fact. If you build up a good rapport with students, you find them coming to you rather too often, looking for advice. Also, given the practical nature of the work in an IT, you do tend to be more involved, rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in more.

Yes, it is more like secondary teaching in that respect, but the structure is much looser in so far as the learning is up to the student. You act as part facilitator, part inspiration, part teacher.

It is the combination of those three ingredients and the "Eureka moment" that make it enjoyable for me.

looksee

I can't compare as I have never lectured in 3rd level, beyond a couple of visiting lecturer situations. However I love teaching in FE. You are (mostly) past the 'zoo keeping' of secondary and while many of the students have issues of one sort or another, they find themselves in an atmosphere that is different to school and they are interested in the course they are studying.

As a teacher you are steering a fine line between 'telling them what they should do' - school style, and figuring it out for themselves - third level style. You need to be very patient, very supportive, and very positive about them working to the highest standard they can. You also need to be able to spot 'arm chancing' and excuses (how many grandparents can possibly die in any one year?). In any class you could have a range of people from very weak to - occasionally - having a third level qualification, and from teens to forties and fifties.

I don't think there is any comparison really between lecturing and FE teaching, it depends on what you prefer to do yourself.