Guidance for Completing L4 Assignments

Guidelines to help you write your assignments

Dont rush, allow time to plan and write the assignment, keep a notebook with you to record any thoughts, ideas from other people, references you can research etc. Think of the theme and how it relates to your own teaching situation or a situation you have experienced as a learner. Research and collect some relevant articles, texts, books, data or resources. Make sure that you note any reference details see section on Referencing your Work. Write a first draft this only needs to be some jotted thoughts, even just key words. Make sure that you have included all the ideas that you want to consider and check that you have understood the assignment criteria. Rewrite the draft expressing those ideas in cohesive sentences. Read the draft perhaps offering it to a peer for comments. These could be about content, grammar or style. Does it fulfill the assessment criteria? Check that you have used the right vocabulary/jargon and that any legislation or codes of practice are correctly titled and dated. Edit and re-write the draft, use spell and grammar check. Dont forget to compile a bibliography. Make sure the pages are numbered and that your name is on your work. Check that it is all clear, logical and relevant and has an introduction, main section and a conclusion.

Some general points to consider:

Try to avoid using bullet points. It is acceptable to use them in a limited capacity if the majority of the assignment is in grammatically correct sentences and you have expanded each point with personal analytical comment. Websites can be useful for research but should be used with caution. For example, Wikipedia contains many well-referenced

articles but also includes dubious material with little supporting evidence. You should only quote from Wikipedia, or similar sites, if you have satisfied yourself that the article is reputable, wellresearched and suitably referenced. Do not make generalised unsubstantiated statements e.g. All learners like doing practical tasks. A better example could be: Most learners appear to prefer practical tasks. Petty (1998:170) concludes that supervised practice develops skills, encourages learners to work harder and makes learning more enjoyable. As long as your references are clearly identified within the text, it is acceptable (for this qualification) to include combined reference (the material you have quoted or referred to within your assignment) and bibliography (the reference material you have reviewed) sections under the heading of Bibliography.

Presenting Your Work

Use A4 paper for your assignments, and put your name and the Unit number/assessment criteria in the header plus page numbers in the footer. Use double-spacing, font size 12 and leave wide margins all round to allow your tutor space to comment on your work. Print on one side of the paper only. Assignments should be word-processed. Please consult your tutor immediately if there are special circumstances that prevent you meeting this requirement. Learner Journal entries can be hand-written. Use the Harvard Referencing System and include at least three references in each assignment If submitting a draft assignment, please use email and mark your submission as a draft. Your tutor will only comment on one draft for each assignment. If submitting a hard copy of an individual task, place your work in a single plastic wallet You are strongly advised to keep an electronic copy of all assignments Final submission will be in a portfolio at the end of the course.

Harvard Referencing System

Use the Harvard Referencing System (or Author Date System) for the essays. Good referencing shows you have read around the topic and taken account of expert views and avoids accusations of plagiarism. Its a two part system with the first acknowledgement in the actual body of the essay and then the full reference at the end in the bibliography or references section.

Referencing your work

Below is some detailed guidance about how to apply the Harvard system to different types of reference:

In the Assignment
BOOKS Single Author (Gravells, 2006). Two Authors (Reece and Walker, 2000). More than two authors (Graham et al, 2000). A single authors chapter in an edited collection (Bolam, 1986).

In the Bibliography

Gravells, A. (2006) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, 3rd edition, Exeter, Learning Matters. Reece I and Walker S; (2000) Teaching, training and learning: a practical guide, Business Education Publishers Ltd.

Graham D, McNeil J & Pettiford L (2000), The Untangled Web: developing teaching on the Internet, Kogan Page

Bolam R (1986) Conceptualising in-service training in Hopkins D (ed) In-service Training and Educational Development: an institutional survey, London, Croom-Helm.

ARTICLES IN JOURNALS Single author: (Kotter, 1989). Kotter J (1989) What leaders really do, Harvard Business Review, 67 (3), pp 103-111.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS (DfEE, 1999). DfEE (1999) Circular 17/99: Report on Pupils Achievements at Key Stage 4 and Beyond, London DfEE. INTERNET SOURCES (Dawson et al, 2002) Dawson J., Smith L., Deubert, K., & Grey-Smith S (2002), S Trek 6: Referencing, not plagiarism. Retrieved: October 31, 2002 from http://library.curtin.edu.au/ research_and_information_skills/ referencing/index.html

(Directgov, 2011)

Directgov, (2011) English for speakers of other languages, [www] available at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearnin g/AdultLearning/ImprovingYourSkills/DG_1003749 9 18 July 2011. Curtin University of Technology (n.d.) Retrieved: October 16, 2002, from http://www.curtin.edu.au

(Curtin University of Technology, n.d.)

If a book has more than one edition, indicate which edition you have used for the references. Direct quotes should include a page number after the year in the assignment: (Curzon 1991:236)

Examples: Gravells (2006) recommends a different style of speech when presenting at the board. A different style of speech is recommended when presenting at the board (Gravells, 2006). When presenting at the board it is recommended to read presentations more slowly than you would normally hold a conversation (Gravells, 2006, p59). Gravells (2006, p59) recommends to read presentations more slowly than you would normally hold a conversation.

For more detail, please see http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

Writing at Level 4
Writing at level 4 is not just about adding a few quotes by someone else. It is about researching topics and using recognised sources to supplement what you are saying. For example, consider the following example: Initial assessment is conducted at the beginning of the course to establish if a learner has any previous knowledge or experience. At the stage of initial assessment we are making a judgment about whether a learner can or cant perform a task; does or does not know some body of factual knowledge. (Wallace 2007:166) These two sentences, one in the candidates words and one in Wallaces words are saying basically the same thing. The writing could have been improved by combining them together without a direct quote and expanding with personal reflection: Wallace (2007) agrees that there should be an initial assessment stage to judge the previous knowledge, experience and skills of each learner. To be effective this should either be before or at the start of the course, depending on the subject area. In my subject area, it is best to do the initial assessment (You could then include details of how and when it is done and why.)

NOTE: In both examples the authors name is shown as last name only (no initials or first name). The year of the publication is in brackets after the name and, where a direct quote has been included, the page number is added after the publication date). Read this example taken from a candidates Level 4 submission: Another way to make ground rules would be to allow the students themselves to establish them. These could be based on good and bad previous experiences of teamwork and could work well as they are much more likely to own rules to which they

have contributed. Also, being more aware of their own weaknesses will help them to make specific rules relevant to their group. For instance, a particularly lively and vocal group may decide on a rule allowing individuals to speak for so long without interruption. It discusses the importance of negotiated ground rules and includes some analytical content. However, it is not Level 4 writing as there is no reference to support the comments. Look at the revised example below: Minton (2003:194) states that the teachers first job should be agreeing with the class goals, roles, rules of behaviour and responsibilities and this agreement could be achieved by encouraging the students themselves to establish ground rules. Petty (1998:86) agrees that it is sometimes worth negotiating rules and regimes with students. These negotiated rules could be based on good and bad previous experiences of teamwork and should work well as learners are much more likely to own rules which they have contributed to. Also, being more aware of their own weaknesses will help learners make specific rules relevant to their group. For instance, a particularly lively and vocal group may decide on a rule allowing individuals to speak for a set time without interruption. The authors own ideas are now substantiated by reference to recognised sources.

Definition of Terms
Term Analyse Definition Examine in detail and try to work out why things are the way they are. Break an issue into its constituent parts. Look at each part using supporting arguments and evidence for and against as well as how these interrelate to one another. To examine and judge something. Asks you to consider the strengths and weakness of a particular approach / contention. (Whilst a brief description of the approach(es) is necessary, you should focus on judging the (de) merits of particular positions and providing a balanced appraisal.) Come to a final conclusion, basing your decision on what you judge to be the most important factors and justify how you have made your choice. Give enough detail to make something clear. Clarify a topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurs, or what is meant by the use of this term in a particular context. Your writing should have clarity so that procedures or sequences of events can be understood, defining key terms where appropriate, and be substantiated with relevant research. Make a case by providing a body of evidence to support your ideas and points of view. In order to present a balanced argument, consider opinions which may run contrary to your own before stating your conclusion. An evaluation. You need to give your opinions. This should be a critical assessment and not merely descriptive e.g. think of film reviews. Give a condensed version drawing out the main facts and omit superfluous information. Brief or general examples will normally suffice for this kind of answer.

Evaluate

Explain

Justify

Review

Summarise