Learning and development process for Polytechnic Colleges: teaching skill for instructors and lecturers
Polytechnic teachers need both subject skill and teaching skill. A plain learning plan that builds both, and keeps them close to industry, improves practical sessions and student results.
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Share your requirementsWhy learning and development process matters in polytechnic colleges
Workshop instructors in polytechnics are often chosen for their hands-on skill. They know the lathe or the wiring bench well, but explaining it to twenty students is another matter. Lecturers may know the syllabus but have never seen the plant where their students will work. Training, where it exists, is a one-off workshop with no follow-up.
A good plan lists what each group needs, offers a short course on teaching, arranges industry exposure and checks that practice changes. It keeps records of who attended what and asks teachers to share learning with colleagues. It is small enough to run alongside a full timetable.
How to set it up
1. Find the needs
Ask teachers, heads of department and recent students what teaching and technical skills are lacking. Prepare a short list.
2. Run a teaching course for instructors
Two or three half-days on explaining, demonstrating, checking and handling mistakes, with practice in the workshop.
3. Arrange industry exposure
A short visit or attachment each year, with a one-page report and a sharing session. See learning and development process.
4. Observe and give feedback
A senior teacher watches a session and gives specific comments. Repeat after three months.
5. Record and share
Keep a list of courses, skills and visits for each teacher, and ask them to teach one thing to colleagues.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask five instructors what training they received in the last two years.
- Check when lecturers last saw a working industry unit.
- Observe one workshop session and note what the instructor explained.
- List skills the department lacks.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach learning and development process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Short and spread out works best: a few half-days with practice between them and an observation afterwards. A single long day is quickly forgotten and rarely changes how people teach.
Approach nearby units, alumni employers and suppliers. Ask for a one-day visit or a short attachment, with a clear purpose, and ask the teacher to report back. Start with one or two partners.
Observe sessions before and after, ask students about clarity and look at practical results. Check again after a term. If nothing has changed, adjust the course.