Day out to Botanical Gardens of Wales
Written by Tir Coed / Monday 09 July 2018
My day started at 3 am when my lovely but annoying little dog woke me up to go out for a walk, I was then awoken for a second time by the alarm buzzing loudly in my ear at 7am.
The sun was shining and already very hot when I set off with a two hour drive down to the Botanical Gardens of Wales near Carmarthen for a course, Introduction to Assessment, which outlines the basic principles of assessing units and qualifications that Tir Coed provide through Agored Cymru. On the course we looked at gathering evidence, how to record this information and by what method; we also looked at assessing participants skills and their progression through the course.
The roles and responsibilities of an Assessor are to prepare and plan valid and reliable methods of assessment, make decisions and give feedback to learners on an ongoing basis, therefore ensuring the course is fit for purpose so that the development of learners are supported and the level at which they learn is manageable and inclusive. Assessors also need to be aware of any health and safety issues, to understand how to respond to emergencies and what action to take in the event of an accident. All assessments must produce outcomes that are current and authentic for example assessment evidence must meet all learning outcomes; evidence should show that it is the learners own work and that those outcomes can be replicated.
After the event there was a chance to view the Great Glasshouse along with demonstrations of British Birds of Prey and the amazing butterfly house; visitors can also walk round the different habitats created by the walled gardens or the wide open landscaped areas.
The journey home was hot and long but overall the day had been very interesting and enjoyable; as I neared the end of my journey after a two and quarter hour drive it was reassuring to see the signs for Aberystwyth and to finally arrive home.
