We thought it would be useful to explain the importance of Guided Learning Hours and why we recommend students take assessments at the end of their course.
The Guided Learning Hours for each level 3 BSL unit are detailed in the qualification specification. Guided Learning Hours is the time the student should have face to face teaching.
We recommend that students cover unit 320 first and develop their skills and knowledge in BSL Linguistics and grammar. They can then go on to put their linguistic knowledge into practice in the receptive and productive units. We also recommend that the receptive and productive units are taught together incorporating the linguistic knowledge they have already learnt.
Many students go straight on to level 3 once they have finished level 2. This means that it is unlikely they will be level 3 standard until they have completed the Guided Learning Hours detailed in the qualification specification. Many centres are entering their students for 321 assessments 4 or 5 months after starting their course. This usually means that they are not level 3 standard yet and the students can often be overwhelmed with the assessment. This can then knock their confidence.
Before you enter a student for their assessment you must make sure that they are ready for the assessment. If they are not ready then you should wait until they have had more teaching. We recommend that you complete ALL teaching of ALL units first and when students are ready at the end of the course they can complete the 3 assessments.
If your centre does not follow the Guided Learning Hours, your students might not be ready for their assessments. By following the Guided Learning Hours and taking all assessments at the end of their course students will be given the best chance at passing their assessments.
We hope this helps you understand why the Guided Learning Hours exist and how important it is to make sure that students have achieved these before being entered for their assessments.
This message has been filmed in BSL and is on the Signature portal and Learning Hub.
