How to submit quality teaching evidence on the DIT

If you are already a learner on the Level 5 DIT, you will know that there is a great emphasis on the
practical side of teaching because we want to see every aspect of you as a teacher. This is just as it
should be; as important as theory is, your main learning will always be in front of a class. The beauty
of this qualification is this huge focus on practical evidence. We can’t be with you on an online
distance course, so we need your classroom to come alive for us through your coursework.

There is nothing ‘token’ about this teaching evidence – it is impossible to gather together at the last
minute. It is specific and requires detailed, thorough explanations and context.
We have put together exemplars for the teaching evidence, plus a set of talk-through videos, which
will be helpful when looking at the checklist and wondering what it is that you are required to
submit exactly.

There is definitely a general tip and that is…. explain! Never send a piece of evidence in without an
explanation or context. Often, if you do this, you can hit a few criteria at once and pass a couple of
elements. For example, if sending in a tracking grid, stop before you send it. Have you written any
context about these learners as a group? Is there an overall summary of their progress? Could you
show their Maths and English progress at the same time? Does this grid show any additional
learning needs?

Let’s look at one part of the checklist:

1. Resources that show:

When you submit a piece of evidence, you will receive constructive feedback that shows you which
elements you have passed and what we need more of.

If you approach this holistically, you will find that you could put together one document that meets
these requirements. You could show the chosen non-digital resource (a photo is fine) and
explain/annotate the photo to show how you store it and ensure that it is useful for equality,
diversity and inclusion. You could give some examples of how it is used – samples of planning here
would be great. Learner/colleague feedback on the resource could also be embedded in the
document – this could be emails/written feedback. Then do the same for a digital resource. This
could be some software you regularly use, an online quiz site or so on.

This qualification is definitely about working in a smart way, not necessarily about sending reams
and reams of paperwork. Read the checklist several times and look at the exemplars. Consider what
you are being asked to show and of course, always ask if you have any questions or are unsure. If
you feel you are over-explaining…. it’s probably about right! Remember that we are not in your
classroom and every teacher does things slightly differently. You are presenting a snapshot of your
working practice. Before you send any evidence just ask yourself if someone who had never seen
you teach would have enough context to understand the evidence.


 Photo by Denise Bossarte on Unsplash