Skillful Teacher: chapter 18

Yes, our assignment outline requires us to comment on chapter 8, 9, OR 18, but this 18th chapter is just too captivating to leave alone!  I just can’t help but add a second comment on this week’s readings…

We are all aware of the power imbalance in our classrooms.  I think I may actually be able to feel the tension physically when I walk into a hospital to see my students.  I only come by each hospital once a term, you see, and to this day, despite so many efforts on my part, I can’t shake the feeling that this is the scariest day of the term for my students.  I’m a nice person, really!

Yet as I read through Dr. Brookfield’s vision and re-evaluation of this incredibly complex and delicate power struggle, a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  He explains that he may in fact have been giving out too many extensions, and that this inclination to ‘fall’ for a student’s sad story actually undermines a teacher’s goal of becoming an “authoritative ally”, a quality that students admire and respect.  Similarly, he summarizes bell hooks’ theory that we should replace the notion of a safe classroom with that of a civil classroom.  “In a classroom, elements of danger are sometimes very desirable.”  It isn’t safe to push the boundaries of our students’ previous biases or comforts – that is indeed learning!

I’m not sure how this knew epiphany will look in my teaching just yet.  I may simply be less guilt over arduous decisions.  It may be a more careful explanation of rationale for my decisions.  Or perhaps I’ll be able to play the role of authoritative ally better, knowing full well the benefits of both sides.  But I’m thrilled to have this revelation in my understanding to watch the benefits unfold!

Skillful Teacher: next chapter comment

Our next set of readings, chapters 8, 9, and 18, continue to inspire and equip us with wonderful insights and skills for teaching.

Specifically, Brooks’ term “pedagogic bouillabaisse” caught my eye in chapter 8.  This term was used to describe the countless frames that our students bring to our classrooms; this includes everything from cultural, academic, personal, pedagogical, and ability-based points of view, and many more.  He went on to discuss advantages and disadvantages of grouping students together along these differences or in spite of them.

I’d like to take some time to become more aware of these diversity interactions.  Students in our program are placed at clinical sites by a complicated lottery-based system of their preferences and the number of seats available at each site.  But I have never stopped to consider, after students were grouped at a hospital together, how those groupings draw on their strengths and differences.  And in addition to this, each site has a designated clinical instructor that brings his or her own personal experiences to the teaching and learning interaction.

I’ve recently read BC Student Outcomes’ report on “Cultural Diversity in British Columbia’s Post-Secondary Student Population”.  Even armed with this knowledge and how it applies to the area in which I teach, I have failed to use it practically in my work.  To start, I’d like to take a closer look at these diverse interactions to look for ways in which I can support the work these students and instructors do together.  I’d also like to be more aware of my own biases based on my own cultural, racial, academic, experiential, and any other contributing factors to see how I’ve unknowingly allowed it to influence my work.

Thank you for another eye-opening chapter, Dr. Brookfield!

References:

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Province of British Columbia. (n.d.) Cultural Diversity in British Columbia’s Post-Secondary Student Population [PDF document]. Retrieved from http://outcomes.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/Files/f1d6abe3-cc8d-41ee-bed0-1ab4d7d59320/CulturalDiversityinBritishColumbiasPost-SecondaryStudentPopulation.pdf

Reflective Motivation

As I’ve been reflecting on our textbook readings, this video came to mind.

Dean James Ryan shares his 5 essential questions to lead to happiness and success.  In our practice as educators, I think it would serve us very well to reflect continually on these questions:

Wait, what?
I wonder… I wonder why… I wonder if…?
Couldn’t we at least…?
How can I help?
What truly matters [to me]?
And as a bonus 6th question: Did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?

I hope you find this as inspiring and motivating as I have.  I hope your answer is “I did”.  And I hope your students’ answers are “I did”.

 

Reference:
HarvardEducation (2016, May 29) Dean James Ryan’s 5 Essential Questions In Life [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bW0NguMGIbE

Skillful Teacher: first 2 chapters

Chapter 1: Experiencing Teaching

My attention was captured most by Dr. Brookfield’s 10 points describing his truth of teaching (pp. 9-10).  These describe the most important things he’s learned about himself over his 45 years of teaching.

I’ve commented previously on the relief I felt at the community of experienced teachers who, like me, also feel like impostors.  But the vulnerability and honesty with which all 10 these points are shared has startled me to face my own truths, and find how his truths relate to my teaching.

To add to this list, my own truths include the following:
– I am the youngest person in my current role throughout our school at the minute, and that is because I can do the job, not because of blind luck.
– I hold my students to very high standards, because I believe it’s crucial for their learning and for their patients’ safety.  If I do this well, it will help them soar in their learning.  If I do it poorly, it will discourage them so that they will be too anxious to learn from me.
– I do have teaching experiences that are worth sharing with my colleagues.  As much as I learn from them, I have valuable resources and experiences to share so that they may also learn from me.  I also have the skills to share this respectfully.

And on a more personal note:
– Balancing my work and my family is extremely difficult, and it’s alright that I haven’t mastered it yet.  My students get my best when I’m with them, and my husband and children get my best when I’m home.  I can’t continue to feel guilty about how these realms cross over in my day-to-day being.

I very much look forward to continuing to learn from Dr. Brookfield and my classmates in this course!
Corlea

Resource:

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The Impostor

One of the main themes that have emerged for me so far early on in this course is the impostor syndrome issue that we as educators face – and much more often than I had realized!

As part of my first reflection, I have found these two resources that I’d love to share:
Faculty Focus article
Cambridge Assessment blog

I used to feel so alone in my struggles with authority and mastery in my teaching.  It’s incredibly comforting for me to know that most of us share these feelings.

Stay tuned for my full reflection on Brookfield’s Skillful Teacher chapter 1 & 2 comments coming soon.

Thanks,
Corlea

PIDP3260 Intro

Our blog assignment for PIDP3260 asks why I am taking this course.  I think the first answer to which my mind jumps immediately is my students.  They are the purpose for my entire undertaking of the Instructor Diploma Program!

Specifically, I love the realism and realizations in this course so far.  I’ve only read the first four chapters of the textbook so far, but I’m hooked.  The honesty with which Dr. Brookfield writes makes the learning real and applicable.  I’ve already been able to use some of the reflections to improve my practice, and it’s only the second week of the course for me.

I very much look forward to the rest of the textbook and course.  I must admit, when I first read the assignment outlines, I was afraid of this blog assignment.  I haven’t historically chosen the blog option in any of the other courses, so I was worried that I might be behind.  But I now feel reassured that this assignment will in fact serve as a methodical approach to textbook reflections, and this is something that I look forward to very much.

Thank you for sharing in my reflective teaching moments with me,
Corlea

Web Conference – article discussion

In web conference with my learning partner, Mark, we discussed both our trends and roles articles. Mark’s article on the roles of the adult educator explored a case study on mentorship for apprentices. This article emphasizes the importance of application, as was mentioned in my article also. Similar to my article, we discovered discussions on all 5 points of adult learner success.

Mark’s article on the trends in adult education was again a case study discussion, and focused on the emergence of pre-apprenticeship programs. Similar to my article, this new trend seeks to remove adult learners from the classroom and virtual worlds. In the case of Mark’s article, this was done by immersing unemployed inner-city adults in an entry-to-apprenticeship setting with a very practical focus.

I found this conversation and sharing of ideas enlightening and validating. Mark and I found striking similarities in what our learners require from us in our role as adult educators, and we discovered fascinating new emergent trends in our field. The most striking lesson I learned from Mark’s explanation of his articles was in the form of student feedback on one of his case study articles. The learner’s expressed the need for one-on-one mentorship due to the ability to move more quickly through the information. Traditionally, educators have paced the lessons in classrooms for some of the slower learners, since we needed to ensure that all learners were able to grasp all the content. I was surprised to learn that students enjoy the faster pace of individual learning, and find it frustrating to have to wait for others to catch up. It is encouraging to know that the learners are generally eager to absorb more from their mentors.

Roles of Adult Educators

See the “Reviewing the Evidence on How Adult Students Learn” article.

Being relatively new to the proper terminology used in adult education, I felt the need to explore the advantages and disadvantages of the often-coined term “andragogy”. This article offered an unbiased exploration of pedagogy and andragogy, with practical application of the key aspects of andragogy. My role as facilitator is now laid out tangibly. Adult learners require these five key areas to be successful:

1. Application
2. Self-esteem
3. Background
4. Motivation
5. Environment

The article is also a comfort, in that it confirms that the role of the facilitator is not an invisible one. Many articles appear so learner-focused, that it seems the educator is to be a silent, unseen force that allows the student to learn. This article reassures me that my role is still vital, that my intuition and actions are still what ultimately affects the learning of the adult student, and encourages me to embrace this new era of adult education.

Trends in Adult Education

See “Greening the Net Generation” article.

Having read one article after another on online education and facilitating the adult learner in this digital age, I craved a contrasting view on this overpowering trend. This article on outdoor education with the integration of electronic media is a refreshing balance on the needs of an adult human being, rather than just an isolated focus on the adult as a student. Though this integration will prove extremely difficult in some areas of instruction, I feel it worthy to explore. The “Net generation”, as coined by the article’s author, has always known the internet. We have always been connected, been online, been inside. There must be a way to encourage our adult learners to connect with the outdoors. E-learning is not so powerful that it can negate the need for a connection with nature. My own area on instruction has always been based indoors, but I do see an opportunity for outdoor exploration. I facilitate an online course on ethical theories that contains a considerable component of discussion and debate. This might be just the opportunity our students need to get out and explore the world, and then combine this real-world experience with the technology we all know and love by creating a multi-media presentation. And how is it fortunate that the course runs in the summer. Is this fate?

Lesson Planning

Here are my rationales for 5 lesson planning components:

 

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Link: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

As a basic introduction to lesson planning, this site offers a valuable synopsis of Bloom’s taxonomy.  I was able to understand the evolution of this theory and through many helpful links, use these domains of hierarchies to effectively divide lessons, and then structure the learning.  This site has given me the insight to understand that learners will build upon each category once they are comfortable.  That empowers me to allow learners individualized growth through the stages.  The revised model of the cognitive domain, adding creativity to the pyramid, sparks possibilities of applied critical thinking for the ever-evolving medical practice.

 

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Link: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/dixon.pdf

This review of positive online learning explores how students felt connected virtually.  I found this appealing since this is the setting in which I mainly teach.  This eye-opening article focused my attention on the need for personal involvement from me as facilitator, and surprisingly stated that learners didn’t feel the need to connect as much with one another.  Most learners preferred individual tasks to promote learning, and felt that collaboration was best left for discussions.  I will use this awareness to tailor assignments to be self-paced and individualized, and focus my collaboration efforts on discussion groups to promote efficacy.

 

Motivational Techniques

Link: http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/how-to-motivate-students-in-the-online-learning-environment/

This blog provides extremely helpful and practical tips on how to motivate online learners.  In contrast to what I had encountered previously, the author recommends providing feedback within 24 hours, rather than 48.  Also, facilitators are encouraged to be available for support consistently so that students know they can count on that support.  I will also use these tips to remember to provide “constructive and personalized” feedback, and to acknowledge academic and personal challenges the learners might be experiencing.  I do use weekly news items, which are also encouraged in order to motivate and engage students.

 

Assessment
Link: http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2012/03/01/02formative.h05.html

The feed forward notion is a novel concept to me.  When hearing the term in the introduction to this assignment, I was fascinated.  This article offers a succinct outline of this assessment method with a link to improve formative assessments.  I’ll use this advice to tailor instruction around feedback.  The article suggests a more helpful approach to feedback which will help learners grow, as well as reflection in instructors to model future instruction around the feedback.  I do use components of this feed forward notion in exam reviews, but will use it more thoroughly to promote understanding of challenging concepts.

 

Instructional Process/Strategies

Link: http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/EngagingAdultLearners.pdf

This helpful explanation of “non-traditional” learners offers many to-the-point recommendations to engage adult students.  Most importantly, it reminded me that adult learners must see value in what they learn in order to be motivated to learn.  Knowing this, I will aim to insert real-life applications into online course content, and relate lessons with mini simulations or anecdotes.  Doing so, I will aim to engage students to take responsibility for their learning for their own benefit.  This document also reinforces the Socratic or question-based approach to facilitating learning, reminding me to keep asking questions to promote inquisitive curiosity in learners.