Year One: Teaching Essentials Focus

Here is a sample with the Teaching Essentials Links to an external site.Reflections on first courses as the focus:

EDUC 200 W750 Introduction to Professional-Technical Instruction: Reflection Examples

Jeffrey Pulliam

Module One

Whenever I take courses about education and teaching, there is the one simple fact that I continue to find out about myself. And that is, I know so little about this craft we call teaching. For me, what I’ve learned most is to take the focus away from me, and to think more about my students and how they view things. I’ve become fascinated by how people, and students in particular, learn, whether they be visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or some combination of these, (did I miss any?) So, when the study is about evolving as instructors, for me it’s about escaping away from and removing myself from the thinking about ME teaching in a traditional, old school sense, (i.e.

sage on the stage) It really is about being student-centric, not teacher-centric. It’s about removing the boundaries of tradition and what is familiar to us from the past and looking ahead and being more progressive in our thinking about the student being first and foremost. It is about what they see, hear, and feel and how we as teachers can enhance the student’s opportunity for learning.

Module Two

What I learned in this module and took away with me right away wasthe, “Inform, Instruct, Inspire,” mantra when it came to developing and constructing the Syllabus. Before, in reviewing my recent Syllabi for Fall 2017, I was struck by how much information I had in the Syllabus for students to read. Yes, comprehensive, and just way too much! It was, in my opinion, just too much to read and digest for any student. And to think I was asking them to read 3-4 pages of Syllabi for just one course. Oh my gosh, it would be such a turn off! This is not student-centered. The result of thinking about the three “Is’” got me to start streamlining my Syllabus and to think more about making it shorter and “user-friendly.” I now look to develop it in a way that would take the viewpoint and feelings of the student and how they would see it, (an argument very similar to my Module One discussion.) As I reviewed my recent Syllabi, certainly there are things to include that are important and mandated. But to add the seasoning of simply being informative, and using just the right amount of words; of sharing an inspiring word or reference, (giving personal value to the subject matter;) and, finally, to be instructive as a “road map” for students to be able to follow and see their growth and development. This means simply sharing the course milestones, or objectives, to be achieved as we go along this journey, taking the student from their ‘current state’ of learning to their ‘future state.’

Module Three

Purpose, task, and criteria. These words made a lot of sense to me when I started working with them. Like the three “Is’”, so easy to recall yet extremely important when thinking about assignments. I was able to immediately apply these ideas and put it to good work after completing the “less” versus “more” transparency exercise. Why this made such an impact on me was the fact it got me to zero in on the weekly lesson objective. I realized that, though my assignments engaged and kept students working together and energized (most of the time; I did have a few misses,) Iwasn’t doing a very good job of tying the lesson objective with the course objective. The assignments were long-winded, wordy, and just too much noise for the student to listen to, (if that makes any sense). I could see them losing focus. The transparency exercise we completed in this Module brought it home and made me see the assignments needing to be more lean and to the point, especially in accomplishing to answer the students question, “why are we doing this assignment?” To give them reason as to why it was important to do the assignment.

Module Four

This module reinforced the fact there is so much resource available

to us as teachers and instructors from which to use to help us in our craft. There not long to watch; they are easily accessible; and the content is presented in a manner that is easy to follow and understand. In our class exercise, I discovered a number of videos of interest that I am following up on and pursuing to find out more about teaching in a ‘hybrid’ environment. (I was particularly enamored with the idea of Microlectures.” There are a great deal of challenges in ‘hybrid’ most of which is keeping students online as if they were engaged in the classroom. Of particular interest to me was the discovery of “How to” videos sharing about how you can be better at online discussion board engagement. Yes, there is the discussion format in Canvas, and I can use this feature easy enough. But I don’t want it to be a routine engagement week-to-week. I really want students to be engaged, and to want to go online and share their thoughts. The 20 minute mentor link helps me fine tune my craft and keeps thing fresh with online classroom.

Conclusion.

In looking at the EDUC 200 course and what we concluded as a whole over the time of 4-5 weeks (at least for me) was a need for me to “cut the fat” and be leaner in my practice by creating greater value for the student in that content I present, be it the Syllabus, assignments, online engagement, etc. The more I think about it, the more it is similar to the management concepts that I teach in construction, which makes me think these ideas really are universal in everything we do. In CM, we teach concepts of lean construction and value engineering. As a teacher, I need to, for example, construct leaner assignments, eliminating waste and getting more to the point; sharing course an objectives (increasing and giving greater value) so the student knows why we do the things we do and where benefit is gained, (even more value.) I’m focused now even more on crafting lesson plans, discussions, and assignments that simply delivers greater value much better than before. Too much information and how the information is delivered (like long-winded assignments or time-extended videos with me talking way too much,) shows great effort, yes. But if the effort is ill-planned, or not thought through well enough with a good plan, there is no good construction coming of it and no great value resulting for the student.

The other “aha” I had writing about and reviewing our course in this reflection paper was the need to

become more student-centric, or student-centered. I was student-centric, but much of my thought,

honestly, was about me as what I can do as an Instructor, with student maybe coming in a close second. Okay, fair enough, because I’m looking to develop my craft, and I want to do well for the student. But once I realized to take a truer perspective of the student, and try to view things from that point-of-view, I began to gain an appreciation of how my assignments and communications were likely being consumed. Taking EDUC 200 reinforced the fact I have much to learn in how I serve my students first, and make it less about me. I realized even more areas where I could definitely improve my teaching practice, and look to resources that could help me do this.

~~~

Ryan Hoaglin

Looking back in reflection from the beginning of the course, I see some changes already with

how I view teaching. In the past, I viewed teaching as presenting information to a group of students in

various ways to get them to a specific point in their knowledge base. I have quickly found out that is less

than half the story. The other parts, such as mentoring, setting a good example, and making sure students’

primary needs are met are paramount before any information can be presented to them. These primary

needs can easily become a problem when students also have to work to provide for their family. The

absolute least I should do for them is to be reliable, helpful and courteous to their needs as a human being

first.

After the students’ needs are met, I can focus on how to be the best teacher possible. This

includes making a thorough syllabus and including a class schedule and homework assignment due dates

all in one place. Creating a low stress environment and providing clear-cut guidelines takes the stressful

guesswork away from the students so they can concentrate on tasks in succession. It also encourages

students to work ahead and finish things if they are taking time off or sick. The course syllabus is a

security blanket for both the student and instructor if problems or disagreements arise over assignments or

grades.

I have found planning is what takes the majority of my time as a teacher for good reason.

Students love structure even if they say they don’t. Having an idea of how long a lesson will take ensures

you can give the students a full day of instruction and give them what they paid for. I always make sure I

have more material than time allotted so I am never scrambling to fill a time slot. As a kind of bonus, it

also ensures I can sleep at night not worrying if there will be crickets in the classroom. I also learned how

Looking back in reflection from the beginning of the course, I see some changes already with

how I view teaching. In the past, I viewed teaching as presenting information to a group of students in

various ways to get them to a specific point in their knowledge base. I have quickly found out that is less

than half the story. The other parts, such as mentoring, setting a good example, and making sure students’

primary needs are met are paramount before any information can be presented to them. These primary

needs can easily become a problem when students also have to work to provide for their family. The

absolute least I should do for them is to be reliable, helpful and courteous to their needs as a human being

first.

After the students’ needs are met, I can focus on how to be the best teacher possible. This

includes making a thorough syllabus and including a class schedule and homework assignment due dates

all in one place. Creating a low stress environment and providing clear-cut guidelines takes the stressful

guesswork away from the students so they can concentrate on tasks in succession. It also encourages

students to work ahead and finish things if they are taking time off or sick. The course syllabus is a

security blanket for both the student and instructor if problems or disagreements arise over assignments or

grades.

I have found planning is what takes the majority of my time as a teacher for good reason.

Students love structure even if they say they don’t. Having an idea of how long a lesson will take ensures

you can give the students a full day of instruction and give them what they paid for. I always make sure I

have more material than time allotted so I am never scrambling to fill a time slot. As a kind of bonus, it

also ensures I can sleep at night not worrying if there will be crickets in the classroom. I also learned how

to properly provide a feedback opportunity for my students. Doing anything in this world without some

sort of feedback is a recipe for failure. I encourage students from day one to give me constructive

feedback whenever possible that does not disrupt normal classroom activities. Setting up an open line of

communication with students creates a positive atmosphere and lets the students create their own learning

environment.

One piece of the teaching puzzle I took away from this program was a tip from another student

resource for new teachers that stated “Aim for 80% perfection”. Many times I have been working till all

hours of the evening trying to make a lesson “perfect”. This usually ends up being counterproductive

because it sends a message that perfection is the only way I and the students can be. It also takes all your

energy for one assignment and usually other areas of the lesson get forgotten. I strive to make sure the

lesson is preparing them properly for the work force and also show them that being human is ok and

mistakes are inevitable.

In conclusion, I as a new teacher have a mountain of things to work on. Managing and

maximizing my time at work is my first area to work on. Teachers cannot take their work home and live

happy, fulfilling lives for any length of time. Work life is full of distractions and setting boundaries with

students and co-workers will help me use my time effectively. I don’t think 100 percent productivity is

possible, but I surely will strive to be close. Failing a student is going to be a struggle for me as well.

One of my co-workers told be early on that students “earn” the grade you give them and to make sure you

help the students rise to your expectations. Never lower the bar back down to them. This will be my

biggest internal battle with myself because I am a people pleaser at heart and want everyone to win.

However, my expectations are no different than a job or workplace that has deadlines and we are in the

business of preparing students for the workplace. Therefore, continuing to improve all my aspects of

teaching will only help students achieve success now and after they graduate.

W752 - Mangaging the Learning Environment - Course Reflection Samples

Warren Takata

Week 1:

Identifying my personal style in the classroom helps me to realize what my strengths and

weakness are as an educator. I have a better understanding of my process as I develop

curriculum. I also realize why I respond in a certain way when students do not reach bench

marks. My personal style could be conflicting to a students learning style and should be

addressed.

Week 2:

RA and UDL methods are a game changer. These methods have helped me to expand my

approach to curriculum. Student in my course now have an opportunity to master course

material and at the same time develop their reading/comprehension skills. I am able to provide

lessons in different modalities which help to support multiple learning styles. These methods

have helped me to become a better educator.

Week 3:

Death by power point videos helped to realize the boundaries that this type of format has. If I

truly want students to learn material is needs to be structured in a way that will engage them.

Having my presentations too long is a problem. Having too much material to cover is a problem

for me. I need to balance the amount of material and student engagement by switching my

presentation methods periodically throughout the day.

Week 4:

Formative assessment is the key to student learning. It provides students an opportunity for

teachers and students to assess learning. Summative assignments have their place but a

greater emphasis should be placed on formative methods. I like the use of crib sheets to help

students master material and prepare for exams. I was against this at first but now see its value.

My attitudes towards using notes during tests and have prevented its benefits for students.

These videos have helped to remind me to be open minded toward student learning.

Areas I want to improve on are my assessment methods, power point presentations, RA use,

UDL use, and leveraging my personal style of teaching to benefit students. I want to rearrange

my formative and summative assessment methods. My power point presentations should be

shortened and improved. RA and UDL methods will be used daily to improve student

engagement and learning. Overall this was a great course. It provided information that I can

use immediately. Two areas that could be addressed in this course a bit more is classroom

management and working with students who have disabilities.

Melvin Hortman

Week 1: I really dove into the personality quiz to figure out on a deeper level what kind of person I am and how I interact with others. I’ve done these sorts of tests before, but the past couple of years, I’ve gone through some major personality and character changes. It was disappointing to see that my personality type didn’t infer any career in teaching but in these ridiculously boring professions such as being an auditor. There may be something more to my personality that wasn’t caught by the test. With having 3-4 weeks to acknowledge how my personality type affects my teaching, I haven’t really grown in making changes in my teaching style based on my personality type, but more so have just had more empathy for the students who don’t suit well with my personality type. I believe I show that empathy in the classroom and students catch on and that brings them to understanding the struggle with differing personality types, but doesn’t benefit their learning any. I still have much work to do with adjusting my teaching style to accommodate other personality types better.

“The surprising truth about what motivates us” was a very enlightening video to my teaching strategies this latter half of the quarter. Since I watched the video, I began trying to create more autonomous moments in the classroom. For this last week of class, I had time to even have students do a completely autonomous project on whatever they wanted to do as it pertained to the software we learned this quarter. In the autonomous periods, I’ve seen students able to teach them selves and critically think like I could never get them to do with assignments I assigned. Students, for their individual project, are doing things with the software that are ten times more advanced then problems I gave them on quizzes. It gives me insight to possibly including a little autonomy on quizzes as well!

Creating autonomy has been a huge success in the classroom and there is still so much more possibility to grow in this area of my teaching strategy. The other things from the first week like creating positivity in the classroom, setting classroom norms, and other things like that are more suited for the first week of a course so I didn’t get to practice with those as much. However, I started including more humor into the classroom and its brought my relationships with students to a new level. Students are so much more open with me about everything as it pertains to the classroom. They tell me daily everything I’m doing right and wrong in their opinion. It is so great!

Week 2: Implementing RA has also been a huge success in the classroom since I began practicing it in the second week of this course. I put more in the hands of students as far as the reading went and gave them more options to how they could discover new information (UDL) such as using help from the internet and YouTube videos as opposed to reading the textbook exclusively. Do to my changes, by switching focus to only what I was going to lecture on, and allowing them to practice as they went through the reading led to them absorbing almost everything from the reading as opposed to before, they absorbed nothing and were pissed off by the end of it!

I was not as successful with implementing UDL. I began giving students more options in the classroom as opposed to just one option which tied into autonomy provision from week 1, but expressing content in multiple ways I extremely struggle with and need to work on. I think what I need to do is just sit down with each concept and force myself to come up with different ways of explaining things that appeal to different personality types and learning types weekly as I go through content in the classroom.

Week 3:

Seeing all the death by PowerPoint videos was very enlightening. I had given up on PowerPoint and stopped using it, but now I think I can redeem PowerPoints not only for my teaching style but for students, teaching students to effectively use PowerPoint to communicate their ideas. My program is all about communicating ideas; using PowerPoint in the appropriate ways can lead to further consistency in the classroom on program outcomes. Because of the time this module was introduced this quarter, I haven’t been able to practice using PowerPoint in these ways yet, but I’m very excited to use it in the classes I teach next quarter. I want to use PowerPoint to document the procession of my classes, use it as my new “whiteboard”, and use it to help students portray concepts in graphical or pictorial form. Another instructor in the course had mentioned, he would have students demonstrate a concept with a picture and then they would practice performing the concept. I want to begin working this into my teaching strategy. When I saw mention of ADA, I instantly felt guilt in my lack of capability to deal with ADA issues. I had a couple issues where students needed college provided resources, but I was so strung out on getting my lessons together that I didn’t help them in the way they needed this quarter. I did a terrible job connecting students with the resources they needed.

I hope to do better next quarter by acting on the offensive, connecting with Melissa Hackett and veteran resources, as well as the other resources available at the beginning of the quarter, having my eyes peeled for potential beneficiaries of those resources. Week 4: This module got me SO excited. I’ve had very little instruction in how to teach, but I’ve had NO instruction in how to assess. I didn’t even know it was its own separate thing until Michelle Lesmeister’s workshop the last faculty work day this quarter. I got so many tidbits on how to design my assessments (formative and summative) so that they improve student success and facilitate student learning. Including student’s in on the review process AND the grading process was such golden nuggets for me! It’s a little late to practice now, but next quarter will surely have redesigned assessments where students develop their own personal handbooks for their courses and grade their work in groups, correcting their own mistakes, because they are the ones that made them, not me! I am also very pumped to introduce the muddiest point and how to have daily quizzes to assess how I am doing with teaching!

Summary: My major areas of improvement to gear up for next quarter are as follows:

• Teaching to different personality types/learning styles

Implementing UDL

• Using PowerPoint to engage multilingual/multi-cultural learners

• Being connected to college resources

• Designing assessment for student success

I have three weeks to grow in these five areas as well as prepare to teach classes

I have never taught before in the Winter 2018 quarter. It is a daunting task but I believe I can at least get a major head start, and continue growing in these areas as next quarter proceeds. Something I really want to grow in is watching a 20-minute mentor Magna video every Friday after classes to continue growing in my teaching craft. This course was much more beneficial to me due to my increased time to focus on it. The first course, I was knee deep in trying to get my classes together for the first time as an RTC instructor! I admit I didn’t gain as much from the first course as I did this one. But this one also had so much practicality to the concepts! I could immediately apply almost everything as soon as I learned it! I’m a big hands on kind of guy so being able to take these concepts and run with them benefitted me greatly in learning the content of this course.