I find that learning more about the topics that I teach is quite easy, simply because they tend to be topics that I have an interest in to begin with. Thus, I find it quite easy to continue to stay up-to-date in the field because it fascinates me. For example, I will often read a book or magazine that is directly relevant to subjects I teach simply because it is enjoyable to read and I am curious about the subject. On the other hand, while I love teaching, I find that reading texts about teaching techniques are often not the most enjoyable to read. So for these situations I find it useful to simply block out time on a weekly basis for doing this type of research and learning. Also, I try as often as I can to discover things that can be utilized in other settings. If I am looking at research on group work in psychology, for example, I always try to see ways that insights there might be applicable to teaching (and almost always there are).
Leslie,
this is a great strategy & helps demonstrate to your students that you are willing to learn new things right along with them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I like to go on discovery trips on the internet with my students. My favorite answer to a question that I get when I don't know the answer is to say, "Let's look it up together." We all learn that way and expands my knowledge of the subject. I also subscribe to a lot of newsletters.
Crissia,
the real world experience & examples are a great way to enhance our classroom instruction.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As a fairly new instructor, I am still feeling my way along the teaching trail but I have discovered that I am learning new techniques from my fellow instructors and trying out some of their tips. Also, I have changed techniques over the time period because certain things don't work as well as others. So I feel I am learning to be a facilitator in the subject matter as I go. These Max Knowledge courses have been very helpful to offer some suggestions that I use in preparing my subject matter. Mindy Smith
I am an adjunct teacher who also holds a full time job in my field. As a result, I am able to bring a lot of what I learn in my day job to the students I teach at night. I also benefit from working with other instructors and the resources put together by the institution for which I work, including these courses.
Robert,
yes, the training that is provided in our respective fields is a great way to stay engaged & grow.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
IDA,
the on going learning that we can engage in regarding our field is a great way to demonstrate that we always want to improve & grow.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
One of the ways I can keep up on topics is industy training which helps me keep up on the changes and also studing the techniques used to present the industry training to help me with my own persentations.
I continue to take classes from my profession , and apply the learnining principles to what I teach.
Balance can be difficult in any facet of life. I have a passion to learn, so I allow my class to know that I am open to continual learning and that I will learn just as much from them as I hope that will from me. I also like to tell them that I love to teach what I do know, but by no means am I an expert due to the vast, broad scope to the topics I teach. The hardest part for me is the time management of keeping these two passions, teaching and learning, balanced in the accelerated time I have.
I love to bounce ideas off co-faculty and staff continuously to help keep them all in check for the benefit of my students.
Balance? Unfortunately, I do not balance either need. I confess I do little outside of in-services and classes like these. Oh, I pay attention to our ever-changing language (for my English classes especially) and I am always on the lookout for poor examples of communication, but developing "new ways of teaching" usually amounts to applying inspiration if it hits this tired ol' brain and trying something that works for one of my colleagues. I do a lot of tweaking, though, and it does add up over time.
George,
these are both great ideas & methods to really develop ourselves. There is so much to be learned from our peers & also so much we can learn from our students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have the students get out their books and I get mine out as well. I will ask a question concerning the material I am covering and make it challenging for everyone to find where it can be referenced, and which book it is being used as the source. I find the students write down the source pages and later can recall where they saw this information when we review. It seems to work well, and helps me learn things I may have forgotten or need to remember.
Ziaul,
yes, if we approach the situation with a willingness to learn ourselves we will be more ready to help others learn.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I regularly sit in and observe other teachers that I work with in order to get a new perspective on teaching styles. I also like to have students look up new trends in healthcare and present the information to the class. I found this to be a great way to find topics interesting to my students for future classes.
I always remember that I am a learner when I am a facilitator.
I find that taking the CEE classes help me a great deal. I stay fresh with new ideas and excellent information.
I love this particular course. It gave me so many great ideas that I can't wait to utilize.
The seating
The music
The written posters...
Very helpful.
Carmen Pagano
Wow! Good question! I find this to be a difficult task because we only get 1 hour a day to prepare lessons. I try to utilize the time that we have between classes when the students are out, otherwise I have to spend personal time on continuing education courses.
I balance my need to learn more about the topic and my need to develop new ways of teaching in three ways: active listening, observation, and two-way constructive feedback. I am not only an active participant in the classroom but also an active listener. I allow time for the students to tell me what they know and give them frequent opportunities to share what they have learned. It is important to observe actions. In an online course, I closely monitor student’s activity in the classroom, discussion thread and assignments. I provide feedback to each student on his or her assignments and I ask for their feedback on what is or is not working. The activity may appear to be a good idea but the student's reaction to the activity tells me the student’s are not engaged and connected to the activity...desired result may not happen.
Thank you,
Deborah
