Several things help me grow as a learning facilitator. I respect students as individuals. I recognize that some of them may be my future collegues. Some students have expertice in areas that I do not. For example, some have been dental assistants and have excellent knowledge of dental materials and draw from them in our discussions.
I primarily teach dental hygiene but I also instruct in the related fields of radiology and anestheology which enables me to broaden and integrate a wider range of knowledge into my teaching.
In order to keep my knowledge current, I attend local hygiene and dental conventions, read professional journals, and continue my learning by taking far more continuing education than is required.
Dawn,
the formal education or training classes that our institutions offer are a great way to continue stretching ourselves as professionals.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I love learning. I take continuing education classes to learn more about a topic and also attend Education for Educators that the professional organization I belong to provides twice a year. They offer classes on learning styles, teaching styles, how to include technology in the classroom, etc. Educators then can share how they approach subjects or bring other creativity into the classroom. They also develop worksheets and other teaching tools to use in the classroom which are available on their website.
Ivan,
I wholeheartedly agree! Trying to become "super instructor" will never happen & will only lead to frustration; focus on a manageable set of goals.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It's better just to do a few things well. Set goals for yourself, and stick with them, but make sure they are reasonable goals. Like students, teachers grow best when they are moderately challenged. Waiting until conditions are ideal or until you are sure of yourself yields lethargy, not growth. On the other hand, trying to do too many things before you have a chance to think them through leads to frustration and failure.
jason,
this is great as it helps your students see that you too are in the process of learning & growing every day.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I teach in a creative discipline...classroom work at upper-levels is primarily about process execution, with "product" being the outcome of "process mastery"...by focusing on the "doing," each learning experience is fresh, new, individual - and I can engage each student "in the moment"...at lower-levels, classroom activity seeks lead students to engage in and develop an understanding of process...the challenge for me is always balancing my personal passion for the creative act with the need to engender similar individual passion among my students...each class is a learning experience for me, and I want my students to see that - learning is not something you do once and file away...it is a constant, ongoing process
Dale,
this is a great suggestion for how we can improve our approach as instructor & also do some informal assessment to know where to focus class time.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
By being an active participant in online discussion groups with others who focus on my particular subject matter, we can exchange ideas and methods with one another that we might not have come up with on our own. Same applies with my students by encouraging active participation in discussion groups they are not only student but in some cases teacher.
Personally, I ask questions.
In my course I use a survey method, done on paper. I ask the students what they found most interesting about certain projects they have worked on. I let them know it is not graded or required nor do they need to put their names on it. I issue out the very generalized paper at the start of class, and I ask them to think about it throughout the duration of class period and to give it to me at the end of the day.
I set the day plan to allow for added time at the end of class for it. I then read over a few of these aloud at the end of class, (no names of course). The discussions on the positives clue me into topic areas that I need to address more in depth, while shortening the time spent on well understood areas. As always and intended, I receive additional topic questions that had not been asked earlier. Creating the "open forum" atmosphere (based on the survey) gives me direct feedback as to how to best approach a different direction in teaching.
I take advantage of opportunities to participate in the areas I am teaching. This provides me with the latest industry knowledge and allows me to experience it from the participant side of things.
Alana,
I think this is a great idea as it forces you to stay fresh in the field & also helps the students learn how to stay on top of the current trends.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I try to devote time to both areas equally. While it is important to know the current trends of my specialized field, knowing how to do something well does not always mean you can teach it well to others. So time spent developing new ways of teaching is a welcomed learning experience because I know that the students will only benefit from my continued education.
I've been introduced to Open CourseWare, which is professors all over the world who post their lectures, assignments, reading material, exams etc. for free online. This allows me to learn from all of the best professors in the field at the point of a mouse. I've devoted an hour a day to learning from them and taking their expertise with some of my classroom techniques to create new and dynamic topics that all fit in the realm of what I'm teaching for that particular semester.
I like to assign a research topic for the week where the student and I will bring in an article that relates to the topic we are studying and discuss our articles. We call the activity, "Round Table" and each of us takes a turn to talk about the article and how it relates to what we are learning. This activity allows not only for the students to learn and engage more in their learning but it also allows me to learn more also.
Kelly,
yes, I highly encourage the "borrowing of brains" that most of us have available to us in the presence of the more seasoned instructors.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an automotive instructor the need to keep up with current changes in technology is important.Appling this information into our teaching schedule sometimes requires changes to the daily curriculium.
I talk to the other instructors. They are more seasoned than I am, and usually have a lot of helpful tips.
I like learning more about what i am teaching because it makes me a better instructor
I have my students do some brief research projects and I learn from them as well, which I let them know up front. I disagree with the statement that the expert is afraid of not knowing something that a student does. I always welcome this and if challenged, I will encourage them to do some research. I tell them up front that I do not know everything in this field, nor will I ever, which is part of the drive to seek more information.
