I am constantly reviewing the material looking for ways to change the way i present the materail, change it up to keep the students interested.
Jeffrey,
great point here about being a "reflective practitioner," taking the time to think about what went well & what could be improved.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Peter,
your emphasis on not only learning new material/content, but also new methods is vitally important.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The balance to learn about the topics and develope/learn new ways of teaching is critical to an instructor. You should always be evolving in area of instruction. In culinary arts the topics are standard but the methods are as different as the country you teach in. Plus the students are from multiple backrounds. Training on a cruise ship was a big challenge. 62 different nationalities onboard all learning the exact same topic differently. Thats my balance.
Kandy,
I like your approach of pulling in the contemporary articles & reading. This is a great example to the students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
There a few faculty members who I really respect and usually find that even a hallway question about an aspect is well worth the time.
In my field I must always learn & grow myself. I am required by my state to obtain 12 CEUs (Continue Education Units/Credits) per year. I typically obtain these by attending the states seminar annually. This seminar is a great experience to hear many different speakers on many different topics of interest, & it also has many vendors set-up to provide information about the "latest & greatest" technology being used in the field at this time.
I always leave feeling like I have gained much new information from these seminars.
I also may take online modules for learning, as well as find other seminars to attend during the year.
I also maintain my active membership in the National organization that provides me with Journals & News articles that I review monthly.
I have taken articles from the journals & utilized them in my class for my students to review & determine their plan of care related to the problem discussed.
These journals & news articles help keep me aware of current practices.
All of these things, I believe, help me grow as a therapist & as a learning facilitator.
Tim,
that is a great idea, to group the information, as it provides a basis for further learning as well as helping with retention.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I teach automotive courses and as many know cars are changing every year so I am always doing research to keep up on the latest changes. Some of the problems that I have had in the past was tring to incorperate to much in one class so I've learned to group things into like catagories. I found that the students retained the information better that way.
edward,
it really is important that we continue to grow in our respective fields of expertise while also improving our teaching craft.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think that by taking more classes that can help me transform from a chef into an educator can help me to develop new teaching methods that ultimately will help me convey the information more effectively.
Amanda,
I agree that the continual learning of new ideas & concepts (whether in a program or in personal learning) is a great way to keep course material fresh & relevant.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The feild of nursing is forever changing so I am constantly keeping myself up to date. It also helps that I continue to work in the feild and am still in school myself. I take what I learn and find ways to integrate it into my course material that I teach. I figure if I found it interesting my students might too.
Harrison,
I think this is great advice & the reality is there are so many ways we can learn & develop in our fields.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
First, I have to do CEU's. Next That's why I take these courses. My Father-in-law told me once to always learn as much as you can about whatever your doing.
Clarence,
our own curiosity is a great place to start to stay fresh & can be a great example to our students of truly loving what we do & study.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Richard,
Connection to the field is a must especially in our rapidly changing world.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
John,
Yes borrowing ideas & methods from our peers is a great way to improve our own practice.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I would agree with Mr. Hill, My interest in the field and the continued change that takes place there.
I subscribe to several trade magazines that keep me abreast of new technology in my field. I have also developed a good repor with other instructors who are always willing to help me out in tough situations.
