Reflective Journal Entry - Online Learning and Motivation

“...Persevering at online learning is also affected by computer and information literacy, time management, ... online communication skills.  ... Self esteem, feelings of belongingness in the online program, and the ability to develop interpersonal relationships with peers...”   

Objective

I found this quote interesting because it provides a clear list of motivators and success factors for the online learning environment.  The quote (and longer list in the text) provide a great reminder to be sensitive to all students in the online environment and find ways to help them surpass these hurdles.

Reflective

Providing information and development in a subject may be at the core of education, but the concept of “life coaching” also plays a role.  Teaching is about helping students succeed, helping them overcome these personal hurdles, and assisting them beyond the subject matter if the extraneous factors are inhibiting their ability to learn.

Interpretive

While helping students overcome their personal hurdles is important, there must also be limits.  If the course is about online marketing skills and the student is not yet a competent user of the Internet, or familiar with different social media outlets, the best route for a teacher may be to recommend the student withdraw from the course and enrol in one that is more basic.  I think that I will have to work to find a balance between providing help and not over-helping or stepping beyond my role as a teacher.

Decisional

I have always believed teaching to be quite holistic – not tied to a subject matter, but encompassing the growth of the entire human.  That said, my learning style is very subject and objective based.  It will be a positive challenge for me to relate to other learning styles, to be able to identify these personal factors that students may be struggling with, and to find constructive and effective ways for students to overcome them. 

Reflective Journal Entry - Critical Reflection

“...Learning from one’s experience involves not just reflection, but critical reflection.”  

Objective

The concept of critical reflection is an important one.  It is what really pulled me toward this quote.  Having thorough thought and positive and negative analysis after an experience is what will provide the deep learning, not simply an overview of the basic details of the experience.

Reflective

Teaching is a lot about guiding students through the critical thought process so that it becomes innate and automatic.  It is important to have a methodology to help students develop their skills at critical reflection.

Interpretive

As I reflected on this quote I actually applied my thought to how I can help a friend recover from a repetitive injury.  As he is reluctant to receive direct guidance (“you should stretch”) I am trying to find a way to assist him in his recovery and help him prevent future re-injury.  Asking subtle, yet critical, questions about his healing, I hope, will provide some critical reflection and a change in behaviour.  This same subtle questioning technique can be used in the education setting, especially around student self-assessment.

Decisional

This quote has given me yet another tool for my teaching tool kit.  Reflecting on it has made me more accepting of the role of self-evaluation in the classroom.

Reflective Journal Entry - What is an Educated Person?

“...An educated person is one who has learned how to learn... how to adapt and change.”   

Objective

This quote is part of the definition of the humanism learning theory, which I find very interesting.  I believe that learning theories have evolved and new ones emerged as the pace of technology quickens.  While humanism is a relatively older learning theory, this root concept of adapting to change really still resonates today.

Reflective

In applying this quote to the classroom setting, it reminds me that change in constant, so teaching cannot just be a regurgitation of material year over year, class over class.  To provide relevant class material the teacher must stay at the forefront of issues affecting the subject.  Further, this quote really speaks to the concept of the flipped classroom where the students provide the material and the teacher assists in guiding change.

Interpretive

When I read the quote I wore the filter of a student, as I am.  I considered my desire to be a so-called “educated person” and how I have exhibited the characteristics of adaption and change.  My “Aha” moment came when I reflected on how to apply this quote as a teacher in the classroom.  How do I teach students how to learn?  How to want to learn?  Or how do I make them reflective on their behaviours and willing to change or adapt when they’re not successful. 

Decisional

I don’t think that this quote alone will influence my education philosophy much. Rather, the content and direction of this PiDP 3100 course has influenced how I see teaching, and the concepts outlined in this quote are part of that revelation.

Reflective Journal Entry - Teaching and Soft Skills

“21^st Century competencies’ include ‘deep understanding, flexibility and the capacity to make creative connections’ and ‘a range of so-called “soft skills” including good team working.’”  

Objective

I was intrigued by the list of competencies in this quote, which led to some internal reflection as to whether my skills in this area are sufficient.  When I consider my career I see that I’ve worked hard to acquire or strengthen some of these skills because they are so important in most work places and in adult education.

Reflective

As a teacher it will be important to assist students in developing these skills; not only will instruction and analysis of the skills be important but so will addressing and testing ways in which students use the competencies.  The latter part, addressing and testing use of the competencies, is probably the most difficult but a great opportunity for self and peer evaluation amongst the students.

Interpretive

I’ve been doing some reflection lately about my abilities and weaknesses in teamwork environments.  This quote did not necessarily provide me with an “Aha” moment, but it did engage my brain muscles in deeper reflection.  I believe that because these competencies do not come naturally to me, I will be able to instruct students well on ways to acquire and develop them as I have been going through the process myself. 

Decisional

As a result of further reflection on this quote, I will adjust the way I teach in the future.  I will spend some more time on assisting students with acquiring and developing these competencies and use peer and self reflection as a key motivator for the subject.

Lesson Planning Resources

There are eight components of lesson planning.  As we have already covered a few of them, including some of the characteristics of adult learners and Bloom’s Taxonomy, I have selected the following five components because they allow me to dig deeper into some new material.

Motivational Techniques

Reference:  http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/21-simple-ideas-to-improve-student-motivatio/

I selected this resource because it’s a handy quick list but also, with twenty-one items on it, large enough to provide regular inspiration and challenge.  Further, each of the twenty-one motivational tips provides a link to another article that discusses the specific topic in more depth. 

            I expect that when I’m in the classroom I’ll be busy with the mechanics of teaching and assessment and it will probably be relatively easy to let the creative and fresh side of teaching style slip.  I like this list because it is quick reference full of ideas to spice up the classroom and motivate students.

Assessment and Feedback

Reference: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p4_8

This resource again provides a quick list of different Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) and feedback loops to assess the effectiveness of your teaching.  The descriptions are well worded and the list is pretty extensive.  I was first hesitant to use this as a critical reference because it is dated 1993 but the ideas listed can equally be transferred to an electronic or modern learning environment.

            Similar to the motivation techniques I will be able to use this list as quick reference to change up my crutch assessment and feedback techniques.  Further, some of the techniques with low preparation time can be used “on the fly” in the classroom if there is a need for quick feedback or assessment. 

Instructional Process or Strategies

Reference: https://education.alberta.ca/media/352984/is.pdf

Alberta Learning has provided this reference paper with a detailed list of instructional strategies and examples.  The paper is detailed without being long-winded and provides great bulleted lists and diagrams that can be used as a quick reference.  Further the layout of the paper with clear and offset headings also makes it user friendly.

            I will use this article, among other resources to prepare the foundation of my daily lesson plan.  The depth of this article is really useful, as are the detailed descriptions and likely outcomes. 

Media and Learning Aids

Reference: http://classroom-aid.com/educational-resources/multimedia-resources/

I struggled to find a good resource for media and learning aids.  Due to the fast pace of technology, online resources quickly come into and then go out of fashion.  I found a lot of the online resources were actually a bit of out trend.  This one is not perfect, but it’s not bad.  And it provides a good launch pad for further ideas.

            I doubt that I’ll often use this resource to improve my teaching.  It is interesting but serves to underline the difficulty of writing articles or references about technology.  If anything, I’ll use this as a reminder to do a brainstorming session with students regarding media they’d like to use in the classroom.

Planning

Reference: http://www.humber.ca/centreforteachingandlearning/instructional-strategies/teaching-methods/course-development-tools/building-lesson-plans.html

This Humber College website gives some detail about the structure of lesson plans while also providing a number of lesson plan templates that can be easily adapted to any subject.  The links provided on the page are to both internal Humber College materials and some great external resources like the top-10 list of lesson planning apps.

            The app list is particularly useful as I often use my iPad to prepare or study as I travel.  Having a good app that will assist me in the lesson planning is invaluable.