pidpkellychhor

[pidpkellychhor]

Reflecting on PIDP

So far I have taken Foundations of Adult Education, Curriculum Development, Evaluation of Learning, Instructional Strategies and Professional Practice.  Through out my year in the program, I have learned so much that I am able to apply directly to my currently role.  I have particularly enjoyed revamping classes with the new knowledge I have gained from the PIDP and testing out new ideas.

 The class I have found the most interesting is the Evaluation of Learning. It forced me to break down my own thoughts about evaluation and how it is applied and why.  I had to recheck my thoughts with what was being taught in the class; did I build an evaluation that was valid?  Is there a valid reason to test?  Are we weighting the test correctly?

 By taking the PIDP, it has reignited my thirst for knowledge and I want to learn as much possible.  I have learned so much through the program and I feel it has made me a better teacher overall.  I am looking forward to the rest of the courses!

[pidpkellychhor]

Importance of Lifelong Learning as a Professional

I believe lifelong learning is applicable to every human being that wants to be successful not only in their professional career, but their personal lives as well.  Lifelong learning is not just about academic learning, but about the ability and willingness to learn.  Being a lifelong learner gives us advantages such as openness, education, social skills and employ-ability.

 Related to the professional world, I think it makes you a better candidate to be hired.  I worked in recruitment for a couple of years before moving into the teaching and one of the traits we looked for was the ability and willingness to learn.  We are in a unique environment where technology is rapidly changing the way we work.  There seems to be new technology introduced every couple of months that our staff need to know or be trained on.  Even outside of the work environment, we see new technology all the time.  Let’s look at smartphones.  When I was young, I remember phones being only for calling and they were quite big.  Now, most people have a smartphone which is like having a computer in your pocket!

{D

[pidpkellychhor]

Digital Literacy

I would like to explore this topic further as it effects Adult Learners. We live in a world where technology is advancing very quickly.  I watched a great Ted Talks about how rapidly technology is advancing; as new technology develops, it enables the development of technology to be faster.  Check out the Ted Talks here: https://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_on_how_technology_will_transform_us

In my classes now, I notice a wide range of ages.  There are noticeable technology gaps that we have to manage. I think this is now a part of being an adult learner.  We use a wide varity of technology tools such as internet, Kahoot, cell phones, eLearnings and intranet.  It is more challenging for some then others that seem to be of the “digital generation”.

Some ways I have managed this is taking more time with the students that have those challenges after class to show them the basics.  We cannot assume that everyone has basic computer skills. For example, I had a student that did not know we could convert word files to PDFs easily.  By taking the time to walk through this with her, she felt heard and supported.  

Since our world is becoming more and more digital, we need ways to manage gaps within ourselves and the learners.

Check out this article I read discussing this:

http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/digital-literacy-fundamentals

[pidpkellychhor]

Lecturing Creatively

PIDP 3260 Assignment Description and Marking Rubric

When reading this chapter, the being organized part really resonated with me.  In order to lecture creatively, we do need structure to make sure that we are covering all the points that we need to during the lecture. This also helps with flow of the lecture and helps us keep on track as facilitators.

Once we have a structure, we can incorporate other activities in the lecture such as group discussions, videos, games, etc.  I think the best way to understand which activities to use would be to really understand the content and the learning objectives.  Make it a student centered classroom.  This will help keep students engaged.  

I also think it is important for the facilitator to be willing to try new things and keep it a “living” classroom.  Let the students help shape the future classes and lecture style/activities. This created by in from the class and gives the instructor feedback on what is working well.

 Check out this awesome Ted Talks on Creativity:

https://www.ted.com/talks/julie_burstein_4_lessons_in_creativity

[pidpkellychhor]

Professional Ethics

In my workplace, we have a Code of Conduct that ties within professional ethics.  One of our professional ethics is to be honest in our dealings and give our manager our best advice.  I see this applying to the teaching world.  I feel as teachers, we need to be honest when we don’t know something and follow up with the class with the right answer.  If we happen to give out wrong information, we could be doing the class a disservice- it could effect their performance in the future.

Check out this Ted Talks on ethics in learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8juebyo_Z4

[pidpkellychhor]

Student’s Resistance to Learning and How to Overcome Them

There are lots of reason why a student may be resistant to learning.  One common one I have encountered is students viewing themselves as ‘poor learners’.  They might have been out of school for a while or feel like the environment is now different then what they are use to.  It can be quite intimidating for an older learner coming into a classroom where everyone is tech savvy. 

As adult teachers, it’s really important to be aware of this.  These types of learners can feel intimidated and overwhelmed from the beginning of class and may be afraid to ask questions in front of the class.  This could spiral and they could get lost in the class if the teacher is not paying attention; we want to make sure we are encouraging these students and making them feel comfortable.

One tactic that I like to use is to let them vent and try and ask them for what they think are the best solutions.  What do they need from me?  What has been done in the past?  What is their commitment in this?  This allows them to be part of the solution and collaborate as a learning team.  I think by doing this, the teacher gets a better sense of what they can do to help and the learner has a clearer idea of what they need to do to do well in the class.

Check out this article for other reasons why students may be resistant to learning:

http://www.montana.edu/facultyexcellence/documents/oct22_article.pdf

[pidpkellychhor]

Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

Teaching in a diverse classroom can be challenging, but also very rewarding.  We live in a time where people can move to different countries and experience different cultures.  There could be people in your class that have come from war torn countries or places where customs are different.  It’s our jobs as teachers to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn at their best in the classroom.

I do think it’s very important to set the expectation at the beginning of the class that we will (as a class) foster an accepting environment for all to learn in.  Discrimination or bullying is absolutely unacceptable.  I have done this in classrooms before and it set the tone for the classroom.

As a teacher, I think it is important to understand what challenges could come out of a diverse classroom.  There are some cultures that behave different in the classroom.  For example, a student may not be use to questioning a teacher.  In my classes, I promote questioning and self-thinking.  I would call that out to the whole class so that they understood.

Here are some techniques that I found interesting when reading about diverse classrooms:

https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-strategies/strategies-teaching-culturally-diverse-students?page=2  

[pidpkellychhor]

Where I am Professionally

Professionally, I am happy where I am.  I have been with the same company for about 10 years now and felt they have given me opportunities to grow in the organization and learn new skillsets.  In fact, I am completing the PIDP because of them.  I do hope to get my CHRP one day as that is the field I studied in, but I’m not in a rush to.

In the next five years I hope to be working in a role where I am able to choose my own hours and be flexible.  Facilitation and teaching might be included in this.  I do believe our work world is changing- technology has allowed us to work differently and is shaping the way we work.  I hope to keep up with these trends.  Honestly, I think I am happy in a work environment where I feel supported and valued.  The work could be anything that I’m interested in.

Check out some technology trends that could effect our perception of regular work in the next 5 years:

https://www.workshiftcanada.com/emerging-trends-for-canadian-workplaces-in-2017/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/workplace-trends-office-1.3386128

[pidpkellychhor]

Ted Talks: The Power of Introverts

This is one of my favourite Ted Talks.  You can watch the video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts

I love it because i am very extroverted and it helped me understand introverts better.  It also made me realize that our society has structured classrooms and workplaces to a mainly extroverted audience; think of all the group work projects you have been in and presentations.  

I also had a friend that would often comment how she would fake being an extrovert because the workplace called for it and how exhausted she was at the end of the day.  This made me think a lot about how we can start to change the workplace and learning environments to be more exclusive.

[pidpkellychhor]

Chapter 2

This chapter made me think a lot about assumptions in the classroom and different feelings that students may have.  One portion that I thought about is how we as instructors appeal to extroverts and introverts and how they deal with the different personality types in the classroom.

I think it can be tricky to manage learning styles as well as personalities.  One thing that I liked in this chapter is that is echoed the need to involve the class and make them part of the learning process as well.

[pidpkellychhor]

First Reflection

Objective

I chose the quote "Simply having experiences does not imply that they are reflected on, understood or analyzed critically.  Individual experiences can be distorted, self-fulfilling, unexamined and constraining."  (Brookfield, 2015 pg.12)

Reflective

I picked this quote because it really resonated with me.  I felt connected to the statement because over the past couple of years, I have been trying to meditate more and reflect at the end of each day.  I started to reflect more because of something a professor told me in one of my later years of college.  He said that in our society, we live in such a fast past environment that we forget about reflecting.  If we don’t reflect, we lose the ability to connect with ourselves and may lose sight of what is most important to us.  To live life to the fullest, we have to understand what makes us “tick” and also how to interact with other people.  I believe reflection allows us to better achieve this.

Interpretative

My “Aha!” moment when reading this quote was when I noticed myself nodding my head agreeing with it.  I read a quote by Mark Van Doren that really resonated with me, “The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” When we reflect, we use cognitive and emotional information to analyze the experience or situation (Costa & Kallick, 2009).  This is really interesting because when we use these parts of our brain, we can learn from past experiences and apply it to new experiences we have.  This will help us build our decision making skills and enable us to keep on learning.  

This quote did change how I feel about being an adult educator.  Previously, I only really thought about reflection in the concept of my own life.  Reflection is so important to students as well and helps them with their learning. One key insight that I have learned is that I can use reflection in the classroom pretty easily and it can be very engaging.  I started to research more into the benefits of reflection in learning and how it is beneficial in the classroom.  As teachers, we can reflect to improve our lesson plans.  We can ask ourselves questions like “Why didn’t this work?” or “why was the class not engaged” and reflect on our thoughts.  This enables us to improve for next time.  If we did not reflect, we most likely would not have these learnings (Sanders, n.d.).

Decisional

When I read this quote, it prompted me to reflect on my own teaching practices. From reflecting and doing more research into reflection in the classroom, I know understand how important it is.  This has influenced the way I want to teach and the kind of teacher I want to be.  I believe it’s important for both the teacher and the students to reflect regularly to enhance their learning.  I would like to explain the importance of reflection at the start of new classes.  This will help the student understand why we will journal throughout the class.  I would like to add an activity everyday to have the student journal about their day and reflect on what they learned.  I would also like to incorporate a weekly feedback form.  This will allow me to reflect on my teaching style and lesson plans.  This will also allow me to quickly make changes to accommodate the class as needed.

References

Brookfield, S. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (2009). Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind: 16 Essential Characteristics for Success. Moorabbin, Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education.

Sanders, T. (n.d.). The Importance of Reflection. Retrieved May 28, 2017, from http://www.uft.org/teaching/pip-importance-reflection

[pidpkellychhor]

Chapter One Thoughts

Reading through this chapter made me thinking about previous instructor I have had and my own teaching style.  It occurred to be that there are certain behaviors and traits that the instructors that I liked the most have.  Being honest and open with the class was a huge portion to building trust in the room.  This was a key component to classrooms that I really enjoyed being in and felt the most engaged in.  

I do think a good teacher is interested and passionate about the content they are teaching and have intermediate knowledge about that topic.  This allows the class to be able to ask questions about the topic and receive the correct information.  It also makes the class more confident in the teacher.

Another attribute that I think makes a good teacher is to be honest and genuine.  It’s okay not to know all the answers, but be accountable and go find the information for the class and get back to them.  When I have had honest and genuine teachers, it creates a better learning environment for the class.

[pidpkellychhor]

SIE Facebook Page

Check out the Facebook Page Here:  https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation#

[pidpkellychhor]

James’ Blog

Check out James’ Blog here: https://jamescurtisblog.wordpress.com/

I enjoyed reading James’ blog.  He has a lot of amazing work experience and I look forward to his contributions to the class.

[pidpkellychhor]

Anna-Lisa’s Blog

Anna-Lisa’s blog can be found by using this link: https://annalisa353.wordpress.com/

Anna-Lisa’s blog is easy to navigate and read.  Looking forward to reading more of her posts!

[pidpkellychhor]

Ken’s Blog

To get to Ken’s Blog, click on the link:  https://kizumivcc.wordpress.com/

I liked the look and feel of his blog.  It was easy to navigate and had a few videos which I liked.

[pidpkellychhor]

Why take PIDP 3260?

I’m taking this course in order to complete the PIDP for my current role.  I have enjoyed the other PIDP classes so far and looking forward to this one.