4/16 class and my teaching demonstration experience
I believe I’ve finally passed the threshold of understanding the purpose of the blogging assignment. While writing my reflection paper on my teaching demonstration, I found myself commenting on the MBA 8-hour sample that was posted for the class to review.
I had so many thoughts on this that I began a different document that, once finished after about 8 minutes, I turned into a blog entry. I’m doing that again right now. Use a word document to write/think/revise and then post a blog. If my blog were worthy, and one day I might have one I believe is indeed worthy, and I could post my individual thoughts out there for anyone in the world to react to, is amazing. No one might see it, but someone may and that person and I could start a conversation. How very cool. I’ve been struggling all semester considering the blog as a diary (or journal if you will) and never felt as if I was doing the reflection thing “right.”
My thinking “out loud” (via this very keyboard that is) about what I’m observing, what I’m reading, and experiencing directly can be a learning tool all in itself. The idea that teachers should be reflective and self-critical – not in a negative way, but in a self-improvement way is genius.
I’m glad to know that the School of Ed master’s program at VCU encourages blogging. And not just for adult education teachers, but for all teachers.
Another insight I’ve developed from this course is the idea of andragogy and the other pedagogy word… There are some who feel adult education requires substantially different skills than K-12 teaching. I agree there are definite differences and distinct strategies and theories must be targeted to both groups. But the idea of teaching not automatically equaling learning or knowing, the importance of active learning, and Vella’s learner-centered focus to instructional design – these concepts/theories I believe should be universal for teaching/training. Not just adult education.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Reaction to the sample MBA 8-hour Seminar Design
For many reasons, I was enthralled by this 30-page story. For one, because I’m in the MBA program and know first hand some of the issues. For another, I’m just beginning my awareness into training and adult education theories. And another, because I’ve worked in marketing for fifteen years and see this effort as a process enhancement tool to improve the product being sold. Good for them.
I expect academic institutions are beefing up their marketing budgets as they need to compete for students. Even thought the product being sold here is a 2-year masters degree, academia does not forgo its responsibility to deliver a valued product to a target audience that wants it.
Seeing this type of self-correction / evaluation in an MBA program to me is evidence of the more recent evolution from push to pull marketing. As consumers are being more and more diversified, and their power to seek and ask for what precisely they want, businesses have more pressure to deliver wanted products. The days of Ford saying they’ll only sell black cars are well over. To stay in the game, Ford needs to design cars that consumers want. They have to pull consumers in by offering products consumers want.
The same goes for academia. Its why the past few years I’ve noticed many billboards around town advertising the VCU MBA programs (regular and executive). Early on I thought this was silly, that a college needn’t advertise. But of course they should. They’re selling a product and need to get the word out that it’s a good product. They also need to constantly evaluate the product to determine what improvements can be made.
I applaud the department for acknowledging that several professors, maybe those very well respected, are very proud and confident that their teaching style of straight PowerPoint lecture is well received. And retained. It’s crazy.
While I was in college and had a few friends getting education degrees. When it was time for them to do their student teaching semesters, I remember asking my father the professor about where he had done his and what he thought about it. His response surprised me then, and I recall my surprise even to this day. He told me that to teach K-12 teachers are required to take education courses. To teach college and beyond, none are required. I asked him, “well how did you learn how to teach?” His response, “I just started doing it and learned on the fly.” It must have worked out for him as he’s retiring at the end of this month after 40 years of teaching across 4 different colleges and one large university. But I’m sure if he took ADLT 603, there would be one or two nuggets that he’d find helpful.
I expect academic institutions are beefing up their marketing budgets as they need to compete for students. Even thought the product being sold here is a 2-year masters degree, academia does not forgo its responsibility to deliver a valued product to a target audience that wants it.
Seeing this type of self-correction / evaluation in an MBA program to me is evidence of the more recent evolution from push to pull marketing. As consumers are being more and more diversified, and their power to seek and ask for what precisely they want, businesses have more pressure to deliver wanted products. The days of Ford saying they’ll only sell black cars are well over. To stay in the game, Ford needs to design cars that consumers want. They have to pull consumers in by offering products consumers want.
The same goes for academia. Its why the past few years I’ve noticed many billboards around town advertising the VCU MBA programs (regular and executive). Early on I thought this was silly, that a college needn’t advertise. But of course they should. They’re selling a product and need to get the word out that it’s a good product. They also need to constantly evaluate the product to determine what improvements can be made.
I applaud the department for acknowledging that several professors, maybe those very well respected, are very proud and confident that their teaching style of straight PowerPoint lecture is well received. And retained. It’s crazy.
While I was in college and had a few friends getting education degrees. When it was time for them to do their student teaching semesters, I remember asking my father the professor about where he had done his and what he thought about it. His response surprised me then, and I recall my surprise even to this day. He told me that to teach K-12 teachers are required to take education courses. To teach college and beyond, none are required. I asked him, “well how did you learn how to teach?” His response, “I just started doing it and learned on the fly.” It must have worked out for him as he’s retiring at the end of this month after 40 years of teaching across 4 different colleges and one large university. But I’m sure if he took ADLT 603, there would be one or two nuggets that he’d find helpful.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Class 3/26
Wow. I'm amazed at how clearly Aaron Paula was able to make the complicated subject of credit. And how cleaver and simple the neumonics lesson was.
It takes forethough and planning. Both of which I've not been able to make available to myself in my new temporary job as a trainer / line manager of 25 hourly workers reviewing documents.
Its essential to making myself look respectable and to ensuring comprehension. I've got to make changes in this job. The same way I'm approaching plannign out my 8-hour seminar and the 20 minute demo - I absolutely can and should use the lessons of this class in my new position. Even thought its temporary. Like I did today at work, I need to escape for an hour away from all their questions and think about how to motivate and engage them. How to double check everyone knows what their doing and is working fast & efficient enough.
Must connect with audience. Must establish clear objectives that they care about (even if only by $$). Must lay out what they need to do in clear simple steps. get them to tell the other what I just said. Get them to train new ones as they file in. That helps treat them with the respect they deserve. My 25 temporary hourly workers for the next month are my first group of adult learners. I want to use them to practice on. See if this training thing is really something I want to do and if i'm good at it and can enjoy it. I think so, but this is a great opportunity for a "pilot" for my own career asperiations. I need to take full advantage of it.
It takes forethough and planning. Both of which I've not been able to make available to myself in my new temporary job as a trainer / line manager of 25 hourly workers reviewing documents.
Its essential to making myself look respectable and to ensuring comprehension. I've got to make changes in this job. The same way I'm approaching plannign out my 8-hour seminar and the 20 minute demo - I absolutely can and should use the lessons of this class in my new position. Even thought its temporary. Like I did today at work, I need to escape for an hour away from all their questions and think about how to motivate and engage them. How to double check everyone knows what their doing and is working fast & efficient enough.
Must connect with audience. Must establish clear objectives that they care about (even if only by $$). Must lay out what they need to do in clear simple steps. get them to tell the other what I just said. Get them to train new ones as they file in. That helps treat them with the respect they deserve. My 25 temporary hourly workers for the next month are my first group of adult learners. I want to use them to practice on. See if this training thing is really something I want to do and if i'm good at it and can enjoy it. I think so, but this is a great opportunity for a "pilot" for my own career asperiations. I need to take full advantage of it.
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