GMIT 650/Week Seven--Adult Education & Experience

I'm going to try something different this week in an attempt to do a better job at reflecting on the seminar. I want to focus only on the three questions provided by seminar leader and cohort, Jessie La Cross, one other cohort's reply to her question, my own reply to her questions, and then my own conclusion and reflection.

Jessie's first question/s:

Our text lists at least 4 ways that educators can acknowledge the experiences of learners. One technique is for teachers to link explanations and examples to the prior experiences of learners. This is an attempt to support continuity between the known and the unknown.

A second technique for acknowledging students’ experience is for teachers to link explanations and examples to the current experiences of learners. This is an attempt to make the learning more relevant for learners.

a) I have a feeling that some members of our cohort have discovered many creative ways to get to know our students. If you are an educator and you have already used either strategy, please share a technique you have used and whether you believed it helped facilitate learning for your students. If you have not attempted to integrate students’ experiences, do you believe it could aid students’ development for the types of courses you teach? Are there new techniques you can think of that you’d like to try in the future?

b) If you are not an educator, or if you just prefer to answer this question as a student, think back to classes that you have taken in the past. Did any of the instructors make an effort to incorporate your personal experiences as part of the class? What techniques did they use, and do you feel that aided your learning?

Here is Francine Oran's main reply to Jessie:

There is a technique that I have used once before which is an example of acknowledging the student experiences to support continuity between the known and unknown. I used this technique in my Exam Room I class. This is the class that I teach that predominantly focuses on phlebotomy procedures. I decided to do this on the first day, as an ice-breaker activity. In addition, I also wanted to learn about the students and any biases or problems that they may have regarding performing this type of invasion procedure.

First I introduced myself, and told the students two stories regarding myself. One of the stories was regarding me as a student and the other on a more personal level, as a mother of a young, sick child. Both of my stories pertained to phlebotomy. Then I asked each student to introduce themselves. I wanted them to share anything, good or bad, regarding their experiences with phlebotomy.

The activity went great. I learned a lot about the students, and it was a really good getting-to-know-you exercise. I was able to determine if there were any major problems or reservations with the students and address them right away. I also was able to use this knowledge when linking explanations and examples down the road to the prior experiences of the students.

Here is my main reply to Jessie:

I have not had a lot of experience teaching yet, but I think a good way to approach teaching in relation to prior experiences would be to come up with a series of questions for a questionaire that would lead into the various course activities you have at your disposal. The students would complete the questionaire, and hopefully, this would give you enough information to decide which activities to focus on.

The same could be done for teaching in relation to current experiences; the questionaire questions would focus on the students' current job or life experiences.

My conclusion and reflection:

Francine gave Jessie a great example of getting to know the students personally, and also getting their perspective on the specific subject of phlebotomy. Fran was able to establish a starting point and address any questions or problems the students may have had before they got into the coursework.

I think this a great way to establish a good relationship with students, and also gives you a better feel for the whole class as you dive in to the coursework. You have a better idea of what to focus on in your provided activities and discussion.

My suggestion was a questionaire for the students to fill out which pertained to the coursework activities at my disposal. This would also provide a guide for me to follow.

My "getting to know the students" would be similar, but the focus would be on the students getting to know each other first with "ice breaker" exercises. By them being more comfortable with each other first allows them to open up more to me as their instructor.

There is no perfect or standard way to do this. The main thing is to get the students talking about themselves and each other, their past experiences, and how they feel about the class they are taking, either specifically or in general.

Jessie's second question/s:

Learning from experience is the fourth way our text discusses to acknowledge students’ experiences. When I read this section, starting on page 160, it was easier for me to put myself in the place of the student.

Brookfield (on page 162) says critical reflection is the key to learning from experience. He states critical reflection involves three phases: 1) The identification of the assumptions that underlie thoughts and actions; 2) The scrutiny of the accuracy and validity of these assumptions in terms of how they connect to experience; 3) The reconstituting of these assumptions to make them more inclusive and integrative.

Brookfield further says that recognition of assumptions is the key to critical reflection. He states you can think of assumptions as ‘rules of thumb that underlie and inform our actions’, or general beliefs, commonsense ideas, or intuitions that you hold.

Can you share some rules of thumb about education that guide you as an teacher or as a student? Are there any rules of thumb that you formerly held that you now think may be being altered for having worked through some of the ideas from this textbook?

Here is Kelly Findley's main reply to Jessie:

Rules of thumb about education that guide you as a teacher:

When I first started as an instructor, I was given some very good advice from another instructor and that was to admit that if I didn’t know something to say it straight out to the students. The point was to come across not as a know-it-all, but as someone who has knowledge about the subject yet at the same time, is still learning about it. This has become my golden rule in regards to teaching. I tell students in a candid manner that technology is always changing and that they might find a change in theory or additional facts in a text or online that I am unaware of. They are encouraged to discuss new material during class time and in effect, be the teacher.

Here is my main reply to Jessie:

I looked for an article on "critical reflection" in ProQuest and found the one attached. The article focuses on first year college programs and freshman learning communities (FLCs) and states that there are several factors that contribute to positive learning consequences of the FLCs. Following is the section I am referring to:

The argument for the positive consequences of FLCs is based on several factors. First, students learn best when they are able to make substantive interdisciplinary connections across their courses (Austin, Hirstein, and Walen 1997; Hursh, Haas, and Moore 1983; Kain 1993; Wolf and Brandt 1998). When issues, topics, debates, and concepts introduced in one class are reintroduced and reinforced in another, there is a greater likelihood that students will develop a deeper understanding of the content and material. Second, learning is enhanced when students are able to interact and engage with their peers about the subject matter in their courses (Bruffee 1998; King 1990; Qin, Johnson, and Johnson 1995; Springer, Stanne, and Donovan 1999; Webb 1982). Third, students learn best when they are actively engaged, versus passively present, in the learning process through handson problem solving and application (Bonwell and Eison 1991; Hake 1998; Kuh, Pace, and Vesper 1997). Fourth, students tend to be more successful when they are able to develop a meaningful academic relationship with faculty (Endo and Harpel 1982; Kuh 2001; Lamport 1993; Pascarella 1980). FLCs are organized to foster these conditions.

How I tie this in with your question/s, Jessie:

The first factor, "making substantive interdisciplinary connections across courses," might be easier understood by saying that we have past real-life experiences and knowledge that should help us relate to, and better understand, the different types of coursework that we may be involved in as a student.

The second one, "interacting and engaging with peers," makes good sense, too; as students, we share our ideas and thoughts, and learn together. We help each other understand and learn by asking and answering questions.

"Handson problem solving and application," the third factor, is very important in learning--we shouldn't be passively learning as students.

Finally, a "meaningful academic relationship with faculty" is a must--we, as students, need to try to put ourselves more in the mindset of the teacher so we can relate to the coursework activities they present.

Jessie, I think these are good "rules of thumb" to follow.

My conclusion and reflection:

Kelly basically told Jessie that she teaches by using knowledge from experience on the subject, but tells her students that she doesn't know everything, and costant change is inevitable so the students learn what she teaches while still having to be critically reflecting on the material.

I was a bit more extensive in my answer, referring to the scholarly article I provided in my reply. I think it is very important to establish a good teaching/learning relationship with the students so there is plenty of trust to start with. Then, it is equally important that the students know and trust each other; they should be able to share thoughts and opinions professionally and without fear that they will be affected negatively by their peers.

It is also a good idea to give the students exercises that involve them interactively and help them develop problem-solving skills. The more they are involved personally (hands on) the more likely that they will put forth a stronger effort and perform at a higher level.

The students should also be reminded that past experiences in their personal lives, as well as their career experiences should be constantly kept in mind and applied to the coursework. It is up to me to reinforce these things throughout the learning experience.

Jessie's third question/s:

Collins (on pg. 154) states it is not enough to simply put theory into practice, because this carries with it the presumption that a particular theoretical model can faithfully represent a particular order of reality. He(she?) goes on to say “it is more efficacious to think in terms of engaging thoughtfully with theory and then putting ourselves into practice”.

We are being exposed to quite a bit of theory in this class. We also have a lot of experience in the field of education. How do you interpret putting yourself into practice? In light of some of the theory we have been reading, are there ways in which you are beginning to “re-see” your own role in education, or the role of students in education, that are different from before?

Here is Gina Ewing's main reply to Jessie:

On page 156 the author states, regarding music, that it is possible to have theoretical knowledge without practical expertise & practical expertise without theoretical knowledge and as experience is developed theory illuminates practice & practice illuminates theory.

I interpret these phrases to mean “practice makes perfect” and the more experience a person has the more credible they will become in that area of study. In todays job market a college education falls under proof of expertise, in some fields, as a degree is needed in order to get that position, as well as experience.

In reference to question 3 I interpret putting myself into practice by using my experiences as a child care provider and child care facility inspector whenever I facilitate to providers. The information I share with clients gives me credibility and puts them at ease with the training/inspection to a point. It also brings more questions from the client in other areas of child care.

I am finding that the more experience I gain on the job allows me to reevaluate my technique of doing inspections. Even though I have a checklist to go-by there are areas of the inspection that are subjective and I am careful not to provide information without stating that “this is a recommendation, but not required”.

Here is my main reply to Jessie:

Excellent question here, Jessie! I see myself as continuing to try to put a lot of this presented material into practice as I move along. One example might be that of taking into account the past experiences or backgrounds of students in planning coursework activities appropriate to reflective learning and assessment.

Another example might be to incorporate the different styles of rubrics into coursework.
Another one could be designing activities that are more suitable for interactive learning, problem solving, and critical thinking.

My conclusion and reflection:

Gina related to Jessie how her career experiences as a chilcare provider and facility inspector has been very instrumental in "putting herself into practice" while facilitating childcare providers. Gina also mentioned how getting a degree will give her more credibility in her field, as well as in her future educational experiences.

I related to Jessie how I plan to use what I have learned in this program to improve myself as an instructor, especially in the area of relating well to students, being more aware of their backgrounds, and planning coursework activities accordingly. I also plan to use rubrics more effectively in my teaching, and make interactive learning, problem solving, and critical thinking a higher priority for the students in their coursework.

It's going to take a lot of practice and determination to put all I have learned into effective teaching. It won't happen overnight, but I plan on referring back to notes and resources I have collected as I have gone along in this program.

My final reflection on the seminar:

I feel that I performed at a graduate level in this seminar. It has been very challenging, but I think each week we all get a little more confident and do a good job of sharing thoughts and ideas. These seminars will be in my memory for years to come; it has been a great experience. I have learned a lot and hope to retain a lot of the information so I can be more effective as an instructor.

I think Jessie again did a great job of providing excellent material for us, and also kept the discussion threads moving very well. I can't imagine a better way to share and learn than this "electronic seminar."

There was also a high level of participation by fellow cohorts. I wish I could include all of them in my journal reflections, but time and space is limiting me at this point. I still have another seminar to reflect on. We'll see you next week in GMIT 650!!