Adult Learning UK
Continuing & Adult Education
Learning and Work
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Touchstones of Good Teaching
I like this infographic. "Peel back the curtain and make performance expectations clear" really hit home for me. In the past couple of years we have had our students submit videos of themselves performing essential skills so that we can assess them. We weren't clear the first year with our expectations, so last semester we gave out what we felt were clear guidelines on the evaluation process for video submissions. We still had some students who did poorly and felt that they did not understand what we were looking for. Other students were successful and received 100%. Does that mean that we weren't clear? That some students understood the instructions better than others? Or does it mean that some students expect to be given step-by-step instructions to a perfect grade but don't want to think for themselves? And if we give them that, are we helping them to mastery, or are we handicapping them from being able to think critically?
Instructional Process/Strategies
I read with interest this page on holding students' attention. I used some of the techniques listed today in my Surgical Assistance class; I demonstrated a skill/task or two, then had the students practice themselves. I would then demonstrate one or two more and then have the students practice. I also used #14: Stressing Relevance. Once all tasks had been practiced, I demonstrated how each of the tasks would fit together and flow once we begin surgery labs. I am going to incorporate more change and surprise (#13) and also take some time at the beginning of any student practice time to "Establish the routine, task and time limit" (#9) to help avoid waning attention.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Motivational Techniques
I chose this article as a resource on motivational techniques, specifically number 7 as mentioned in my previous post. I am going to find ways to make best-practice relevant to my students. Because many of them are working in practice and see tasks performed successfully a certain way, getting them to change can be difficult. As mentioned in the article, students are motivated when they see value in what they are learning. I am going to look at ways to show them how doing something the correct way, rather than an acceptable way, can help them to further their career.
Strategies to Spark Motivation
It seems to be that Number 7 of the nine strategies listed in this article should be obvious to my students. What they are learning in labs are tasks that they will be performing each day. There is sometimes push-back as I have mentioned in several posts and assignments, as we are teaching the 'gold standard' and students see less than that done in practice. But perhaps I need to go beyond teaching the task and show them how it can help with their CAREERS, not with the day to day tasks.
For instance, often DVMs don't care how a task is done, so long as it is done efficiently, inexpensively and on time so that they are not standing around waiting. Helping my students to see that delinting textiles prior to autoclaving means that the DVM does not have to waste time and sterile gauze picking hairs off the laparatomy sheet prior to being able to begin surgery equates to less waste, more income to the practice and potentially a raise for the student/employee. Perhaps the student is able to bring in many new ideas to the practice to improve efficiency and this in turn results in a new position of Staff Trainer for the student.
For instance, often DVMs don't care how a task is done, so long as it is done efficiently, inexpensively and on time so that they are not standing around waiting. Helping my students to see that delinting textiles prior to autoclaving means that the DVM does not have to waste time and sterile gauze picking hairs off the laparatomy sheet prior to being able to begin surgery equates to less waste, more income to the practice and potentially a raise for the student/employee. Perhaps the student is able to bring in many new ideas to the practice to improve efficiency and this in turn results in a new position of Staff Trainer for the student.
Curiosity
Curiosity. I have been told that as a child, I wanted to know 'why'. And I still do. When I learn something new, I need to know why to fully understand it.
A chef friend told me on New Year's Eve to sear the meat in a pan, but then finish in the oven. I had heard this before, but why? I have had sports injuries before for which I have sought out physiotherapy. Yes, I will do the exercises to heal, but why? What purpose do they serve, how will they help? I have worked with a personal trainer who is a friend and when he has given me a set of exercises, I have asked why he wants me to do them in that order. "Because I said so" is the answer. I trust him, and see results, so I accept that answer from him. But it certainly doesn't foster learning.
Do I do the same thing to my students? I mean, I don't say "Because I said so" to them, but do I shut down their curiosity in other ways? There are times when students challenge me for the way I am teaching them to do a task that they have seen done in practice. Often practice is not the gold standard, which is what we are teaching. But am I shutting them down by giving that answer, rather than turning the question back to them and asking which they think is better and why? Don't I want them to question, to be curious, to learn?
A chef friend told me on New Year's Eve to sear the meat in a pan, but then finish in the oven. I had heard this before, but why? I have had sports injuries before for which I have sought out physiotherapy. Yes, I will do the exercises to heal, but why? What purpose do they serve, how will they help? I have worked with a personal trainer who is a friend and when he has given me a set of exercises, I have asked why he wants me to do them in that order. "Because I said so" is the answer. I trust him, and see results, so I accept that answer from him. But it certainly doesn't foster learning.
Do I do the same thing to my students? I mean, I don't say "Because I said so" to them, but do I shut down their curiosity in other ways? There are times when students challenge me for the way I am teaching them to do a task that they have seen done in practice. Often practice is not the gold standard, which is what we are teaching. But am I shutting them down by giving that answer, rather than turning the question back to them and asking which they think is better and why? Don't I want them to question, to be curious, to learn?
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