The Temptation with Many Online Classes - Essay Example

?Exercise There are many ways that family obligations might get in the way of successful online learning. The temptation with many online es that do not have required chat sessions at a scheduled time is to procrastinate. It is easy to convince yourself that you will get to your assignments after soccer practice, dropping the kids off for dance lessors or after tucking the children into bed for the night. The problem with procrastination is you are quite possibly exhausted from your family responsibilities before you even schedule your school work. Having family obligations requires the online learner to prioritize and to sometimes decline invitations and to delegate responsibilities to other family members. Without successful prioritization of tasks and responsibilities, online courses might turn-out to be a bad experience. Technology makes online classes possible, but they can also be a barrier to success in the online learning environment. One possible technological problem is having a computer that is not capable of delivering the content that the professors have developed for the course. Your computer may be incapable of streaming video, for example, because it is outdated or damaged. If the professor has lots of videos as a part of the coursework, then you will be out of luck due to a slow computer or internet connection. A final barrier to on-line learning is the problem of having a single computer to service multiple learners in the household. This is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it does require a fair amount of foresight and scheduling. Running out to buy additional computers is not in most people’s budgets. By creating a schedule of computer use, just as in a library, everyone can use the computer to get what they need. Exercise 2 I expect this course to give me the skills and information needed for me to improve my teaching. I am currently teaching Aesthetics and have a strong desire to be the best educator possible. I know my subject matter very well, but am concerned that I might not always be using the best teaching techniques. I hope that through the course of this study, I will be able to learn better presentation skills and gain a better understanding of how adults learn best. I realize that teaching children and teaching adults is a very different process. What works for one does not always work for the other. As a result, I am often wondering if the lessons and assignments I am developing are more appropriate for younger learners than the age of student I have. I often have a nagging feeling that there is just more information and knowledge out there that would help me be such a better teacher. The problem is, I only am able to create lessons based on my existing teaching experience. I expect this course to broaden my educational understanding so that I will have more confidence in the lessons and assignments I develop. It is my hope that this course will inspire me to alter some of the less effective lessons I currently have developed and to develop new lessons based on my new understanding of how adult learners learn best. In essence, I expect this course to give me the additional skills and information necessary for me to be a more effective and interesting teacher of Aesthetics. My ultimate goal is to have my adult learners transfer their knowledge into their everyday lives. This is true for me in regards to this course as well. Exercise 3 This planner can be a very helpful tool because it helps the adult student returning to the classroom to organize their dreams into concrete plans. It also is very good at helping the student to imagine the far reaching effects of returning to school, gaining an education and possibly changing jobs. Some of the affects might not be as positive as they imagine and I think it is important for adult learners to re-enter school with their eyes wide open. Most adult learners focus on the additional time schooling will take and the economic rewards they will realize with improved education. Rarely do they consider the profound changes additional education can cause to the social and emotional life of the successful learner. Specific parts of the planner that I thought were especially good were the Getting Started Checklist. I found this checklist to be a comprehensive guide for any adult learner wishing to return to school. Sometimes the hardest thing for an adult learner is simply not knowing how to begin the process. This checklist took the student from the stage where they are just beginning to think about returning to school, right through the process of self-discovery, deciding what to study and then enrolling in classes. I believe this planner to be an invaluable tool for any adult learner that would take the time to utilize it. Exercise 4 The GED exam in the United States gives students that have dropped out of high school a chance to earn an equivalent high school diploma. Students drop out of high school for many reasons in the United States. Some leave school early because they feel they are too mature for school and are ready to live on their own. They seek jobs that will cover some of their basic needs but usually have a difficult time becoming independent from their parents. Other students are involved in personally destructive activities such as abusing drugs and alcohol. Their decisions to withdraw from school are strongly linked to desire for these substances. Often, these decisions are made with little thought for the future because the individual’s life is currently being controlled by addiction. Teen pregnancy is another leading reason student drop out of high school. Without governmental or family help, teen mothers often drop out to care for their child or children. While there are many reasons students drop out of high school, there is only one main reason students return as adults to take the GED test. Almost all of them have realized that their economic opportunities are greatly curtailed without at least a GED. Most of these students struggle to find meaningful work that can provide the basics of life. They feel that they are a burden on their families and some even feel bad about taking government assistance. Occasionally, a successful person will return to earn a GED out of a matter of principle, but the majority of GED takers are looking for economic advancement. Exercise 5 1. Women in many cultures are expected to stay home and nurture children, take care of their husbands and tend to aging parents or extend family. This lessens their opportunity for formal education. 2. In some cultures, women are viewed as less desirable for marriage if they are educated. This bias results in women being forced to choose between having a husband and a family or getting an education. 3. Women are sometimes discriminated against because of simple biology. Firms are reluctant to hire women because they may at some point want to maybe children and take maternity leave. This makes them a burden on the company in the eyes of some bosses. As a result, women have little incentive to gain higher education experience. 4. Women do not have many role models to look for guidance in the area of education. In some cultures, there are no women that have gone on to higher education. There are no examples for young girls to look-up to for guidance. 5. Many cultures favor the education of boys over the education of girls. Girls are schooled at home in how to be a good home maker. This created a situation where girls, even if they go for formal schooling at some point, will always be behind the boys. 6. Older adults entering the workplace are often treated as though they should already know the job because they are experienced. Employers often fail to retrain older employees, setting them up for failure. 7. Many employers fail to train older employees because the thought is that they will simply be retiring soon so training them is a waste of time and money. 8. Some employees that are older lack the technological skills for the modern workplace. Employers are often not willing to train them in tasks they feel are too simple. 9. Older employees have a desire for their experience and knowledge to be recognized but often are ignored because they are considered to be out of date or out of touch. 10. Employees that return to the workplace after already retiring are passed over form promotion because their longevity with the company is always suspect. Exercise 6 Exercise 7 Eating at foods stands and restaurants is a wonderful way to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Some people eat at these establishments every day. I enjoy doing this as well. There is something so enjoyable about eating delicious food prepared by someone else while enjoying the company of good friends. As delightful as eating in a restaurant can be, I actually prefer to prepare my own food at home for several reasons. The first reason I enjoy preparing my food at home is I enjoy the process. I love everything about cooking. It begins, for me, with the shopping. I enjoy going to the market and finding the freshest possible foods. I am drawn to exotic foods and am always looking for something new to use as the basis for a new dish. For me, the shopping and the planning is the most creative part of cooking. Once the ingredients have been selected, then I embark on the searing, chopping and slicing. The rhythm of these tasks is soothing for me and gives me time for contemplation. Cooking in my own home is a form of meditation for me. Another reason I enjoy preparing my own food is for health reasons. I must admit that I never can fully trust food created by a cook I do not know in a restaurant where I have never seen the kitchen. I sometimes wonder what the conditions are like there and this ends up spoiling my dinner. Finally, I enjoy cooking in my own home because I prepare food that tastes better than the food found in most restaurants. I am a great cook and have grown accustomed to eating great food. When I eat at a restaurant or food stand, I am often disappointed in the flavor of the food, so I save my money and cook at home. Eating outside my home can be an enjoyable experience. But if I need to think, or if I want to know everything about the food I am eating, then I prefer to cook my own food at home. Cooking at home is a lot of work, but it is worth it. Exercise 8 The theorists in this section on adult learning are very helpful for practitioners of adult education. They provide insight and cause the teacher to ponder what exactly is the purpose and the nature of adult education. It is interesting to see how the very idea of adult education has changed over time. All of these theorists had different ideas about how adults best learn. One thing that I noticed about all of the theories is the recognition that adult learners need to be treated as adults. Their motivation fro taking the course of attending the class must come from within themselves. This is important for a teacher to understand. Adult students that are being compelled to attend a training class or a rehabilitation call are going to be resistant to learning anything. The teacher may wonder why this is, but it is important to understand that all of these theorists agree that adults must be self-motivated when it comes to their education. I most associate my views on adult education and education in general with Eduard Lindemann. His belief that real education is a life-long endeavor is how I view education. I teach a course in Aesthetics. Most of my students are not taking this course because they need it for a diploma. They have elected to be in my class because they have a strong desire to increase their knowledge in an area of interest to them. Their lives will be richer after taking my class. I believe that this is the best type of situation for adult learners. I especially like his ideas about informal education being the real foundation of democracy. I believe this and it worries me that so many adults today do not value formal or informal education in any manner. Exercise 9 The learning in the child development class needs to be differentiated for each one of these adult learners. As the instructor, I will conference with each one of them to discuss their learning objective and to develop an individualized learning plan for my class. For the student planning to be a nurse, I will establish a flexible schedule of office appointments with her. She is still learning about herself as an older adolescent and will need guidance through her studies. Her capacity for sound decision making will not be as developed as the other students, so I will want to spend additional time with her to help her with her course work. I will expect her to be in each session of class and to make additional time to discuss assignments after class. The young parent will be the most engaged because this person is not being compelled to attend the class. They are there out of a desire to be a good parent. This is important and will greatly influence the type of instruction to give this student. Modification of assignments for their student should include opportunities for the parent to involve their young child in the learning. References should be made to the child at home. Attendance at class needs to be flexible due to family responsibilities and stated desire of the student. The mature social worker needs to have her life experience respected. Her attendance at class should be optional. Self-guided learning modules that relate directly to her occupation should be developed. She should have input as to the validity of assignments and should have an opinion as to how the assessment for a course grade should take place. Exercise 10 The most important principal that I gathered from the two articles on learning styles is that fact that they are not absolutes. That is to say, if a person is kinesthetic learner this simply means that they prefer this modality. It is not to say that they cannot learn any other way. Kinesthetic learners can learn through listening and viewing, they are just more efficient learners when kinesthetic movement is involved in the learning. Both of the articles are encouraging teachers to be aware that some students learn better through one modality than another. The message that a teacher needs to take away from these articles is that you must vary the types of instruction you offer to your students and the sorts of classroom activities you have students complete. My teaching will benefit from these articles by inspiring me to offer a wide variety of instruction in my Aesthetics classroom For example, if I am preparing a lesson on the Golden Mean, I might begin with a video presentation of architecture that displays this sort of aesthetic principle. Following this video presentation, a discussion or lecture will follow about how the Golden Mean was developed and used throughout history. The discussion would involve opportunities for students to ask and answer questions. Finally, all students would assemble into small groups and work out a problem that required them to actually construct a structure using the principles of the Golden Mean out of common classroom materials such as copy paper, tape, paper clips and rubber bands. The activity is intended to allow students to have some fun and be creative while applying the principles of the Golden Mean. This lesson would offer students to engage the material using each modality. This ensures everyone has opportunity to learn using their strongest learning modality. Exercise 11 The subject of creativity really lends itself to the course I teach in Aesthetics. This subject area of my course is creative by nature. The problem is that I often have a difficult time thinking of new ways to make my classroom activities creative. In the prior exercise, I described a lesson that I feel is quite creative. It is something that I have used with adult learners successfully in the past. For many adults, there is something very enjoyable and satisfying about creating something out of paper, glue and rubber bands that can be used to illustrate the concept being taught. Some of my students have admitted that they almost feel like they are “cheating” when class was fun and engaging as opposed to boring and passive. Working to provide creative assignments and instruction is difficult because there is only so much time in class and there is only so much time to plan for class. Creativity takes time. In this way, I agree with the video we watched. The structure of school does inhibit creativity often. I am aware that creativity in instructions is vital to connecting with adult learners. Adults need to be intellectually stimulated as much as children do if they are too successfully to engage in learning. The trick with adults is to get them to buy into the creative activity. In other words, adult learners must be able to see how the outcome of the creative assignment can apply to real world situations. Creative lessons simply for the sake of creativity will fall flat with many adult learners because they will be viewed as being a waste of time. The adult learner needs opportunity to be creative, but not at the expense of real life application. Exercise 12 1. I can motivate my students by connecting their learning to their career or personal objectives. 2. I can motivate my students by getting to know them on a personal level. This will include learning about their careers, family situations and interests. I will reveal these things about myself as well. 3. I can motivate my adult students by valuing and accepting their prior experiences and their expertise. 4. I can help motivate my students by having engaging learning activities planned for them each class period. 5. I can motivate my students by creating lessons that cater to their specific learning styles. 6. I can motivate my students by providing clear, consistent feedback concerning their performance in class. 7. I can motivate my students by establishing a classroom environment where inquiry is welcome, questions are treated with respect and humility is on display. 8. I can motivate my students through the tasteful use of humor and the implementation of creativity throughout everything I teach. 9. I can motivate my students by always honoring their differences and by conducting myself in a professional yet approachable manner. 10. I can motivate my students by offering sincere praise for their successes and clear, concise criticism that builds upon their strengths and strengthens their deficiencies. Exercise #13 Teaching Implication #1 Adults need to be treated like adults. They are capable of self-direction where children need the direction of the teacher. Adult learners know what they want to do with the knowledge they get out of the class, while children really are not sure when or how they will be applying the information. This implication makes learning through computerized, self-paced instruction modules especially appropriate for adult learners when they may not be good for young students. Teaching Implication #2 Adult learners have much more life experience than young children do. This can help learning in a classroom with adults if those experiences are respected and shared. Some of the experiences adults have had may actually hinder their learning. Forming online chat groups through the use of technology can allow adult students a way to interact outside the confines of the class. This gives them a chance to share experiences that can support the classroom learning environment. Teaching Implication #3 Just like children, not all adults are at the same life stage. In children we speak of stages of development, but adults experience different stages of adulthood. In a class where adults are combined that are in different stages of adulthood, the instruction needs to be suitable for everyone. One way technology can help with this is through the taking of online student profile surveys. These can help the instructor understand what stage each student is at in life so they can best tailor instruction to suit their needs. Teaching Implication #4 Adults like information that is relevant to the problems that they currently face. They have less desire to dwell in theory or probability. They want solutions and hard information and they want it now. Technology can facilitate this desire by harnessing the power of crowd sourcing technologies. There is certainly guidance available for any potential problem and a community of people online that can complement the class discussion and problem solving activities. Teaching Implication #5 Adults like solution and information that can be immediately applied to their current situation. Technology facilitates the sharing of implementation strategies. Students can be challenged to apply new information the very next day and then report back. Their experience is easily shared via chat rooms with the entire class before the next scheduled class meeting. Teaching Implication #6 Adult learners are intrinsically motivated. External motivation is not successful with adult learners. Using technology to facilitate instruction empowers motivated adults to share ideas and assignments with the teacher and others. Exercise 14 Teaching an Aesthetics course is definitely more teaching than training. There is a lot of theory in my instruction and not a lot of specific instruction on how you actually accomplish something. Aesthetics is philosophy and critical thinking about art, culture and beauty. It is an exploration of culture and what makes us human. A good example of the difference between training and teaching in my classroom would be a critical study of The Pieta. We would discuss the historical context and cultural context of the artwork. We would learn about processes involved in the creation of the piece, the artist and his contemporaries. We would then try to deconstruct the importance of the figure, discussing possibilities for why it is held in esteem or derision, depending on the audience. This is teaching. Training would have involved manual instruction in sculpting so the students could appreciate how the piece was crafted. Training would be rotely following a rubric of thought designed to teach the student how to think critically about abstractions such as purpose and beauty. I do feel that some in education believe that training is somehow inferior to teaching. My feeling is that they are to be held in equal esteem. I could not teach my course if my students had not been trained in classroom behavior, writing, reading and civil discussion somewhere along the line. Training and teaching are indeed different, but one is not greater than the other. They are co-equals in the educational process. Exercise #15 As a student in the liberal philosophy, I must admit that I do not enjoy passively sitting in a classroom as though at the feet of a great sage. Very few teachers I have had over the years have truly been able to pull this off. They could simply because they truly were remarkable intellects that chose to stay in education because they loved it when they really could have been doing other things and making much more money. As a teacher, I never pretend to be a sage. My goal is to build a cooperative learning environment with me a facilitator, not sage. As a student and teacher, I can relate to the progressive school of thought. Learning by doing, experiencing and interacting with others is the strongest way to learn and teach. I especially like this philosophy because it includes the teacher as a learner along with the students. Behaviorism seems to be incredibly clinical to me. Ring a bell and make me salivate. I do not feel comfortable looking to this model as a means of conducting my class or learning as a student because it is too dependent on controlling the environment to learn. Behaviorism makes me feel as though people are nothing more than organisms that can be conditioned to respond however the teacher wants them to. This is an upsetting idea to me. Aside from the progressive philosophy, I am most in line with what humanism has to say about teaching and learning. I do not know if I believe that everyone has unlimited potential. I do believe that many of us live lives where we never are able to tap our full potential, and I do believe that education is a means for accomplishing this. I love the emphasis on self-determination as a student in a humanistic view of learning, but I just do not think I could sustain the intense belief in the goodness of humanity that a teacher in this school would need. The radical approach holds very little appeal to me as a student or a teacher. Teachers of this nature give fine speeches about lofty ideals. The students then take these ideas to the street and end up paying with their own blood. Unfortunately, education does not change the world in radical ways. It does change them, but only by tackling problems it can actually affect. Exercise #16 What is my teaching mission? My teaching mission is to help adults critically engage the culture and art that surround them every day. I want them to think about their world as it could be instead of just accepting how it is. I want them to be able to answer questions they develop about beauty and the nature of goodness in the world today. What value does my teaching have in today’s society? My teaching is valuable in society for those that want to understand themselves and their world in a new way. My course will not make anyone more money or earn them a certification in anything, but I can deepen individual understanding of why we think the way we do in the Western world and why we have the assumptions about beauty we possess. What is my role as a professional? My role as a professional is to always offer my students the best instruction I possibly can. It is to come to class prepared, to guide students in their journey towards understanding and to develop a cooperative and pleasant classroom atmosphere. What basic beliefs do I hold about the nature of education? Some of my basic beliefs about education are that education must go beyond utilitarianism. We need education to expand minds and to enrich lives, not just to fatten wallets and give a false sense of materialistic security. How strongly do I hold these beliefs? I hold firm to these beliefs because they give me hope for the future. Final Assignment I teach because I want to leave the world a better place than I found it. I believe that in a thousand simple ways, education will be what eventually ends poverty, injustice and war. I believe that we are far from conquering these menaces, but I believe that education changes perspectives and enriches lives. That is why I teach. I teach in a manner that stresses real knowledge that can be applied, even when the application is theoretical. I incorporate a variety of learning activities to hold student interest and to accommodate various learning styles. My classroom is a place of action, visual stimulation and discussion. I do this so everyone can learn in my classroom I teach this way because I believe that an adult’s time is precious. Education is essential but so are duties to family and community. Every second counts if education is to make the world a better place, so I make them count. 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