Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - Essay Example

?Exercise I am really enjoying what I do professionally right now. Teaching a in Aesthetics provides me the opportunity to really think about life and beauty that is found all around us. But this is not what I want to be doing ten or twenty years from now. I would like to have accomplished some things that I am still working towards. One thing I want to accomplish is the completion of an advanced degree. I want to hold a PhD and be a fulltime lecturing professor at a university. I want to become more adept at research and writing so I can publish some of my thoughts in academic journals. This is a goal that will take me many years to accomplish, but I know that I can do it. I also know that I want to work in a way that will allow me to travel more than I can right now. Traveling the world is something that really is appealing to me. I already speak a few languages and hope to develop this skill through more travel. There is a lot of pleasure to be had in traveling, but I believe that there is even more to be had in living and being immersed in a different culture. I hope to use my PhD in a way that will allow me to travel and live abroad for extended periods of time. I know that it sounds as though these two goals are only professional goals, but my profession is a huge part of my life. I want to have a life defined by accomplishing these two goals. Exercise #2 I have felt like some of the students featured in this video. I can still remember being in classes where the way the teacher addressed various students was very demeaning. He seemed to feel that unless you fit into a very narrow definition of what a good student was, and then he had not time for you. I have been made to feel inferior because of my ethnicity and because of my gender. I know that traditional biases have been against women and minorities, but the biases do not end there in the classroom. I have witnessed white, male students demeaned in history classes because of the history of colonialism of the European powers. I remember thinking to myself, “Why is this professor treating this guy so badly, just because he is a male of European descent?” I mean, it isn’t like he personally owned slaves or colonized Africa. Having seen and been the subject of biased treatment from professors has made me determined to never treat my students this way. While watching the video, it occurred to me that much of the cultural bias displayed was generated from a desire to be in control and to be powerful. There is no better way to keep power than to convince everyone else that they are somehow inferior to you. I want to have a community of learners in my classroom, not a situation where I need to tear others down just to prove my superiority in some way. Exercise #3 In my class, all students will be honored. I recognize that we are all adults in this course and we all are here to better ourselves in one way or another. Most of us are here on our own accord, so we deserve to have a meaningful educational experience free from sarcasm, bias or harassment of any sort. As a result, I believe that the following guidelines need to apply in this classroom. The first guideline concerns student comments. There are a variety of ways individuals from various cultures express themselves orally. In this class, everyone will be expected to only offer encouraging and academically appropriate comments. This does not mean we can never disagree or think critically. It means that we need to keep our communication focused on what was said and not how it was said. The second guideline concerns student learning. Everyone learns differently. One person may feel that a project or research assignment is a great opportunity to learn, while another views it as drudgery. I would like you to keep an open mind about the assignments in the course, saving criticism for the assignments and not directing it at other group members or myself. By doing this, you ensure everyone can learn in the manner that is most fitting for their individual learning style. Finally, I need to remind you that this classroom has a culture of its own, and it is of our making. I expect it to be a culture of openness, sharing and learning. Exercise #4 I think the most powerful and meaningful sentences in the reading are both found in the same section. They state, “Students report having had their best encounters and achieved their greatest understandings of diversity as "side effects" of naturally occurring meaningful educational or community service experiences (Institute for the Study of Social Change, 1991). Consider increasing students' opportunities for group projects in which three to five students complete a specific task, for small group work during class, or for collaborative research efforts among two or three students to develop instructional materials or carry out a piece of a research study.” I believe that working cooperatively in groups is the great equalizer in regards to culture, race and learning style. When a group is engaged in an intellectually stimulating task that is challenging and serves a real purpose, differences seem to melt away. I believe that well constructed cooperative learning groups can match students that are diverse in ethnicity, race, religion and even academic proficiency and produce spectacular results. Learning about similarities instead of differences is best taught this way, as the first sentence states. Sitting in a class on cultural appreciation does little to change real attitudes about diversity. Working together to accomplish a common goal will help take the focus off of differences and place the focus of accomplishment, ability and talent. Exercise #5 As has been mentioned in other coursework, not all adults are the same, just as children are not all the same. Differences between generations are a real consideration that needs to be made in an adult learning environment. Keeping the context of this article in mind, it is clear that assignments and course work need to be differentiated for students of different generations. At the same time, I do not think that these differences need to rule the classroom. This article is not saying that Generation Y can never sit still and listen in a traditional classroom setting. It is not fair or feasible for an instruction to try to adapt every assignment to generational differences. I believe that the most important guidance this article has to offer is guidance on helping each generation perceive the strengths that the other generations have. This can only be done if the instructor takes the time to establish a cooperative, nonjudgmental atmosphere in the classroom. The best way to accomplish this understanding is to mix generations in small group assignments. Ideally, the strengths of each generation will surface as the various tasks required to complete the activity are completed. Each generation will self-select activities that they feel they are best suited to do. This will give the students an opportunity to learn course content and to have the pleasure of learning from someone from a different generation. Generational differences can be a real contribution to class discussion and learning if those differences are recognized as strengths, not weaknesses. Exercise #6 Based on the description of different types of critical thinkers in the reading, I would say that I am an advanced level thinker. I know that I should think of myself as a Master Level Thinker because I am instructing adults in a university course in Aesthetics, but there were a few things that prevented me from calling myself a Master Level Thinker. I know that I am in the Advanced category because I am aware of my thought process and I do recognize the need and use of systematic though in my life. I also feel that I am able to apply this type of thinking in all of the aspects of my life, not just my academic life. The one difference that I find difficult to overcome that keeps me from being a Master Level Thinker is the ability to completely overcome my egocentric and sociocentric modes of thinking in all aspects of my life. I find that doing this is easy for me in my academic work, so perhaps in that sphere of thinking, I am a Master Level Thinker. But I do have a difficult time not allowing my ego to take over when thinking about interpersonal relationships and family matters. I often catch myself thinking that if the other person would just do x or y, you know, the way I would do it, then the whole situation would be resolved. This is a very unfair way of looking at relationships and this is what qualifies me as an Advanced Thinker and not a Master Level Thinker. Exercise #7 1) What does Ed correlate with reputation? Ed says that reputation for fairness and flexibility need to preceed you. These must be earned through years of practice. He says that these things will eliminate many classroom disrutions that are common because questions of fairness are the bane of higher education. 2) Why is it important to know the content? Knowing the content is important because it is one way to establish control in the classroom. If you do not know the content, you can ot clearly explain the information to the students. Alack of clarity causes confusion and anger. Knowing the content also allows you to kindly take on students that challenge your atuthoriy. 3) Who is a heckler? How can you deal with him/her? A heckler is a badly misinformed indiividual that believes inaccurate information that makes him feel morally or intellectually superior to others. The best way to make a heckler is to make them appear silly in front of their peers. You do this by anticipating subjects that may cause heckling and by knowing the content so well that they can not make you look silly. Pointing out flaws in a hackler’s logic or sources is also a good strategy. 4) What are the two objectives of the learning groups? The two learning objectives of the learning groups are to develop interpersonal and leadership skills as well as learning academically. 5) What is said about building and maintaining trust? Building and maintianing trust is essential for any leader in the classroom to maintian credibility. Exercise #8 Some of the questions that I have asked in my classroom are: How does culture determine what we view as beautiful? What does “critical evaluation” of art mean to you? How does one critically evaluate a work of art? How does the bronze statue of Zeus (pictured) typify classical Greek aesthetics? How is Islamic art different than Greek art? Do you feel pre-historic aesthetics have informed post-modern aesthetics? Explain. What would the ancient Greeks think of Lady Gaga? Describe the connection between sensory input and critical thought. Is there a correlation between religious belief and perceptions of beauty? Exercise #9 I will provide an outline of lecture notes electronically to students that wish to receive them after each lecture. This will save time distributing materials. I will utilize demonstrations that can be projected for all students to see that will show how to critically evaluate a piece of artwork. I will utilize informal peer partnering and buzz groups to break-up lecture time and allow students to process new information. I will keep lectures confined to 15 or 10-minute intervals. I will present objectives for each student at the beginning of each lesson to focus their learning. I will practice, practice and practice my presentation skills so that I have more inflection in my voice and am able to communicate by using humor more frequently. I will have clearly defined procedure for handing in work and distributing notes during class. These will take into account physical layout and class size. I will use technology to communicate at every opportunity by publishing lecture guides and notes on the web for student access. I will have structured rules for question and answer sessions so that students have an opportunity to have their questions heard and answered. I will use student presenters during lecture time to hold students accountable for their learning and to heighten student interest. Exercise #10 There are many challenges facing Workplace Education programs in Canada today. This is clear form the statistics that show only 30% of Canadian workers participate in some sort of specialized Workplace training. This is especially upsetting because nearly 45% of Americans report being involved in this type of education. One of the barriers to workplace training is the fear of “poaching” by larger companies. This is especially a concern for small and mid-size companies. This happens when a company invests in employee training, only to have that employee take the new training to a different company where it benefits the competition, not the company that invested in the training. This makes companies hesitant to invest in Workplace Training programs. Another barrier to workplace training is discrimination against an aging workforce. Companies feel that it is not worth their time to train employees that may be retiring in a few years. They do not feel that they will get a good return on their investment unless they can train and retain the employees for many years. Finally, a barrier to workplace Training in Canada is the low level of literacy skills many workers have when they enter the workforce. Workplace Training focuses on specialized skills used in the workplace, but employers often overlook the fact that the employee cannot read or write well enough to participate in the training in an effective way. Employers do not feel that investing in basic literacy is worth their money, so these employees do not receive supplemental training. Exercise #11 In my community there is a program called AfterEd. This is a program that builds basic literacy skills in adults that have either dropped out of high school or have graduated but have not mastered the skills of basic literacy. The name refers to the fact that many adults in this group feel their educational opportunities ended with high school. The program is intended to work with adults after the end of the “formal” education. The program also can claim the “ed” title because all of the volunteer instructors are current or retired teachers. Their years of experience in the classroom and their knowledge of educational practice is vital to the success of this program. The program does not meet formally in a school. Meetings are scattered all over the community and are held in neutral sites such as social halls, libraries and churches. This is to send the message that the adults are not going to be treated like school children, but as partners in learning. The teachers evaluate the level of literacy (reading and writing) of each adult and then confers with them about their professional goals. They then make an individualized plan on how to accomplish that goal. Programs such as AfterEd are vital for my community. Many adults dropped out of school because the “one size fits all” mentality that dominated public education for decades created clear classes of winners and losers. AfterEd is a great way for these adults to realize that they are capable of learning when the proper instruction is available and their particular learning style is taken into consideration. Exercise #12 This article on nonverbal communication can help me in my teaching in two ways. This first way is to make me aware of the body language of the class. Reading this can help me to determine if the teaching is being understood, if I am going too fast or too slow in my lecture, or if students are upset or doubting something I have said. I think that reading these nonverbal cues are important because they assist me in helping students to understand the lesson. Responding to nonverbal cues also gives me a better presence in the classroom. It will aid in classroom management and help facilitate class discussions. The second way being aware of body language will assist me in instructing my students is by helping to make myself aware of my own body language. Perhaps what I am doing could be considered to be threatening, sarcastic or distracting to my students. If I am aware of the messages I am sending with my own posture, facial expressions and hand gestures, then I can be sure that I do not send unintended messages to my students that distract them from learning. This is especially important when teaching in a culturally diverse situation because body language is read differently from culture to culture. Thinking critically about my body language is a sure way to improve my performance in the classroom. Exercise #13 My greatest source of motivation is to be recognized as excellent at what I do. I have always had a strong desire to do whatever needed to be done in order to obtain excellence. This is not always a straight or a narrow path. I teach a course in Aesthetics that I really want to be great. I have a strong desire to be that challenging, insightful, stimulating and purposeful professor that inspires admiration and excellence in my students. The problem is, I do not always know where to find excellence within myself so I constantly am looking for something to make me better. This is why I enrolled in this course and this is why I will continue to learn throughout my life. I realize that not all of my students have the same motivation as I do. Many of them just want to take the class to get the credits so they can qualify for classes they find more interesting or that are more in-line with their own professional goals. Knowing this, when I find that I can get through to a student that at first seems resistant to instruction at the beginning of the course, I receive a great amount of satisfaction. This satisfaction with teaching is a huge motivator for me. I want to have more experiences like this so I thought that taking this course might help me communicate with and understand my adult learners better. Exercise #14 An ideal educational system would be based on mastering skills and obtaining knowledge that could be translated into solving real world problems. This type of system would need to be integrated and flexible. Adult learners would need to be able to exercise a lot of control as to how they learned and what type of learning situations they entered into. The ideal system would work like an educational a la carte bar. Individuals could pursue their learning at a pace and in a manner that helped them to accomplish clearly defined goals. Educational guidance could be provided for adults when determining goals and the path to accomplishing them. The system would need to be designed in a way so that all of the organizations that offer adult education could be held to the same quality of service and professionalism, but be allowed to serve their students as best fulfills their own particular mission. The best thing about the ideal educational system is it would be properly funded. There is no reason for anyone with a desire to not learn skills in an affluent nation. The ideal educational system will provide the means for all to go to school. This schooling would include workplace training programs and other adult education programs. The ideal education system would remove the barrier of economic from the process of learning. Flexibility, professionalism and affordability will all be hallmarks of my ideal educational system. Student motivation is a concern for all good teachers and professors. Motivation has been closely linked with effective learning. Students of different ages, genders, cultures and economic situations have different reasons for being motivated. Teachers need to understand that what motivates one person will not motivate the other. As a result, part of the preparation for each lesson needs to be contemplation on how each student in the class will respond to the material presented and the assignments given. In short, the teacher needs to consider if the students will see the point in coming to class and to doing the assignments that will facilitate learning. Thankfully, much research has been done on student motivation so teachers and professors have many sources they can turn to for information on how to encourage motivation in their students. The first strategy that needs to be implemented in a broad context within the classroom is the idea of differentiation. In classroom settings, teachers can differentiate instruction based on student readiness to learn, learning style and student interest. Differentiated instruction is a holistic philosophy of education that recognizes that all adult learners do not learn the same way at the same pace or even for the same reasons. This recognition requires the teacher to facilitate learning in a variety of ways, not just through lecture, note taking and tests. Differentiating instruction is especially effective and necessary with adult learners because they come to the learning situation with much more life experience than students that are younger. Teachers that honor this experience will allow flexibility in classroom attendance, type and format of assessment and modality of instruction for adult learners. Once the teacher has committed to the concept of differentiating instruction and assessment, the next key to keeping students motivated is to learn about their individual learning styles. This can be done through formal evaluations conducted at the beginning of the course or simply though teacher observation of student learning habits throughout the semester. Adult learners have had enough experience learning to have an idea about how they best learn. Catering to a variety of learning styles will enable students to learn better. They will not lose interest in the subject matter due to an inability to understand the assignments. Learners are more motivated when they are engaged in academic tasks that they feel challenge them to learn new skills but are not so difficult that success seems unobtainable. By considering the learning style of adult learners, you will send the message that you are interested in who they are as individuals and this will be rewarded with greater interesting the coursework. Another way to motivate adult learners is to make the learning relevant to solving problems that they are actually experiencing in their professional lives. Adult learners are most interested in information that they can apply to real world situations. Differentiating based on student need is difficult to do for everyone, but does result in high levels of motivation. Getting to know the students on a personal level is both rewarding personally and can provide understanding about the individual’s reason for taking the course. Building lessons and activities that fulfill the described need of individual or groups of students is a great way to keep adult learners engaged and working towards their educational and professional goals. Adult learners that can immediately apply their knowledge will quickly recognize the value of what you are teaching them. Understanding and differentiating for generational differences is also a great way to keep adult students learning and engaged. Different generations respond differently to the instructional styles and structure of classes. Generation Y may question why they need to come to class if the information and assignments are on the web and they have no questions about what to do. The silent generation may wonder why cooperative learning groups are necessary and why the instructor doesn’t lecture more often. These differences in perception about how best to learn and how best conduct class need to be recognized. Perhaps more importantly that being recognized by the professor, they need to be recognized by the individual students in class when two or even three generations are working together in one class. Finally, one of the greatest ways to motivate adult learners is by varying instructional techniques. Class needs to be a combination of lecture, group work, discussion and independent processing. Professors that fail to do this fail to provide opportunity for essential differentiation to take place in the classroom. Overcoming generational differences are most effectively overcome by working in academic groups towards a real goal. The need to cooperation begins to overcome the differences between generations. This is where real understanding and growth can occur. Effective questioning techniques and knowing course content is also necessary for teachers that want to provide lectures and dissuasions that motivate students to attend class. Motivating adult learners can indeed be a challenge. Many will come to class inherently motivated. This intrinsic motivation is the most desirable form of motivation because it is self-regulating and self-perpetuating. The student that clearly recognizes the connection between the coursework and the attainment of a clear goal is going to arrive with their own personal motivation intact. Other adult learners will not arrive feeling this way. They may be taking your course because it is required for their major but they have no interest in this particular aspect of their major. They may be attending their class because they are being forced to do this by a counselor or their employer. In situations such as these, motivation for the student must come form he professor, teacher and class structure. This extrinsic motivation is more tenuous that intrinsic motivation, but it can still result in learning for the student. Adults, like children are not all the same. They require individual attention so that they can be motivated learners that accomplish their goals. Works Cited Armstrong, Thomas. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000. Print. Jensen, Eric. Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2005. Print. Slavin, Robert E. Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994. Print. Strayer, Beverly, and Troy Strayer. Strategies for Differentiating in the Content Areas. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print. Read More