In summer 2013, I have my first “Responsible Conduct of Research” online course as a mandatory training for NSF funded students. My impression from that course was something similar to mandatory religious courses I had before: Apparently useful, important, full of guidance, boring! Nobody can believe my feeling when I found out I have to take another course on this topic with same text book, same outline in addition to a more than usual restricted attendance policy (seriously, using faces? ouch! my privacy.). So, for me it was not surprising that I spent an hour to make a list of games to play in the class, and find the best location in the classroom “GREG 133” to be covered well from the professor and his TA. However, the surprising part was I didn’t play any games (to be completely honest, no that much), or doing anything else on the class time but paying attention, and in this essay I want to explain how this happened. The way of presenting in this course was very first impression I had. For a computer science student who always look around for new technologies in (not just) education, a presentation with a simple word document or PDF file with a huge amount of texts is way too old-fashioned, and unsurprisingly additional reason to get bored in a class. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel like old-fashioned, inefficient, or boring; at least for me. I was a high school teacher for years, and during that days I always tried hard to be a cool, effective lecturer by using new techniques, such as PowerPoint slides, Prezi non-linear slides, Assertive Communication Presentations, you name it. Even so, I realized, the performance or attention of students is not really that related to these tools. (However, they made me a cool teacher). That’... ... middle of paper ... ...for me why there could be such a harsh relationship between students and advisor. Second, hearing this relationship from an experienced professor, make you believe it could be even harder to be an advisor than a graduate student. (Yes, I believed the opposite before this course). Personally, I couldn’t believe all of emphasis on how harsh is advisor’s relation with funding agencies, until I, myself, saw my advisor working literally days and nights on a grant proposal. At the end of the day, I feel I got what was the best for me: How to be a good lecturer even if the topic is not that interesting or your students are not that interested. And more important, What a experienced professor would tell you about living in a competitive academic society. I’m more than happy to participate this course. Good job Dr. Boreman, you have changed at least one student this semester.
In her article, Worthen, claims that lecturing the “old fashioned way” is the true and correct way for students to learn in a classroom environment on a higher level. She
...how useful the demonstration would be in a classroom. The author’s tone is formal and academic in nature, without heartfelt appeals or attempts to persuade by emotion.
As I planed to take this class, I thought this course would be like all other general education courses. I believed that it would be of little use to me. However, after attending the first class, my view has changed completely. I applied each and every theory to my life.
...simply reuses the same approach and methodology each year, his class is likely to become boring and ineffective. In order to properly educate students, a teacher must always be looking for ways to improve his course—methods of making the knowledge seem more interesting and relevant to students. Originality and innovation not only maintain students’ attention, but also help keep teachers interested. Any subject matter will seem boring if an instructor teaches it the same way for twenty years. In order to maximize the effectiveness of their teaching, educators constantly must be in search of new methods of presenting content. Complacency, after all, is the first step on the road to ineffective instruction. Teachers, like their students, must always remain motivated by the desire to improve. Without this desire, the process of education becomes stagnant and empty.
During World War II, the US army needed a simple way to educate and train the new recruits for service. The visual examples that could be shown on an overhead projector were the best way to teach, quickly and easily, these concepts. This application of the overhead was the first for teaching. Since that time, they have been used extensively in schools and businesses to engage stud...
Another thing I pointed out was his reliance on his slides, yet he knew which slide was coming up because of his excess practice before. The extemporaneous method worked as an advantage for him because he is very conversational and understanding. I was able to
In the end, this class has really opened my eyes to everything that is out there to supplement my teaching and my students learning. I am extremely happy that this class did not teach me how to use Microsoft Office , but I do wish that we could have had the opportunity to work more with the material rather than merely reading about the material. The Multimodal Task definitely allowed us to configure a lesson using and working with technology, but if we had more time, I wish we could have done more than one task to accomplish such goals.
Over the course of this class I have pieced together many things about my own life that before went unnoticed. I am now able to see things in a bit of a different light. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I understand some of the reasons for behavior around me. I have learned that there is a reason for most everything and a lot of our behaviors and mental processes can be explained through psychology. Studies have been conducted for many years to try and pinpoint the source of our behavior and it is not something that most people think about every day. Having a better understanding of why we operate the way we do will help me to better understand myself and the others around me.
6.Dinan, Susan E. “Technology in the classroom: Microsoft PowerPoint slide shows.” The Sixteenth Century Journal v. 31 no. 2. (Summer 2000): 453-5
The course also challenged me and allowed me to think critically. Whenever I am faced with an issue I know that I should take steps to formulate an opinion. It’s always good to ask questions to clarify anything. Once all the facts are established, I know that I should assess them. Finally I am able to assert a carefully thought out opinion (3). After taking these steps can be sure my opinion is right and not just for me personally, but regarding others too.
Professor Stuart used a lot of discussions in the class. Everyone in class offered their opinion on all the material we encountered during the course. The class discussions contributed to helping me learn because it provided me with extra information and different viewpoints of how others interpreted the material. Also, we ended up going to the library and taking a tour. This experience added to my learning in this course because it taught me how to find the proper materials in the library and how to accurately benefit from the sources available in the library.
As an educator, there is always room for reflection and growth. Being in this class has provided an opportunity for both. From my knowledge gained in this class I believe that I have become smarter and have learned how to implement different tool into my teaching as well as general life as a teacher. Of the topics discussed in this class, commitment to students, avoiding burnout and reflective practices had the biggest impact on my professional growth.
Goodlad, J. I., Sirotnik, K. A., & Soder, R. (1990). The moral dimensions of teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc. Gushee, M. (1984). The Species of the World Student discipline policies, p. 12. 5.
Today I used a variety of instructional delivery methods to ensure that my students were able to accomplish the learning targets. Having different modes of instruction (direct instruction, individual writing, pair-share, small group discussion, large group discussion, etc.) allows students to demonstrate learning in a variety of ways. If students do not master a key skill, it also provides students to relearn, rework, and rethink key concepts. This type of instructional design also encourages engagement as it appeals to multiple learning styles and builds in time for me to interact with students in multiple ways (including one-on-one) (IE: Chloe can be quieter. I was able to touch base her to make sure that she understood the abstract vs. concrete exercise). Using multiple instructional delivery methods also provides me with opportunities to personally motivate students to be active in their learning (IE: Emily is very creative and likes small group work. IE: Taylor likes politics and would grasp the global climate change example IE: Big Mike works best when he has time to think individually before responding to a group. A notes handout helps him process key ideas before feeling pressured to apply them. IE: Several students enjoy speaking in large groups. Asking for examples and group participation appeals to the sense of camaraderie in the class).
Without the discussions that we did in this course, I do not believe I would have gotten as much out of this class as what I have with them. The discussions and simulations have been my two favorite things about this class. It is probably because I love hands-on activities. I have always learned better when interacting with others. The things I have learned in the discussions will always help me in everyday life. For one, I think it has made me more respectful of other people's political views. They have also taught me many things that I had no previous knowledge of before this class. Many of the ideas that my fellow students mentioned I would have never have thought of and probably never would have if they had not mentioned them.