C-c-c-changes

I can say with confidence this independent study didn't end where I thought it would. My journey was full of detours, unexpected side paths, and a troll or two. I thought I'd spend a lot of my time building stuff in Canvas. I thought I'd work with people on the grab bags they chose. And, for a couple of months, I actually thought I might fully develop one of my grab bag ideas. Instead, I tinkered with the grab bags, but never actually finished one. I conducted a needs analysis for a a course that made me crave simplicity for the students, and I worked on a proposal that was accepted. I spend a lot of the semester in a state of flux, of working hard to be comfortable with being uncomfortable - something I ask my students to do, and now I have a greater empathy for the challenge that is in practice. I like knowing things are completed, that I can check them off my "to do" list. Still, my learning in this course was staggering. I know the unplanned lessons I gleaned from working on the needs analysis for a course so foreign to me, so unlike anything I've ever experienced as a student, or designed as an instructor will stay with me. I saw firsthand the importance of how students perceive the content of a course. From things as seemingly benign as the number of course objectives to the way in which assignment details are listed, explained and expectations for completion understood.


At the time, I didn't understand some of Roz's ideas, methods, and lessons. Now I see some of the reasons for her madness. I didn't understand why she pushed so hard for the conference proposal. Not that I'm against conferences, but it isn't my focus area, and I wasn't sure that my proposal, that talking about the Chaos Dump I'd implemented in 259 would be of interest to anyone. Still, I submitted, and it was accepted. I went to Orlando. The conference was different than most I'd been to before because there were fewer academics and more business minded people, more professionals versus professors. I know from past experiences that networking is a key to attending conferences, and for me feeling as though I've accomplished something by going. Roz created opportunities for networking at this conference with a different demographic than I've been exposed to before. This was the strength of the conference for me. I gained new skills, learned new ways of networking, learned how to move in different circles within the larger academic world. Most surprisingly, one of the gentlemen who came to my poster session invited me to come to a conference he is a part of. I'm grateful for the opportunities that came as a result of this conference, I'm thankful Roz pushed me to do something that at the time I didn't think would really matter in the long run.

Mostly I learned:

What do you have to show for it?

Demonstrating learning, proving to others that learning has happened, and communicating the hows and the whys and the whats of that learning is one of the most challenging aspects of both teaching and learning.

I can know as a student that I have learned something, but being able to prove that to someone else can be challenging. This is especially true when the things learned are less formal, less quantifiable. Or when there is an element of novelty, or newness to the learning. It starts out with a strong argument of I KNOW THE THING. Then quickly dissolves into a puddle of gibberish interspersed with theorists, and rhetoric. Finally a quieter, you can't just trust that I know the thing that I tell you I know?! And maybe some impossible to follow hand gestures that show that I know the things I learned.

As I work through how to talk about the implementation of the chaos dump in my 259 course, I find myself stumbling over myself. I know what happened - I know what worked, I know what didn't. I even know why I did what I did and what I would do differently next time. But, how to package this information for those who are not in my head, who were not in my class all semester long is proving more difficult than anticipated.

I tell my students each semester that while I love technology, I still use "old school" methods - and my method of choice (or addiction) is post-it notes. I jokingly tell them that I probably couldn't teach without them. I'm fairly certain I couldn't be a student without them.

But, I used them to start outlining my thinking. I don't know that I have a solid idea for creating the packaging for my learning, but at least I know some of the skeleton of what I want to tell other people about my learning, and that's a start, right?!

How I Cite?!

I was asked about citations. How to teach, to create a lesson for learning how to cite. I won't lie, I didn't know what to think at first. I have no memories of being taught how to cite. I remember learning that plagiarism is bad, and to avoid it we cite our sources. I then remember buying the style guides for MLA and later APA - and then, when OWL became available it was like a whole new level of amazing. It was always one of those the teacher says "cite your sources" and I went home and followed the protocols laid out in the style guide of choice.

Now, just because I can't remember doesn't mean it wasn't taught. One of my friends told me I'd probably blocked it. And, based on the responses I received from several colleagues, I'd totally believe it.

Me: do you remember being taught how to use APA/MLA cite sources, etc?

S: High School, lots of worksheets - He gave us a lecture on it and walked through the generalities of structure, and then we had worksheets with examples of book titles/article  titles/pictures, etc, and we had to format the citation correctly - we also went through a  bunch of online resources like the Purdue OWL and autoformat options in word or online

Me: Were we taught how to use APA/MLA or like citation stuff?

K: We got a bit on basic how to bibliography in high school, then in my first tutorial [UK  University], they were like, ok, your first essay is coming up, here's how the department  cites and references - And basically it was just an example or two - we were just expected to figure it out

Me: Citations? Were you taught how to do them? If so, how? When?

B: Freshman year. Series of talks from the librarians - Also, in HS, we had a unit on it in our textbook - The mini version of the MLA handbook was a required reading/text for my freshman comp courses - But, again, I'd gotten it in HS, too.

It's pretty much universal that information (both print and digital) must be cited. In academic work, this can be hugely problematic if not done correctly. Yet, based on my own experiences, and those of my colleagues, all of whom have at least one advanced degree - training and education how to do it seems distinctly lacking. I think K's comment sums my understanding of the current situation well: figure it out. Yet, this doesn't seem like the best way of doing so. 

How can instructors help their students learn to cite things? I'm still thinking through this one. I had a colleague suggest worksheets, which she admitted were a dated idea, but would maybe help springboard the learning between "read about it and DIY" and an in-class lecture on how to cite information. Within the worksheet, she envisioned fill in the blank type activities where students would be asked where they would insert the title of the book. This is an area that needs more thinking - makes me wonder what other places are doing, how others are learning to do it. By initial questions make me believe this problem extends beyond the course I'm working with - how many students are left on their own to "figure it out", or are lumped into the "prior knowledge" bubble? 

Connected Learning

I'm gonna just leave this here...

Connected Learning: Interest, Peer Culture, Opportunities from Connected Learning Alliance on Vimeo.

One Word Approach to Course Design

#SIMPLIFY

Complexity

Thinking about assignments, about syllabi, about designing - when is it just too complicated? When are there too many steps? When does the message get bogged down in unnecessary layers of directions, suggestions, examples? Things intended to be helpful, to provide guidance for the learner can have opposite effect. 

For me, my goal is this: Making Rube Goldberg Devices is fun; Being a Rube Goldberg Device is not. 

KISS Method - or how not to hate everything about course design

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received when I began teaching was this: KISS. But, I didn't really like it when I first heard it because surely simple was bad, simple was lazy, simple showed that I didn't care about my course - right?

No. Simple doesn't mean any of those things. Simple means manageable, it means clarity, it means streamlined. Simple means it's something you can accomplish, and accomplish well. It's how you thrive as an instructor, as a student, as a curriculum designer. It's showing finesse in what you do. In the words of Coco Chanel: Take one thing off before leaving the house.

As I think about the participants in this program, I'm reminded of KISS because there is an urge to overindulge in "newness", in trying new things.

Newness isn't bad. Trying new things isn't bad.

Here's my urge, maybe my challenge: PICK ONE.

Only one. One thing to try. One assignment to redesign. One instructional delivery method. Maybe even, one lecture. Just one.

It's not impossible. It's vital. 

It will force you to focus. Force you to identify the most important, most vital, most in need of attention element of your course. Maybe you focus some other way. Maybe you focus by choosing something you know you can handle during a busy fall semester. However you chose, the important part is to chose. 

Remember: 

No, You Won't Remember Later

After my meeting this morning with Roz and a Bootcamp participant, I had something I wanted to blog about, but I was on my way to class.

I told myself I'd remember later and do it after class ended.

Lies.

I did not remember.

Even now as I"m typing this, I can't remember what it was that struck me. It was probably pretty cool, too.

Learn from my mistake: Even if it's not a "full" blog, take a jotting, give yourself a reminder.

a feeling

Back to School

Watching all the freshman on campus made me think about how overwhelming that experience can be for students. 😨For most, everything is new. New can be amazing but it's also a bit scary.

Then they come to class and get a syllabus 📑 full of everything they're not sure they'll be able to do, or wondering how they're going to balance everything and not fail. That can also impact how they relate to your class.

As I began explaining the course expectations to my students, who are not freshman, they looked a bit glassy-eyed. 🤓 This made me think: how does my syllabus impact their learning? Does it set them up for success or for failure? Is it better to be welcoming or get the "worst part" over, like a bandaid?

I don't have any answers but it's something I'm thinking about.

Daily Postings?

Taking up Roz's challenge to blog more frequently -

...

...

...

But, I don't have anything to say. It's the first week of classes. Life is crazy. And...a blog post?!

Maybe tomorrow...

Expanding How I Conceptualize Blogging

Roz: shorter more frequent blogs

Me: *blink*

(I wrote this while I was walking to the gym...it didn't want to post from my phone....so I "remade" it when I got home)

Shorter blogs. 

...on being linear

Of the many things I've learned through this process, through this independent study, the thing I've learned the most - or perhaps, felt the most, is that I'm far more linear than I've ever thought. That linear thought process extends to more than just how I learn; it heavily impacts how I teach, how I think about teaching, and how I approach developing the lessons I teach. 

When things are linear, they make sense to me. I can see the patterns, I can find the point, identify the objectives. However, when things become less linear, when the pattern isn't as easily discernible, that's when I feel less comfortable. That's when I feel like I'll be unable to keep track of things. 

I was challenged to develop a visual for the text write up I developed for my Grab Bag on Avoiding Death by PowerPoint. As, I discussed in a previous post, I'm also partial to words. In stark moments of self-reflection, I feel like a vulcan when I say things like, words add clarity. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but a thousand words add a clarity often not achievable by an image. My first attempt was to do something completely different - something with few words. Maybe if it was all pictures, it would translate better, or differently than my words. But, how do you create a picture out of words? I took my first stab at it, and even I didn't know what I was trying to create, what message I was trying to convey. In a word, it was a mess. I thought about it. A lot. I vented about my inability to do whatever it was I was trying to do, but had been unable to define. After a couple of days of thinking, and trying to figure it out, I decided to try something different. 

I have a background in graphic design. I know how to design websites. Again, a linear process. At least, a linear process. Navigation in easy steps, a logical process. Beginning to end. I decided to try that approach with trying a new visual. I thought about it as a website. How would students navigate it? How would I guide them through the process? How would I engage them in self navigation through the module? 

I can up with this - it was a mind map of what the website would look like, how students would access the information. How I would lay it out. Unsurprisingly, it's still highly linear, but there are multiple points of entry. A sort of choose your own adventure for the students. I have suggested a process, a logical progression, but if they want to do it differently, they have the freedom to move between the pages at will. 

Maybe it's still too linear for some, maybe it's not linear enough for others. There's no perfect solution. There's no perfect lesson. No lesson is one size fits all, no matter how much you try. The best you can do is try, see what works, and try again. Even if it is linear, or images, or highly illogical. 

Teaching the Experts

Many aspects of this independent study process have been challenging for me. Today, I wanted to really think through one of the grab bags. With the semester looming on the horizon, I've been working on building my 259A course for the fall. Maybe it's because I've been in the mood, but I sat down and typed out a draft for a grab bag. I quickly realized there were some fundamental differences in designing for undergrads and designing for graduate students and/or faculty. While I admit students know a lot, they are typically not considered experts in their field. With faculty, they are. I pondered the question, how do you design for someone who is an expert? What do experts still need to know, and how do you convey to them, or convince them, they need to know what you have to teach them?

I'm hardly the expert in their content. There are days where I barely feel like an expert in my own content area, but do I have expertise to share with them? Yes. Am I an expert in teaching? No. Yet, there are things, aspects of teaching, I feel I have a level of expertise in. If I start from the perspective of them, my "learners", being the expert, how do I impart knowledge to them? 

I think for me, I settled on started with the research. By starting with the sources that proved my suggested content held merit for everyone. I think that freed me a bit; I didn't have to play the expert. I believe in what I was encouraging them to try, and I found other people who could back up my belief with facts. Then, I invited them to try it out - to test it for themselves. 

By allowing them to embark on a self-guided learning experience, they were the ones in control of their learning. They would be able to infuse their expertise into their own educational experience. Maybe it was the right approach; maybe it wasn't. I once again find myself in the "learner" and "teacher" position. The process remains inherently iterative. Keep it going until I figure it out, until it works. 

The Power of Peer Feedback

In my experience, peer feedback is either incredibly useful or utterly useless. Rarely, if ever, have I encountered "okay" peer feedback. I've seen peer feedback used in formal and informal settings and the results are either positive or negative. For all the power the method has, it's difficult to use well, especially in a formalized educational setting.

1. How do you, as an instructor, measure the effectiveness of peer feedback? 
2. How do you, as a peer, offer constructive feedback? 
3. What do you do with the feedback once you have it?
4. What makes peer feedback so polarizing? 

I've spent countless hours trying to answer those questions to my own satisfaction. At a point, most people like to have their efforts acknowledge, to hear someone say they've done a good job. But, that's usually not enough. While getting the pat on the back is good, understanding where things can be improved is arguably more important. There is an inherent power in the position of "instructor" - even if the student doesn't personally buy in the the course, the material, or the instructor, there is a built in hierarchy that determines that feedback from the instructor is of value, at minimum in determining final grades. 

Peers don't have the built in power of the existing system behind them. In many situations, their feedback is considered somehow less valid than the teachers. Common ideas against peer review? They're students; they're here to learn not to teach. They don't know the content. They're not going to take it seriously. 

When I first introduce peer review to my students, I often hear them say:

And of course they don't. They've rarely been offered the opportunity to be part of that type of feedback cycle, that sort of community. The longer I teach, the more I realize how so many of my experiences differ from those of my students. I peer reviewed all the way through high school - it wasn't formalize, I just asked several of my friends to look at assignments; it made sense because we were all in the same classes. 

How do you implement peer review in your classes? I'm sure there are a million different ways to do it, and I'm sure many of them are good ways. When thinking about peer review for this pilot program, I kept thinking about trust - about people feeling comfortable having someone else come in a critique what they're doing in their classes. What we're asking is huge. For many of the individuals who will participate in this pilot, we're shoving them out of their comfort zone with the finesse of a Mack truck. Then we tell them their peers will be giving them feedback?! 

That's the trick though - establishing a community where everyone is uncomfortable, everyone is taking risks, everyone is doing something new, something a bit scary. This allows everyone to offer feedback in a way that is productive. No one in this peer review cycle is coming in as an expert, the pressure to perform competency just isn't there - the idea, the expectation is that the participants put effort and thought into the implementation of something new. 

Reinventing the Wheel & Juggling Hats

At a point, I feel I'm repeating myself in some of these posts, but at the same time, that indicates to me that they are areas in which I'm stilling working through the thinking and that space should be valued.

I keep thinking about my Encampment experience, my TEAC 259A course in the fall, and this 905 development - and I wonder about how much reinventing the wheel is necessary. We use buzz words like "best practices" and "industry standard", but really, what does that mean? In reality, not much. What I think is best practice can (and often does) vary wildly from others who can and do teach the same things - and often with equal levels of success. Even now, as I'm thinking about 259A, I'm looking at different readings because I know I'll have a different audience, a different group of learners with different needs - not necessarily because the technology changes, but because the group of learners they want to teach are much different. Secondary school and elementary school are vastly different - and each requires a different teaching approach. But, as I read through the new readings I'm considering, I begin thinking about which readings I would take out - then the vicious cycle begins. Then I think, do I even need to the reading, or can I create a content based lesson out of the information? That type of a lesson would be a different approach for me, but maybe it's needed? Maybe it will work. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Probably both.

When I switch to thinking about 905 and the Grab Bags I'm developing, I find it hard to switch hats.

When I do manage to at least get the hat on, I find myself staring at the blinking cursor. In my head, it's clear. I know exactly how I would teach the unit I'm trying to describe on paper. The translation from what's in my head to what needs to be on the paper is still stuck in Klingon. Develop a lesson, explain the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of it: simple. Not simple. I'm stuck in the void of not knowing how to translate things that I would just do, things I have practiced and honed into second nature into something that I can pass on to someone else. Then, it's back to the gap between what I expect people know, or at least have a baseline of versus the reality. I'm constantly reminded by my family and even some of my friends that the gaps between what I know, specifically when it's related to things I've spent years studying, is wide. I also fall into the trap of snappish or overly sarcastic responses because of my assumption that people already know something, or with an example of making a PowerPoint, at least have an understanding of what a bad presentation looks like, even if they don't know exactly how to fix it. 

A Tale of Assumed Knowledge

I've just spent the better part of two weeks at the Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol Encampment at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. While I could devote an entire blog to the lessons learned, experiences had, and the good times I'll remember forever, that's not the point of this blog, or even this post. This is the fifth time I've participated in this event, and with each new year comes a new set of challenges to overcome. For the first time, I was supervising a squadron (3 flights of 18 cadets), plus the staff (3 flight sergeants, 3 flight commander, 1 first sergeant and 1 squadron commander). For those of you, like me, who just stopped reading when the math began, the total number of young adults within my purview was 62. What this scope of supervision allowed me was a greater understanding of the failure to communicate.

I found myself thinking as an instructional designer more than a Civil Air Patrol Lieutenant Colonel as the weeks progressed. The idea of the program is to train the experienced young adults to be the leaders and trainers of the newer, less experienced members. What I found missing was training. Overall the adult members had a wealth of knowledge they assumed the cadet staff arrived with at Encampment.  

The Curriculum and Plans Officer taught the cadet staff the difference between Ability and Willingness (A&W). The cadet staff were responsible for learning when their basic cadets were unable and or unwilling. Ability centered upon knowledge on how to accomplish a task (ie. when making their beds, had basics been taught how to correctly make hospital corners?) versus willingness to complete a task. This separation of mindset gave the cadet staff a way to measure the progress and performance of their basic cadets. However, the same metric was not adequately used for the cadet staff. I noticed that while most of the cadet staff came with and sustained their willingness to complete their duties, they often did not have the ability to complete their duties to the level expected by the adult staff members. In many cases, this was due to a gap in their training. Collectively, the adults held the cadet staff accountable for "ability" they didn't have. It wasn't because of malicious intent, rather in the assumption that cadet staff "knew" what they were expected to do. A lot of the training is done in generalities where the point gets lost in the vagueness of the message. For instance, a squadron commander is responsible for the flights within the squadron. Sounds simple enough, but ask a cadet squadron commander to explain their duties and responsibilities and suddenly the gaps in training become apparent. 

A simple example I gave to my squadron staff this year was this: morning wake up. Cadet staff wake up the basic cadets at 0600. They have approximately five minutes for their student cadets to wake up, put on their PT gear and get to the parade field for morning calisthenics. Additionally, the senior staff expect that cadets are  given a chance to use the restroom and fill up their hydration gear. As a squadron commander, what is a reasonable role to adopt in this scenario? before they get to the parade field. 

My squadron staff couldn't come up with an answer. I explained to them that if the flight staff (flight sergeants and flight commanders) were waking up the cadets and not telling them to use the rest room and fill up their hydration gear, that they as squadron staff should then take it upon themselves to do so. This is part of scope of responsibility. This is also something the adult staff have been remiss in teaching the cadet staff. To me, it seemed like common sense. Spread the responsibility. If you know flight staff are working to get their basics out of bed as soon as possible, then post yourselves at the front doors and ask each basic if they've used the restroom and filled up on water. This division of labor would give each staff member something to do, but also align with the scope of control. While the flight staff are immediately responsible for the individual members of their flight, the squadron staff are responsible for the flights as a whole. I kept wondering how much time, energy and frustration could have been saved by teaching these skills at the onset rather than madly attempting to play catch up, and fill the gaps as we went along. I felt bad for the staff who maintained their willingness, but also remained confused, disheartened, and frustrated by the disconnect between their assumed ability and their actual ability.

What does any of this have to do with teaching teachers? Everything. Are we, as instructional designers, as teacher preparation instructors, teaching to the gap? Are we adequately identifying the areas of instruction needed? Are we assuming knowledge to the determent of our students? Maybe. However, I fully believe that by more closely attending to the gap, we will be able to create a more effective, more useful instruction for teachers just learning their craft, and experienced teachers, too.

Why Communication is Hard

Communication is one of the key ingredients in successful collaboration. At the same time, it is one of the most challenging aspects. I find for myself it is difficult to understand what I'm thinking, let alone what someone else is thinking - even when they tell me. Do people think in words? Images? Both? Neither? Is the best way to communicate effectively in person? Through email? Via instant messaging? The more people you add to the collaboration, the more styles of communication you need to become familiar with, and the higher the chances are for miscommunication. I also find a tension between how frequently communication is necessary, how in depth those communications need to be - and the expectations the other members of the collaboration have. I have learned there are few hard and fast rules about it, and each person is different. I have also learned that even my own forms, ways and expectations of communication vary from project to project and person to person.

Why does this matter for this course? It's vital. Communication goes beyond what the group designs for the course. Communication is a part of what the group designs for the course. How do teachers and students best communicate? Are there best practices? How can instructional design help teachers and students communicate better?

I thought instead I might try to represent some of the communication issues I commonly see, experience, and try not to repeat.

I'll leave you to make your own meaning from the above visuals - decide what type of communication works, or doesn't work. What makes communication so hard? Humans. Just humans.

#concise

That moment when...

And I need to remind myself...

Some Thoughts About Words

This is a learning process. Not just taking an Independent study course, but blogging, engaging in dialogue through a digital platform - especially as a teaching and learning tool. To that end, I feel it good practice to reflect on some feedback I've received on my first blog posts.

• Suggestion - more frequent but shorter blogs.
• Maybe even just Twitter type blips?
• I'm NOT saying that I don't like these nice long reflections.
• I'm just suggesting an easier method for you.
• What if you aren't pressured to write long-explanatory blogs?
• What if you just posted quick memes?
• I'm just curious if that might serve as a better methodology for self reflection (due to the shorter time investment)?

• But what if blogging were NOT for others?
• What if it were just for yourself?
• A fluid flow of your conscious mind?
• Like THIS email?

At this stage, I'm thinking...but I like words. I love using words, crafting a narrative, expressing my learning through words. Yet, one purpose of learning is to try something new, to push beyond what you already know. I already know words pretty well. So, I know this still has a lot of words, but I'm in the process of working through what that means for me. How do I translate my words into fewer words, or no words at all? 

Developing a New Bag of Tricks

This week I focused on developing some of the "grab bag" topics for TEAC 959. While I still haven't been able to answer the question: "What would you have liked to know as a GTA before teaching the first time?" I did ask that question of some of my fellow GTAs. I'm a huge believer in collaboration, in sharing ideas. My background is not from a K-12 setting, and in many ways, this gives me a unique perspective on the nature of both teaching and learning. In the non-profit world in which I've spent most of my time, collaboration is required to avoid failure. When all of the parties involved are volunteering their time, their expertise, and their passion, it is vital to ensure that no one is doing all of the work. Through this, I've found that a better product (individual class, whole curriculum, assignment) is developed when multiple people are working together on it.

I started to think through ideas for grab bags - ideas of what would be useful for the student, not things that would meet some sort of end result criteria. For me, the idea was to help the students enact change in their teaching. This change need not be all consuming. It can be changing one assignment, one lesson, one viewpoint. The change could even be opening oneself up to new approaches, ideas, or pedagogy. Results are important, but sometimes the focus on results limits the process, the learning the can happen as you work towards a result. There is value in focusing on change, on process. I know this course will have a focus on integrating meaningful technology into lessons, assessments, pedagogy, and instructional design. For many, this will be a change. The initial reaction might be to focus on the results. The result being perhaps a fully online course with fully integrated multimedia lessons to include video lectures and demonstrations, virtual labs, and audio file feedback for students. That type of result is huge, daunting, and fails to allow students to focus on the process of changing. For most instructors, that type of change would be huge and without attending to the nature of enacting that change, it would probably not be sustainable.

The grab bags allow students to select specific elements of their teaching pedagogy to focus on. In this way, they are able to more closely focus on the nature of making changes to ensure results. I like thinking about this in terms of a TPACK model.

As shown in the Venn Diagram above, the TPACK model shows how technology, content, and pedagogy are interconnected. As I explain to my own students, the center of the diagram is the "sweet spot", and most teachers feel they are experts in two out of three options. I invite them, and I would invite the students taking this course to identify where they find themselves on this chart. Then to reflect on what changes they could make to find themselves more comfortably in the middle. Or, what first steps they could take towards the center. 

I have another CD in which I start to outline my ideas for grab bags, and through this I have begun to identify my own limitations, strengths, biases, and philosophies when it comes to "best teaching practices". My challenge will be to open my own mind to other ways of teaching and ways of assessing learning. In order to meet the needs of the students, especially working in the role of instructional designer, it needs to be about them. This is a true challenge because I feel that my way of teaching, my larger philosophies on effective teaching, are the best. I can't help but feel that many teachers share the same view of their own teaching. There is value in having confidence in one's method of teaching, but there is also value in recognizing that there might be other, equally valid ways of teaching. Learning from others is vital. If the goal is lifelong learning, one must be equally open to change and to differing opinions. This isn't to say that one must adopt other's ways for the sake of openness and a willingness to change, but it does mean that if one finds something he or she finds valuable, then disregarding it out of hand is limiting. 

The Nature of Beginnings

I pulled this icon from my TEAC 259 course. The icon represents the Chaos Dump used in my class this past semester. At first, I wasn't sold on the idea. I thought it would be viewed as just one other thing to do in class, one more "useless" exercise. Yet, as the semester progressed, I found myself finding more value in its use, and even recognizing my own under use of the tool.

During my first meeting with Roz for my Independent Study ( TEAC 905), we once again set up a CD for documenting our discussion, ideas, and growth. The meeting began with a focus on how my ID would go, what my responsibilities would be, and what course the team was developing would contain.

In the end, very little of our conversation focused on how the ID would progress, but we did develop an outline for further development of learning objectives:

1. "Pedagogy Bootcamp" - the pre-course requirement for students that is an intensive day of preparation for the course to be held sometime in August. 
2. Canvas Shell - to have a rough, working Canvas shell that is both useful and highly visual
3. Journal - maintain a critically reflective journal throughout the course 
4. Conference/Manuscript proposal - work on the art of conquering writing for conferences/journals

We shifted our focus to the meat of TEAC 959. The bare bones idea of TEAC 959 is to develop a course for both graduate students and faculty that focuses on meaningful pedagogy. As we talked through the baseline ideas, Roz asked me to think about what I would have liked to have learned before teaching for the first time as a graduate student. It was a difficult question. I don't know that I have an answer for that yet, but it has been a question in my mind as I think through how  to develop a meaningful curriculum for graduate students and faculty.

I thought the idea of a grab bag might be a useful approach since we will have a wide array of learners with different goals and needs. I thought back to what I know about adult learners, thinking more specifically about the faculty who will come in with a different motivation than most of the graduate students. The grab bag allows a flexibility and autonomy in learning that would appeal to many students because they have the freedom to focus on areas that they self-identify as important and relevant to their current teaching and pedagogy. The grab bags would need some sort of unifying theme, with options within that theme. And, a metric for measuring successful completion of a "task" or learning objective within each would also need to be developed. The idea is not useless assignments or testing, but a way to measure mastery of a new idea/tool/strategy.

We also discussed a sort of final assessment that is based off of an assignment from TEAC 259. The idea is that students would teach a lesson where they implement a number of the grab bag topics they focused on during the semester. This lesson would be viewed by their instructor(s) and peer(s) to display their mastery.

As we move through this process, I must admit at this stage I am on unsure ground. I now think I understand how my students feel with some assignments when they ask for more concrete direction. I find myself wanting that. It's hard to know what is expected when there is little structure and direction. This makes me think about my own teaching and how I develop, present, and assess my own assignments. Perhaps I need to refocus how much scaffolding and support I give my assignments. I want to find a better balance between students having autonomy to use their creativity and critical thinking skills to solve a problem, and leaving them out to sea. For me, balance is the big take away from this first week. It is something I have struggled with in teaching, in learning. It's usually full throttle or standing still. But, I think that balance is a key element in both teaching and learning. Vygotsky's ZPD deals a lot in balance. Knowing your learners enough to understand how far to push them, when they need an extra hand. Maybe this pursuit of balance should become one of my own learning goals.