More work, thought, and preparation go into teaching a college course than I had previously realized.
Many of the courses I took at Northern Virginia Community College and at George Mason University have had syllabi designed by a committee or group of professors. Adjunct professors and grad students are given the syllabi, the textbooks, and the course outcomes and are expected to teach with the materials. The creativity allowed to the instructor occurs at the individual class level in the way the material is presented and the involvement of the students. Some of my professors have complained about being assigned to teach a course somebody else has designed, and some teachers don’t know what is on the syllabus before the class begins.
Now with a little better understanding of college teaching, I can see that certain standards and outcomes are necessary in some coursework. In early childhood education courses the outcomes frequently correspond to standards set for the education field by professional associations and government licensing agencies.
I am learning about the construction of a class, the outcomes and goals, the various ways information is explored and delivered, and the different methods for involving students in their own education. The class readings have been informative, and for me the class discussions are very important. I am a social learner, as I learn best by discussing and conversing with others about new information. Writing comes fairly easily to me, and I enjoy reflecting on the class readings.
What has been most valuable to me this semester is to reflect about what we are learning and what I already know. I have years of experience teaching young children and teaching adults. I have lots of experience working with children and teens. I am a competent counselor, advisor, mentor, and teacher. What I have not reflected upon before is HOW I do what I do with other people and WHY I am effective in my endeavors.
I plan ahead for what I want the children to learn (outcomes), provide appropriate materials for the ages and stages of the children, and then I guide them in their learning. I believe in allowing children to explore materials freely, so that their learning is authentic. I use the Vygotsky approach and scaffold learning for children, provide them with opportunities to work towards the next level, and support their explorations. I do very little direct teaching. When I am teaching a workshop to adults I plan what I want to cover in my power-point and handouts, and I plan the order in which I’m going to present materials. The piece I need to work on is student involvement. In a ninety minute workshop there isn’t time to do much student-directed activity compared to a semester course. This is an area I need to work on.
When, at various times, I was president of the local, regional and state child care associations, I used consensus process. Everyone had an equal voice in decision making and planning. I listened, supported, and asked for thoughts and suggestions, and I made sure everyone was heard. I can take these various strengths and styles of mine and use them to teach. I can devise outcomes for a course, provide the materials, and support and advise. I can listen to opinions, make sure everyone is heard, and create assignments that allow for active student involvement. I can promote critical thinking and transformative classrooms by giving each student a role in the problem solving and application of their new knowledge. My short-term goal is to continue learning and taking classes, to continue training in my field, and to work with little children. My long-term goal is to teach early childhood education at the college level.
I am enjoying our learning community. Our group is diverse, but the shared desire to be competent teachers brings us together in a common cause. Having started the class a little late, I am pleased that the group accepted me readily. The readings for our class, reflections, and class discussions have been interesting and informative. There is so much new information to digest that I felt a little overwhelmed at times, but I think I’m keeping current. I am looking forward to the peer teaching presentations. My favorite part of class is listening to others’ ideas and opinions and talking about our experiences. The only change I would make is to have our class earlier in the evening when I have more energy!
