Each time I prepare for a class, I learn, but those learnings do not compare with the knowledge I gain by developing a session for presentation. Basic Commercial Insurance is designed for business owners, and the online module available here is the first of ten modules planned.
My academic journey has changed my approach to teaching, and my approach to life in general. This was inevitable, as experiences change us in the same way water rushing over rock smooths the edges, while it simultaneously changes the course of the landscape. Once we are exposed to new ideas and concepts, we see with new eyes, and think with greater receptivity to others' ways. The work in this section reflects the products of my revised thinking, but also references educators whose work now influences mine.
Fellow travelers in Experiential Learning, 2015
|
|
As mentioned elsewhere in this site, John Dewey, by way of "Experience & Education," emphasized the importance of experience in the teaching process. His point was that the student's experiences have a strong and irrefutable influence on the way information is received and processed. This concept is further examined in my review of Dewey's book.
|
Managing expectations is, I believe, the key to happiness. That makes the order provided by Gagné’s Nine Steps immensely appealing. The first step is Gain Attention. One way to do this is by the use of Anticipatory Sets, a method I researched as part of a group project on improving retention. As mentioned in the paper, sometimes a salt lick is handy when you want people to drink.
|
Donald Kirkpatrick set the standard for evaluations decades ago. We now consider, first, whether the participants liked the class - not in a "I like vanilla" kind of way, but rather, whether it met the students' needs. In some case, and my line of work is an example, we get the formative feedback and Level 1, and that's all there, given factors out of our control, and information we have no way to access. The Summative Evaluation included here would be used for a class proposed for business owners.
|
Margaret Fuller's life has touched many women as a result of a happy accident. She had no older brother, and her father therefore gave her learning opportunities that she otherwise would not have enjoyed. She was an independent thinker and had a strong need to continue her education. As college was not an option for her gender, she found another way to secure intellectual stimulation. She not only influenced the potential for women's education, but teaching methods still used today.
|
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” ― Heraclitus
The summer of 2015 brought experiences I had never imagined, nor wanted to. The campfire was excellent; the new
friends even better. The sunrise sublime. Climbing the wall, however, would not have been possible without help from
my belay team. Re-visiting that experience is not in my bucket list, exhilarating as it was.
Sunrise photo by the author; others are credit to Cindy Davis
friends even better. The sunrise sublime. Climbing the wall, however, would not have been possible without help from
my belay team. Re-visiting that experience is not in my bucket list, exhilarating as it was.
Sunrise photo by the author; others are credit to Cindy Davis