Reflecting on room for growth

As I was reading the pieces on the frameworks (both ACTIONS and SECTIONS) I found myself constantly referring back to both my own experiences and my own professional goals as a teacher.

Looking at the principles which outline “Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” I found I was both comforted and inspired. For this activity we are asked to focus on only two of the principles, which is a task in itself. Which ones do

I deem the most important?
Connect with most?
Constantly find myself working to achieve?
Feel confident I am applying regularly?

I will outline one particular aspect of the seven principles that spoke to me because it is one of the foundations of my teaching and personal learning theory. The second aspect I have chosen is one that made me stop and consider my personal teaching philosophies and current classroom practice.

One of the principles that really spoke to me was that “Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques.” (Chickering and Ehrmann, p. 3) Students need to be actively involved in what they are learning in order to learn best. This is not always possible, of course, and rests very much as an ideal but this is something that encompasses as much of my courses as possible. Of course, when studying France it is most usually impossible to go to see the sites first hand, but there are other ways to create hands on experiences through such mediums as simulations, art projects, labs and cooking.

In terms of technology, students who utilize the tools they are learning about are better equipped in their knowledge and skills. As technology based learning moves towards more critical thinking representation, the technology becomes an important medium that cannot act as a simple replacement for “cut and paste’ research activities. I hope to move more towards utilizing technology for more critical thinking, while I do see some of the “cut and paste” research as useful as well, even though it may not really be exploiting the technological tools available to us to create innovative projects.

One of the principles that spoke to me and made me reflect on not only my current teaching practice but my own learning was “Good practice Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students.” (Chickering and Ehrmann, p. 2) My own elementary education was based very much on the idea of competition, and looking back it seems absurd, considering each student brought unique talents and interests to the class. Having students work together to a common goal emphasizes individual strengths over weaknesses except, perhaps, where students find themselves nearly or entirely unknowledgeable on a subject or area.

Collaboration emphasizes finding solutions while competition emphasizes guarding talents to ensure only personal success. In my own classes, I try to emphasize collaboration, and while this may be a given in cooking labs I try to ensure students have the opportunity to collaborate in other means as well. They often complete projects in pairs or small groups, demonstrate learning through games such as jeopardy in which the emphasis is on class involvement and team success over individual success.

I feel this is a challenge in my own class, to allow students to celebrate each others strengths and realize that success comes from collaboration in which each individual can showcase their talents in a way which will benefit the group as a whole. In order for this to happen, activities often have to be multi faceted, such as a project which allows students to play different roles, according to their strengths.

There is just so much that can be said on any of the pieces of the frameworks it was difficult to choose and limit my response to two!