Teaching Models

The Instructional Design Models I chose to look at were - Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Cognitive Apprenticeship.
1) Similarities: Both tend to look at problems and give the student a method or path to find a realistic solution, with the teachers being more facilitators and mentors once the general information has been given.

2) Differences: Cognitive Apprenticeship seems to quite often have the lessons set in a sequential order, to give a student practice applying learned techniques or methods, increasing the complexity of the tasks slowly, while PBL is set up to have the students think through realistic problems presented to them and come up with their own solutions after having been given the basic information they will need to solve the problems.

3) My adult audience has multiple backgrounds and needs and it usually runs the gamut from adults wanting to learn the very basic computer skills to those with already basic skills or higher skill levels. There seems to be no major demographic as it can range from retired persons to the staff of an operation business. Motivations range from wanting to just learn e-mail skills to keep in touch with the grandkids to needing to learn skills to find or keep a job. I generally need to find out WHAT the student already knows and proceed from there adjusting the presentation to encompass the least skilled to the highest if all in one class.
I have used both teaching models and have found it important to not only how something works but WHY, so they can then apply that information when they have to think through a newly encountered problem or situation.

Comments on Will Richardson's Blog

I found his take on things very interesting and thought provoking while being intrigued at how clearly he stated what he saw as the problems.
I definitely agree with him on “The Acceptable Use Policy” scenario. I loved the way he phrased the Do Use list at the end. It is such an excellent example of how the positive side IS there, but for some reason in today’s world we are having to continually remind people to “look for the good” in things. I wonder if the psychologists have actually found the “scientific reason” as to why, as a human race we tend to always see the darkness first? Perhaps it is just a cultural, or education factor and if so I think we are slowly changing both with the advancement of all the “new age” thinking that now so much more prevalent than before. Let’s hope it bleeds into the formal educational systems! I think once the Web is less daunting to people, their views and attitudes will change so they can look more easily past the “troubles” that are now seen too quickly.
His take comments on how the Obama Speech could be used as a valuable learning tool, no matter what it actually said was really well stated. The comment about schools role narrowing is so true while being so sad. My sons were exposed to the educational system in New Zealand ( a socialist democracy) and while there were som good aspects, I found the lack of creativity in the curriculum and presentations very frustrating. The whole effort in their higher levels seemed to NOT be geared towards helping prepare them for the world by examining and discussing what they would encounter there but were continually focused on having them pass the government designed tests (which the teachers were NOT allowed to make) to determine their abilities and aptitude to enter college.

Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy
For me, Enthusiasm, Flexibility and Change, have come to be the cornerstones of my teaching philosophy. Not sure I have them all down pat yet, but as with most things it’s an evolving process.

I believe that one’s philosophy, whether it be for teaching - or for life, has to involve a good portion of these essential elements. Especially in today’s world it is even more evident that the “essentials” of the information we learn today, may not be the “correct” information of tomorrow. Therefore an educator has to be flexible and open to changes and adjust their curriculum and presentation accordingly. Guess that’s why I’m taking this class!

Of course this is coming from someone who’s lived and worked in over 40 locations so far, and I’m still eager to add to that number. I love finding out how and why people learn and do things the way they do!

I’ve had the great delight in teaching the gamut of students from Kindergarten, thru to college students and adults and while they may have a number of learning traits in common quite often it is their differences that stand out and to which I have tried to respond to as a teacher or facilitator.

I remember reading somewhere, that someone said that education would one day evolve into more of being able to find the WHERE of the information, rather than the actual accumulation of the information. That always intrigued me. With today’s ever changing technology advances it looks like we are headed there and yet … helping the student to learn the skills to then “deal with “ the information once they find it. That’s where we come in!

Therefore, I also enjoy the challenge of fostering the critical thinking skills needed to use the information presented to the student while helping the student find that “one thing” that is ultimately important to them, that helps the “light bulb” moment happen. The finding process, the readjusting of what I do and how I do it for each class, especially when the social dynamics of the classes change, is learning process for me also.

Having a student actually “enjoy” the learning process I think is for most of us one of the most satisfying aspects of teaching. Quite often for them to do this, the teacher has to somehow show their own enthusiasm for the subject while also providing the students with the tools they will need to learn more on their own when a teacher isn’t around. I wish I had found Karl Menninger’s quote years ago – he said, “What the teacher is, is more important that what he
teaches.” I think I would have been less rigid in my early days.

Okay here I go...!

For everyone that can find this! Here's my name info.
J Joyful
O Opportunities are something I see everywhere
A Adventurous
N Night person… getting less so!

B Bashful I’m Not!
A Audacious
U Understanding
M Mum to 2 sons (1 in AZ, 1 in NZ)

First Blog on Saturday F2F

Hello,
This is my first blog post.