Did I meet my objectives?

After the recent months enrolled on the PGCAP and the various reflections, the emotions felt and how I have understood ranging teaching practices I have somewhat drifted away from the original goals I set out. I suppose it is a good thing that I have developed such an interest in teaching practice that my posts have often appeared to drift towards an interesting theory or viewpoint that I could relate to in the course of my reflections. With this in mind and the end of the PGCAP core module in sight I think I should make a focused appraisal on whether I reached my goals.

1.  My first goal was I will endeavour to gain an understanding of broader learning approaches to a standard to which I can incorporate those into my teaching session. This was identified as a target as it aligned with various descriptors from the UK PSF. Firstly it encompasses many ‘Areas of Activity’. Through researching and exploring various strategies such at the styles of learning, the stages of learning as well as differing feedback mechanisms and strategies to promote a student centred atmosphere I feel that I now have  greater recourses from which I can plan and design activities (A1) and thus enable me to help and support learning (A2). What I was keen to was to focus on inclusivity and promote environments supportive of learning (A4) through the reflection of the process I have increasing found myself exploring the literature surrounding a concept, where perhaps I should have provided a more focuses reflection utilising a reflection template as suggested by Rebecca. Whilst I concede that my posts may have appeared less structures that had I used a template I suppose I just got carried away with learning something new. A welcome break from the PhD and in areas which I felt can make a real difference to the student experience. This demonstrated that I have developed teaching ideas through engaging with the current research (A5) and the interest I have will ensure I continue to do so (V3). Through reading and evident in my posts I feel I now have an incomplete yet much greater understanding of how students learn and how to structure delivery to cater for various learning types and preferences  (K3) nonetheless the saying holds true that the more you know the more you realise you don’t know.
2. My second target was to improve my own reflective practices. I feel that this has been greatly improved through the use of feedback from my peers on the course. I have used additional techniques such as video feedback for myself to help provide a third person perspective.  Whilst I feel comfortable  reflecting, and felt my relative experienced writing reflections before the course started, I have still learnt a great deal about reflective practices ranging from ‘Chrissy’s heart’ and reflection frameworks to the use of video.
3. One of my main ambitions when enrolling the course was to move away from typical lectures and use a range of suitable teaching methods. I have certainly developed greater skills such as the use of Problem Based Learning and the Flipped classroom. Encouragingly I received the best response in the module evaluation for using a range of teaching styles.  None the less I will be wary of not slipping back into old ways and as my Mentor noted “take the safe option”. I thing the confidence that the module has provided me will encourage me to sometimes adopt a more challenging delivery in the knowledge that with the right preparation it will benefit the learning experience.
4. The final target I set out was to develop more confidence as a lecturer. Whilst undoubtedly confidence will develop with experience, assuming of course they are positive, I feel that my assurance has improved at a faster rate as a result of the PGCAP. Firstly I was observed and told that I was respected and appeared confident. This combined with my own video feedback was key, I knew what I would expect if I was a student and I think I largely delivered. The use of critical reflect also forced me to pull out what I was doing well and when reviewing literature I found that I already used particular techniques. The reassurance that such strategies were established within the educational literature provided me with the encouragement to adopt range strategies in class, all the time trying to provide for differing learning styles.

UK PSF Diagnostic tool.

 

Examining the UK PSF diagnostic tool I can see that my greatest improvement has developed in K3 – How students learn, generally and within their subject area, and V1 – Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities. These two dimensions are somewhat synonymous as understanding the range of learning approaches causes you to respect learners with differing learning preferences.

I believe the improvement is due to the fact that I saw it as an area of weakness and the start of the module and endeavoured to improve. On the basis that how can you teach if you don’t know how you learn I examined a lot of the literature and explored various methods of learning evident in my posts.   It is noted that I have not improved and even apparently deteriorated in some areas. I feel that initially I was naive to what I actually needed to know to be a good teacher and as I previously said the more you know the more there is to know. Overall I would say I have improved and become more aware of every one of the professional standards.

Reflection of the Core Module

I will be honest, at first I was sceptical of the teaching methods used during the core module. In much the same way as my students, I just wanted to know the theory. Tell me what to do? Why is that strategy beneficial? Who said? … Memorise that research. After all, those who can recite the most facts are the best, right? Wrong!

As the course progressed I realised that I was no different to the students I teach. I was behaving and thinking with the same attitude that I am so critical of. Looking back I wanted to be spoon fed. I won’t say that anything clicked, there was no light bulb moment, it was a gradual transition to being much more appreciative of how and why we learn.

What the core module did, possibly better than any I have experienced before, it encouraged me to be creative. I am sure Chrissy had this in mind, to ‘feed us’ just enough to provide an interest strong enough to cause us to want to learn more. Possibly showing myself up to be a strategic learner – It was clear that there were not enough facts and information in class that would be enable me to pass.  Further research would be required, and this is the clever bit, what would seem the most interesting and compelling was left lying just below the surface waiting to be found by ourselves. Whist having the satisfaction that a topic is growing in value I would continue to research, not least because it felt that I had uncovered the information myself. And thinking about it, probably wrongly, I felt I knew something that other people in class didn’t. This as we now know provides the opportunity to express myself and demonstrate individuality which of course is concerned with learning through experience and nearing self actualisation. Appealing to my egotistical side, this strategy of self directed study was incredibly motivating and as described by Robin Usher the need to demonstrate individuality is a key factor in motivating behaviour.

Would I try this approach with my students…? I’m not sure. Is it too risky? I know now that the students receive enough information in class to gain a good pass and in the current climate when students are rightly demanding more it may be difficult to promote such strategies in which information is apparently held back. Perhaps it is a trust issue, not just trust in the students, but trust in your own ability to provide a sufficiently stimulating environment to promote such student directed learning.

So from a sceptical beginning I think as a teacher I have improved a great deal. I wouldn’t say my greatest improvement is shown in delivery but away from class when I am constantly exploring differing methods of teach and feedback.  I think the two single biggest influences on my future teaching are not attributable to a single session. Rather it is the journey through the module, being reverted back to a student again, realising that we are always learning and this should be encouraged and also being dropped in an environment shaped solely around developing your own approach to learning.

Learning by playing games

I was interested to explore the concept of learning by playing in more detail. This caused me to attend a workshop looking at the use of games in class. The board games allowed the creation of differing scenarios that the students could be prepared for. What did strike me was that there was no apparent winner to the games, well apart form the subject matter (hopefully). This would not cut it with the first year sport scientists. Many who compete at a regular basis and appear to thrive of the element of competition. Plus who wants to play a game with no winner, how do you know when to stop, it’s like monopoly. During the session I modified the Top Trumps style game but importantly allowing the students to devise their own attributes on the cards. I intended to use this approach for the burnout and overtraining session which explores potential stressful situation ant the effect of competitors.  The students would be require to have, in essence attack and defence attributes; the attack being sources or stress and the defence being potential coping mechanisms. The students would add a value to the extent that the stressor would affect the player and a value to the coping strategy in the hope that it would ‘trump’ any potential stressors from other players. The important aspect of this game was that the students were encouraged to examine potential stressors that they may be faced an also additional strategies included by other players perhaps they had overlooked.

This game is still in its infancy but I do believe there is scope and also applications in other disciplines.

Learning by playing

Looking back to the session with Carol Yeager a few weeks ago now, when it was reinforced that the learning through play is an exceptional method for learning I felt a reflection coming on.

Is it any wonder that the most rapid learning is developed during childhood? And whilst, admittedly there is neurological changes as we mature, it comes as no surprise that as we mature, and stop playing (!), we quick realise that it is an awful lot harder to learn.

The excellent and interactive webinar demonstrated that creativity is fundamental for learning and complemented by mixed reality game. However, it does become difficult to incorporate such creativity promoting strategies into teaching. How do you convince a student that the creativity is essential to learning?

I don’t think that to convince is the right approach. I think that though various approaches the student’s creativity can emerge. I have successfully used student presentations, with little instruction allowing the learner to have full control of the content presentation and delivery. Ina addition the use of games in class such as competitions in which the learners pose their own questions to one another. It is clear that to move forward as a teacher, more control has to be placed on the student.  Looking around, behaviours, dress senses show that as demographic students tend to be keen to express themselves.  The role of the ‘facilitator’ becomes creating a safe environment to allow such expression with a classroom setting.

It is also essential that the session allows the students the opportunity to express themselves. This may not be answering delivering and amazing presentation or even answering a question, it could be throwing a foal orange into the bin to demonstrate attentional focussing or even blowing a balloon to show the effect of arousal on performance. What is important is inclusivity; every student should have an opportunity to express themselves.