Something I thought about:
- Teaching practice and academia. In academia, out only real teaching evaluations come from students (and word of mouth), which has always struck me as odd having returned to academia from a background in education. When I was a classroom teacher, I talked to my colleagues constantly about students, best practices, lesson plans, etc. I had a special education teacher in my classroom twice a week, and these educators gave me invaluable help and feedback on matters of accessibility and inclusion. Later, at a tutoring company, I put together a professional development program so that tutors could get together every quarter to talk through their normally independent work and exchange ideas and best practices. In academia, we get feedback on our writing and work through peer review, conferences, and conversations, but it is truly strange to me that “higher ed” involves almost no real background or training in teaching/education. People emulate their teachers or mentors for better or worse. Meanwhile, the field of education continues to grow and change. This academic year, I’ve participated in two different training / professional development programs, and they’ve been so helpful. I have plenty of teaching experience and am confident in my abilities, but being observed, receiving feedback, and talking to colleagues about teaching practice? It’s invaluable, and I wish we had more time and opportunity to develop this aspect of our work.
Something I did:
- Dove into an intensive CELTA program.
- A lot of homework: reading, observations, class, etc.
- Taught one unassessed and two assessed lessons.
- Texted with my cohort a lot.
- Went to a department meeting.
- Met with the Diverse Verse team
Something I read:
- Mostly coursework!
