EAD 315 Student Leadership Training
EAD 315 Student Leadership Training
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to teach a section of EAD 315 Student Leadership Training because it stretched me to learn about the art of teaching. When I first became aware of this opportunity, I knew it was something I wanted to do; therefore, I developed my schedule with teaching this course in mind. I took Teaching in Postsecondary Education as preparation, it gave me a conceptual foundation for teaching. As a result, I used bell hooks engaged pedagogy theory as a framework to determine how to interact with my students. Asking students to take risks without doing the same would be unacceptable. Therefore, I imparted my personal narratives throughout the lessons. Working from the perspective of engaged pedagogy is difficult because it requires the instructor to give of himself or herself with uncertain reciprocity. As an advocate of active learning, I hoped that my teaching partner and I could create a learning community with a student-centered atmosphere.
As the semester progressed, I knew that we had succeeded in creating a collegial environment because students became more welcoming of each other. Their level of respect was evident when they greeted classmates before class or inquired about each others' whereabouts when someone was absent. Yet, this high level of relationship also presented issues regarding classroom management. As their level of comfort increased, so did their sidebar conversations. Honestly, I did not have much knowledge about classroom management techniques and in that respect was ill prepared for the classroom. In retrospect, I do not remember studying much about classroom management in my coursework. Perhaps, the assumption is that adult educators do not encounter disruption in the classroom. My experience teaching EAD 315 taught me otherwise.
Classroom management is just one element of teaching. Demonstrating clarity in my thoughts, explanations, and instructions was another significant lesson from this semester. Sometimes, I could sense the confusion on my students’ faces when I explained a complicated theory or example. Sometimes, simplicity is better. On the other hand, I wanted to challenge my students to students to become critical thinkers and use specificity opposed to generality in their verbal and written presentation. Therefore, I asked difficult questions and framed complex scenarios.
Taking EAD 863 Training and Professional Development while teaching helped me to become more reflective about my practice. Mel Silberman encourages the usage of energizing opening activities and alternate lecture formats in his book, Active Learning. As an instructor I utilized this technique by first asking students about leadership observations from their personal lives then completing an icebreaker at the beginning of each class. Case studies, role-plays, and movie observations were also used to enhance student engagement.
As I continue to develop as an educator, trainer, and facilitator, I will continue to practice the art of storytelling. The ability to craft a great story that illustrates a concept and leaves the audience with a message is a powerful tool. Therefore, I am striving to tell memorable stories that will remain with my students once the lesson is over and the semester has ended.
Moreover, I am excited about where my work in leadership development will take me. I am anxious to receive that first letter, email, or phone call from one of my students saying how my training has made a difference in their lives.
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to teach a section of EAD 315 Student Leadership Training because it stretched me to learn about the art of teaching. When I first became aware of this opportunity, I knew it was something I wanted to do; therefore, I developed my schedule with teaching this course in mind. I took Teaching in Postsecondary Education as preparation, it gave me a conceptual foundation for teaching. As a result, I used bell hooks engaged pedagogy theory as a framework to determine how to interact with my students. Asking students to take risks without doing the same would be unacceptable. Therefore, I imparted my personal narratives throughout the lessons. Working from the perspective of engaged pedagogy is difficult because it requires the instructor to give of himself or herself with uncertain reciprocity. As an advocate of active learning, I hoped that my teaching partner and I could create a learning community with a student-centered atmosphere.
As the semester progressed, I knew that we had succeeded in creating a collegial environment because students became more welcoming of each other. Their level of respect was evident when they greeted classmates before class or inquired about each others' whereabouts when someone was absent. Yet, this high level of relationship also presented issues regarding classroom management. As their level of comfort increased, so did their sidebar conversations. Honestly, I did not have much knowledge about classroom management techniques and in that respect was ill prepared for the classroom. In retrospect, I do not remember studying much about classroom management in my coursework. Perhaps, the assumption is that adult educators do not encounter disruption in the classroom. My experience teaching EAD 315 taught me otherwise.
Classroom management is just one element of teaching. Demonstrating clarity in my thoughts, explanations, and instructions was another significant lesson from this semester. Sometimes, I could sense the confusion on my students’ faces when I explained a complicated theory or example. Sometimes, simplicity is better. On the other hand, I wanted to challenge my students to students to become critical thinkers and use specificity opposed to generality in their verbal and written presentation. Therefore, I asked difficult questions and framed complex scenarios.
Taking EAD 863 Training and Professional Development while teaching helped me to become more reflective about my practice. Mel Silberman encourages the usage of energizing opening activities and alternate lecture formats in his book, Active Learning. As an instructor I utilized this technique by first asking students about leadership observations from their personal lives then completing an icebreaker at the beginning of each class. Case studies, role-plays, and movie observations were also used to enhance student engagement.
As I continue to develop as an educator, trainer, and facilitator, I will continue to practice the art of storytelling. The ability to craft a great story that illustrates a concept and leaves the audience with a message is a powerful tool. Therefore, I am striving to tell memorable stories that will remain with my students once the lesson is over and the semester has ended.
Moreover, I am excited about where my work in leadership development will take me. I am anxious to receive that first letter, email, or phone call from one of my students saying how my training has made a difference in their lives.
EAD 315 Syllabus.pdf | |
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