Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Why I Love Teaching
I had a conversation the other day about why I want to pursue a career in education. I said that with education we believe and work towards the way things CAN be instead of focusing on the way things ARE. I love being in the classroom, engaging with students in discussions on how to make things better for the future. Here is a video by Will Smith that really drives this idea home....ENJOY!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWGoLj1JCM&feature=player_embedded
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWGoLj1JCM&feature=player_embedded
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Dealing with a negative audience...
Ths is too good NOT to post. Here is an excellent response from a professional trainer on how to deal with a NEGATIVE Audience (from my Linkedin Trainers Network group):
Hi Ruth
I sympathise with the situation you describe, and agree that if possible it's always best to contact participants in advance to find out their needs/ expectations for the course. However, as we all know, this is not always possible/ feasible. So, on the course, a couple of things which may help are: introduce yourself to each person as they come in, then they will know you are the trainer and the embarassing "don't want/ need to be here" discussion hopefully won't happen. Also if you sense that there is resentment or negativity in the room, it can help to have an opening session of "Which one of the 4 P's are you? Participant, Passenger, Prisoner or Protestor. And then hold an open and honest discussion about how they feel about being there. Sometimes just allowing people to have their say is enough and they will settle down to learn afterwards. I would usually follow up this session with the course contract agreeing acceptable behaviours, again to try to prevent problems, and failing this, have a framework to deal with them should they occur. A variation on the 4 P's model is whether the person is an Explorer, Holiday maker or Prisoner. Can be done in a light hearted yet serious way. The bottom line is though that if the person should not have been there in the first place, then they should, where possible, be given the opportunity to leave, and in any case the problem should be fed back to whoever procured the event/ the person's line manager.
Hope this is helpful.
by Quentin Emery
Hi Ruth
I sympathise with the situation you describe, and agree that if possible it's always best to contact participants in advance to find out their needs/ expectations for the course. However, as we all know, this is not always possible/ feasible. So, on the course, a couple of things which may help are: introduce yourself to each person as they come in, then they will know you are the trainer and the embarassing "don't want/ need to be here" discussion hopefully won't happen. Also if you sense that there is resentment or negativity in the room, it can help to have an opening session of "Which one of the 4 P's are you? Participant, Passenger, Prisoner or Protestor. And then hold an open and honest discussion about how they feel about being there. Sometimes just allowing people to have their say is enough and they will settle down to learn afterwards. I would usually follow up this session with the course contract agreeing acceptable behaviours, again to try to prevent problems, and failing this, have a framework to deal with them should they occur. A variation on the 4 P's model is whether the person is an Explorer, Holiday maker or Prisoner. Can be done in a light hearted yet serious way. The bottom line is though that if the person should not have been there in the first place, then they should, where possible, be given the opportunity to leave, and in any case the problem should be fed back to whoever procured the event/ the person's line manager.
Hope this is helpful.
by Quentin Emery
Freelance Consultant at Emerge UK
Bradford, United Kingdom
Thanks Quentin for some very good advice. What are some of the techniques you have used to deal with this difficult and uncomfortable situation?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Plugged In OR Out?
During my lunch conversation with a client yesterday, the subject on Online Teaching came up. She asked me in a skeptical tone, "Do you think your online classes are really an effective learning environment"? She continued to ask me a series of questions that made it very clear that she was not a believer in online teaching.
Her main concerns were around the asynchronous nature of student and teacher interactions. She did not feel that "true" learning could take place in an environment where interaction is NOT immediate. Well, I have my own opinions, but would love to hear yours!
So, what do you think? Based on your experience, is the Online Environment conducive to student learning? Are they Plugged In or Out?
Her main concerns were around the asynchronous nature of student and teacher interactions. She did not feel that "true" learning could take place in an environment where interaction is NOT immediate. Well, I have my own opinions, but would love to hear yours!
So, what do you think? Based on your experience, is the Online Environment conducive to student learning? Are they Plugged In or Out?
Friday, April 8, 2011
The End of the Road
In the book that I am reading "Stones into Schools", Greg Mortenson talks about his approach in deciding where to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The number one determinate is called the "end of the road" approach. Basically, he wants to help the people in the middle of nowhere...very much a contradiction to most NGO's which starts projects in major cities (where there is infrastructure) and then builds out from there. Dr. Greg shuns this approach since this will not provide the much needed education to the children that may need it the most. Hard yes, but very rewarding!
This approach hit me square in the face when I was teaching interviewing skills to local high school students yesterday. Like many educators, I began my presentation speaking to the students at the front of the class...the ones that were most engaged. However, as my presentation progressed I noticed two students in the very back of the classroom. They were laughing at each other's jokes and generally could care less about what I had to say. My reaction to this was to walk to the back of the room and give my presentation from there. This approach usually engages the back seat students, but in this case it did not work. Also, it made some of the other students uncomfortable and probably distracted me from my presentation.
Should we embrace Dr. Greg's approach and teach to the "end of the road", or is this not fair to the students that are ready and willing to be taught? In other words, how do we parcel out education that is both fair and involves all learners?
This approach hit me square in the face when I was teaching interviewing skills to local high school students yesterday. Like many educators, I began my presentation speaking to the students at the front of the class...the ones that were most engaged. However, as my presentation progressed I noticed two students in the very back of the classroom. They were laughing at each other's jokes and generally could care less about what I had to say. My reaction to this was to walk to the back of the room and give my presentation from there. This approach usually engages the back seat students, but in this case it did not work. Also, it made some of the other students uncomfortable and probably distracted me from my presentation.
Should we embrace Dr. Greg's approach and teach to the "end of the road", or is this not fair to the students that are ready and willing to be taught? In other words, how do we parcel out education that is both fair and involves all learners?
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