Tools For My Toolbox

I have been teaching for over 25 years and I have never been to a workshop that gave me tools both professionally and personally.  But, I can now say I have because I went to OnCourse (http://www.oncourseworkshop.com/) this past week and it was a truly fabulous workshop.

The workshop guides defines it's purpose to provide educators with 1) learner-centered structures and strategies for helping students learn more deeply and 2) empowerment strategies for helping students become active, responsible and successful learners who thrive in a learner-centered environment.  The desired outcome of this approach is the improve student academic success and retention.  Jonathan, a peaceful man, was my workshop leader and he engaged participants in activities that exemplify the eight OnCourse principles:

1. accept responsibility
2. discover self-motivation
3. master self-management
4. employ interdependence
5. gain self-awareness
6. adopt lifelong learning
7. develop emotional intelligence
8. believe in themselves

So, you may be asking why does a biology professor need to teach any of the things listed above.  I sure did.  But, by the end of the workshop I could see that putting students through active learner tasks during class may not be enough to engage them fully.  I could see that they could continue to be passive learner even in a active learning lesson.  Indeed, there is a need to address the content of the course and their emotional intelligence as well.  I am not saying that every activity would incorporate the emotional intelligence but that it is important to sprinkle those sorts of self-assessment activities to help them gain awareness of there abilities to be a college student and tools to consider to grow.Once I put that together, I could begin to see both sides of the activities:  teaching content and self-assessment.

Now, along with making my 200+ videos, I will be looking at my content to determine which active learning activities, tools for my toolbox, and match these with my content and begin to build the in class teaching portion of my flipped class.  Yahoo!

Personally, the workshop guides you through these same principles and provides opportunity for personal growth.  One activity had each participant list the qualities they wanted to "mill" for the workshop and put into a sentence.  My qualities were creative, innovative and passionate and the sentence was " I am a creative, innovative and passionate person."  This become my personal affirmation to say to myself and to other in the group.  It become a powerful tool to focus on what I could do rather than listening to the inner critic telling me I could not be any of those three affirmations.  Also, there was a optional evening session using guided imagery to determine your dreams and obstacles.  Both of these were very emotional sessions for me but I found personal growth through the process.

Lastly, my "AH moment"
For many years, I have been on a journey of self-discovery.  I have gained more and better tools to engage with those in my personal life.  I found, of course, that this has spilled into my teaching.  The things I have learned personally has lead to greater confidence to try new approaches in my teaching.  I feel I have better interactions with my students but that has not necessarily lead to better performance for them.  So, that is the path I am on now.  To bring together my personal and professional "toolbox" to create a class that increases my personal-professional growth and my students success.

Stay tuned.....