Core Assumptions

In reading the 4 core assumptions from "The Skillful Teacher", chapter 2, I have some thoughts....

1. "Skillful teaching is whatever helps the student learn". This seems obvious, but I usually have a very diverse classroom, with students of all ages, races, genders etc. When discussing positionally as mentioned in "Adult Learning" (Page 240), each person is unique, has different life experiences, and relationship with others and the world. Knowing this means that not every students is going to learn the same, grasp ideas the same, or understand context the same. Creating a classroom that allows students to engage in different ways, or being able to explain things in different ways is a tool. When I am explaining something to students, I always try to relate things to experiences I had when I was a novice, or in ways that I feel they can relate. This has worked well for me. An example is: I was teaching students about electrical circuits, and how there has to be a power source, a load and a path. The following week we were talking about hydronic heating, but students were struggling with understanding. I applied the same concepts as the electrical circuit, (Source, load, piping), and students were able to understand the similarities.

2. "Skillful Teachers adopt a critically reflective stance towards their practice". This one stands out. Many of the instructors I work with are on auto-pilot. They have been teaching the same thing for years, and it's dry, boring, and has no "spark" anymore. This is something that I do not want to happen to me. Some of the novice teachers talk about this often. I think the key here is to always be learning. He mentions the 4 lenses, and how our own autobiographies can play a large role in how we think critically about our own teaching. I like this a lot, as I am already doing some of these things to become a more skillful teacher.

3. "Teachers need a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teacher actions". I sometimes teach a 4 day class of students that are partaking in a 16 week "Trades Discovery" course. This means that students try 16 different trades to see which one they feel suits them best. At the end of my 4 days, I always openly ask the students for feedback. Although this may not be the best way to do this, I encourage them to discuss areas that were "muddy" (I find using the muddiest point technique is very effective for finding the areas that students struggle). For my other classes, I constant check in and ask them how they are doing, what do they need, what don't they understand.

4. "College students at any age should be treated as adults". I couldn't agree more. Everybody has a personal life, or kids, obligations, a second job, or whatever. Sometimes things happen. I love the quote from The Skillful Teacher (page. 24) "They (students) want their teacher to be authoritative, not authoritarian". I didn't want to teach children, I wanted to teach adults. I always try to see them as myself when I started my trade. I don't ever want to lose that.

References:

Merriam, S.B., Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult Learning, linking theory and practice.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Brookfield, S.D, (2015). The Skillful Teacher.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass