Have you tried a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)? While they;ve been around since 2008, it's only been the last 2 or 3 years that they've really exploded and more and more people, including teachers, have started taking advantage of the opportunity.
The New Teacher Center has partnered with Coursera to offer some MOOCs especially designed for new teachers. Right now, their three main series revolve around the Common Core in Math, Common Core in ELA with the Literacy Design Collaborative, and the First Year Teaching series.
There aren't any starting immediately, but their First Year Teaching series usually begins in July. So definitely make a note to check back towards the end of the school year to see when a start date for that course might become available. And check with your Teaching & Learning department - these hours for the course might contribute towards PD or course credits for lane changes based on the completion certificate.
Additional MOOC offerings that might be worth looking into can be found here and here.
Monday, May 25, 2015
MOOCs for teachers
Monday, May 11, 2015
tired teaching?
Guest Blogger: Jay Rasmussen, Ph. D., Professor of Education at Bethel University
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Tired Teaching?
While the title of
this first blog post does not sound terribly exciting, it does describe how new
teachers feel at times. “Tired teaching” is not just the result of countless
hours put into planning, teaching, and grading. It is also a result of trying
to function in a challenging work environment filled with “important” meetings
and competing demands for time. The phenomenon I describe of tired teaching is
known in the professional literature. Weimer (2010) characterizes it this way:
it lacks
energy and is delivered without passion; it is easily offended by immature
student behaviors; it favors the tried and true over innovation and change; it
does the minimum, be that feedback to students, office hours, or the use of
technology; it decries the value of professional development and manifests a
kind of creeping cynicism about almost everything academic. (p. 174)
Now, no teacher sets out to become a passionless teaching
machine. Waning instructional vitality sets in with time but it can be dealt with
when recognized. It is important, however, to acknowledge that no one
institution, leader, or colleague can do this for us. Staying alive and fresh
as a teacher will only result from purposeful action that we take.
So, how do we avoid being that instructor who plods
through the day counting the years until retirement? Weimer (2010)
offers a few helpful suggestions:
●
Contribute toward a
healthy institutional environment. Without this type of environment “we get
frustrated, then furious. We get depressed, then disillusioned. We get tired,
then exhausted. We get skeptical, then cynical” (p. 181).
●
Recognize that there
is much to learn about teaching. One must consider if experience teaches
everything one needs to know. And, are
the lessons learned through experience always the right ones” (p. 184)? “Most
would agree that experience is a good teacher, but not when it’s the only
teacher” (p. 186). “Without an infusion of ideas and information from outside,
without openness to other pedagogical methods, without recognition that
education is a phenomenon that can be studied systematically and learned about
endlessly, teaching stays put; it runs in place” (p. 185).
●
Consider how to
marry methods and content. This takes a sophisticated knowledge to accomplish
and it often begins with recognition that some forms of content are best
understood when processed collaboratively, some by experience, some by example,
etc. “What is taught and how it is
taught are inextricably linked” (p. 187). The most effective teachers are not
necessarily those with the most sophisticated content knowledge; the best
teachers are often those with a continually growing repertoire of instructional
strategies that develop along with their content knowledge.
●
Embrace the power of
change. A regular amount of change “does for teaching exactly what exercise
does to improve overall health” (p. 192). That change can be in the form of new
courses, new texts, new delivery modes (e.g., online), new students, etc.
●
Infuse new ideas. Instructional
vitality thrives on new ideas. Most would concur that regular pedagogical
reading should be a part of every teacher’s life but research has consistently
shown that this does not happen. Fortunately, new ideas and fresh insights are
readily available in the form of professional development activities,
consultation with faculty development specialists, and conversations with
colleagues.
●
Explore different
conceptions of teaching. What teachers
believe about teaching has an impact on how they actually teach. Akerlind
(2003) found that teachers typically start as teacher transmission-focused
which revolves around covering material. This category is often followed by
being teacher-student relations focused which is characterized by developing
good relations with students as a way of motivating them. The next category,
student engagement-focused, brings attention to what students (vs. the teacher)
are doing. The final category is student learning focused. Teaching in this
category is focused on assisting students in developing critical and original
thinking, questioning of existing knowledge, exploring new ideas, and becoming
independent learners. It is important to note that growth in conceptions about
teaching does not occur automatically as careers progress. Movement on this
developmental continuum requires conscious effort.
Bertolt Brecht once
said, “The world of knowledge takes a crazy turn when teachers themselves are
taught to learn.” Learning, especially as a teacher, is effectively summed up
by thinking about the two characters for the word “learn” in the Chinese
language. One character represents “study” and the other represents “practice
constantly.”
It is an honor to
author this blog post. What are your thoughts/feelings, experiences, questions,
and suggestions related to being a tired teacher as you move into your new
career?
Let us learn
together!
Jay Rasmussen, Ph. D.
Bethel University
Professor of Education
Faculty Development Coordinator
Program Director MA in Education
References
Akerlind, G.S.
(2003). Growing and developing as a university teacher: Variation in meaning. Studies in Higher Education, 28(4), 375-390.
Weimer, M. (2010). Inspired college teaching: A career-long
resource for professional growth. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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