CAE 323 Adult Teaching Practice Spring 2013 Reflective Journal

NAME: _________Kaley Weber______________

Journaling Instructions;Reflection should be on class sessions and the weekly readings. The student’s reflection

must make clear connections between the student’s learning and the textbook. This connection should be in the form of quotes, page numbers, section headings, and/or charts, whichever is appropriate.

The readings listed below align with the syllabus and should be read and reflected on during the week identified. This reflection will prepare the student for class.

While it is not expected that each of the 3 learning sections will be equally reflected upon each week, it is expected that reflection is demonstrated in writing for all 3 learning sections each week.

This journal will be submitted 4 times not including the final submission in which it will be submitted as part of the final portfolio. Each of the 4 submissions will be graded with the average of the grades being worth 15% of the student’s course grade.

Week 1January 28-February 3

Introduction to CourseG: Chapters 1, 2, 21 (pp. 425-442);L: “A Small group of friends”

Learning about Self: On page 11 in the text, Galbraith says, “It is therefore the combination of understanding

ourselves as human beings and the combination of our beliefs, values, and attitudes that forms the basis for a philosophy or personal vision for teaching.” I have spent so much time since high school trying to discover who I am and who others are in Christ, as well as what my values and beliefs are. I feel like this is a part of adult education that is life-long. We will never know ourselves as well as God knows us. However, the parts that we do know and understand, we are able to share with others. I have always been concerned when people ask me what my “personal philosophy” of something is, but this explains it on a different level.

Learning about Adults:On page 83 of “A Small Group of Friends,” the article talks about a cohort residential

learning experience at the beginning of a program. It says, “Separated from work, family, and daily responsibilities, participants have the luxury of totally immersing themselves in the experience.” I think it is important to have this bonding experience for some small group communities, but it is also important that the group invests in more learning than simply repeating that experience or similar experiences every time they meet. Bonding does build authenticity in relationships, and it is definitely important to foster that, as I have learned in different Barnabas group settings at TFC. The setting of a group is what gains an immediate reaction from people entering, especially if the group or program is a new one. This is important to remember in any context. I remember the differences of the group settings for worship in China three years ago, and how they wooed me into the group or made me feel like an outsider.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:

1

It is a new concept to me to know that it is okay to ask adult learners a question that you know they do not know the answer to, and yet you do not give them the answer. I guess this is a leftover part of pedagogy that has stuck in my brain. Galbraith discusses this on page 432 of the text. He says these questions are designed to “whet the appetite for future material.” Something that makes me smile to think about though, is that if I start doing this to the group that I am facilitating, then more than likely they will also throw questions back at me that I will not know the answer to. Knowing that this is okay is difficult to grasp, but I think it also will instill trust that they can count on me to tell the truth and help them find out the information that they seek.

Week 2February 4-February 10

WOCG: Chapter 16B: Chapters 1 & 2S: Chapter 2: “Teaching artistry through reflection-in-action”

Learning about Self:“Teaching innocently means thinking that we’re always understanding exactly what it is

that we’re doing and what affect we’re having” (B, chap. 1, p. 1). This hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. I co-lead a Barnabas group with another student. We consistently try to lead the girls and facilitate conversation and openness. I know that the impact of this statement is not supposed to be to instill fear, and honestly fear is not quite the right word for what it did. Maybe realization, awakening, humbling are better terms to use. Every little thing that Megan or I facilitate or teach in this group of freshmen has an impact, and because God has made us all different, it probably is not always, if ever, going to be the exact impact that we are trying to make. This reinforces the need and the drive to be desperate for God to lead every action and every word in not only our teaching, but also our entire lives.

Learning about Adults:Schon says on page 32, “when we learn the artistry of a professional practice – no matter

how disjunct from ordinary life it may at first appear to be – we learn new ways of using kinds of competences we already possess.” This is true about all people, but especially adults. At the age we are considered adults, most people have started turning a reflective eye inward. To be able to see how a new artistry applies or fits in with something we can already do or something that we already know, our orientation to learning or the self-concept of the learner, introduced by Knowles, increases drastically. We feel we are more competent or a step ahead because we already have part of it figured out. We have done something or learned something similar, so why wouldn’t we be able to learn or do this new thing? As Jason Ostrander pointed out during WOC, Jesus did this with the disciples when he called them. He told them He would make them “fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). Jesus started with a connection to a competence they already possessed. We should do that as teachers, and we should keep our eyes open to those instances as learners.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:In chapter 2, Brookfield talks about our colleagues’ experiences being a main source of

critical reflection (p.35). This one seems like it should be the most widely used. However, I do not see it being intentionally used much. It might happen as a by-product of teachers automatically grouping themselves together in conversation, but it does not seem to happen much because

2

people are directly using it to learn about themselves. I like this idea because it uses stories and real-life experiences to not only teach you about your own teaching or facilitating but also helps build relationships in the process. It also reinforces the idea that things that we face are not only our own struggles – other people deal with them as well, and talking it out critically will mean more angles of perspective.

Week 3 & 4February 11-February 24

Reflect on Class discussion of Portfolio and Reflective Teaching;G: Chapters 3 - 4MCB: “Chapter 7: “Experience and Learning”

Learning about Self:At the end of chapter three we did the philosophy of adult education inventory. We also did

this in Introduction to Adult Education, and both times I found out that my philosophy of adult education leans toward Humanistic Adult Education. This book though gives detail about what that specifically means. It says that I will probably as a teacher be a “facilitator; helper; partner; promotes but does not direct learning” (p. 73). I wholeheartedly agree with this, and as I learn more about adult education, I am realizing that when I do things that are uncomfortable at work as a shift leader that it is sometimes because it is outside the realm of my adult ed. philosophy. Asking people to do things versus telling them to is my normal way of leading as a shift leader, but I really want them to have the motivation themselves, to be able to learn what they do well themselves, and to want to do it. This description of my personal philosophy fits so well!

Learning about Adults:One of my favorite quotes ever is, “We judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves

by our intentions.” I do not know who first said this, but it popped into my mind as I read page 175 of MCB. MCB says, “In contrasting espoused theories with theories in action, people may ask themselves, ‘Was our action consistent with our intent? Did we act as we wanted to act in a way consistent with our values?’” These questions really stand out to me as to what makes critical reflection important. If we, as adults who should know and understand what our values system is, do not plant ourselves firmly within those values, and act them out, then how can we grow to become more like Jesus? And how can we always have a consistent answer for those who ask us about our faith (1 Peter 3:15)?

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:On page 78 in our text, Galbraith says, “the learner-centered approach assumes that people

are naturally good and that the potential for individual growth is unlimited.” I tend to lean toward this way of thought about how the adult education classroom should be run. However, my immediate reaction to the first words of this sentence pose a challenge to me. Recently I have been trying to reconcile what it really means for ALL people to be inherently bad and born in sin (and further, what it means for children/people who die never having been taught about Christ). This statement makes me wonder if I can hold onto both views fully, or if it makes my foundation shaky.

3

(1) SUBMIT THIS JOURNAL (via email attachment) TO THE PROFESSOR ANYTIME PRIOR TO CLASS ON FEBRUARY 25TH

Week 5February 25-March 3

G: Chapter 5 – 6C: Chapter 9: “Designing instructional plans”

Learning about Self:I agree somwhat with Draves’ idea on page 96 that “love of the subject, the desire to share

it, and having the competence to share it” are three primary ingredients for a successful teacher of adults. I do not necessarily agree that they are THE only three, or even the highest three, but I find them to be highly ranked on my qualities list. I have taught English by using natural disasters as my subject, and while I knew enough to pass on an idea of what to call the different disasters, I did not have a love for the subject, and therefore, it was difficult for me to find the motivation to prepare a lot of in depth information. I guess the 6 characteristics would somehow then also apply to the teacher – the teacher’s love for the subject would need to rank right up there with the student’s need to know. The teacher’s motivation to learn the subject herself (and desire to share it) would need to go hand in hand with the learner’s motivation to learn for me.

Learning about Adults:“The results [of examining dimensions of their own personal learning tools] can help

individuals understand what is needed to be effective learners and how to strategize when conditions are not ideal” (page 137). I feel like this really applies to adults in other cultures. We, as facilitators, have to be aware of how to help the adults we are teaching engage with whatever tools are available in their own culture. Many adults are still trying to learn what their giftings and abilities are. In order for us to help them do that, we have to be aware of what tools are available, and also how to use them, and how to encourage adults to do their best at using them as well. When they are not good at using one tool, we need to know what other tools are available so that they do not get discouraged and lose interest in our entire program. Part of their motivation is going to rely on the window of opportunity we can offer them.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:As an adult learner coming into a program, if I have the desire to learn whatever the

program objectives are reaching toward, then I generally think, “I’m ready. I want to know everything there is to know, and I will listen to it all.” Over the period of a course (especially in college) though, I find that first interest waning. As the weeks pass, I discover that I no longer want to know EVERYTHING about the subject, but enough to stay interested and to feel like I am learning SOMETHING. I feel like this really resonates with Caffarella’s point on page 173 that there are 3 different areas to break down the framework: what participants must know, what participants should know, and what participants could know. These three areas are going to play a significant part in any program. If we overemphasize the things that the participant could know without putting enough emphasis on what the participant must or should know, then the participant is going to feel like he or she is just in information overload and quickly lose interest.

Week 6 Review ReadingsG: Chapter 7 – 8

4

March 4-March 10

Learning about Self:Page 147 says, “people find learning relevant when it has personal and cultural meaning,

allows for their perspective, and reflects their reality.” I find this to be so true in my own life. Things so often can seem irrelevant. Walking (or learning how to walk) the slackline this weekend seemed pretty irrelevant to me to begin with. I much preferred playing four square or playing with Josiah (the baby). A slackline is not something that I can picture myself going to buy unless some unforeseen circumstance required it. Even if I had my own boys one day, our culture would expect their father to be the one to teach them or work with them on learning this feat if they were interested. My reality right now has a lot to do with learning about other cultures, doing school work, and making pizza, and very little to do with slacklines. However, when Jeff and Heather made the games that they came up with relate directly to my reality, then I was ready to learn on the spot. I can see this applying to every area of life and learning.

Learning about Adults:Multidimensional sharing is definitely what our professors encouraged over this weekend

on the rising senior retreat. It was a wonderful motivational strategy for the point we are at in our ministry and learning. It reaffirmed the learning community, and reminded us that we are all in this together, even alongside our professors and Dr. Myers! Granted, we did not stay at subtle things, but went much deeper than the idea talks about in the book (p. 155), but since we all already knew a little about each other, that was perfect. I can really see how this works to motivate learners.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:On pages 169-170, Galbraith discusses the ethic of justice as being the “anchor for our

intentions and justifications for our actions.” Our sense of justice in North America seems somewhat skewed today, and our underlying anchor as Christians will be a little bit different. It will be the truth of God’s Word. God is just, but He is also merciful (which could be related to Galbraith’s ethic of caring). However we look at it, Galbraith is right that we must know where we stand in our beliefs to be able to turn to that in the heat of the moment. For Christians, that should be Christ’s Word, and it is an encouraging reminder that no matter how much we think something would be just or unjust, we HAVE to have scripture to back it up, or we begin to walk the tightrope he talks about.

(2) SUBMIT THIS JOURNAL (via email attachment) TO THE PROFESSOR ANYTIME PRIOR TO CLASS ON MARCH 11TH

Week 7March 11-March 24

G: Chapters 9 – 10

Learning about Self:Taking the learning style quiz for styled according to Lawson and discovering that I am

split evenly between being a feeler and a doer makes complete sense. I just recently linked this to the DISC test when I was talking to a friend. According to the DISC test, I am an ‘SD.’ To know that

5

my primary two areas match up in both is firstly, an affirmation of each being correct, and secondly, a reminder that God has woven each intricate part of me together. I have never fully understood how I best learn – whether kinesthetic, visual, or auditory, because I seem to learn through all of them. This quiz made much more sense though, than trying to distinguish amongst the above three. I completely agree with the statement on page 183 of the text: “Most teachers do not want to concentrate on themselves. Instead, they are interested in the needs of the learner.” However, I can see now how knowing and understanding my own styles and philosophies will help me prepare better for the future facilitating or teaching that I will do.

Learning about Adults:On page 185, Konti and Colody say, “One’s learning strategy preference has not been found

to be associated in any way with demographic variables such as gender or race, and the distribution and characteristics of the groups are the same for international students as they are for students from North America.” This surprised and humbled me because it reminded me that I am still probably somewhat ethnocentric. I figured that the ratios of the amounts of students that fit each strategy would change significantly according to the culture they come from. I feel like knowing that people from other cultures are just as diverse as we are as North Americans (whether or not their culture allows them to be as open about being independent) will definitely help me in the future to be aware of the ways I am likely to lump everyone together in my mind.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:Learning the different learning strategy preferences has really helped me understand how

p.to better categorize the way different people learn. Knowing the differences in navigators, problem solvers, and engagers (pp. 185-187) helps me see how to apply different methods in the classroom so that everyone can be best engaged (at least at some point throughout consecutive weeks). For instance, allowing navigators to help plan the course of action for the class or activity will make them feel as though they are accomplishing something. For problem solvers, introducing a class question about something happening in real life that they could approach and make a difference in would help them apply themselves. For engagers, having a group project in which they could really connect with others would help them open up and feel as though they were having fun and learning at the same time. Understanding how these different strategies work also helps me better understand all of the different parts of our current syllabi in classes here at TFC, and I can see how different teachers try to apply all of these.

Week 8March 25-March 31

G: Chapters 11 – 14

Learning about Self:I realized throughout the class discussion of differences between the terms “discussion,”

and “guided discussion” that I would much prefer to follow Brookfield’s idea of discussion. However, when I am creating lessons and when I am teaching those lessons, I tend to follow a guided discussion pattern. Even if rabbit trails happen during discussions, I always try to bring them back to the place that I originally wanted them to go. I also feel like I am losing control of the lesson if we get very far off topic, even if it is a valuable learning time. I wonder how much of this stems from teaching children in the past and having to keep a closer reign on discussion. It is slightly difficult for me to completely comprehend a discussion that has “no preconceived agenda”

6

as Brookfield states on page 211, because a facilitator would always want the discussion to tie into the lesson that has been prepared ahead of time. Therefore, would it not already have a purpose and agenda?

Learning about Adults:On page 237, Farrah talks about what should take place immediately following the lecture.

One of the questions posed for afterthought is, “Did I allow controversy and freedom to disagree.” I feel that this is lacking in most lectures, and consequently, adults have to do very little critical thinking for themselves within the classroom setting. We allow our minds to go to sleep because we automatically think that we should just be soaking up the knowledge that the professors feed us. It seems to be much the same way in many churches that I have visited. We simply accept what people in authority tell us as truth without ever testing it or reflecting to see if we agree. Even most opinions seem to be accepted as truth. This question is a terrific one to keep facilitators and students from that precipice.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:On page 230, Farrah states, “Lecturing well is an art.” This I completely agree with,

although I have never spent much time considering it. We hear comments all the time about what teachers teach well at the college and why. Most of our professors do use a lecture method most of the time. In order to keep the students’ attention, one has to be aware of inflections in the voice, the pitch, the arrangement of material, the use of silence, and body language. These are all the sorts of things that actors and actresses have to be aware of as well. I would be curious to know if actors and actresses make good lecturers on information and if good teachers make good actors.

Week 9April 1-April 7

G: Chapters 15 & 17, 18

Learning about Self:On page 342, Brookfield says, “So much of what we think, say, and do is based on

assumptions about how the world should work, and what counts as appropriate, moral action within it.” My immediate reaction to this statement was to refute it. It was difficult for me to believe that more of what I say, think, and do is based on assumption than on truth. I never fully realized just how much of what I say is ALL assumption though, until I started really reflecting on this. Whether, in my head, the assumptions are justified or not, I need to be much more careful of what all I say that really is ALL assumption.

Learning about Adults:Nicholson’s quote of a student on page 331 amuses me, but it also seems to hit the belief

system of our entire class of learners right on the head in correspondence with self-directed learning. It says, “’[This is]an exhausting and yet exhilarating effort. It means, on my part, a long-term commitment to reworking me.’ (p.51)” We are taught for 13+ years in a pedagogical manner, and when we have to put a new style of learning into practice, such as a portfolio or out of class learning into practice, it is most assuredly exhausting, but it is also exhilarating to know that we are fully in charge of ourselves.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:

7

I have always found a decent amount of random appreciation for others who can play the part of ‘devil’s advocate’ well. This is immediately what came to mind when I read, “Deliberately introduce alternative perspectives” (p. 345). It also goes well with something from last week that I talked about – freedom to disagree in discussion. Such a large part of my incentive to speak up in class and the motivation for any self-directed learning was introduced to me when an English teacher in high school had us all close our eyes and picture something. She described it, and when she was done she had us draw it. We then passed our papers around for others to see. Even though she had only described one thing, the drawings all looked vastly different. Adults all have their own opinions. Offering alternative perspectives in critical thinking situations allows each adult to really respond with his or her own opinion.

(3) SUBMIT THIS JOURNAL (via email attachment) TO THE PROFESSOR ANYTIME PRIOR TO CLASS ON APRIL 8TH

Week 10April 8-April 14

G: Chapters 19 – 20

Learning about Self: As our class addressed the topics of forum, panel, and discussion, I realized that all of us

(myself included) have become more comfortable at taking the information presented to us and evaluating it to find our own opinions. Something was found on page 409 in the chart that we disagreed with. We all agreed that instead of most forums being “semi-formal,” that we would classify them as nonformal or “informal” and that we would choose a panel to seem like more of a semi-formal setting. We have grown from our first semester of adult education classes where we believed that pedagogical teaching was the only type of teaching available to college students to forming our own opinions, dialoguing about those opinions, and questioning everything. It is amazing to see the changes.

Learning about Adults:On page 417, Sisco writes that the purpose of the audience in a panel is to “try to relate the

discussion to their own experience and in the process, be critical consumers. Finally, the audience should be mindful of additional topics for further study.” If someone had no knowledge of adults, they would look at this as a lot of work for the participants in the audience. However, since we have been studying the learning methods and practices of adults, I have become more aware of how much we do these very things anyway. We almost always take a mental note if we hear something we are interested in – storing the idea or topic away for future study. If an adult has taken classes or is in a position where his or her opinion matters though, he or she is much more likely to actually follow up on doing the research later. Our adult education classes have fostered that, and I am much more likely to follow up on things that we hear and bring it back up the next week in our class than in any of my other classes in which the research may just end up in a file in my mind for random facts known.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:On page 387, Marsick writes, “However, since they take much time to prepare, case studies

should not be used if a simpler activity can be designed to provide learners with skills practice or

8

to solve simple, nonambiguous problems for which there are clear, ‘right’ answers.” I remember putting on several evaluations for adult education classes that we should have more case studies if at all possible. They make things livelier and more relatable. I never thought about how much extra work it would be for our teachers to put those together. I am super thankful that a lot of our books for cross-cultural classes come prepared with case studies and case methods already within the text. It does help get the learners engaged. There are other ways of engaging learners though, that require far less time inside (and outside) of the classroom.

Week 11 & 12April 15-April 28

Reflect on your own teaching, and what you are learning from watching others teach

Learning about Self:I was extremely nervous for the entire day leading up to my in-class teaching. It was

information that I knew, and I felt prepared, but I also felt as though I was going to be critiqued harshly. I should have known that my classmates would be encouraging. I learned through the experience though, that it is better to be nervous going into it than to be over-confidant. I know that if you actually want to teach anyone anything, that preparation is key. I also was reminded of all of the times in the Bible where God used people who did not feel completely prepared or ready because it was in that moment that they relied the most on God’s power. I can face teaching in the future knowing that nervousness is not a problem, as long as I have prepared and trust God to help me.

Learning about Adults:It interested me to see that everyone in our class really snapped to attention when I started

asking people to volunteer to write on the board. It no longer was simply them copying down what I was showing everyone, but it was using what they were being shown. Looking back to when I was in China learning the language, I did the same thing. When I found a way to use what I was learning, I was much more excited to keep going, to learn more. It was my intrinsic motivation. It may have been reflective with our class of the intrinsic motivation to not make a fool of yourself in front of your peers, but whatever the reason, giving everyone a hands-on part in the learning exercise was definitely a good way to keep people involved.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:One thing that I discovered last week as I watched Nancy, Ron, and Gabe teach was that it

did not really matter how much you want a class to be informal or share in a learning community if the teacher is standing or taking a prominent position at the front of the group or the front of the room. The class became so much more relaxed when Dr. Crosby joined us in sitting down to eat or took a step back to stand behind everyone outside. I realized especially during Nancy’s BBQ that if Dr. Crosby had been standing at the front of the room, or even sitting at the front of the room while Nancy taught that the class would have had a much different atmosphere. Where each person is located can make such a huge difference!

Week 13April 29-May 5

G: Chapters 21 – 22Reflect on entire semester

9

Learning about Self:On pages 437-439, Day gives an account of a woman who is very stuck in the ways of her

planning and facilitating from the past. She tries to use people’s suggestions, but is unable to understand how to start the new process of discussion instead of lecture. Eventually she ended up with more of a very guided discussion than the open discussion that she was aiming for. I feel like it would be easy for me to end up doing something like this in the future. I realize that we are receiving all of the tools we need to be able to combat this, to contextualize everything we use, and to never be stuck in a rut. When we get out of TFC, though, are we really going to remember to use those tools right away? Or am I going to feel like I can tackle the world and never look back at my notes? The woman needed guidance. She needed a mentor speaking into her life that had been in her teaching position and had fought their way through it. This is something that I realize that I want to look for in all of my future jobs – someone with experience who can speak the (sometimes harsh) truth into my life.

Learning about Adults:On page 426, Day goes back over what a learning community is. This is something that our

professors work really hard to provide us with during our training and learning. I am so very thankful for this. If we had a completely different group of people in our class, then we would not be as comfortable as we are at speaking up. I have seen that willingness increase almost every semester. Our learning community (while not in cyberspace like the ones in chapter 21) has exponentially grown in wisdom, patience, and knowledge as we work through the years together as a team. I appreciate everyone in our class and what each person brings to the table. No one seems ashamed of sharing new ideas or scarcely thought-of suggestions. It has been great to work with such an open group.

Learning about Adult Teaching Practice:I tied in a little bit of chapter 22’s “mentoring” into the previous question of what I have

learned about myself. I understand that everyone could use a mentor in their lives – whether that be a spiritual mentor, a job mentor, or just an older and wiser friend to offer advice like in the book Tuesdays with Morrie. It is important not only to look to God for guidance on tough life decisions and the small things, but also to be aware of who He leads into our lives that may have dealt with pasts similar to ours before. This is one of the ways in which God is faithful. He provides answers – sometimes in the people we find ourselves the least likely to connect with.

(4) SUBMIT THIS JOURNAL (via email attachment) TO THE PROFESSOR ANYTIME PRIOR TO CLASS ON MAY 6TH

**REMINDER: THIS JOURNAL NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN YOUR FINAL PORTFOLIO, WHICH IS DUE MAY 13TH

10