Development Journal

The strongest experience I have had was realizing that I was not crazy in thinking that some students just learn things differently. Being this is my first year teaching full time I am learning more and more everyday. When I was a clinical instructor I noticed how some students flourished clinically but could not recite textbook information well, while other students were not advanced clinically but could tell you every word in the book. Now that I teach everyday this is very obvious. Not everyone is the same and I think it is a little strange to figure everyone would learn the same. It is just like how people eat, some people mix all their food and some eat one thing at a time neither is wrong but they just do it differently and I am glad I can facilitate my class better.

I believe I can improve my learning by cutting out things that do not work. Now that I know I am an auditory learner it might be beneficial to ask someone to explain it if I do not understand a topic rather than try it out visually, which I have done, and have it not work. I think the more I know about myself the better I will be in learning and in life in general.

One thing I have learned is there is always more to learn and challenge you with. Most importantly things are not always what they seem. For instance I have found myself telling my x ray instructor time and time again that I never knew how hard her job was. I guess I just took it for granted how much she knew and how much she cared about us but now being in her shoes I see how hard it is to really do that. It was surprising to me how much it meant to me when she told me she was proud of me, and hopefully I affect a student the same way someday.

Importance of a Syllabus

I have always wondered what the true purpose of a syllabus was as I have thrown many away in my educational journey, but after reading the text I found why they are an essential piece of the curriculum. In the syllabus a contract is created that covers not only the expected behavior such as being to class on time and what the goals are for the class are but also the strategies for teaching in the class. No matter what learning style, the student has this contract to refer to that lets them know what is expected and gives a sense of purpose not only to the student but to the teacher. Sometimes I think that maybe I take for granted that students will know what I expect out of them for class but in very intense programs were there are a lot of changes that occur throughout their curriculum ,such as different clinical times , I now can see where the lines become blurred. I know that with every class I have ever taken in college the most frustrating thing is when I could not figure out what the instructor really wanted out of me.

With this being said I know many teachers who hate writing a syllabus and only write what is absolutely required. I think that this a disservice to themselves and the students. Students cannot be made to understand what we want just by a class schedule or new rules week to week and I am going to update my syllabus to include what is required for each rotation for the student and what is expected for the end goal which is graduation. Also if the student can see that there are many different assignments that involve many types of learning at the start of the course they will become more excited and hopefully have more confidence with each assignment giving them a chance to do well in the course. I now see the importance of a specific set of goals for students and teachers and I feel a syllabus creates a great starting point for college courses.

Stacey's Thoughts on Learning

Well here are my thoughts on learning styles. Just like most things in life I truly believe they serve a purpose and used in moderation can be an effective tool in adult learning. First off I think learning my own style told me a lot about learning for myself that will save me time and energy when trying to study. The other thing it made me realize is that if it was effective for me to learn more about myself then my students would gain knowledge from this also. Some would argue that many students have specific learning styles and we as educators should build assignments to customize them. In some ways I think this is true but we have to work in assignments that can include as many people as possible, understanding that too many methods is unreasonable and confusing to students. I also think that the approach of "students should just get it" is unfair and although I have had a many instructor who took this approach I never saw many students learn much from their class. The key is balance, enough variety to teach students to learn effectively and eventually learn outside their comfort zone.