Going Forward

 Over the next few years, apart from the obvious fact of finishing my PIDP there are a few things that I have my eyes on. 

One will be applying for and hopefully achieving a tenure position at my university within the next 5 years. This will give me a stability in my career that I have never had before and I look forward to what other possibilities it will bring my way in the future.

Another thing that I am setting my sights on after the completion of my PIDP is a renewable energy course. A course that specifically looks into water turbine created power, wind created power, or even solar is very interesting to me. It is my hope that the knowledge I could gain from these types of courses could be passed onto my students and make them even better electricians in the future. 

Lastly, I look forward to using my professional development funds to attend some electrical conferences and seminars held all over North America. More specifically the Canada Electrical and Power Conference held in Ontario. This conference brings together some of the best tradespeople in the electrical field and would give me an excellent opportunity to network and grow my access to these professional people. 

How To Better Understand Our Classrooms

 In the "The Skillful Teacher," chapter 3 talks about various ways to "understand our classrooms" and more specifically it talks about "The Muddiest Point" (Brookfield, 2015). Wow, what a great evaluation strategy that I am excited to introduce into my next class. 

This idea of asking students each day to summarize something that happened in class that they found was unclear or something they thought was poorly explained or covered in todays lesson strikes me as such a fantastic way to try and identify, address and fill and gaps in their knowledge. 

I think that if I introduce the muddiest point strategy as a daily feedback tool to better assess students' understanding on daily basis., while also introducing my weekly feedback tool that I created during PIDP 3260. It is my hope that these strategies will help to crate a learning environment that students feel comfortable, safe and willing to step outside their comfort zone to widen their understanding of various topics. 

Brookfield, S, D. (2015). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

My Professional 5 Year Goals

I HAVE SO MANY PROFESSIONAL GOALS! big and small!

The small ones are many but achievable with time. They range from getting my electrical shop set up in a better configuration for my teaching style in the shop to becoming a more active member of the faculty and campus community. 

The big ones are... well by definition. BIG. 

Firstly, finish PIDP. I have been teaching for a while now and it would be really nice to compete this course and get one of these big goals checked off. 

Next, teach electrical levels 3 and 4. I teach on a regional campus, currently we offer foundations and level 2 electrical. It is one of my goals to teach levels 3 and 4 on the main campus, this would also allow me to collaborate with and meet new instructors in the school of trades. 

Lastly, Tenure. Ever since getting this position, everything I have done is in preparation for my tenure application. It is a wonderful benefit that I love this job as much as I do. Although always preparing for it, I know I am a few more years away from the application itself. 

Why Do We Resist learning?

 Oh wow.... I feel like chapter 16 personally attacked me. More specifically in the "Level of Required Learning Is Inappropriate" section of the chapter (Brookfield, 2015). At the end of this section on resistance to learning the author mentions "enthusiastic teachers who say to much to fast often leave learners behind" (Brookfield, 2015). In my first year this was me (oh wow, was it ever), I'd have studied all night and prepared my lesson plans, gone into the classroom the next day, and in my excitement for my learning and understanding I'd fly through the material I was instructing that day and be met with glazed eyes and open mouths. It didn't take long for a student of mine to bravely put their hand up and ask me to start over. 

I'd love to say the I've overcome this and set a much steadier pace to my lessons.... alas I have not. What I have done is embrace this fact about my teaching style and explain it to all my students at the beginning of the course and many times throughout. I believe that my excitement and energy that I bring to my classroom, as long as it is kept in check (by myself and my learners) it can truly benefit the learning environment.  

I look forward to implementing the new feedback assessment tool that I created in this PIDP course, I look forward to the new ideas, benefits, and enhanced engagement it will hopefully bring to my classroom in the future. 

References:

Brookfield, S, D. (2015). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.