Good Stories

What was your best learning experience? What was your worst? What learning theories are reflected in your classroom?

These questions were the prompts for some good story telling this week. We realized that one of the best factors for best learning experiences is teachers who are passionate about their topics and the success of their students. We also realized that how we teach is dependent on who and what we teach. Or maybe we're drawn to who and what we teach because of how we like to teach and feel most effective?

The Love of Chaos

The first week of certification courses I am facilitating is now complete. I'm facilitating #50 Curriculum and Course Construction and #53 Educational Psychology. The first week is always a little hectic getting the technology and expectations figured out. Both courses have the benefit of being filled with learners with a wide variety of educational and experiential backgrounds. Sometimes people who might be seen as having the least amount of experience in a given topic are the ones who have the ability to see things the oldtimers overlook - similar to not being the best person to proofread your own paper. On the other hand, those who have been around teaching and learning for awhile have great stories to illustrate points. The mix creates a rich learning environment.

I'm also using the Curriculum and Course Construction course as my practicum for the E-Learning for Educators graduate certificate from UW-Stout. It's interesting being a facilitator and learner at the same time. Though I do just as much learning as a facilitator and facilitating as a learner - there's something in that thought...

These facilitating and learning experiences are enjoyable and enlightening. But note to self for next year - running the courses sequentially rather than concurrently might be better for everyone involved. I love chaos. I must; whenever I put one thing to rest I seem to replace it with at least one new thing. (My husband is a bit apprehensive about what will replace our children leaving the nest.) From Margaret J. Wheatley's book Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (1999), "But the greatest challenge for me lies not in adopting any one new method, but in learning generally to live in a process world. It's a completely new way to be. Life demands that I participate with things as they unfold, to honor the mystery of it, and to see what emerges...It's not easy to give up the role of master creator and move into the dance of life" (153-154). My goal: Let go, embrace the chaos, dance.

Branching Out

I've just expanded the purpose of my blog to reflect on the teaching and learning going on in the two courses I'm facilitating over the next two months. The courses are Curriculum and Course Construction and Educational Psychology; both are certification courses for technical college instructors. It looks like there are some dynamic individuals with diverse backgrounds that will lead to some interesting discussions. I'm looking forward to it!