Alyssa Gavulic

Reading Section 1, McKeachie’s ch. 1-3 and West et al.’s chapter 2

A.   As a future counselor educator, what is the most important idea you take away from this reading section?  Try to describe this in 1-3 sentences.

Teaching and learning is a collaborative and interactive process that is fostered by creating an educational environment that has “connection, participation, safety, support, belonging and empowerment” (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014, p. 22). While there are various ways to do this, an important part of this process is to create a syllabus that clearly communicates the value of the learning the content covered in that class, organizes the course requirements and schedule, and serves as means for delineating the expectations between both the instructor and the student (West, Bubenzer, Cox & McGlothlin, 2013). In addition, another important aspect of fostering these qualities in the classroom comes from the instructor finding the right balance between being authoritative enough to demonstrate competency and give guidance but receptive enough to encourage the students to be a proactive part of their own and each other’s learning (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014). 

B.    What is one lingering question you have from the readings for this section?  This can be over any aspect of the readings.

Although Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) acknowledged that college culture does effect the climate of the classroom (p. 4), I am left wondering how class size, individual personalities, and course subject may play into the collaborative style that an instructor can encourage in the classroom (i.e. Do larger class sizes offer more participation? Can some individual personalities create an atmosphere of resistance or entitlement? Do math classes or other qualitatively measured grading systems diminish the amount of student collaboration one receives?

Reading Section 2, McKeachie’s ch. 4-6, 14-16, West et al.’s chapters 3-6,

A.   As a future counselor educator, what is the most important idea you take away from this reading section?  Try to describe this in 1-3 sentences.

There are a variety of ways to enhance student learning including offering credit for the reading of course texts and materials through quizzes (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014), facilitating classroom interaction through live and online discussions (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) or a seminar format (West et al., 2013), lecturing pertinent course information in an organized, enthusiastic, and engaging way (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014; West et al., 2013). However, active learning that uses groups to encourage peer collaboration and exchange (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) and experiential learning that creates problems solving or case analyzing opportunities for students have demonstrated even greater effectiveness in helping the student translate learning from the classroom to real life applications (West et al., 2013). In addition, low stakes and high stakes writing assignments can both be used to help student’s articulate in their own words the learning that has taken place (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) while the use of out of class activities or homework can help the student personalize and take ownership of their learning experiences (West et al., 2013).

B.    What is one lingering question you have from the readings for this section?  This can be over any aspect of the readings.

Considering how the basic levels in Bloom’s Taxonomy (i.e. knowledge and comprehension) need to have been previously achieved before a seminar will be able to appropriately yield a constructive learning opportunity for the students because it requires a higher form of interactive learning (i.e. application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) (West et al., 2013, p. 39), I am left wondering how many of these aforementioned mediums for learning also rely on this assumed foundation to achieve a deeper level of learning. Also, what is a teacher to do if they have planned an experiential learning activity for the class and realize as it is being implemented that this foundation is still lacking for some of the students but not others? How do they effectively enhance these student’s learning without inhibiting the learning of those students that are ready for the next level?

Reading Section 3, McKeachie’s ch. 11-13, West et al.’s chapters 10, 12, Garzon & Hall (2012)

A.   As a future counselor educator, what is the most important idea you take away from this reading section?  Try to describe this in 1-3 sentences.

There are a myriad of student characteristics (i.e. individual intrinsic or extrinsic sources of motivation, individual cultural influences that effect and individual personality and emotional characteristics (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014) that need to be recognized, understood, and addressed in or out of the classroom in order to create the most effective teaching and learning relationship. In addition to these individual student qualities, there are individual teacher characteristics (i.e. attributional style by which faculty explain student behavior, ego depletion or the energy that engaging but organized teaching requires, the relationship style that the professor innately possesses, and the level of multicultural barrier broaching continuum behaviors that the teacher and students are each comfortable with (West et al., 2013)) that influence the teacher student relationship. Finally, the integration of faith in the educational process can also be facilitated or inhibited by various aspects of the teacher student attachment relationship and the individual teacher and student characteristics (i.e. being a separate role model for the faith or being a fellow follower on the faith) and through creating an environment of openness and security that clearly delineates the value of the integrative process (Garzon & Hall, 2012).

B.    What is one lingering question you have from the readings for this section?  This can be over any aspect of the readings.

With all of the aforementioned individual student, individual teacher and teacher student relationship influences that help foster or inhibit an effective learning environment, I am left wondering how to effectively assess that all of these variables are being addressed to an appropriate degree? How does one teacher develop a protocol for ongoing assessment to determine how these subjective individual student variables may be inhibiting a student’s learning while simultaneously holding each student responsible for the breadth and depth of their own learning?

Reading Section 4, McKeachie’s ch. 20-22, West et al.’s chapters 1, 9, Malott et al. (2014)

A.   As a future counselor educator, what is the most important idea you take away from this reading section?  Try to describe this in 1-3 sentences.

Achieving a deeper degree of teaching and understanding in higher level education needs to include an element of strategic intentionality in course design and execution that includes working with students’ prior knowledge, engaging in higher order cognitive processes, and stimulating active learning to create an effective learning environment, structure intentional learning experiences, and assessing teaching effectiveness (Malott et al., 2014). Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) further suggest that teachers are not only under and ethical obligation to enhance student learning by adhering to their own ethical duties but that they should foster strategic learning by engaging the student’s executive control processes (i.e. self-awareness, self-reflection, building off current knowledge, and checking understanding) to encourage a move from lower level thinking skills (i.e. remembering and understanding) higher level of thinking skills (i.e. applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating). Finally, West et al., (2013) proclaim that all of these variables are directly influenced by the teaching philosophy that one uses as a teacher and thus should be formally articulated in a philosophy statement (i.e. one’s conceptualization of learning, conceptualization of teaching, goals for students, strategy for implementing the teaching philosophy and one’s personal journey as a teacher) and reflected in their personal and public promotion of professional involvement.

B.    What is one lingering question you have from the readings for this section?  This can be over any aspect of the readings.

After reading these direct ethical mandates to be actively engaged in strategic individual growth and professional development for oneself and one’s students, I can see many similarities to the counseling client relationship (i.e. building rapport, encouragement, stimulation of insight, etc) and yet the ethical guidelines for professor student relationships have some dissimilarities as well (i.e. evaluation of performance by teachers). I wonder if there are other similarities and differences that others in the class have identified as well?

Reading Section 5, McKeachie’s ch. 7-10, and West et al.’s chapters 6, 11

A.   As a future counselor educator, what is the most important idea you take away from this reading section?  Try to describe this in 1-3 sentences.

Student learning which is the most important goal in the educational exchange can be measured through a variety of assessments (i.e. written exams, performance assessments, journals, portfolios, peer assessments, and assessing group work, embedded, and classroom assessments) (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014). Additionally, the unilateral system of evaluation that is inherent in the teacher student relationship creates a unique dynamic whereby feedback that should be learner action oriented, student needs cognizant, and non-judgmental is communicated from teacher to student through various means of written feedback and evaluative grades. One means of evaluation that West et al. (2013) highlight is a solution-focused evaluation technique that uses a variety of techinques derived from the Solution Focused Therapy (i.e. complimenting, focus on past successful behaviors, scaling to evaluate their own progress, coping strategies to deal with the demands of assignments, and guiding feedback to identify areas of growth for the student) to provide an effective feedback mechanism for students. 

B.    What is one lingering question you have from the readings for this section?  This can be over any aspect of the readings.

While Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) often identify areas of pushback or resistance that teachers can and will likely get from students at some point in their career (i.e. grades or cheating in a test), these authors also seem quick to promote the teacher’s careful use of their power differential in the relationship by always trying to find some empathy and compassion for the students’ position and redirecting them in a way that will not destroy their self-esteem or motivation – even when the student is directing their anger at you about what they believe is an unfair grade or clearly in the wrong such as when caught cheating. I know that many school have policies regarding academic integrity but I am still left wondering how does a teacher know when it is time to refer the confrontational student to the school so that they can address their behavior as a discipline problem?

References

Garzon, F., & Hall, E. L. (2012). Teaching Christian Integration in Psychology and Counseling: Current Stauts and Future Directions.PDF. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 40(2), 155–159. Retrieved from http://p2048-ezproxy.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA296511075&sid=summon&asid=67b931dad4481f3200c4b485d5e34542

 Malott, K. M., Hall, K. H., Sheely-Moore, A., Krell, M. M., & Cardaciotto, L. (2014). Evidence-based teaching in higher education: Application to counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 53(4), 294–305. http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2014.00064.x

Svinicki, M. & McKeachie, W. (2014).  McKeachie's teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning

West, J., Bubenzer, D., Cox, J., & McGlothlin (2013).  Teaching in counselor education:

            Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Counselor Education and Supervision