COUC 747 – Ashlee
Lakin
Reading Section 1
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.
B.
What is one
lingering question you have from the readings for this section? This can be over any aspect of the readings.
A. The most important idea I am taking away from
this section is the importance of building community along with curriculum in
order to set your classroom up for success.
The idea of reciprocal interviewing is a brand new concept to me and the
thing that I find most intriguing is the ability to empower students by
allowing them to ask both content and personal questions of the
instructor/professor (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014). This aligns well with the ideas from the
chapters that you want to foster student engagement around the course content
from day one.
B. Lingering Question: The text discussed the idea of building a
course foundation using either a textbook or an arsenal of other resources. What would be the process an
instructor/professor might go through to determine what would be best for
his/her diverse group of students?
Svinicki,
M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (Eds.). (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.,
pp. 29-37). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Reading
Section 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.
B.
What is one
lingering question you have from the readings for this section? This can be over any aspect of the readings.
A. When considering a teaching format, the
classic lecture format is still a viable and effective instructional
method. While enthusiasm, creativity,
and storytelling do not guarantee good content, they are a welcome addition to
any lecture and can help students engage in deeper, more meaningful learning (West, Bubenzer, Cox, & McGlothlin,
2013). Ten to fifteen minutes of
of some type of active or experiential learning per 45 minutes of lecture helps
to ensure better retention of the course material (p. 30).
B. Lingering Question: My question arises out of anticipatory anxiety
of this situation! I know that there
were several methods offered when conflict between students and
professor/instructor were offered but what is something that you have used that
has been effective?
Svinicki,
M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (Eds.). (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.,
pp. 29-37). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Reading
Section 3
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.
B.
What is one
lingering question you have from the readings for this section? This can be over any aspect of the readings.
A. One section that
had an impact on me was the discussion about emotional challenges with
students. While I can deal with
emotional reactions, anger and psychological disorders are more daunting. The text suggests meeting one on one with
each of these students in a more counseling type relationship and after
listening to the students thoughts and perceived needs, putting some
responsibility back on them to decide next steps. It also states that seeking professional help
is always an option.
B. Lingering
Question: While meeting one on one with
students is not anxiety producing for me, the potential of a classroom setting
with an angry student or psychologically unstable student is! If the techniques of calmly addressing the student
and redirecting the questions to the class backfire and breed more angry
students, what should a professor do to regain a sense of control in the
classroom?
Garzon,
F. L. & Lewis Hall, M. E. (2012). Teaching Christian integration in
psychology and counseling: Current status and future directions. Journal of
Psychology and Theology, 40,2,
155-159.
Svinicki,
M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (Eds.). (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.,
pp. 29-37). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Reading
Section 4
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.
B.
What is one lingering
question you have from the readings for this section? This can be over any aspect of the readings.
A. I really liked the
emphasis in the article by Malott et al. (2014) on teaching being more of a
wholistic experience rather than simply an evidenced-based instruction
session. This lines up with other
chapters from our texts where the instructor/professor is encouraged to
interact prior to the course and during the course to let students know that
they are a real person who actually cares about them and not simply a
task-master who assigns grades at the end of the course.
B. Lingering
Question: My question has to do with the
West text. I can’t say that I have read
any of my current professors’ teaching philosophies. How important is the teaching philosophy
statement in courses that we might be teaching in the future?
Malott,
K. M., Hridaya Hall, K., Sheely-Moore, A., Frell, M. M., & Caradaciotto, L.
A. (2014). Evidence-based teaching in higher education: Application to
counselor education. Counselor Education and Supervision, 53, 294-305.
doi: 10.1002/j.1558-6978.2014.00064.x
Svinicki,
M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (Eds.). (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.,
pp. 29-37). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Reading
Section 5
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.
B.
What is one
lingering question you have from the readings for this section? This can be over any aspect of the readings.
A. While much of the reading was about effective
testing methods, the aspect of that I found most helpful and encouraging was
the attention given to the anxiety that students experience about testing. Several options for assessment were offered,
as well as specific strategies to help students cope with their testing
anxiety. They included reducing the
weight of certain tests, offering students multiple attempts, giving test
reviews and previews, as well as teaching students basic anxiety reducing
strategies like self-talk, deep breathing, & muscle relaxation (Svinicki
& McKeachie, 2014).
B. Lingering question: What would be some ways to implement Solution
Focused Brief Therapy evaluation for Counselor Educators?
Svinicki,
M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (Eds.). (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips:
Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (14th ed.,
pp. 29-37). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Ashlee & Nils, I appreciate your question and answer respectively, regarding Ashlee’s lingering question on section two of the reading.
ReplyDeleteAshlee, you also mentioned that storytelling, enthusiasm, and creativity are welcome during lectures. As I contemplate this, I can think of experiences that both confirm and deny this. In some instances storytelling has richly enhanced the delivery of instructional material (case in point, Dr. Sibcy). In other cases, students became victims of a relentless story getting lost in an ebb & flow of irrelevant details, & a glance around the room revealed agonized expressions on students’ faces seemingly contemplating what the point of the story was. This leads me to the lingering question, “What are some strategies good story tellers use to engage their audience & make connections?” Patchen & Crawford (2011) discuss the use of storytelling & metaphors in teaching & indicate teachers should give consideration to epistemological beliefs. They refer to this as epistemological orientation & emphasize how it is important to evaluate how that influences instructional methods. They also indicate that taking time to reflect on our teaching practices can be helpful. This is consistent with what Svinicki & McKeachie (2014) advocate for, they recommend teachers take time after each class to write & reflect on their experience. Integrating metaphors or stories into reflections on teaching may lead to greater awareness. Regarding the benefits of reflecting on our teaching in metaphor, it may help teachers “tap into areas beyond their conscious recognition shedding light on the inner realities and perceptions that shape their instruction (Patchen & Crawford, 2011, p.286-287).” If I conceptualize my teaching of research to MA level students metaphorically, I may think of being a chef and cooking a gourmet meal featuring shrimp, and a range of dipping sauces that guests can select based on their preferences. However, if many guests believe that they don’t like shrimp and no matter what sauce it is served with or seasonings used, or how it is cooked- they still believe they don’t do shrimp, then this may be an indicator that they have a fixed mindset. I asked a colleague a lingering question, “How do you encourage a group of guests who believe they do not like shrimp to be open to trying it with a positive attitude (shift to a more growth mindset)?” He said, “You do not call it shrimp, you call it prawns. If you want them to like snails, you don’t tell them they’re eating snails you tell them it is ‘escargot.’ If you want them to enjoy fish eggs, you don’t tell them they’re fish eggs, but ‘caviar,’ and you wrap it in bacon.” I appreciated this metaphor and it rang true as we see marketers often successfully uses these techniques to market and sell things. I realized when I saw my students light up in research class and engage a bit more it was on a day where we watched a video interview with John Gottman discussing “The Mathematics of Love” and how he could use statistical modeling to predict with over 90% accuracy whether a relationship would end. Here statistics were wrapped in the metaphorical “bacon” of love. Certainly, the way something looks & sounds can influence our perception of it and reframing may be a powerful tool that can manifest through storytelling & metaphor. In counseling skills we have a technique that we often use called “reframing” that can help clients look at things from a new perspective (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003).
ReplyDeleteReferences
Svinicki, M. D. & McKeachie, W. J. (2014). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2003). Clinical Interviewing. New York: Wiley.
Patchen, T. & Craford, T. (2011). From Gardeners to Tour Guides: The Epistemological Struggle Revealed in Teacher-Generated Metaphors of Teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(3) 286–29. Retrieved from: http://jte.sagepub.com/content/62/3/286.full.pdf+html
Hi Dr. Knight. I am really looking forward to interacting with you and the class in a week! I loved your thoughts about reframing. When I think of stories, I automatically conjure up specific pictures in my mind and I can almost see an image of choosing a different "frame" to change someone's perspective. Hints of cognitive therapy in learning to think new thoughts. It also reminds of drawing classes where each person is drawing the same model sitting in the middle of the room but depending upon your vantage point, the sketch looks different from the other students' sketches. I also liked where you said "Integrating metaphors or stories into reflections on teaching may lead to greater awareness." The key word here is "may". It seems that a professor cannot adopt one single way of communicating their subject matter to students. If storytelling is something a professor believes to be an effective teaching mode, they must make sure to have some type of student evaluation in place and be willing to modify according to that feedback and the feedback from course assessments (Svinicki & McKeachie, 2014). Your comments also made me think about their chapter on "Culture and Communication" and wondered if using varied creative modes of instruction might assist multicultural students to better learn and retain information? Maybe we can talk about that in class. Thanks again!
DeleteAshlee,
ReplyDeleteI also find the thought of addressing several students who are angry in a context where a solution does not seem readily available by the end of the class period seems incredibly anxiety provoking for me. However, I believe that a suggestion that was offered by West et al., (2013) for how to maintain appropriate boundaries even after you have potentially offended or angered a student would also be applicable to this type of situation. These authors suggested that you acknowledge in a non defensive manner that the relational rupture has occurred, reiterate that your evaluation or commentary of the student is instructional and not personal, and reexplain the rationale behind the feedback or grade given. Finally, they suggest not letting this dominate the rest of the student teacher relationship. This seems like a very helpful protocol to deal with not only anger but any variety of negative emotions that teacher may experience as a part of the instructional experience.
Reference
West, J. D., Bubenzer, D. L., Cox, J. A. & McGlothlin, J. M. (Eds.). (2013). Teaching in counselor education: Engaging students in learning. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Hi Alyssa. Thank you for your reply and for the suggestions from the text. The emphasis on the fact that the rupture is not personal sounds key to diffusing the anger and tension. It also seems that the boundaries set up and agreed upon would also help to set the class and the students up for success. Then, as McKeachie (2014) states, the professor can point back to those pre-established class "rules" or goals.
DeleteHello Ashley, hope you are doing well. Like you, I am not sure I have read many of my college professors’ teaching philosophies. A website posted by Concordia University (2012) indicated that a “teaching philosophy statement” is important because it will help professors stay focused on the good, great, hard and challenging days. This statement is a reflection of the writer. The teaching statement also helps the educator remain faithful to their core values. After reading this article, it seems to me that it is more important for the professor to review their teaching philosophy statement periodically to ensure they are on course, and not as important for the students to know it.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Concordia University (2012). What is a teaching philosophy statement and why do I need it? Master of Education Resources. Retrieved from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/masters-resources/what-is-a-teaching-philosophy-statement-and-why-do-i-need-it/
Hi Maria! I'm looking forward to seeing you in a week or so! Thank you for your comment about my question. I like the thoughts from Concordia U. It does seem more fitting, in my mind, for the teaching philosophy to be more for the teacher than the student. I found it intriguing that West et al. (2013) suggested possibly placing a written teaching philosophy in the syllabus for students to read at the beginning of a course. They also suggest that including this demonstrates a level of professional development and understanding that is beneficial to counselor educators and their students (West et al., 2013, p. 10). See you soon Maria!
ReplyDeleteResponse to Reading Section Four
ReplyDeleteBased on the article by (Boye, 2012) it appears that the teaching philosophy is less for our students and more for potential hiring opportunities, tenure committees, and promotions. This seems counter to what our reading insinuated. However, it makes a lot of sense. On this level, it sets realistic expectations for what faculty members and colleagues can expect from us. Although Boye (2012) did not mention student expectations, it helps keep us accountable to our students and ourselves also.
Boye,A. (2012) https://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Resources/Teaching_resources/TLPDC_teaching_resources/Documents/WritingYourTeachingPhilosophywhitepaper.pdf
Hello Ashlee,
ReplyDeleteYour unanswered question in section 3 was regarding what to do when you go from having an angry student to several angry students and how it causes some anxiety with you. I can say that there is a lot to that situation that can be addressed pro-actively. I have had a lot of experience with working with teens and children who are emotionally disturbed and especially when they are angry. The best way that I have found is to nurture order in the beginning and that helps reduce the chance of a mutiny. The second piece of advice that I can give you is to maintain a calm dialogue despite where they are. Lastly, know how to get help if you need it through the school’s or clinic’s protocols. I pray that you never have to get to that point but at least you can have some more confidence. God Bless!