Prep seminar in Spring 2013 and teaching Honors 100 in Fall 2014
Spring Reflection
When I applied to be an Honors 100 Peer educator, I thought it would be a good way to gain leadership experience and help UW freshmen transition to college at the same time. I knew that there was some work required to prepare: reviewing the material that we actually need to convey, make plans for each week, and go over basic teaching guidelines. But over the course of this quarter I learned a lot more that just that.
During the first few weeks, we read about the importance of education and considered how success is measured when it comes to learning. Though there was more emphasis on primary and secondary education (those years are arguably more important to development after all), I started to appreciate the just how large the amount of influence I could potentially have on my future students. My own first quarter here was mediocre at best so I already knew that I wanted to encourage genuine connections to form in my section, but it was dawning on me that a bad experience could lead to leaving school which could lead to extended unhappiness (not that college is the sole key to happiness). Of course, I don't have such an inflated ego that I think my little class is that influential, but it could very well be the straw that breaks the camel's back. So my goal became to enhance their experience and get them truly excited about honors in a way that would get them truly excited about life (think of it as lifting some straw off the camel, instead of adding).
As we started working on our weekly lesson plans for the fall, and through the two teaches we did in class, I began to realize that its actually pretty hard to be a teacher. I'm naturally inclined to be calm, quiet, and logical and, while helpful when faced with stress and emergencies, does make it a challenge for me to convey excitement and energy to an audience. However, since I can now recognize this in myself, thanks to the feedback from my peers and the advising team, I know that I can overcome this challenge when I'm actually teaching. I learned a lot of new ways to present information and got plenty of ideas from this class so I am confident that I can make this class a good experience for everyone. I might just have to put in a little extra effort to make sure that I can connect with people even when it requires me to step out of my comfort zone.
The document below is a collection of short reflections throughout the quarter that capture my thoughts, feelings, and ideas about teaching Honors 100. It serves not only a reminder of what I want to achieve, but also of the obstacles that I want to avoid (or at least learn from).
During the first few weeks, we read about the importance of education and considered how success is measured when it comes to learning. Though there was more emphasis on primary and secondary education (those years are arguably more important to development after all), I started to appreciate the just how large the amount of influence I could potentially have on my future students. My own first quarter here was mediocre at best so I already knew that I wanted to encourage genuine connections to form in my section, but it was dawning on me that a bad experience could lead to leaving school which could lead to extended unhappiness (not that college is the sole key to happiness). Of course, I don't have such an inflated ego that I think my little class is that influential, but it could very well be the straw that breaks the camel's back. So my goal became to enhance their experience and get them truly excited about honors in a way that would get them truly excited about life (think of it as lifting some straw off the camel, instead of adding).
As we started working on our weekly lesson plans for the fall, and through the two teaches we did in class, I began to realize that its actually pretty hard to be a teacher. I'm naturally inclined to be calm, quiet, and logical and, while helpful when faced with stress and emergencies, does make it a challenge for me to convey excitement and energy to an audience. However, since I can now recognize this in myself, thanks to the feedback from my peers and the advising team, I know that I can overcome this challenge when I'm actually teaching. I learned a lot of new ways to present information and got plenty of ideas from this class so I am confident that I can make this class a good experience for everyone. I might just have to put in a little extra effort to make sure that I can connect with people even when it requires me to step out of my comfort zone.
The document below is a collection of short reflections throughout the quarter that capture my thoughts, feelings, and ideas about teaching Honors 100. It serves not only a reminder of what I want to achieve, but also of the obstacles that I want to avoid (or at least learn from).
Fall Reflection
It seems like summer just ended, yet somehow time has flown by and the quarter is more than halfway over. Being a Peer educator has given me new skills, allowed to practice old ones, and certainly changed my perspective on the classroom. I've grown much more conformable speaking in front of a group; the first week of small sections was the most nervous I'd been in a while but the most recent section hardly fazed me at all. That being said, there is definitely a difference between giving brand new information to an audience and giving a presentation to a group of experts who will be able to catch every little mistake. Having a plan, especially one that was made months ago and has been reviewed again and again, is extremely helpful here too. I've always been the type of person who likes to have everything planned in the hopes of averting disaster and this really reaffirmed that. However, I think it also helped me get used to adjusting things on the fly if you encounter an obstacle. I've also had the benefit on transferring these skills to my role as President of an RSO and been able to get a sense of how to adjust based on the audience, context, and goals of a situation. This has proven to be fairly difficult but since I am actively thinking about it, I think I will continue improving over time.
As far as the teaching itself, I've come to realize that its actually too bad this class is only one quarter. It took a while to gauge the dynamics of my particular students and figure out what works best for all us and now that I have, the class is nearly over! My main struggle has been starting a conversion rather than just having a lecture. I tried a variety of methods: small groups, pairs, one large group, solo reflection, ect. but couldn't get the class to volunteer to share. I understand this, I'm generally quiet these situations since I prefer to digest everything internally before sharing my opinion, but it's also frustrating. I eventually settled on going around the room and having everyone share (unless the topic is something too personal). Going forward, I'm certainly going to have more empathy for my own instructions and TAs and speak up more since I now know how awkward it feels to be greeted by blanks stares and crickets. Other than that, I think my class has been going pretty well. When the do speak, my students have good thoughts and opinions, everyone seems to be absorbing the material, and they all socialize together well. I've tried to make sure that this class is a place they can be comfortable to express themselves and gain a solid foundation for both their Honors experience and overall college experience.
As far as the teaching itself, I've come to realize that its actually too bad this class is only one quarter. It took a while to gauge the dynamics of my particular students and figure out what works best for all us and now that I have, the class is nearly over! My main struggle has been starting a conversion rather than just having a lecture. I tried a variety of methods: small groups, pairs, one large group, solo reflection, ect. but couldn't get the class to volunteer to share. I understand this, I'm generally quiet these situations since I prefer to digest everything internally before sharing my opinion, but it's also frustrating. I eventually settled on going around the room and having everyone share (unless the topic is something too personal). Going forward, I'm certainly going to have more empathy for my own instructions and TAs and speak up more since I now know how awkward it feels to be greeted by blanks stares and crickets. Other than that, I think my class has been going pretty well. When the do speak, my students have good thoughts and opinions, everyone seems to be absorbing the material, and they all socialize together well. I've tried to make sure that this class is a place they can be comfortable to express themselves and gain a solid foundation for both their Honors experience and overall college experience.