I don’t believe that many instructors think about the necessity of transitioning from being an instructor to becoming an educator. When a person is appointed to instruct a class, or someone, not the traditional college professor, typically learns by doing and observing how to work when they are in the classroom. Audits of the classroom and recommendations will probably be made to guarantee ongoing professional development. The typical teacher will develop as an educator as they look for resources to help them become better teachers. However, I’ve had the pleasure of working with numerous online adjunct instructors who rely on their expertise in the subject themselves and don’t think there is any reason not to improve in the field of education. Some strategies can be implemented for anyone who wants to be a more innovative and transformative teacher.
Strategy 1: Transform by improving your instructional methods
While any teacher can learn through their work, it is also possible to plan for this development. A myriad of online books, resources, webinars, workshops, and professional associations will enable you to master new strategies, methods, and methods. Social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter permit the exchange of ideas and information within a global network of educators.
Using self-reflection to evaluate your performance is another option. I’ve discovered that right after the class has ended is the best time to consider my teaching approach. Reviewing the end-of-course student surveys can give insights into my students’ opinions, regardless of whether or not each survey was positive. Students typically submit surveys when they’re happy or extremely unhappy with the class. Whatever the case, I will discover something about the experiences my students had during the course.
Strategy #2: Change by Enhancing your Academic Abilities
My work in online faculty development has led me to realise that many teachers could benefit from this kind of growth. However, it’s usually considered a non-issue until it’s reflected upon during classroom audits. If an Lack of academic writing skills among educators may limit their capacity to provide students with thorough feedback.
For instructors who teach online, it can have a more severe impact when messages are prone to grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. Learning to improve academic skills is possible by using online resources and workshops. Many online schools I’ve worked for have faculty workshops and are a great self-development resource.
Strategy #3: Develop Your Subject Matter Expertise to Transform
Every educator is equipped with knowledge of a particular subject. But the problem is keeping your knowledge up to date when you instruct for years. The most effective advice I can give is to locate resources that permit students to study and gain knowledge about current research, thinking, and most effective practices in your particular subject.
It is vital for your instruction as students can tell if you seem to be up-to-date in your understanding or a bit outdated. Even mandatory books or other sources do not guarantee that you’re using the most recent information available since knowledge changes rapidly in various fields.
Strategy#4: Transformation by expanding your understanding of adult learning.
The final step or method I suggest is learning about theories of adult learning and the principles and methods. If you’re not comfortable with the basic concepts, there are concepts that you can study, including critical thinking andragogy, self-directed learning, and transformational learning. It also covers methods of learning, motivation, and cognition.
I suggest searching and studying online publications related to higher education, choosing a topic you are interested in, and studying further. I’ve noticed that my passion for continuing professional growth grows the more I research topics that I like and am pursuing. What you can expect is that the information you acquire will have an impact on your job as an educator. It will help improve every aspect of your instruction.
Teaching, like anyone involved in helping students learn, begins by deciding to make it a career instead of an occupation. I have created a vision that outlines how I would like to contribute to each class I teach. I suggest the same. method for you. Establishing goals for teaching your career and connecting your performance in the classroom to these objectives may be beneficial. For instance, do you need to finish the facilitation tasks, or are you more inclined to spend the extra time needed to develop positive classroom conditions?
Conclusion
When you’ve established the vision and goals for teaching, you can then develop a plan for professional development to help you learn and develop in all the areas I’ve mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Although this approach might require time, it’s important to remember that we always prioritise what we believe to be essential.
Read More: Will Online Education Tools Really Help Educators?
