Analysis of My Competences in Teaching

So the VOCI course is almost completed. It has been an interesting journey. While reading my older posts again, I cannot help but notice my learning process. Even though I had basic knowledge in teaching and even some practical experience before these studies, I think this course has helped me to combine the theory and practice together. Next, I will briefly discuss the main areas where my understanding has become deeper.

Learning Theories

When we started our studies, I was happy enough with the existing learning theories, and even thought that learning styles indicate them. I was even planning to test my students' learning styles in order to meet their desires in a classroom. Well, I gave a miss to that idea in early days.

I am not saying that learning styles do not exist, or students should not be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. What I am trying to say is that we should not narrow our learning by using only our favorable ways to learn.  The challenge for a teacher is not to match his/her teaching with students' desires but rather find the most suitable methods to teach the topic in question in various ways. When it comes to students self-awareness, I think it is important for them to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses in order to understand the concept of networking.

Does Constructivism Apply with the Digital Age? 

When it comes to the main learning theories, I think Constructivism is the most relevant one nowadays. It views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge or experience. Learning is a very personal endeavor. The teacher is seen as a facilitator, and the methods used are for example self-directed learning, transformational learning and experimental learning. (Wikipedia, August 2012.)

This all sounds very familiar if we think how we are thought to build up a curriculum or plan our courses and lessons. But there is surely one major aspect missing. Constructivism sees learning as a personal endeavor. What about one of the hottest topics of the day - collaborative e-learning? 

I think we need something new to explain how learning occurs in the digital social context. One possible theory or pedagogical view to explain this, could be Connectivism (Wikipedia, October 2012. It was found in 2005 by Siemens and Downes, and it is based on existing theories but renewed to meet the challenges of the digital age.

"Principles

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

• Learning is more critical than knowing.

• Maintaining and nurturing connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

• Perceiving connections between fields, ideas and concepts is a core skill.

• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of learning activities.

• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision."

In this theory, teaching is seen as modeling and demonstrating, and learning is seen as practicing and reflecting. The cornerstone of the theory is "know-where", which basically refers to the learner's ability to know where to find the knowledge when it is needed. (Wikipedia, October 2012.)

This theory takes us back to the importance of networking. In a classroom students should learn to network with each other, but the idea of networking should be taken outside of the school, too. Students should also learn to network with their society, and nowadays globally, too. Technology gives many possibilities for that.

Further reading: Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?

My Role as a Teacher and Teaching Methods

I already mentioned that teachers are nowadays seen as facilitators. This is probably my biggest lesson in this course. Even though I have know this in theory for a long time, I have not really had a clear idea how to apply facilitating in real life. It occurred to me only some time ago that I speak way too much in a classroom. (I am sorry honey, I will continue like this at home). So in the future I shall do less lecturing and more learner-centred teaching. I guess I was so desperately wanting my first students to learn that I was doing most of the work! Luckily I had got some good case studies from a colleague of mine, and I was able to get the students to work, too.

So, my take-home message shall be: Trust in your students ability to learn without you dispensing too much information!

There is actually a school in Sudbury Valley, where the teacher's role has been changed completely. Or actually, there are not any teachers but adults. The whole school operates in an extraordinary manner: they do not follow a curriculum, the kids can do what they feel like doing, there are no exams and everyone from 4 to 18 years old is learning together. Still the students are doing well after graduation, they actually have a head start on the information age. (Marano, 2006.) 

I am not sure this concept would work in a big school though. Unfortunately the number of small schools in Finland is decreasing all the time. But it would be foolish to ignore what could be learned from them. Maybe every teacher should help the students to find their inner motivation to study by giving them an opportunity to make some decisions about the content of the course as well as the teaching methods. Teaching methods should be learner-centred and open for innovations and networking.

Teaching Methods for My Next Customer Service Course & How to Enrich the Course with Technology?

Since I have not got that much teaching experience, I thought it would be nice to plan what methods I could use in my next Customer service course if I ever got to teach it again. 

The vocational skills requirements for the course are the following (Finnish National Board of Education, 2009):

"The student or candidate manages service situations in which they
–  prepare service situations
–  look after the work environment
–  serve external and internal customers
–  use languages skills in serving the customer
–  arrange after-care for service situations
–  carry out office tasks associated with customer service
–  determine the profitability of the activity." The contents of the course have been built up to meet those requirements. The teachers have the freedom to choose their teaching and evaluating methods.

So last time, we watched some videos of different customer service situations, and how great service is provided. I think those videos were great for opening discussions and sharing everyone's own experience. I used for example this story to show, what someone may achieve by serving customers well. And you cannot leave this one out when talking about bad service. I would keep these examples in the next course,too, but I would make the students to discuss even more. Also a debate could be an interesting way to assess their knowledge about customer service.

Last time the students were also asked to write short plays of different customer service situations. I think they found it a fun way to learn. And it hopefully supported creativity. 

Last time I evaluated their learning with case studies they had throughout the whole course, and a group work they had in the end of the course. I think the cases work out really well, and the students got regular feedback. Next time some of the case studies could be organized as open book group exams. The group work on the other hand should be planned much better next time. I think they would benefit from it only if they did it with a local enterprise. Maybe I will leave the group work out.

Next time we could visit some local shops where customer service is done well. We could also have visitors from local enterprises to tell how they take care of their customers. This all would also support entrepreneurship. I will definitely keep the mystery shopper exercise they had last time. It was great to see them to really analyze the service they got! 

I could also use technology more in this course. Last time I mainly used it for watching videos. Next time we could maybe Skype with different companies, or even talk to a school outside of Finland and see how "good customer service" is understood there. That would improve students' cultural awareness, too. And the plays could be actually recorded and uploaded on their digital learning environment.

So all in all, I would still keep most of the exercises I had last time. But I would definitely increase the time used for discussions and collaborative learning. I would use technology in new ways, and try to involve the local businesses. The biggest change would anyway occur in my role. I will promise to lecture less and let the students to learn themselves!

My Strengths and Weaknesses

All in all, I have learned a lot in the first course. I think my competence lay in the drive to learn more in order to become a better teacher. This means that I am open for new ideas and happy to try them in teaching. I am also capable to teach different entrepreneurial skills and mindset by using different methods and showing students an example of entrepreneurial attitude. There are still many factors I need to practice though. And so should there be. I do not think you can ever be a ready teacher: there is always something new to learn. Anyway, below is a short list of factors I need to work on in the near future:

• It is time to take the theory into action. It may take a few times with some methods though before I can really see the benefits of them.
• I need to learn new teaching methods, or even implement some myself.
• I need to start using teaching methods that support entrepreneurship.
• I could still learn new ways to use technology in a classroom.
• I should do better networking with other teachers inside and outside the college, also digital networking!
• I could use my networks with the local enterprises in order to bring real cases into teaching, as well as creating learning environments outside the school.
• I shall remember my new rule: "Less talking and more facilitating in a classroom".
• And I should always remember that failure does not mean the end of the world - it is a great opportunity to learn something new about teaching!

References

Finnish National Board of Education. (2009) "Requirements for Vocational Qualifications. Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration 2009." Finnish National Board of Education. Retrieved December 1, 2012 from http://opetushallitus.fi/download/140411_vocational_qualification_in_business_and_administration_2009.pdf

Wikipedia. (August 2012) "Learning theory (education)." Wikipedia. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education))

Wikipedia. (October 2012) "Connectivism." Wikipedia. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism

Marano, Hara Estroff. (May 1, 2006) "Education: Class Dismissed." Psychology Today. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200604/education-class-dismissed