There have been several momentous changes in my teaching career:
- when it became appropriate for my students (or pupils, as they were called then) to call me John instead of 'sir' or Mr. Baglow
- when I stopped being the source of all input into the classroom and realised that the students could be relied on to input material
Am I now on the verge of another watershed? Am I about to start sharing with other practitioners in other colleges the teaching materials and strategies I have developed? That would be quite a step.
The teacher training courses which I am involved with are in direct competition with similar courses at other colleges in the area. That is the main stumbling block, I think. What do others think?
Comments
New comment
Hi, John. I assume you are a deliverer of the teacher training courses rather than a student on them? I used to teach on similar courses and found that what adult students wanted was flexibility, especially of attendance. Not always possible but worth thinking about. If you are in competition with other colleges with a similar offer you need to add value to your own course - give them something that other providers can't or won't, perhaps a very committed available-at-all-hours personal tutor or a mentor. Many adult students suffer from classroom fright and don't like to admit it. Over to you! (PS This takes me back!)New comment
PS I am wary of your other point about sharing teaching materials. In my experience, there are those who provide the stuff and those who use it. There would need to be quite a lot of control.New comment
Hello Joy, Yes, I am delivering the teacher-training - though the more I do it the more I appreciate what a complex activity it is.
I agree with what you say about a college needing to develop some kind of unique selling points. The people who come on my courses are a real mix: some are already quite proficient teachers, others lack confidence and are sometimes not at all academic. Even blended delivery would be quite scary for some of them.
I wonder if you need to be reasonably academic to benefit from MOOC-type learning.
New comment
I had to sign a confidentiality clause to say that materials I develop and or use with one provider are theirs and will not be shared with any other person outside of my duties with them. Huge barrier to openness....