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anc27 · 3 months ago

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My Instructor Journey

I grew up in a logging family, so it felt natural for me to become a logger. I started helicopter logging at 15, spending years hooking chokers for helicopters, towers, and skidders. Eventually, I realized how hard this work was, and physically demanding on my body. I then switched to operating heavy equipment. At first, I was unsure if I would be good at it, but I learned quickly. As my skills improved, logging became less of a focus. After about 15 years in heavy equipment operating, an injury forced me to change careers. In 2013, I got the chance to teach safe heavy equipment operation. This opportunity allowed me to stay in the industry I love while sharing my knowledge with new operators. I was nervous about teaching because I didn't enjoy school as a child and was unsure about diving down another unknown career path. However, I took the leap and am very glad I did.

Now, I work with a university, teaching students how to safely operate excavators, bulldozers, rock trucks, graders, loaders, backhoes, and skid steers. I also instruct them on how to use GPS on these machines. I enjoy helping people start new careers. As a teacher, I believe having clear values to guide my work and ensure students learn to operate machinery safely is important. Here are the key values I follow as a heavy equipment instructor:

Safety: The safety of my students and the public is my top priority. I promote safe practices, keep up with regulations, and ensure students understand safety equipment and procedures.

Integrity: I aim to be honest and fair with my students, peers, and employers. It's important to follow ethical standards and accurately assess students' progress.

Continuous Learning: The heavy equipment field is always changing with new technology. I try to staying updated on industry standards and innovations to provide the best education by visiting live heavy equipment sites, watching new techniques, checking out new methods, attachments, etc.

Respect and Professionalism: I treat students, colleagues, and industry partners with respect, creating an environment where everyone feels valued. I always try to stay professional in my communication, appearance, and actions.

Accountability: I take responsibility for my teaching and my students' learning. I encourage students to be accountable for their progress while ensuring that my training methods are effective and up to date.

Patience and Empathy: I understand that each student learns at a different pace. I approach teaching with patience and empathy, recognizing that students may face challenges or come from diverse backgrounds.

Commitment to Excellence: I strive to give the highest quality instruction so students can gain the skills they need to succeed. This includes using current training materials, demonstrating equipment use, and providing constructive feedback.

Environmental Responsibility: I encourage sustainable practices and teach students about the environmental impacts of heavy equipment operations, such as using energy-efficient machinery and properly handling hazardous materials.

By consistently upholding these values, you ensure that your students not only gain technical proficiency but also develop a strong ethical foundation for their careers in heavy equipment operation.

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PIDP 3260 Blog

Week 3 - Post Comment on Brookfield Chapter 2 (The Core Assumptions of Skillful Teaching).

After reading Chapter 2; Brookfield, 2015, I found there are 4 core assumptions to skillful teaching.

Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn.

Skillful learning refers to the techniques and strategies that instructors use to create an effective learning environment. This approach goes beyond merely delivering content; it involves actively engaging with students and adapting to their needs to encourage critical thinking. In this chapter, the instructor steps out of the room to let the new students know that they are not being monitored. This encourages them to take ownership of their own learning, fostering critical thinking and helping students realize that simply listening to the lesson the instructor is delivering may not be sufficient.

Utilizing various techniques, such as clear instructions, feedback, and creating a supportive and open classroom environment, helps ensure that all students have opportunities to understand and apply their learning.

I believe the primary objective of effective teaching is to foster a meaningful learning environment for students.

Skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance towards their practice.

"skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance towards their practice" to me, means that effective educators are continuously evaluating and adjusting their teaching methods and behaviors. They do not simply rely on what has worked in the past; instead, they actively seek to change, modify, and improve the impact of their actions on their students. This process includes assessing their effectiveness and considering how communication occurs between themselves and their students. Adopting this critical stance entails being open to change and willing to learn from mistakes, ultimately aiming to better support student growth and success.

Robin Sharma: "There are no mistakes in life, only lessons".

Teachers need a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teachers' actions.

To me, saying "teachers need to be aware of how students experience and perceive their actions" means that effective teaching is more than just standing in front of a class delivering information. Teachers must pay attention to how students react emotionally, mentally, physically and socially to their teaching. Instructors need to understand how their words, actions, and body language affect students' learning.

Developing class awareness helps teachers see when students are confused, disengaged, or having a hard time. It allows instructors to change their methods as needed. Being aware also means instructors must show empathy and consider how their students feel to create a supportive and positive learning environment.

In the end, this strategy helps instructors connect with students on a deeper level and find the best ways to support each individual’s needs.

College students of any age should be treated as adults

"College students, regardless of age, should be recognized as adults," which then should spotlight their ability to be responsible and independent in managing their own learning, taking ownership of academic decisions. As noted in “The Skillful Teacher, Third Edition (Jossey-Bass, 2015), "Higher education should be preparing young adults for participation in the adult world, with the need to take such responsibility for their lives that such participation requires." I find students appreciate when instructors show confidence in their subject matter and foster an environment of respect, trust, and autonomy. By encouraging students to take ownership of their education, set their own goals, and make informed choices, instructors create engagement with the material being taught.

References:

Brookfield, S.D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom 3rd Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

‌2. The Skillful Teacher – Teaching in Higher Ed. Teaching in Higher Ed. Published April 28, 2016. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/skillful-teacher/

3. quotespedia.org. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. – Robin Sharma –... Quotespedia.org. Published June 29, 2019. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.quotespedia.org/authors/r/robin-sharma/there-are-no-mistakes-in-life-only-lessons-robin-sharma/

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Week 4 - Post Comment on Brookfield Chapter 8, 9, or 18 (Teaching in Diverse Classrooms, Teaching about Racism, Exercising Teacher Power Responsibly).

Exercising Teacher Power Responsibility

Chapter 18 of The Skillful Teacher by Stephen D. Brookfield is titled "Exercising Teacher Power Responsibly." This chapter looks at the power dynamics in the classroom and how instructors can handle these dynamics ethically.

Brookfield believes instructors have important power in the classroom and I would agree 100%. They should understand how their power/authority affects student learning and work towards creating a respectful and supportive environment.

Instructors need to understand, in a classroom. Instructors make learning decisions, control what and how students learn. Instructors even determine acceptable behaviors in the classroom. This kind of power/authority can greatly affect student retention if not handled properly. Instructors should consider how their presence influences relationships with students. While authority is necessary for maintaining order, it should never be used to intimidate students.

Brookfield says instructors can create an enjoyable classroom by building respect and openness with their students. Instructors should also try to avoid favoritism and negative behaviors. Instead, instructors should encourage students to take control of their own learning and actively participate in classroom discussions, assignments, and hands-on practical work. This approach helps create an engaging classroom/learning environment.

Instructors should also clearly communicate their choices to students. This transparency helps students understand power in a classroom environment as well as understanding their role in the learning process. Instructors should also ask for feedback from students and take responsibility for their actions, including how students feel about delivery methods and the classroom environment. By listening to students' views, instructors can adjust their approaches to better meet students' needs.

McCombs B. Developing Responsible and Autonomous Learners: A Key to Motivating Students. Apa.org. Published 2010. https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/learners

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Week 5 - Post Comment on Brookfield Chapter 16 or 17 (Understanding Students’ Resistance to Learning, Responding to Students’ Resistance to Learning).

I chose to read Chapter 16, Understanding Students' Resistance to Learning.

This topic is particularly interesting to me because I feel I have experienced both sides of the classroom dynamic. As a student, I often thought sitting in class was a waste of time. Now, as an instructor, I strive to convey the importance of the lessons I teach. There are times during class, I can often see students’ eyes glaze over, which signals to me that it’s time for a break or to reiterate what we've just covered. I also try to encourage class discussions to make the material more engaging, class discussion can make those who think they know the subject matter participate by showing to everyone else what they do know. However, I recognize that something needs to change in this situation. The lack of engagement could stem from the subject matter being too “dry” or difficult to follow. Alternatively, some students may feel they already understand the topic and think, "I got this," which can lead to disinterest.

After reading this chapter I realized how complicated resistance to learning could be “ Resistance is a Multilayered and complex phenomenon in which several factors intersect” This quote stood right out to me and intrigued me to read on. A few of these topics stood out to me.

Poor Self-image as learners was the first area covered which opened my eyes, people come from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences growing up and bringing themselves to a level of education that they are pursuing. Some have been told they were too dumb for college, some suffering ridicule, humiliation, and sarcasm for their apparent lack of education. There are some that have high skills in academics but doubt their abilities nonetheless. All of these different kinds of educational and emotional backgrounds can serve as the ground for the smallest thing to derail a student's intentions, leading to possible dropout. They resist any self-effort in moving forward because they believe they are incapable of raising their education to this level.

Fear of the Unknown, well I know a lot about this one. I have let this barrier alone stand in the way of many things in this world that I would like to complete or overcome. It’s a tricky boundary, that doesn’t exist, in fact, it is 100% creation stems from your own mind. Change involves the unknown, nobody likes the unknown, yet believes change is a good thing. Fear of the unknown is often a huge hurdle to learning anything. Fear of not catching on quickly, not looking good while learning, being wrong, etc. Reinforcing to students that the power to learn is the power to change, can ultimately strengthen a students resistance to learn.

A Normal Rhythm of Learning, when a student first approaches a new topic or subject to learn, they can approach it with an enthusiastic mindset of accomplishing a goal they have set out to achieve. Once they see how complex and unfamiliar the new information is, frustration can take over, leading to a lack of confidence in one's self and looking to return to a more comfortable old skill, this can cause resistance from the student towards the instructor in lessons moving forward. Although this does not normally last long, it does hang around until something reignites the fire to move forward again.

References:

Brookfield SD. The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. 3rd ed. Jossey-Bass; 2017.

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Week 6 - Post Give a brief description of your vision of where you would like to be in the next five years as an instructor. What are three professional goals that would get you closer to your vision? Make sure your goals are SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and complete within the time frame. Note – if you have employment plans you don’t want made public, feel free to be a bit vague, or to submit this post as an email to your instructor.

In the next five years, I hope to become a stronger and more well-rounded instructor. I plan to upgrade my skills and qualifications to solidify my role as an educator. One of our team goals is to work on our program to create a seamless curriculum that leads to a high student success rate. I also want to meet with local employers to explore potential partnerships that could help students land jobs within those companies, raising the standards of our machine operating course.

Completing the PIDP program is a significant accomplishment for me as I move forward with my career. It has been and will continue to allow me to view my instruction from a different perspective and incorporate multiple different strategies to create a positive learning environment. Additionally, I would like to challenge myself by pursuing the Red Seal certification in my HEO trade program. Although there isn't a Red Seal for heavy equipment operators in BC, the eastern provinces have that standard, and I aim to challenge it to elevate my own credentials.

On a personal level, I intend to train for a marathon and pursue certification in weight training. I also find value in practicing meditation and mindfulness.

Week 7 - Post Comment on a Brookfield chapter, TED Talk, or other reading or video of your choice.

I watched a Ted talk about “unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain” narrated by Puqun Li and animated by Cabong studios.

This came to my attention being that part of this PIDP project has been about learning as students and educators. This is a story of Buddhists and their individual visions of the world around them. How there are decisions that come to be in which you consciously made only to contradict your own beliefs. This story found two Buddhas walking down a path, to come across a lonely, beautiful woman whom has had her path blocked by a large portion of mud. The one Buddha walks over, picks her up, and carries her across safely, without a word, putting her down and continuing on. The other Buddha could only walk for so long before exploding with emotion. “how could you do that” “you should not have even touched that woman” he screamed. Only for the other Buddha to reply, I carried her across the mud, how long have you been carrying her?

The one Buddha would not touch the woman, yet carried her a lot further than the one that helped her across the mud. They could not just leave her, or they would both carry her for a long duration with knowing they left a woman stranded.

There was a second story, three buddhas watched a flag move in the wind. One Buddha said, “That is amazing how the flag molds and moves through the air”. The second Buddha said “It is not the flag that is moving, but it is the wind that carries the movements” The third Buddha, laughed and said “It is not the flag or the wind, it is your mind that is moving”

This is how we break our brain, we have our beliefs in which we try to follow, yet come across scenarios that test those beliefs only because we see the scenario from a single perspective. Neither is wrong.

Week 8 - Post In addition to the PIDP, or after you have completed the PIDP, what are some learning activities you might take part in?

There are a few areas that I would like to improve in, taking this PIDP course has identified a few areas that I would like to be stronger in. Media, creating slideshow presentations, lectures and classroom dynamics are all areas that I would like to put some of my attention into. Narrating a presentation felt odd to me and I felt as though I stumbled a few times, I think with some practice and repetition this would get smoother. I think if I can improve in these areas, I would be a stronger instructor, working with a strong laid out curriculum which in turn would result in strong student retention of lessons taught. I am very open to education, I am a strong believer in learning every day, the beautiful thing about working with a university is that there is always programs or courses happening that are there to help instructors strengthen their skills. I often find courses that I had not ever considered taking or attending and find because I did, the educated feeling received when completing the conference, lesson, short course, etc. raises confidence.

I am considering volunteering with firefighters or search and rescue, but before I do, I want to make sure I am not overloading my plate and unable to commit when the time comes. I don’t believe that to be fair on myself or a new team.

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mise-en-place88 · 7 years ago

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Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition to educational institutions that maintains suitable standards. It is a certification that a school or program meets prescribed academic standards. Accreditation is the approval of colleges and universities by nationally recognized professional associations or regional accrediting bodies (USlegal.com).

Program evaluation is a systematic method for collecting, analyzing, and using information to answer questions about projects, policies and programs, particularly about their effectiveness and efficiency. In both the public and private sectors, stakeholders often want to know whether the programs they are funding, implementing, voting for, receiving or objecting to are producing the intended effect (Wikipedia.com).

Quite recently, there was a decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada ruled 7-2 in favour of law societies and would not grant Trinity Western University their law accreditation because of the university’s covenant and traditional views on marriage that could potentially discriminate again LGBTQ communities (National Post, 2018).

It also reminded me of a case in the US where a baker had denied a gay couple his service because he said his religious views prevented him from making a wedding cake for their special day(CNN, 2018). The couple filed their case against the baker for denying them the right to receive equal treatment from a business open to the public. An interesting point I read or heard but cannot remember from where, was that the baker was willing to sell anything else in the bakery to them but refused to make the cake because of his Christian views towards same-sex couples. The cake was seen as an artistic expression and not any ordinary baked item. In this case, the baker’s religious freedom prevailed. Similarly, the ruling was 7-2.

This topic also brought me to the current PIDP 3260 group project we are working on: professional ethical dilemmas. Both of these cases are tough situations involving interpretation of law, setting precedents, controversy, contradictions, justice/injustice etc. As the National Post article so eloquently put it:

“The cases pitted two significant societal values — freedom of religion and promotion of equality — against one another.” (National Post, 2018)

Personally, I feel badly for the gay couple and I am satisfied with the fact Trinity Western did not get their law accreditation based on my own views. However, I also see from the vantage point of the Colorado baker and TWU. The baker should be able to have religious freedom as much as the gay couple should be allowed to receive equal service. Graduates who chose this university should be able to practice law whether or not they hold Christian values or not, just like any other law student studying elsewhere. There is a fine line between what is just or unjust. In both cases, something is won and something is lost.

After again reviewing the four paradigms for right vs right dilemmas, I think this one would probably fall under “Individual vs. Community”. What is good for law graduates from TWU may not be good for the community at large as their conservative values could potentially hold biases towards LGBTQ peoples in the future. Moreover, I think the principle used for resolving these ethical dilemmas would most likely be ‘rules-based thinking’: “…what would happen if our behaviour became a universal principle?”(PIDP3260). The results of both of these cases were unpredictable, they could have gone either way. There is not such condition where true neutrality can be the point of where we begin, we are always somewhere between two points.

What comes to my attention is that ethics, morals, values, laws, dilemmas and so on will touch pretty much all aspects of our personal and professional lives. As with program evaluation or accreditation, they are no different and will always be influenced by society’s values and standards.

CNN (June 4, 2018). Retrieved on July 15, 2018 https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/04/politics/masterpiece-colorado-gay-marriage-cake-supreme-court/index.html

National Post (June 15, 2018). Retrieved on July 15, 2018. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/newsalert-law-societies-can-deny-accreditation-to-christian-university-court

USlegal.com (n.d.) Retrieved July 15, 2018. https://definitions.uslegal.com/a/accreditation-education/

Wikipedia.com (n.d.) Retrieved July 15, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_evaluation

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