This past fall, I took Instruction. Honestly, I think it's the class where I was so directly take what I learned in the classroom right out into my job. I feel so much more confident now in my teaching. My instructor taught me the importance of taking care to plan and really think about what I want to happen during instruction. I think helps to eliminate the "I'll just throw it together" mindset I use to have.
Here are two examples of me putting those instruction lesson to use.
Not All Searching is the Same
A slide from "Not All Searching is the Same" workshop
Purpose: Teaching undergraduate multicultural advocates (MAs) on campus that when searching for facts, Google gives you one set of results. By showing them other search engines and allowing them to see other search results, students are becoming more aware of how one search is not the end-all-be-all search.
Learning Outcomes 101
The framework for writing learning outcomes.
Purpose: Teach resident assistants (RAs) about how to write learning outcomes. The university housing department is moving towards requiring RAs to host programs with more intentional learning outcomes. While the official program will begin in the fall of 2016, some resident directors are asking their RAs to slowly begin this type of programming right now. I hope to give the RAs confidence in writing outcomes and demystifying the process (they aren't as hard as they seem at first).
I learned a lot in these instruction sessions. These workshops were easy to create because I had firm learning outcomes and both situations provided opportunities to for the participants to actively try out these new skills. It was exciting to see students trying things out and especially in the Not All Searching is the Same workshop, visually showing me through facial expressions that they were seeing the differences when they used Google vs. Gigablast to look for information. *Side note: if you haven't looked at Gigablast or Exalead as search engines, you should definitely give them a spin.* I think both workshops could be revised and used in other instruction situations with a new audience. I was happy to be given the opportunity to instruct and these sessions helped boost my confidence. I'm ready to keep on instructing!