Attribute 1: Articulate and implement their personal theory of practice and its evidence base, including what it means to be a dual professional as both a tertiary educator and
an expert practitioner in the workplace
“When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Appears” – Old Buddhist Proverb
My teaching philosophy is guided by the above proverb in many ways. I believe engaged students are those who are ready for, and able to get the most out of, learning. As a teacher this means I need to provide learning that is relevant to my students, that I tailor design and delivery to meet their specific learning needs, and that I design learning opportunities that are practical and hands-on so that students can learn from application of knowledge.
Relevance
“There is nothing as useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” ~ Peter Drucker
Knowles (2012) identified six principles of adult learning:
- Adults are internally motivated and self-directed
- Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning experiences
- Adults are goal oriented
- Adults are relevancy oriented
- Adults are practical
- Adult learners like to be respected
Although all of these principles speak strongly to my teaching philosophy, my belief is that relevance is a powerful theme that connects them all. Learning must be relevant to the goals that adult students wish to achieve, be these external motivators, such as increased pay or a better job, or internal motivators like job satisfaction, self-esteem and personal growth. Relevant learning taps into this motivation and the students’ goals, and understands that students have existing knowledge and experience they bring into learning. Very little learning happens from a blank slate, so tapping into these experiences help increase learning relevance. As a teacher, I believe my duty is to understand student needs as much as possible to provide these relevant learning experiences.
The theme of relevance is also particular relevant in my role as a dual professional. Being both an Educator and a HR / Management Professional, and delivering education in a business context, my work must not only be relevant to my adult learners, but also the business as a whole. In a business environment where return on investment is a strong focus, I must ensure that the education I design and deliver is relevant and meets individual and business needs. An example of this in practice is the process I co-delivered with the other Educator in my current team, where we conducted a Training Needs Analysis for our organisation, identifying the learning needs both from a business wide and individual level analysis. This process ensured our education priorities were relevant to need, and a copy of our final report can be found below:
tna_report_2015_final_version.docx | |
File Size: | 65 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Tailored Support
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain
No two students are the same, and as such, I believe in tailoring education design and delivery as part of my teaching practice. This does not always mean I need to spend one-on-one time with all students, which may be impractical when numbers are very large, but requires that teaching be adapted to suit the different learning styles and needs of students.
Early in my career I attended a Train the Trainer workshop, where I was introduced to the concept of VAK learning style profiles based on Fleming's (1995) research: Visual, Audio and Kinesthetic/Tactile. It was the first time I was introduced to the idea that people prefer to learn in different ways, as predominantly I had been exposed to teaching styles more suited to Audio learners, through the more didactic approach of most of my high school teachers and university lecturers. I completed a VAK learning style profile questionnaire and identified that my preferred learning style was very visual. When I thought back to my university studies I recalled struggling in Economics lectures with complex theories until they were transformed into a graphical format and suddenly the concept would become much clearer to me. Having been introduced to this theory about different learning styles early in my career, I have incorporated this in my practice since. I blend learning styles to suit a variety of learners. This includes using a presentation format that not only suits Audio learners through what I say, but also using reinforcing visuals, such as colours, diagrams, and pictures to stimulate visual learners. In addition I also consider the needs of Kinesthetic/Tactile learners, by looking for opportunities for physical engagement in learning, whether that be through a practical exercise, getting students up out of their chairs and moving around the room to stand at flipcharts, or simply having toys or items for students to play with at their desks to keep their tactile needs engaged.
I believe tailored support extends beyond simply adapting to different learning styles, as learners also have other needs. For example students may have different goals or different time amounts that they can commit to learning. I believe in checking expectations of students to make sure I tailor my approach to meet their learning goals. I also believe in extending learning beyond the classroom, as some of the most powerful learning experiences are self-directed, particularly when students are motivated to invest more of their own time into learning topics that are of interest to them. As a teacher I provide guidance on resources to continue learning, be that articles, books, eLearning, work exeperience, further classroom learning opportunities, or anything else that will add to the student’s learning experience. Again as a dual professional, as a HR / Management professional providing tailored support also includes tapping into my own experiences, as well as my students' experiences, in business to enrich learning experiences. An example of this is in the short course I run on Effective Communication in the Workplace. The agenda of this course can be found below:
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain
No two students are the same, and as such, I believe in tailoring education design and delivery as part of my teaching practice. This does not always mean I need to spend one-on-one time with all students, which may be impractical when numbers are very large, but requires that teaching be adapted to suit the different learning styles and needs of students.
Early in my career I attended a Train the Trainer workshop, where I was introduced to the concept of VAK learning style profiles based on Fleming's (1995) research: Visual, Audio and Kinesthetic/Tactile. It was the first time I was introduced to the idea that people prefer to learn in different ways, as predominantly I had been exposed to teaching styles more suited to Audio learners, through the more didactic approach of most of my high school teachers and university lecturers. I completed a VAK learning style profile questionnaire and identified that my preferred learning style was very visual. When I thought back to my university studies I recalled struggling in Economics lectures with complex theories until they were transformed into a graphical format and suddenly the concept would become much clearer to me. Having been introduced to this theory about different learning styles early in my career, I have incorporated this in my practice since. I blend learning styles to suit a variety of learners. This includes using a presentation format that not only suits Audio learners through what I say, but also using reinforcing visuals, such as colours, diagrams, and pictures to stimulate visual learners. In addition I also consider the needs of Kinesthetic/Tactile learners, by looking for opportunities for physical engagement in learning, whether that be through a practical exercise, getting students up out of their chairs and moving around the room to stand at flipcharts, or simply having toys or items for students to play with at their desks to keep their tactile needs engaged.
I believe tailored support extends beyond simply adapting to different learning styles, as learners also have other needs. For example students may have different goals or different time amounts that they can commit to learning. I believe in checking expectations of students to make sure I tailor my approach to meet their learning goals. I also believe in extending learning beyond the classroom, as some of the most powerful learning experiences are self-directed, particularly when students are motivated to invest more of their own time into learning topics that are of interest to them. As a teacher I provide guidance on resources to continue learning, be that articles, books, eLearning, work exeperience, further classroom learning opportunities, or anything else that will add to the student’s learning experience. Again as a dual professional, as a HR / Management professional providing tailored support also includes tapping into my own experiences, as well as my students' experiences, in business to enrich learning experiences. An example of this is in the short course I run on Effective Communication in the Workplace. The agenda of this course can be found below:
Item 6 of the Day 2 flow is the Communication Open-Space. This is a session where we revisit course expectations from participants and topics we have discussed over the past two days, and have table discussions on topics of interest that students want to discuss further. This is not a content driven session, but a facilitated discussion, where I participate with my students, with all of us sharing our business experiences to come up with ideas and strategies to improve workplace communication. Topics I have shared in the past include my past experiences of having to say no to supervisors, errors in email communication and difficult feedback situations. As a HR / Management professional, I also have valuable experiences to share with my students, in addition to their own experiences, and in order to provide tailored support I need to provide flexible learning design to allow for emergent learning opportunities.
Practical and Hands-On
“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.” - Dale Carnegie
The final theme that is central to my teaching philosophy is my belief that learning needs to be practical and hands-on. When I was a college student studying accounting, my teacher helped me find a part-time job doing simple book keeping for a local jeweler. Not only did this experience show that my teacher cared about my learning, but more importantly it provided an opportunity for the hand-on application of learning. No longer was my learning simply about passing exams, but there was a practical learning experience for me to grow from.
Kolb’s (1984) experiential model of learning outlines how a learner goes through a cycle of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. I have spent much of my career as a teacher working in business environments, and delivering education to meet specific business needs. I find this model useful in my own practice, as my students come wanting to learn and practice specific skills that will be useful in their work environment. A recent example come from the Communication workshop mentioned in the earlier section. On the topic of feedback, students were asked to reflect on concrete experiences of workplace feedback that had given, then given new learning content and group discussion in class on how these experiences could be improved, they were asked to consider how they would apply this to their practice in the future. Afterwards to aid students in their ongoing experimentation they were provided further resources and opportunities to access coaching to support their ongoing application of learning in this area. This is a simple example of Kolb’s model in practice. I strongly believe in applying these opportunities for practice throughout my teaching, as I believe it is one of the most powerful ways people learn.
Expert Practitioner
My role as an expert practitioner is intertwined with my role as a teacher. As a professional working in Learning & Development, my effectiveness in teaching does not only come from the quality of the educational programs I design and deliver for others, but also my own professional development. This includes more than just development connected to Learning & Development, but also the broader industry and other business areas. As an example, in my current role I work as an Educator for a healthcare organisation, and although I am not a healthcare practitioner like a doctor or nurse, an understanding of the trends and developments in healthcare is important for my professional practice. I take care of this development by attending seminars in the area, networking with colleagues in different departments and keeping abreast of relevant news and articles.
Furthermore in addition to ensuring I invest in my own professional development as an expert practitioner, it is also important to understand my responsibilities beyond my current specialty area of Learning & Development, to take into account the broader context of working in Human Resources. Learning & Development is just one part of an overall HR function that covers areas like talent attraction and recruitment, compensation and benefits, job design and evaluation, performance management, and many other functions. It is critically important for me to understand how my role in the development of our staff, contributes to overall HR strategy and business objectives.
I consider myself a dual professional in both Human Resources / Management and Education, and for detailed information about my development in both, please refer to the About Me section of this website. However in summary, my transition from novice to expert as both an Educator and a HR / Management Professional has been an interesting journey. When I started my journey as an Educator, my belief was that my confidence alone could see me through. I have never been afraid of speaking in front of a group, and having had exposure predominately to a didactic approach to education delivery, I thought standing up in front of a room and speaking would be enough. However that belief was challenged early in my career, as I realised the need to vary my delivery methods to meet individual learner needs. In addition, the first time I faced learner resistance to education was when I was responsible for IT systems training for a new system being rolled out, and I appreciated the need to focus on relevance to the adult learner, as previously I would have relied on the assumed authority of being the teacher. While I developed as an Educator, I also developed as a HR / Management professional, both academically through the pursuit of postgraduate and professional qualifications, but also first through volunteering, my early career and then running my own business. Running my own business was perhaps the most insightful time in my development as a management professional, as I had to learn about things I had never encountered before, like marketing, finance, sales and other business functions, and understand how different business functions come together within an overall strategy. This added to my previous specialisation within Human Resources. All these experiences have enriched my ability to design and deliver education within my specialty area that is relevant, tailored and practical for my learners.
“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.” - Dale Carnegie
The final theme that is central to my teaching philosophy is my belief that learning needs to be practical and hands-on. When I was a college student studying accounting, my teacher helped me find a part-time job doing simple book keeping for a local jeweler. Not only did this experience show that my teacher cared about my learning, but more importantly it provided an opportunity for the hand-on application of learning. No longer was my learning simply about passing exams, but there was a practical learning experience for me to grow from.
Kolb’s (1984) experiential model of learning outlines how a learner goes through a cycle of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. I have spent much of my career as a teacher working in business environments, and delivering education to meet specific business needs. I find this model useful in my own practice, as my students come wanting to learn and practice specific skills that will be useful in their work environment. A recent example come from the Communication workshop mentioned in the earlier section. On the topic of feedback, students were asked to reflect on concrete experiences of workplace feedback that had given, then given new learning content and group discussion in class on how these experiences could be improved, they were asked to consider how they would apply this to their practice in the future. Afterwards to aid students in their ongoing experimentation they were provided further resources and opportunities to access coaching to support their ongoing application of learning in this area. This is a simple example of Kolb’s model in practice. I strongly believe in applying these opportunities for practice throughout my teaching, as I believe it is one of the most powerful ways people learn.
Expert Practitioner
My role as an expert practitioner is intertwined with my role as a teacher. As a professional working in Learning & Development, my effectiveness in teaching does not only come from the quality of the educational programs I design and deliver for others, but also my own professional development. This includes more than just development connected to Learning & Development, but also the broader industry and other business areas. As an example, in my current role I work as an Educator for a healthcare organisation, and although I am not a healthcare practitioner like a doctor or nurse, an understanding of the trends and developments in healthcare is important for my professional practice. I take care of this development by attending seminars in the area, networking with colleagues in different departments and keeping abreast of relevant news and articles.
Furthermore in addition to ensuring I invest in my own professional development as an expert practitioner, it is also important to understand my responsibilities beyond my current specialty area of Learning & Development, to take into account the broader context of working in Human Resources. Learning & Development is just one part of an overall HR function that covers areas like talent attraction and recruitment, compensation and benefits, job design and evaluation, performance management, and many other functions. It is critically important for me to understand how my role in the development of our staff, contributes to overall HR strategy and business objectives.
I consider myself a dual professional in both Human Resources / Management and Education, and for detailed information about my development in both, please refer to the About Me section of this website. However in summary, my transition from novice to expert as both an Educator and a HR / Management Professional has been an interesting journey. When I started my journey as an Educator, my belief was that my confidence alone could see me through. I have never been afraid of speaking in front of a group, and having had exposure predominately to a didactic approach to education delivery, I thought standing up in front of a room and speaking would be enough. However that belief was challenged early in my career, as I realised the need to vary my delivery methods to meet individual learner needs. In addition, the first time I faced learner resistance to education was when I was responsible for IT systems training for a new system being rolled out, and I appreciated the need to focus on relevance to the adult learner, as previously I would have relied on the assumed authority of being the teacher. While I developed as an Educator, I also developed as a HR / Management professional, both academically through the pursuit of postgraduate and professional qualifications, but also first through volunteering, my early career and then running my own business. Running my own business was perhaps the most insightful time in my development as a management professional, as I had to learn about things I had never encountered before, like marketing, finance, sales and other business functions, and understand how different business functions come together within an overall strategy. This added to my previous specialisation within Human Resources. All these experiences have enriched my ability to design and deliver education within my specialty area that is relevant, tailored and practical for my learners.