professional development reflection 2

On the last day of fall training, I attended a focus on the faculty presentation, where some of the university's best professors talked about what they did to make their teaching the most effective. I would say that the most useful portion of the presentation for me was when Parker Palmer talked about how to create buy-in with students and maintain your personal motivation to teach. Palmer claimed that it was largely about philosophy. She said to stay true to the vision that you have for class. She also said that explaining your goals to the students can allow them to understand what the purpose is to doing all of the work that you are asking them to do. This explanation can also lead to the feeling that the teacher and students are working together to co-create the knowledge the teacher is looking to impart. Being more open with my goals in mentor sessions has, I think, led my students to be more willing to do that extra free-write or really put extra thought and work into their group presentations. Also, just by deciding what goals that I want to focus on in my explanation to students, I have become more committed to those goals.