Learning Curve – Week 0
Well… I am embarking on a new edu-adventure. I started teaching my first class at SFU. I am teaching EDUC 471 – Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice. I had promised tonight (one week after my first day of teaching EDUC 471) that I would also participate in a “reflective journal” via blog. Many of my students opted to complete their reflective journals in Word or by pen & paper even though they were invited to blog or use Google Docs. Nonetheless, we are all doing reflective journals.
I have to admit… this is a learning curve. I did not know what to expect nor did I even know where my classroom was. Although I had completed my master degree at SFU (via Sunshine Coast) and EdD course work at SFU (Surrey), I had no idea where SECB 1011 was located. I was just going to have to learn-by-doing. After driving from Sechelt to Langdale Terminal, taking the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, the 250 bus to Vancouver, SkyTrain to Commercial then another SkyTrain to Production Way, then finally the bus up to SFU mountain… I found my classroom. Hooray!!! Success.
When the class started, the class seemed almost 2/3 or 1/2 capacity. I was expecting more students. Not that I was disappointed or anything, but my class list indicated 35 students enrolled and there were about 20 in the classroom. I was not taking it personally didn’t understand why I had few students. I ventured forward. I spent many hours contemplating how to start the first class and assumed that it was all about course expectations. Students confirmed this. My class goes from 4:30 pm to 8:20 pm. How was I going to talk about course expectations for almost 4-hours?
We introduced ourselves, I did a quick overview on course expectations (that needed some more explanation today during our second class), and we engaged in some learning activities such as group discussion and reflective journalling. Did you know that I have students in the Faculty of Education and not in the Faculty of Education (mainly economics). Some students are taking this course as an elective, while others are taking it as a required course for their Education Minor. I did not know you could have an education minor in your undergraduate studies. In the end, we successfully consumed the 4-hours and spring boarded some interest in assessment & evaluation in the context of curriculum development. This is cool. I was so stoked.
What I learned today is (a week after my first class), maybe I didn’t have to go through the entire 4-hours of class to talk about course expectations. Maybe I over extended myself (and the students) by jumping into some learning on the first day of classes. Maybe this could be the reason why some students don’t attend the first week of school knowing this. Hmm… I did not know. Now, I know. FYI: In doing this reflective journal, I am also committing to keeping this a free-write (as best as I can). This is what I am asking for from my students. At the end of the course, students will look back on their reflections and write about THE BIG IDEAS of EDUC 471. I cannot wait.