Thinking Ahead:
Applications to your profession
Erin Dokter, Ph.D.
Office of Instruction and Assessment
(CATTS Fellow 2005-06)
Discussion Objectives
• Describe lessons learned from the fellowship
experience.
• Explain how these lessons can be applied to
your personal and professional life.
Reflecting on the Experience
1. What are the big lessons you have learned from
this experience?
– e.g., about the school system, about teaching and
learning, about your discipline, about yourself
2. Do you feel more competent in communicating
about your discipline? Please explain.
3. Do you feel more confident in communicating
about your discipline? Please explain.
1. What are the big lessons you have
learned from this experience?
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Substitute teaching days mean no work being done
Example is one of the best ways to teach
Teachers’ attitudes may elicit or constrain participation
Everyone has their own pace/learning style, need to take into
account when teaching
I teach more effectively around the entire room vs. just at the board
Students are smart, not always expected to be (don’t get
challenged)
School system can hold kids back (stifled)
Important to think about your questions before you ask them (e.g.,
how they are phrased)
Need to encourage inquiry in math/science/engineering
Helped to communicate things more simply
2. Competence and 3. Confidence?
• Practice can’t hurt
Nationally-reported Impact of
Experience
Attribute
Communication
skills
Teaching skills
Applications
written, oral, presentation to
varied audiences
awareness of learners, teaching
strategies, planning, assessment
Research skills
design, analysis, building scientific
arguments
Professional skills time management
Personal attributes confidence
(Based on Feldon et al. (2011); Trautmann (2008); Mitchell et al. (2003))
Action Plan: Your Professional and Personal Life
Attribute
Communication skills
Teaching skills
Applications
Presenting at conferences,
writing opinion pieces (e.g.,
newspaper), Presenting
products to potential
customers, Expressing ideas
clearly to management or
employees, writing (e.g.,
reports), interviews
To explain methodically,
recognize when somebody
doesn’t understand & then
changing on the fly to get point
Resources for Continued Professional
Development
• Teaching/TA experience (department TA’s, Pima
CC)
• Outreach (departmental programs, continued
work with your teacher, UA Science, MESA)
• Workshops/Classes on Teaching (departments,
OIA)
• Online Self-Paced Teaching Modules (OIA)
• Workshops/Programs on Writing (WSIP, Graduate
Writing Institute)
• Certificate in College Teaching (OIA)
Resource URLs
Outreach
http://scienceconnections.arizona.edu/k1
2/teachers/acst
Workshops/Classes on Teaching
http://oia.arizona.edu/blog/seminarsand-workshops-professional-development
Online Self-Paced Teaching Modules
D2l.arizona.edu (Self Registration – TATO)
Workshops/Programs on Writing
http://wsip.arizona.edu/workshop-series
http://grad.arizona.edu/gwi
Certificate in College Teaching
http://oia.arizona.edu/project/certificatecollege-teaching-program