Week 3

In chapter 2 of The Skillful Teacher, Brookfield explains the 4 assumptions that he has created regarding skillful teaching. I see this as 4 strategies that I can employ though my teaching career that can help me be the best instructor I can be.

Assumption #1: Skillful teaching is whatever helps the student learn. I think it goes without saying that as a teacher we should do what it takes to help our students learn and achieve success. The tricky part is having a toolbox of strategies that can help all types of learners. The differences can range from life experience, culture, level of education etc...

Assumption #2: Skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance toward their practice. Reflecting and checking in with a variety of sources to ensure that we are on track is a very important piece to successful instruction. Checking in with ones self as well as asking for feedback from others (students, other faculty) helps guide us. Without this process we would assume that what we are teaching is being received positively but in actuality we could be failing horribly! Brookfield also goes on to mention that by demonstrating critical reflection we show our students that we are committed to creating a learning environment that will encourage their success.

Assumption #3: Teachers need a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teachers actions. Higher order thinking is the key here. Being able to read the classroom and make adjustments as needed is imperative. Making decisions on the fly and tweak our lessons to match the classroom environment that day is a necessary skill for instructors to have. Asking the students for their feedback through repeated evaluations will hopefully give you an indication as to how they like the course. Brookfield reinforces the importance of asking for their input week after week to demonstrate to the students that we are taking their feedback seriously. This will promote trust and creating a safe environment for sharing.

Assumption #4: College students of any age should be treated as adults

As adult educators we should be treating our students as such. These are learners that are continuing their education for personal or professional reasons. We need to acknowledge that our students will be taking the information they learn and applying it in their adult world. Treating our students will respect involves listening to their concerns and addressing their issues.

A fabulous parallel that can be drown between Brookfield's assumptions are the assumptions that were created by Malcolm Knowles. Knowles created the theory of Andragogy otherwise known as the how adults learn. He too has a list of assumptions. You can read more about him here: https://educationaltechnology.net/andragogy-theory-malcolm-knowles/

If you are a VCC student you can log in and Stephen Brookfield's book here: https://login.ezproxy.vcc.ca/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat07678a&AN=vcc.121637458&site=eds-live&scope=site