Continued learning

is essential for educators.  Innovation and continued learning go hand in hand. This kind of growth is not just limited to reading another book or adding a new assignment.  It involves responding to constructive criticism and greating specific goals for improvement.  Here is a list of my goals as an instructor and what I am doing to meet these goals.

Improve organization of lessons

The public speaking class I teach has been in a constant state of overhaul for the past year.  The upside to this is that is has allowed for a lot of innovation, and opened up the way for new assignments, techniques, and teaching methods.  The downside to this has been a lack of organization.  In transition old assignments no longer build on new lessons, new assignments need more clarity in the directions.  Fortunately, the dust is settling around my teaching team.  I will continue to test assignments that are intended to address the holes I see in the curriculum, but I am spending more time integrating them into the existing curriculum.

Maintain and communicate policies in a way that is fair, kind, and definitive

This is a personal mission for me.  I teach a new set of 60-100 students every month.  It's a challenge to find a balance of policies that maintain fairness and discipline within the classroom, especially in the online environment.  Students run into problems that are unpredictable.  Some teachers enforce school policies and others do not, so students have varied knowlege and expectations regarding things like deadlines, late work, and interactions with instructors.  I have recently developed a "Late Assignment Submission" form for my classes.  The form is accompanied by video instructions that talk students through the written directions.  

Work on my edditing skills

I create a lot of new content.  In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a big picture kinda gal.  Some of the details slip through the cracks.  I'm addressing this by actively seeking out editing and feedback from peers.