Professional Growth

Thrive: The Ultimate Survivalists Guide to Preparing & Succeeding in Higher Education

I attended Thrive: The Ultimate Survivalists Guide to Preparing & Succeeding in Higher Education on 10/14/21 and it was a wonderful experience. The day was filled with short, but powerful presentations from my colleagues about collaborative lecturing, engaging students with options, trauma-sensitivity in higher education, experiential learning, and navigating gender pronouns. This was the first in-person training I have attended since COVID and it was wonderful to see and visit with my colleagues from other departments.

I was really impressed with the collaborations and zoom guest speakers that are being used by the music department, and the awesome choice board that our math department uses to promote engagement.

I found the information that Mary Anne Dugan shared on trauma especially interesting. We really don't know the challenges that our students are facing and have faced, so it is important that we are mindful and caring. At our table, we discussed the challenge of finding a happy medium in which we are being sensitive to the needs and circumstances of our students, without being inconsistent or lowering our expectations. I want to give my students every opportunity to succeed without lowering my expectations. I really appreciated this discussion, and learning that I am not the only instructor facing this challenge.

Caryn Bird's presentation about gender pronouns was eye-opening for me. I believe it is important for me to learn more, so I know exactly how to communicate respectfully with all of my diverse students. I have had a hard time using the they/them pronouns because I have considered those pronouns to be describing multiple people, not a single person. Caryn said, "People are more important than grammar," and that really resonated with me. Making my students feel accepted and valued is far more important than following grammar rules.

PearDeck Training- GUHSD- 8/10/21

I was looking for new strategies for enhancing engagement so I attended a training on PearDeck on 8/10/21. Using PearDeck, I can ask questions, take polls, and seek feedback throughout my lesson. Students participate from their devices and I am able to display their answers and/or receive data on their answers for review. When I first started using Peardeck, I was impressed by the quality answers that were submitted by my students who do not typically speak up in class. It was great to see that even though they did not want to speak up, they had thoughtful ideas to contribute.

Providing students the opportunity to answer questions on PearDeck prior to discussing the answer with their classmates helped me identify appropriate wait time and helped students articulate their ideas. Being able to see what my students were typing before I moved on helped me slow down the lesson to provide students with enough time to process the information and formulate a response. Answering the questions individually before sharing with their classmates pushed my students to consider their own personal thoughts and ideas.

I experimented with asking a question at the beginning of the lesson to stimulate curiosity and my students responded well. I also incorporated polls and fun questions about interesting facts to maintain their interest throughout the lesson. Including questions to check for understanding throughout the lesson was very beneficial. I was able to monitor progress and identify a few misconceptions that I could address right away.

I feel that PearDeck has been a beneficial tool in my classroom.

PearDeck Training- Peardeck Premium vs Free

I attended the Peardeck training on 2/23/22 to see how other instructors are Peardeck in their classrooms. It was interesting to compare the Premium vs Free options. The premium option allows instructors to preview responses prior to showing them to the class and receive a copy of all responses after class. I like having the ability to view student responses prior to showing them so I can provide an appropriate amount of time. When I did not have access to the premium version, I displayed the answers and then realized that the majority of my students were not finished formulating their responses.

The premium version provides instructors with a copy of the responses for each question and/or all of the responses for each student. This would be very helpful if I was going to use PearDeck for participation credit. My wonderful mentor, Louise So, recommends attaching a grade to everything. Having a copy of each student's responses during class would be a great way to gather data for in-class performance.

Heart of Teaching

I attended the Heart of Teaching on 2/24/22 and it was a wonderful training experience. It was great to be surrounded by so many enthusiastic educators. I really appreciated the information on Building Equity-Mindedness in the Classroom, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Tag Team Teaching.

Gina Desai shared a common visual for equity in which each individual received an accommodation so they could view a ball game. She then shared the same picture with the fence removed so there was no barrier and everybody could see the game without any accommodations (see image below). I really appreciated the emphasis on removing barriers so nothing is limiting our students or hindering their success.

I was extremely impressed by Christina Clark's presentation. We have been looking for a way to embed questions with feedback into GoogleSlide presentations in Canvas, and we have not found a solution that doesn't require a separate program like Softchalk. Christina found a way using layers in GoogleSlides and HTML code in Canvas. Wow! I have been experimenting with her template, and I will be creating review lessons using this strategy for my students. I want my students to have the opportunity to review information, practice answering questions, and receive immediate feedback, so I believe this approach will be helpful.

Big Interview Training and Pilot

On 11/16/22, I attended a training on the new Big Interview program being utilized by our Career Services. This program is incredible because it uses Artificial Intelligence to evaluate eye contact, filler words, voice, speed, and vocabulary during mock interviews. Louise So and I had a mock interview assignment in our classes in which students answered mock interview questions on video, received feedback from Career Services, and then reflected on their performance. We shifted the assignment into Big Interview, so students now have the opportunity receive immediate feedback from the Artificial Intelligence and practice responding prior to submitting the interview to career services for review. My students have been benefitting from the extra information and immediate feedback.

Helping Students: Motivation and Mentoring

I attending the Helping Students: Motivation and Mentoring training on 4/21/21. It was interesting to hear what other faculty are doing to help students and learn about the struggles they are facing in the classroom.

One key takeaway from this training was the survey data the presenters shared. 96% of the college provosts surveyed believed students graduating from their schools were prepared for the workplace, but only 14% of graduates believed they were prepared. This information made me reflect on my own students. Are my students prepared to enter the workforce? Do they feel confident in their skills? I will start seeking additional feedback from my students to identify areas of need and incorporating more interactive practicals to help them feel prepared.

EXS217 with Dr. Lisa Lewis

I wanted to learn from Dr. Lisa Lewis and see how the classes fit together in our program, so I sat in on her EXS217 class during Spring 2021. I really enjoyed Dr. Lisa Lewis's teaching style. She shared quality examples and used the board to draw diagrams and list key terms. Dr. Lewis also provided handouts with colorful visuals that I found really helpful. I took notes in the margins and saved them as references. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed and benefited from the handouts. I have been digital in my classes, but, based on my experience, I am going to start providing my students with a few key handouts for their notebooks.

During the EXS217 class, I had the opportunity to spend time in the Sports Performance Lab (the picture is of me warming up for a VO2 Max test). I am fascinated by the data and want to keep learning more. In the introductory classes I teach, I will share interesting examples about the lab and provide opportunities for my students to visit the lab to boost their excitement. The Sports Performance Lab is an asset to our students because they can see and experience exercise physiology in action.

Resistance Training Workshop

I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Resistance Training Workshop on 3/20/22. This workshop was designed to help fitness professionals understand resistance training's role in alleviating disease risk, and gain insight in program design that may improve adherence. I found the research that was shared on minimizing disease risk really interesting. In Healthful Living (HES100), we discuss the impact exercise has on chronic diseases, but the emphasis is typically on aerobic exercise. I will share this research with my students to enhance their understanding of the many benefits of resistance training in addition to aerobic exercise.

Targeting Physical Function Workshop

On 3/20/22, I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Targeting Physical Function Workshop to learn more about how physical function influences quality of life throughout the lifespan. We have a thriving Senior Fitness program at GCC, and the baby boomers are aging. It is important for me to understand the current research and best practices for working with aging adults so I can support the seniors on campus and help prepare my students for this growing area of need in the fitness industry.

Power of Protein Workshop

I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Power of Protein Workshop to learn about the current research and recommendations for protein consumption on 3/14/22. This workshop discussed research on the impact of protein on weight management, exercise recovery, performance, and healthy aging. I discuss protein in Healthful Living (HES100) and Introduction to Exercise Science (EXS101), so learning about the current research and practical applications will help me share the latest data and information with my students.

Is 70 the new 40? Research update on nutrition, aging, and exercise.

I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Is 70 the new 40? Research update on nutrition, aging, and exercise workshop on 3/8/22. We discussed current research on how aging impacts energy, hydration, and nutritional needs. This workshop shared interesting research and practical tips that are within the scope of a personal trainer, who is not a registered dietician, to share. These practical tips will be valuable to my students who will be working with the growing population of senior citizens.

How to Make the Most of Movement Screening Results

I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's How to Make the Most of Movement Screening Results Workshop on 3/10/22. This workshop explained how to screen different populations and utilize the results to plan safe and effective exercise programs. The majority of my Exercise Science students are interested in the fields of Physical Therapy and Personal Training, so they will need to assess their clients/patients, provide feedback, and design programs that will meet their needs. Learning new strategies for screening movement gave me ideas for additional examples that will enhance my class.

Helping Baby Boomers

On 3/8/22, I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Helping Baby Boomers Workshop. The workshop explained the current needs of the aging baby boomer population as well as strategies for meeting their needs. This information is valuable to me because I want to prepare my students for the workforce. Understanding the current trends and needs will help me guide and prepare my students to succeed in industry.

Prescreening Workshop

I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's workshop discussing Prescreening on 3/14/22. The workshop provided a detailed explanation of how ACSM recommends screening clients. Detailed evidence-based justifications were provided for each part of the process. We teach ACSM's prescreening process in all of our 200 level EXS classes. The process reviewed in this training and the additional rational provided will enhance the explanations I provide to my students.

Mind Over Matter: A Simple Path to Wellness

On 3/8/22, I attended the American College of Sports Medicine's Mind Over Matter: A Simple Path to Wellness workshop to learn more ideas for teaching mindfulness. The presenter discussed the benefits of mindfulness and we practiced different strategies for meditating and practicing mindfulness. I teach mindfulness in Healthful Living (HES100). I really enjoyed the activities that we did in this workshop as well as the ideas for application that were shared. I plan on using the strategies that were modeled in this workshop to help my students experience mindfulness and incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.

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