Beyond the First Bloom

Beyond the Bloom: Nurturing Your Growth as an Educator

By Tim Whiting

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

The Truth 

I am going to present you with some shocking truths.  The first time you walked, you stumbled.  The first time that you shot a basketball, it did not go in the basket.  The first time you swung a bat, you missed the ball by a mile.   

So, why is it that we assume we can master teaching instantly?  You will stumble.  You will “brick it.”  You will “whoosh.”  No matter if this semester will be your first class or your one hundred and first, you have room for growth.  We want our students to come into our doors with a growth mindset.  So, you should have one as well.

This Article 

Let’s start with what this article is not 

• It is not a self-help guide. 

• It is not a how-to lesson in breaking nasty habits.  

• It is not a deep dive into all the newest research. 

• This is not an education on growth mindset.  There are plenty of resources on the benefits of a growth mindset and how to develop one for yourself.  We will assume that if you made it this far, you are interested in your own professional growth. 

So, what is it?  This is intentional growth.  Consider it an exercise on reflection.  Instead of “How to,” think of it as “I will...”   This is a time for you to reflect on how you want to grow professionally and what steps you take.  The ideas presented are meant for those teaching in higher education but can be applied in any growth situation.

The Process 

I love my lantana bushes. I planted them years ago. Every year, they die in early fall. I cut them back. Come spring, they pop back up, bigger and fuller. Consider the same approach with fine-tuning your skills as a teacher, instructor, and educator. Sometimes you might have to cut it all back and prune it in certain ways to grow the way you want it to grow.   

If you think of growth as a straight line, that means there is a beginning and end. You start to grow and develop, then, once you reach the end of the line, you’re done.  There is no more growing. In some cases, that makes sense. You want one apple. You plant the tree. It grows. It produces apples. You eat them. But eventually you run out of apples and want more. You must water the tree, feed it, and prune it. Over time, you will have more apples 

Now, consider the graphic below.  Think of your own growth as cyclical.  As you develop strategies and skills, you determine what you need to do within yourself, you learn how to do it, you do it, and then you review its effectiveness.  You refine it.  You put in new and better practices.  You become a life-long learner.

The Exercise 

Let’s take a look at each piece.  As we do, take the time to answer the questions, follow the steps, and create action steps for yourself.  Although it makes sense to complete an exercise like this at the beginning of an academic year, you can adjust as needed.

Evaluation 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• What do I do well?  What do others see that I do well? 

• What areas should I improve on? What do others say I should improve on?

Considerations: 

We are addressing your growth as an instructor in a college or university course. How is your teaching evaluated? You likely receive end-of-course surveys. You might request mid-semester feedback from students (if you don’t, consider it). You may have a supervisor evaluate you. In each of these situations, do not dismiss the responses. You might not agree with them, and you might find justifications for your actions, but keep in mind; they saw what they saw for a reason. Everything has an ounce of truth in it. Find it. 

How else can you receive feedback and data? You probably ask students to participate in a peer review activity. Ever done it yourself?  Your colleagues, even those in other departments, are resources. Use them.

Tools: 

• End-of-course surveys 

• Mid-semester  

• Observation 

• Peer Reviews

Before moving on... 

Make a list of areas within your teaching practice to address. Rank them in order of importance or priority.  Review the list to see how some of the areas might be connected.

Reflection 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• What should I focus on now? 

• What steps should I take?

Considerations: 

We often think of reflecting as thinking. We forget that there is action involved with reflecting. We reflect to plan and act. We are reflecting on what our next steps should be based on what was done previously. Make the reflection process an active one. The reflection should culminate in goal setting. A common approach is creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, and consider developing short-term and long-term goals. 

Tools: 

• Journaling 

• S.M.A.R.T. Goals 

• Coffee Talk (what better way to reflect than to invite a friend/colleague to have a cup of coffee) 

Before moving on... 

Look at your list. Pick and choose. What area(s) should be addressed immediately? What area(s) would be considered “low-hanging fruit” (easy to do) with the biggest impact? Pick one, name it, and write it down. Next, what area(s) might take a little time to address but would have an impact on your students? Pick one, name it, and write it down.

Learning 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• What resources are already available to me? 

• Where might I discover new resources? 

• What am I wanting to get out of the learning experience?

Considerations: 

You are a teacher. You expect your students to learn. So, do as you preach. If we are out of the learning process, we are likely to forget the basics. Go in with an open mind. No matter what, find at least one nugget that you can take away and apply. The presentation method may not be to your liking, but what can you walk away with?   

Know how you learn. Do you comprehend better by reading or listening? Do you find learning an individual process or one in which you benefit from the engagement of others?   

Don’t forget to bring reflection back into the learning process. What did you gather from the experience, and how/when will you apply it?

Tools: 

Remember: Sitting in a day-long training is not the only way to learn. Consider the following: 

• Institution led trainings  

• Conferences 

• Webinars 

• Book studies 

• 1 on 1 consultations 

• Books and podcasts 

• Communities of Practice 

• Observing other courses 

• Virtual courses

Before moving on... 

Looking at the Reflection step, take the two areas (short-term and long-term), and brainstorm how you will address them. For each, determine what you need to learn and how you will learn it. Is this an area in which you need to learn skills on your end or just something that you have to implement? Determine how to learn the skill. Is training available? Don’t forget-reach out to your friendly CETL. We have resources and can help determine what our next steps are.  

Then...start the learning process. Register for the class/training/webinar. Pick up a book. Download a podcast. 

Doing 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• How do I take what I learned and implement it? 

• Can I do this on my own, or do I need the assistance of others? 

Considerations: 

Nike had the right idea. Just Do It.  Prepare for this step while you are learning any needed skills and information.  Take baby steps, and, with the mindset of Dory from Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming.”  Throughout the process, track the successes, failures, and obstacles.

Tools: 

• Journaling 

• LMS (i.e. Canvas) 

Before moving on... 

Incorporate this new skill, approach, or strategy into your class. Throughout the implementation of your new skill, track what works and what doesn’t work. What are the successes, failures, and obstacles? Reflect on these and write out your “lessons learned.”

Relearn 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• What went wrong and what needs to be improved on? 

• What do I need to revisit and relearn to be successful the next time around? 

Considerations: 

There are three common responses when plans do not go through as expected. 

#1. We just continue thinking that it will work out great without making changes. 

#2. We make changes. Some of them are well thought out, and some of them are unfounded. 

#3. We scrap it all together.   

We often forget about one key element. Relearn. When we determine what needs to be addressed, we often do not consider relearning or revisiting a skill. We find other excuses and forget that it might have been us and our lack of knowledge. We must look in the mirror but also determine what we are seeing in the mirror.   

Do not discount informal, immediate feedback from students. Often, they know what they want and express it freely. Do not be afraid to have open discussions with your students.

Tools: 

• Revisit the tools from the Learning step. 

• Don’t forget, CETL is here to provide guidance. 

Before moving on... 

Determine what (not if) you need to improve on. Do you need to relearn a skill or talk it out with a trusted colleague? Consider meeting with CETL to determine what your next steps are.

Redo 

Questions to ask yourself:  

• How do I take what I learned and implement it? 

• Can I do this on my own, or do I need the assistance of others?

Considerations: 

Try it again. Keep the good. See what works. Are you getting the results you want? How do the students respond this time?

Tools: 

• Journaling 

• LMS (i.e. Canvas)

Before moving on... 

Again, track what works and what doesn’t work. What are the successes, failures, and obstacles? Reflect on these and write out your “lessons learned.” 

Complete the Circle 

At this point, you have looked in the mirror, you have addressed a concern, you have taken the steps, and you have attempted to solve the problem. You have completed the circle. Time to start over. Do a full evaluation. Have you met your goal? Was it successful? If not, what is your next step? Do you revamp what you have or is it time to try a different approach?   

Remember, teaching is an art. Growth takes time. Make the process one that you do naturally. Evaluate. Reflect. Learn. Do. And repeat. 

CETL Resources 

The CETL is here to help. 

Check out the CETL website for resources, articles, and tutorials. 

Looking for faculty development offered by CETL? Check out our Faculty Development page. 

Need something to read? Need something to listen to? Check out our Read and Listen list. 

Need someone to bounce some ideas off of? Want to schedule a CETL consultation? Book a CETL Consultation.