Knowledge

I spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in a comprehensive class about education and training presented by an instructor from ASTD. I learned so much that I can't remember all of what ASTD stands for. Something about American Society of Training blah blah blah.

As I was saying, I learned how to do a needs analysis (did anyone ever notice that analysis has the words "anal" and "lysis" in it?). I also learned to write an effective learning objective, I learned about the adult learning cycle, the three types of learners, icebreakers, group exercises, styles of teaching (I'm a coach), presentation skills, how to deal with a difficult audience (you beat the shit out of them), and methods of evaluation. There was quite a bit more but I would have to look at my notes to remember all of it.

I'm glad I went to this course. I have a more concrete idea of what I need to do to instruct my students and co-workers. I have ideas for future inservices and classes. I swear I dreamed about all the information I absorbed and I even woke up with some learning objectives in my head this morning. In an Educators' Network meeting this afternoon I came up with a whole class about portable radiography in ten minutes with the help of a few of my contemporaries in which we facilitated learning to the three types of learners (visual, auditory and kinesthetic) as well as a method of evaluating their knowledge by using film critique and then throwing them to the wolves.

It has taken me eleven years but I think I have finally become what I always wanted to be, a teacher.

Maybe I should seriously consider working on that Masters in Education that I've been hemming and hawing about for the last five years.