Course Experiences
Collaborative Work: The Air Force has a saying that we should train like we fight. However, a lot of technical training situations involve independent work. This independent work is rarely reflective an actual work environment. Like the Air Force, a good portion of jobs across our country often involve collaborating with peers. In Experience & Education, John Dewey points out that all human experience involves contact and communication and is ultimately social (Dewey, 1938). We work in these social settings and learn from our peers. As a result, collaborative work in an educational setting can have a positive effect on the overall learning experience. Collaborative projects place the responsibility of learning on the student and place the instructor (teacher) in the facilitator role.
The Group Projects cartoon in Figure 1 can reflect initial fears of entering a group project; however, the fear is easily overcome when you become a productive member of the group. I have to admit my initial thoughts of doing collaborative projects in the Adult Education and Training program were represented with the lower drawing of the cartoon. However, my actual experiences and views at the end of collaborative projects are best represented by top drawing. Since teamwork and collaboration are part of a work environment, these collaborative projects play a vital role in an instructional system. Three of my collaborative projects from the AET program are linked below.
Instructional Design and Evaluation: As a training evaluator for the Air Force, I've been involved in the evaluation of courses and the end-product; however, have not taken a course through the entire design process. My work in EDAE 639 - Instructional Design was eye opening in demonstrating the value of effective course design. I was able to apply the processes taught in the course towards a project which will help training newly assigned training evaluators in my office.
Misc
The sampling of projects below provided additional support towards my continued growth as an educator.
The sampling of projects below provided additional support towards my continued growth as an educator.
REFERENCES:
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education . New York, NY: Touchstone.
Nico. (2011, November 16). Group projects [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://endlessorigami.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/
2011-11-16-group_projects.png
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education . New York, NY: Touchstone.
Nico. (2011, November 16). Group projects [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://endlessorigami.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/
2011-11-16-group_projects.png