1. Increasing Understanding of Transformative Learning Experiences of Novice Educators Through Critical Reflection
Cassie Hudson, Meranda Roy, and Nancy Fire
University of North Texas
2018 Transformative Learning Conference

2. Two Major Goals of GSTEP
1. Increase competency in the implementation of teaching skills for effective student learning.
2. Increase individual self-efficacy related to teaching.

3. Collaborative Learning
Social Learning
Peer Mentoring
Collaborative Learning
Community-Building
Building Your GSTEP Community: Key Components

4. Peer mentoring

5. GSTEP 1 GSTEP 2 20 hours 30 hours Engaged Learning 101
Face-to-Face Orientation Seminar
Teaching Skills Seminar
Discovering Your Teaching Assumptions Seminar
Microteaching Seminar
COP 1
COP 2
Embedding Engaging Strategies Seminar
Practicum
Practicum
Critical Reflection
Critical Reflection
Teaching Philosophy

6. Mentor Roles Program Design Individual Students Feedback Facilitation
Technology
Facilitation
Feedback
Program Assessment
Presentations
Mentor Roles
Program Design
Individual Students

7. ACTIVITY: What makes a great teacher?

8. Part 1: What makes someone a “great” teacher?
Refer to the list of guiding questions provided. You do not have to address every question— they’re just suggestions.
Spend a few minutes reflecting on the guiding questions and writing responses on the post-it provided.
Place each post-it note on the paper assigned to your group.

9. Part 2: Discussion & Compilation
Review the post-it notes.
Spend a few minutes discussing common themes and points of disagreement/clarification.

10. Part 3: Choose
As a group, decide on the one factor you believe is most important for being a great teacher.

11. “Your assumptions are your windows on the world
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”
Issac Asimov

12. Structuring assumptions we use to order the world
What are assumptions?
Structuring assumptions we use to order the world
Paradigmatic
Adults are self-directed learners.
Assumptions about what we think should be happening in a particular situation
Prescriptive
The best teaching allows students to take charge of their learning.

13. Four Stages of Critical Reflection
Assumption Analysis
What do you believe to be true?
Contextual Awareness
Realization that our assumptions are socially and personally created
Imaginative Speculation
Imagining alternative ways of thinking to find better ways of doing things
Reflective Skepticism
Questioning claims of universal truths

14. Our Findings

15. Introduction
Purpose: To demonstrate levels of transformative learning of GSTEP participants through analysis of critical reflections
Participants:
Level 1 and 2 GSTEP participants (68 total)
Data Collection:
Critical reflection essays
First level: guiding questions
Second level: critical reflection module
In this presentation, we will share the learning processes of individuals engaged in the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP) at the University of North Texas.  We have collected critical reflection essays and Critical Incident Questionnaires (CIQ’s) from GSTEP participants that have demonstrated levels of transformative learning. We will include our analysis of these reflections using themes based upon the work of Mezirow (2000) and Kember (1999). 

16. Premise Reflection
Concerned with a significant change in perspective. It “involves us becoming aware of why we perceive, think, feel, or act as we do.”
Includes:
Shift in perspective
Realization
New understandings
Change in assumptions
Example:
“Over the past few months, I realized the importance of engaged learning and how important it is to engage students by making them actively participate in the course.”
*Adapted from Mezirow (1991) and Kember et al. (1999)

17. Emerging Themes Creating Learning Environments Mentoring
Development as a Teacher
Instructor’s Roles
Teacher-Student Interactions
Teaching Strategies

18. Creating Learning Environments
Old Views
Fixed-environment
GSTEP Process
Model in seminars
Critical Thinking
Classroom observation
New Views
Dynamic, active, learning environment
“The most significant thing I learned in GSTEP was that I had fallen prey to the general perception that a learning environment involved a unidirectional flow of material from the educator to the student … I discovered that my most memorable educational experiences where situations that involved instructor engagement and unfettered interaction between and amongst the instructor and students.”

19. Mentoring Old Views Mentor as expert GSTEP Process
Community of Practice
Microteaching
Intentional Networking
New Views
More of a supportive interaction

20. Development as a Teacher
Old Views
Born to be a teacher
Fearful in front of a class
GSTEP Process
Microteaching
Practicum
Peer mentoring
New Views
Learn to be a teacher
More confident
“Before the G-Step program, it never occurred to me that teaching is something individuals must learn to do. The G-Step program gave me the opportunity to understand the teaching is an ‘art’ that can be learnt especially if one intends to become the best teacher he/she can be.”

21. Instructor’s Roles Old Views Instructor is in charge of the course
GSTEP Process
Seminars (Assumptions)
Formative assessment and feedback
Interactions with students
New Views
Facilitator that empowers student learning

22. Teacher-Student Interactions
Old Views
Students are all very similar
Strict boundaries
GSTEP Process
Practicum
Assumptions seminar
Peer-mentoring
Engaged Learning 101 Module
New Views
Recognition of the diversity among students (prior experiences)
Connections are built

23. Teaching Strategies Old Views Traditional views of classrooms
GSTEP Process
Teaching Modules
Observations
Microteaching
Seminars
Practicum
New Views
Variety of different strategies
Instruction is purposefully designed
“Prior to the program, I assumed that a college-level lesson plan would be developed through reading a variety of textbooks and then selecting the best option for my learning objectives with a few news articles or videos sprinkled in, then asking students to participate in discussions, take quizzes, and sit through exams. Now, I understand that instruction can be more interactive and engaging for students and am inspired to test these innovative methods.”

24. New Discoveries Teaching is not the same as learning.
Realizing they have assumptions.
Great teaching doesn’t just happen.
Teaching is an art.
Teaching should constantly be evolving.

25. Cassie Hudson, Meranda Roy, and Nancy Fire
Thank You
Cassie Hudson, Meranda Roy, and Nancy Fire