Heather's Initial Comments

Heather's Initial Comments

by Heather Smith -
Number of replies: 3

Hi all -- My name is Heather Smith. My home institution is the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George, BC and it sits on the traditional territory of the Lheidi T'enneh but I'm in Halifax, hanging out at Dalhousie, while on sabbatical. 

Why register? -- well I've got a lot to learn and I have a little bit of space to breathe during my transition from administrator back to faculty member. I've also recommended BCcampus and FLO courses to other folks and now I get to start taking some of them! I will also be teaching online and so I really need to take all the opportunities to educate myself. I also thing that no matter what mode we use to teach, that opportunities to reflect on our own teaching and learning are invaluable. 

What do I know about metacognition? I'm in a strange space of knowing intuitively that it's something I've built into my practices across teaching, learning, administration and so forth but I'm not sure I've always named it 'metacognition'. I suspect I know more than I think I do but I may also know very little -- so I'm wide open to see how this all plays out. 

What do I expect to learn? I expect to learn all sorts of things about myself as an online learner - which I'm documenting for my own use. I expect to be able to answer questions like 'what do I know about metacognition' with more clarity and I expect to learn online teaching strategies and practices from the other participants and facilitators as I expect they will be modelled through the process. 

That's it for now. I wish you all a wonderful election day! 

In reply to Heather Smith

Re: Heather's Initial Comments

by Leonne Beebe -

Welcome, Heather,

You sound like you are in an interesting transition from admin to teaching again; do enjoy your "in-between" time in Halifax while you share a week with us. Thank you for recommending BC Campus's FLO courses.  They are designed to help us learn from each other in a safe, non-judgmental space. Be careful - you could become a FLO Enthusiast...  

Your point about intuitive knowing is a good insight.  Sometimes our students know they know something, but they don't know how to tell us or show us.  A reflective learning journal is a good way to help students express their learning in their terms. Also, becoming a reflective practitioner does help us to grow in our own teaching/learning process. Reflecting on your own online learning experiences will help you empathize with your students when they feel success and confusion with their learning.

Out of confusion comes clarity.

Leonne

In reply to Leonne Beebe

Re: Heather's Initial Comments

by Heather Smith -

Hi Leonne, 

It is entirely possible that I will become a FLO enthusiast ... given I'm just about to sign up for the five week session. I'm curious to see how the ISW translates online. 

I also agree that putting ourselves in the positions of our learners is an amazing way to learn about both our teaching and our learning. Engaging as a 'novice' in some activity heightens our sensitivity to the experience of our learners. So this is all a very good lesson for me! 

I appreciate the feedback and the welcome!

Cheers - Heather 

In reply to Heather Smith

Re: Heather's Initial Comments

by Viviana Chiorean -

Welcome Heather,

Thank you for recommending BC Campus! Online teaching offers opportunities for engaging diverse learners and I always found that being a reflective practitioner provided valuable insights, as you mention. I look forward to learning with and from you this week. 

Viviana