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A story about managing asynchronous classes and connecting to a community of learners. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"51728347-f7f8-4082-9c4c-2ac0c0769b8b"},"title":"Learning to Teach Myself by Anonymous"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

I have just finished my first year as a post-graduate in the Bachelor of Education program at Trent. Though, with the virtual experience this past year, I really questioned why exactly I was paying tuition fees when it felt like a few of my professors were barely present. Some of my fellow teacher candidates may be familiar with a professor who decided to go fully asynchronous with their course and although that may have saved us the time from a zoom session, I think many of us were desperate to connect after receiving weekly modules that were 30-40-page word documents, in addition to 50-70-page textbook readings. You would think I am exaggerating the page numbers, but I have the 11 Calibri font of over 4000 words to prove it. The material was presented in a manner that was in no way engaging and I felt as though I was not retaining any information from these modules. In addition, we were required to write discussion posts and respond to our colleagues, but I felt this was entirely pointless and I was not grasping anything from these posts. It was highly stressful to think that I may be missing out on some crucial information when it comes to teaching my students. I also felt like it was taking me much longer than other students to complete each task. Balancing this one course along with five other courses made up of mainly readings and writing assignments was quite a struggle. Having just begun my program, there was this constant fear that I would become an unreliable teacher without the proper teachings or resources.<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"2fb270d4-1268-4ae3-beaf-50d17872662c"},"title":"The Wicked Problem"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

As I mentioned, it seemed as though many of us were desperate to connect after reviewing the workload, and in fact, we were. It was reassuring to learn that my peers were struggling with the same issues. As students, we were quick to connect on different platforms such as Facebook groups, group chats, and Zooms. There were people who took the initiative to create specific groups for each class and sections, which made it easier to discuss the readings, assignments, and tasks if we had any doubts. It was also much quicker than contacting our professors by email. In this manner, we built a community of learners accustomed to in-person learning to tackle the struggles of online learning. Normally out of my comfort zone, I felt more comfortable reaching out as well, because we were all up to helping one another.
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\nDuring my undergraduate program, there were some strategies I picked up as a student in English Literature and Communications that I found I was able to bring forward into this program as well when it came to heavy readings. I find it is very helpful to get through large texts by skimming them as a whole in order to get an idea of what you are about to learn. Taking a look at subtitles and sections to the topic as a whole will gauge more interest and attention to learn about the subject itself and provide a better understanding. I find I have never required highlighters to get through texts; however, the highlighter tool proved very useful as I was putting loads of information in more simplified terms.
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\nTime management and organization were also key to staying sane. The number of to-do lists and reminders that got me through this year were a bit extensive but so helpful. I had a detailed to-do list by the day of the week on my phone which helped me manage which school-related tasks I would need to complete each day along with other daily and more personal tasks like working out, cleaning, meal prepping, etc. At the same time, I also had a to-do list strictly for school that I would keep on my laptop on a notepad divided by each class I was taking that semester and adding only upcoming assignments. Once I was done with one, I would take it off the list and update it often with new tasks. I needed to ensure that I was taking care of myself while balancing schoolwork to avoid feeling overwhelmed and burn out. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"62d1cf84-932c-48da-96a5-6a748abb58b3"},"title":"Finding a Solution"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

Not only was this my first time getting used to online learning, but also my first time moving to a whole new city on my own. It was very easy for me to get overwhelmed and feel like I was alone but taking that step of reaching out and connecting really allowed me to feel part of a community of learners and understand that I am not alone. This further encouraged me to pick up other strategies that would help me be successful so that we could be successful as a community. Here\u2019s hoping university profs prove more helpful for new undergrads\/post-grads; however, I know that learners who help each other grow are ultimately encouraging individuals to grow and succeed on their own which in turn allows us to succeed altogether. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"0a742167-12a3-491e-a32e-131682a71650"},"title":"Final Thoughts"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

Learning to Teach Myself<\/em>. (2021, October 7). Liberated Learners. <\/span>https:\/\/wicked.liberatedlearner.ca\/learner\/learning-to-teach-myself\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","subContentId":"7379acd1-d4e1-443e-8b4b-5e724847682f","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"}},"title":"APA Reference"}],"hTag":"h2"}

Learning to Teach Myself

Liam Peart