Radio show needs some fine “tuning”

Mind the pun. Coming to a cohort face to face session is bittersweet. It’s amazing and confusing all at once. I am re-energized yet exhausted at the same time. I’m inspired by the dedication and pursuit of excellence by my colleagues and yet critical of my own progress. I am leaving with a wealth of knowledge yet I am left wondering about the future all the same.

The student-directed learning model that I am currently running in my class has excited many of the my follow cohortees (can I say that?) but I couldn’t answer all of the questions they had. How can I make sure that students will have the same achievement on a final exam as students who learn in a traditional method. What is more important? Is my balance of the TPCK model (SAMR) in balance or completely out of whack. Is the radio show the right vehicle for this?

The truth is, the radio show probably isn’t the right medium. It’s right right now but I will probably choose a new path next year. What I’m learning from this is that allowing students to structure their learning in a flexible model that supports them is right. That designing my assessments to meet their strengths and having them consider perspectives and implications and connections with research is right. That it doesn’t matter what they are trying to sell (or podcast about), that the skills gained in a collaborative team task that allows for leadership development in an authentic style of learning is right. That giving immediate feedback on performance on skills is right.

What’s wrong is that I’ve taken 6 years of teaching to figure out that presenting the concepts of functions of a business (management, accounting, HR, marketing, IT) in a slideshow only cracks the surface of developing an understanding of concepts. Students have to live it to get it.

I just hope they leave this class at the end of the year optimistic about the subject and with a set of experiences with which to connect to more advanced content in future grades.