I didn't realize that my last blog was at the end of April of the last school year. What could I have been doing in May? Grading, prepping, correcting tests, crawling out from under my desk?
But now it's the other "A" month, August, and scheduled preparation for the 2012-13 school year begins. Actually unscheduled preparation has been ongoing since the 2011-2012 school year officially ended at the college on June 30. Summer is time for preparation, clearing and cleaning out files, writing new curriculum, and getting reacquainted with significant family members. I did work at the Shawano Regional Learning Center of the college during the summer and was introduced to WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) when I wrote two Basic Education supplemental courses for our Organic Agriculture program. I also had a chance to schedule vacation time and home improvement projects.
But now it's back to work, doing what I love to do. Today has been the midday of a three-day IPA (Instructor Preparation Academy) course on Course Construction -- WIDS upon WIDS. My project has been converting a successful pilot program into competencies, objectives and assessments, so that it can be taught by other instructors. That's not as easy as it might sound. What content seems obvious to one teacher and teaching style, can be difficult to reconstruct for others. Teaching is as much a performing art as a quantifiably planned presentation.
After the IPA sessions, the school has scheduled Welcome Sessions for students at the end of this week. Monday I reconnect with the good people in Oconto Falls. The All-School In-Service is Tuesday, departmental in-services on Wednesday, and classes begin on Thursday, Aug. 16. Bang, we are back in business once again. Life moves quickly from April to August, but that is the way I like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment