Training to Make A Difference

Learning to work comfortably in the college classroom as a faculty colleague

Course Description

The Faculty Colleague Program offers a unique opportunity for retired professionals to expand their lives and enrich the college community. This course is preparation for that opportunity. You will sharpen your mental skills and learn how to increase your awareness and self-confidence, thereby improving your performance and increasing the personal satisfaction you will gain from the experience.

The overall theme of the course is learning. While being a faculty colleague would appear to be about teaching, you will learn far more than you realize is possible by entering the program with the skills and knowledge that enable you to excel. You will bring to the classroom the years of experience from your past, but you will be gaining new perspectives, ideas, and insights.

The course will include: psychology, theories on how we learn, educational theories and practice, individual learning styles, and understanding the culture and lifestyles of the students. You will improve your research and study skills. There will be interactive lessons in: critical thinking, problem solving, reading comprehension, communication skills and translating practice into theory. It is not necessary to purchase any books for this course, but there will be a short list of recommended readings. Each section will include web resources for study and research. The course is self-paced and you can spend as much or as little time as you feel you need on each section.

Course Outline

Pretest - A short questionnaire on your current perceptions of the Faculty Colleague Program. There are no right or wrong answers and the pretest will only be used for comparison purposes to determine if perceptions changed upon completion of this course.

Unit 1 - Preparation for participation in the Faculty Colleague Program

understanding the course content
writing a letter of introduction
improving reading comprehension
learning good study habits and research skills

This section will test your reading comprehension in five areas, explain the elements of an effective letter of introduction, and provide guides to good study habits and research skills. An essay test in reading comprehension will be given.

Unit 2 - Feeling comfortable in the classroom environment

learning the "culture" of the classroom
understanding the culture of the college and how the course fits into the curriculum
learning about personality types - your own as well as others
understanding classroom etiquette

Every environment has its own culture and etiquette. Understanding the culture of the college and the classroom, as well as knowing the rules of behavior within this new environment, will greatly increase your comfort level and your effectiveness as a faculty colleague. Knowledge and understanding of various personality types can help build comfortable relationships within a group. Upon completion of this section you will be given a multiple choice exam on personality types.

Unit 3 - Bridging the generation gap

knowledge of the culture and lifestyles of the college student
career goals - jobs of the future
environmental studies and the college student

One common factor of success with the students that has been given by past and current faculty colleagues is the ability to involve students in class discussions by interjecting some knowledge of their interests. Music, literature, career goals and concern about the environment are major interests of the college student. An essay and a matching list exam will be given upon completion.

Unit 4 - Communication skills

Writing clearly and succinctly is not a talent, it is an acquired skill. This section will provide online grammar and writing resources. Both a formal and informal essay will complete this section.

Unit 5 - Critical thinking

Critical thinking is one of the skills most requested by faculty members when they are seeking a faculty colleague. This section will provide the steps for critical thinking as you present and analyze your own argument from inception to conclusion.

Unit 6 - Problem solving

This section will consist of interactive problem solving using logic and math skills

Unit 7 - Translating practical experience into classroom theory

understand various learning styles
reevaluate past career in a societal and global context

You have the practical experience in life and career that the college student lacks. But how do you translate this experience into theory? This section will include the study of various learning styles and will require that you study your past profession in relation to its place in - and value to - society. Completion of this unit will require a multiple choice exam on learning styles and a short essay that reexamines your profession.

Unit 8 - Establishing the mentor/student relationship

The mentor/student relationship will be of great importance to both you and the student. But it is also a difficult one to develop and maintain. How can you help and guide without fostering dependence? This section will cover the delicate relationship and will culminate with an interactive situational maze that will take you through the decisions you may need to make regarding effective mentoring.

Unit 9 - Classroom discussion groups and effective classroom dialogues with the faculty member

A good classroom discussion is instructive, entertaining and engages all. New ideas and perceptions emerge, are examined and lead to still further discussion. Being able to discuss both sides of an issue without revealing which side you are on can be enlightening and may just change your own perceptions. This section will cover debate techniques and the art of leading a discussion without imposing beliefs. Upon completion you will select a subject from a list of six and write an essay presenting an argument for each side.

Unit 10 - Learning to learn

Lifelong learning is key to involvement and interest in all aspects of life. The ability to change beliefs and embrace new perceptions and ideas is one that can diminish with age. Learning to listen and consider another viewpoint, allowing freedom in those with whom you are offering valuable experience, may well be the most important skill you can bring to the classroom. This section will consist of research into various theories of democracy and freedom in education and will require listening to a National Public Radio roundtable discussion. Upon completion you will be given a multiple choice exam on educational theories and will write a short essay on the varying opinions expressed during the roundtable discussion.

Final test - The final exam will be a question and answer test to see what knowledge was gained and how your feelings about working in the Faculty Colleague program may have changed upon completion of the course.