Project 3 (Part II) - Self reflections
For the second part of Project 3, we were asked to describe ourselves with regard to the contents identified in the EPU976 course. See below for the topics of these self-reflections.
1.a) Characteristics and role as a teacher
From the infographic to the right, you can see right off the bat that my roles as a teacher are speculative - I'm not a teacher yet, but I'll call myself a teacher wannabe.
Still, I believe that I have many characteristics as a teacher that I have previously developed and demonstrated during my time as a graduate student teaching assistant.
To start, I have good communication skills - I love being able to take a complex subject matter and break it down for a variety of different audiences. (This often comes into practice when trying to explain my doctorate dissertation to my non-scientific-minded family members). I'm resourceful, so that even if I don't have the answer on-hand, I'll find it eventually! I'm also passionate and approachable, which I think are essential to ensure that students can connect with their teachers to ensure they feel safe and comfortable to ask questions and discuss different perspectives. I'm also insanely organized.. while this may not be an obvious characteristic of a teacher, it's what allows me to manage my time and my workload efficiently so I can be productive.
It is my hope that all of these characteristics can come together to ensure I fulfill my role as a teacher; which I believe is minimally three-fold. Firstly, it is be knowledgeable in my area of expertise and be able to communication my knowledge and the information I want to share clearly. Secondly, it is provide authentic learning opportunities for students with transparent evaluation criteria. From these evaluations, it is also my role to provide thorough feedback on students' work to provide them with the tools to improve and also for self-reflection. Lastly, it is my role to be approachable. In doing so this promotes a respectful and safe community for students.
b) Participation in online communities of practice
Currently, I do no participate in many online communities of practice except for the discussion forums for specific courses (and Facebook groups when the courses have them). I look forward to become part of more online communities once I am in a more formal teaching position. Otherwise, my presence on academic networks such as ResearchGate and LinkedIn is more one-sided in terms of sharing my academic work on academic networks - which is why I consider it more part of my professional digital identity.
c) Professional digital identity
My professional digital identity is quite extensive online. A more general digital identity can be found on my web page (which you're on right now - yay, you found it!), while my academic identity (particularly research) can be found on my Research Gate and LinkedIn profiles.
d) Current standing in relation to continuing education and professional and pedagogical development.
As previously mentioned, I'm still in the early phases of my professional and pedagogical development. However, given that my first teaching experience was in 2011, I have already taken several steps in my continuing education in the last 8 years.
During my Masters degree, this included things like the Graduate Student Teaching Development Program from the University of Guelph and joining the Teaching Assistant Advisory Council to gain experience in teaching as a graduate student and to share resources with other students.
Once at the University of Sherbrooke, though I wasn't able to teach, I began the postgraduate microprogram in higher education pedagogy. Currently I have completed two (EPU 960 and EPU 976) of three courses (EPU 980 to come in Fall 2019!) which I will complete before finishing my doctorate degree in 2020.
Once my doctorate degree is complete I plan to look for job opportunities in teaching biology and ecology and from there I can continue my professional and pedagogical development specific to those fields.
2) My professional development portfolio:
Where would it be published? Right here!
I decided to opt for a personal website as a e-portfolio because it seemed to a valuable option where I could put a lot of information into once place. In addition, I'll soon be completing the MPES microprogram and my PhD, and when I begin my job hunt, a website can be a valuable tool. Sometimes, depending on the kind of job I'm applying for, it's hard to decide whether or not to focus on my research, my teaching, or both! That's why I thought a website is a great place to refer future employers (even just colleagues), classmates of EPU976 (and future courses) and colleagues to showcase my expertise, experience and interests. Whether anyone is referred to my website for a specific purpose (i.e. teaching experience), the still allows for crossover of my skills and to show that I have a wide range of interests and skills (have you found the easter egg to my nutrition business yet? Yes, I even hid it in here somewhere...). It is also interactive in that it provides a variety of ways for visitors to get in contact with me (either via social media, my email or other online profiles) or interact with me (such as leaving comments on my blog).
Which sections would it contain?
While I decided to add more than three specific artefacts (ok, basically everything I have to date), I focused mostly on; a) my research experience, and b) my teaching experience (together which form my CV), and c) my blog. Here are my justifications for choosing the following:
A) My research experience:
By providing my CV in fields of research and teaching, I was able to demonstrate my expertise in the fields of ecology, through research project descriptions and via my list of publications. I have outlined various internships that I have completed that demonstrate my desire for continued professional development.
B) My teaching experience
My qualifications and experiences in teaching show that I am interested in sharing my passion for ecology and have pursued personal and professional development in teaching at the higher level.
My different trainings (highlighted on my CV) and courses taken throughout my graduate career (under the Learning header) demonstrate that I am in the pursuit of life-long learning. Under the different courses I have listed here, I am able to track various course work and projects which show how I plan to apply content learned in these courses to real world scenarios. I can also showcase where I am heading next, such as in the Learning section of the website, where I refer to EPU980, which will be the next course I am taking in fall 2019.
C) My Blog
My blog acts as a space where I can continue to post ideas and document how my thoughts, perspectives and training shape my personal, academic and career path. It also opens up with a more informal dialogue to share more personal perspectives without allowing excessive overlap between my personal and professional life. And as per the subject matter that does appear here, it opens up a dialogue between myself and those who visit my page (if anyone ever does).