Reflection on the Workshop

PIDP 3270 Capstone Project
Vancouver Community College
Kathryn Truant
July 26, 2018

1. Introduction and Context:

I am a Certified Dental Assistant and an aspiring instructor. I solicited the opportunity this past March to facilitate a workshop presentation in the dental assisting program at Okanagan College in preparation for my PIDP 3270 Capstone Project. I instruct coworkers in my clinical practice, and I wanted the opportunity to deliver instruction in a collegial environment for my project. The instructor that I approached at the college was accommodating and supportive of my request, and I was scheduled on a day when guest speakers were invited into the classroom. One of the guest speakers is a colleague from my clinical practice, so we decided to co-facilitate a workshop on patient safety. We were allotted one hour; my colleague discussed vital signs monitoring during a dental procedure, and I presented a workshop on maintaining a chain of asepsis in the dental office; I had 30 minutes. My stand-alone presentation was meant to give the dental assisting students a lot of information in a short period, while giving them a hands-on demonstration that would (hopefully) change behaviours and affect their attitudes in a positive way.

2. Rationale:

I applied what I learned in the first three courses of the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program. PIDP 3100 Foundations of Adult Education, introduces Bloom’s Taxonomy. “The taxonomy divides learning into three intellectual domains: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Within each domain different intellectual skills and abilities are structured in a hierarchy that ranges from basic to more higher-order capabilities” (Carleton University, 2018, para. 1):

Cognitive: State the facts! I want my learners to know the life span of common pathogens found in the dental office.

Psychomotor: Deliver a dynamic demonstration! Learners can apply what they learn in a simulated clinical environment.

Affective: Make the facts relatable! Explain the facts so that learners understand the effect that common pathogens have on the health of our patients, and create a plan for their own future professional practice.

PIDP 3210 Curriculum Development, helped me to identify the goal of my workshop: prevent healthcare associated infections, and the intended outcomes: apply best-practices when using gloves. PIDP 3210 also introduces designing a lesson plan; I only had 30 minutes, so a clear and concise workshop plan was essential. I used the “Seven Step Model” (PIDP 3210 Course Manual, 2013, p. 117) as a template for my lesson plan:

1. Gain Learner’s Attention (Opening): Transition from vital signs monitoring to maintaining a chain of asepsis in a logical manner.
2. Inform Learner of Lesson Objective(s) and Process: Introduce topic.
3. Assess for Experience or Knowledge of Lesson Objective(s): This was difficult to do in a 30-minute time frame.
4. Present New Material: State the facts.
5. Provide Practice and Feedback on Learning: Deliver a dynamic demonstration. Direct learners to participate by providing instant feedback during demonstration.
6. Assess Learning: Pause during presentation to explain ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ learner feedback.
7. Close the Lesson: Encourage questions. Provide handout.

In addition, I wanted my lesson plan to be transferrable to a colleague:

– Easy to read and follow.
– Present clear time frames.
– Clear formatting.
– Consistent with the workshop’s goal and outcomes.

Finally, PIDP 3220 Delivery of Instruction, helped me put my workshop plan into action. I want to be authentic and relatable, and not sound like I am reading from a script. Choosing curriculum that I am familiar is important, and researching current standards or trends is critical, because facts reinforce instruction. The hand-out that I distribute at the end of my workshop highlights the facts presented in the introduction of my lesson, includes a poster for quick reference, and provides links to applicable research on my topic. PIDP 3220 also recommends using Bloom’s Taxonomy in delivery. Of the three learning domains: cognitive, psychomotor and affective, a combination of all three is the key to a great lesson. Also, finding my comfort zone in front of a class takes concentration and practice; I discovered that the more candid I am (i.e. not reading or memorizing a script), the more attentive and engaged in the lesson my students will be. “I thought about my favourite teachers and what it was about their delivery that encouraged me to: remember what they were saying, do what they demonstrated, and change the way that I thought” (Truant, 2017, para 4).

3. Critique:

Things that worked well:

– Logical transition into my workshop from my co-facilitator’s.
– Clear introduction of my topic.
– I appear knowledgeable of my topic.
– My demonstration is engaging and memorable.
– Informative and eye-catching handouts (that I saved until the end of my workshop so that they wouldn’t distract from the demonstration).

Things that did not go as planned:

– I forgot to inform the class that I would be videotaping the lesson (I received consent after-the-fact).
– The props in my demonstration did not make any sound (I should have tested them first).
– I almost forgot to distribute my handouts.

What I would do the same:

– Use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide in my lesson planning and delivery.
– Use all 3 learning domains.
– Research my topic.
– Deliver an engaging demonstration.
– Include learners in the demonstration (instant learner feedback).
– Provide comprehensive handouts.

What I would do differently:

– Expand the timeline of my workshop to allow more time for pre-assessment, discussion and questions.

Insights gained by viewing myself:

– I don’t like that I use the term ‘guys’ when addressing my learners. I need to practice a more professional way to address students. Instead of saying “you guys” I should say “everyone,” or “anyone,” etc. I found an online article by American journalist, Jenée Desmond-Harris that not only offers grammatical alternatives, Harris explains that ‘guys’ is not a harmless colloquialism (2015).
– Regarding the actual recording of my lesson, I should have recorded in landscape view, instead of portrait view. I recorded the lesson on my iPhone attached to a tripod; adjusting the angle of my phone would have given the video a larger and more representative field of view.
– I will continue to record my lessons so that I can improve my curriculum, planning, and delivery methods.

@ Please refer to my Resources page for works cited