Carly Straight

Cultural diversity is an asset to any classroom or workplace. People with various backgrounds bring new perspectives, and as both students and teachers we need to be willing to learn from one another. 

A willingness to research, try new things, and commit to lifelong learning are necessary when considering career management. It is important for teachers to provide opportunities for students to consider new fields, and it is important for workers, no matter where they are in their career journey, to not grow complacent. 

Professionalism is about more than a professional appearance. It is an attitude of respect and a willingness to work hard and be open-minded. It also means carrying yourself well both in person and online.

It is important to provide opportunities for students to take turns being leaders. In order for them to grow in their own leadership abilties, they need to be able to practice, as this is one skill that is better to be learned through practice than through rote knowledge or lecture. Creating group activities or requiring students to lead sections of the material can be very beneficial.

Being comfortable using technology and understanding that technology is an ever-growing, rapidly changing field are important in today's workforce. As a teacher, it is valuable to incorporate technology in our own delivery of materials and instruction and in the submission of work from students. However, if we want students to use technology on their own, we need to make sure we are clearly explaining how each program works. We cannot assume knowledge from our students.

Teamwork is a hugely important skill in the workforce, and particularly aviation, which is what my students are being trained to work in. Proper communication and understanding between individual members are the building blocks of a good team. 

Critical thinking is a skill that should be valued in the classroom, in the workforce, and in the everyday life of the student. Encouraging students to share their points of view and to have discussions on content will help them learn to articulate their points and to see beyond their own limited scope. A large part of this is learning how to ask good questions and to be open-minded when hearing responses. 

This section stressed the importance of assessments beyond the typical multiple-choice exam. It is important to allow students the opportunity to express the knowledge they've gained in multiple ways, and perhaps in ways that are closer to their preferred styles of learning. This allows for deeper understanding as opposed to memorization, which does not always translate to long-term retention. 

I didn't realize that Canvas has an e-portfolio option. Having my students work on that over the course of the quarter would allow them to reflect on each individual assignment as it's graded and returned to them beyond just what their final score was. That reflection would hopefully encourage real learning and fewer repeated errors. 

The use of well-written rubrics can help turn what can often be subjective scoring into more objective scoring, which is fairer to the students. In addition, it gives the students a clear indication of what is expected of them and what they can expect to learn. Descriptive verbs used in well-considered objectives can help teachers bring students to deeper levels of understanding.