As an instructor, I strive to get better each semester. Using reflective teaching practices is paramount to my growth as a teacher. Tools I use to grow as an instructor:
- Attending professional conferences such as IWCA, CCCC, CPTSC, and Teaching with Technology to stay current with practices in the field.
- Using scholarship to root my practices whether it is working with topics from intercultural communication (Matveeva, 2011) or community engagement (Deans, 2002) in my courses.
- Collecting anonymous feedback from students twice throughout the semester of aspects that are beneficial/non-beneficial, and suggestions for improvements.
- Creating notes after each class of elements that went well, questions students had, areas of improvement and then revising my lesson plan dossier.
- Observing and collaborating with other instructors to review my teaching methods and incorporate others’ innovative ideas into the classroom.
Katie Rieger, Portfolio 