Reflections of a Grad Student: Solving Problems in Technical Communication: Introduction
Reflecting on the
Introduction to the book, Solving Problems in Technical Communication, I came
upon the realization that teachers are experts in technical communication, and
we can adapt to changes with ease.
In my personal
experience, when the Coronavirus pandemic began in 2020, I had to quickly learn
to adapt to the new style of teaching in a matter of weeks. We went from
traditional schooling, face to face instruction, physical copies of textbooks and
materials to a whole new world of teaching. Overnight, I had to learn how to
teach in an online platform and learn it quickly. My district chose to
implement Google Classroom as the online platform where we would teach and use
google meets to teach our students virtually; which looking back, those were all
foreign terms to me. I was familiar with FaceTime and Skype, but I had never
heard of or used Google Meets, and I am not that old, I am only 32 years old.
Thanks to the innovation of technologies I was able to troubleshoot, learn and
even YouTube information on how to use Google Classroom, I will say my district
did provide a couple of basic trainings, but they barely scratched the surface
on how to use Google Classroom effectively. I had to do a lot of independent
practice and learned the program on my own, I can now say I feel quite comfortable
teaching through google meet and have organized my google classroom to provide
my students with the best instruction and materials possible.
In addition, to adapting
the manner in which I deliver my class instruction to my students, as an
English teacher I also had to study the new TEKS that were enacted by TEA, so that’s
where the change in my subject came in. TEKS are updated to match the state
exams that students need for graduation, so part of my job as an educator is to
keep continuously learning and researching my field. I teach high school
students, and I am currently teaching English II classes, as well as, the
companion courses, Research and Technical Writing classes. In the Research and
Technical Writing classes that I teach, there is more emphasis placed in
refining their writing skills so that they can write at their grade level and
show mastery of their Persuasive Writing skills so they can score
satisfactorily in their State exam. The Technical Writing class also prepares
students for their English 3 class and exams like the TSI, SAT’s, and ACT’s.
As a teacher, it is also my duty to be able to communicate, explain, and teach my students the student expectations, objectives, skills and content in the best possible manner so that they are successful in their academics. Moreover, I believe to effectively communicate, one has to internalize and really know their subject inside and out, so that those who they are teaching, informing or communicating with are able to comprehend, grasp, and understand what needs to be learned.
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan, and Stuart A. Selber. Solving Problems in Technical Communication.
The University of Chicago Press, 2013.
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ReplyDeleteHi Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI had to repost. There was a glitch and when I updated the page it did not save. The post is up now.
Thank you,
Cristal Montes
Cristal,
DeleteBefore I begin, I just letting you know that I saw your message and deleted my original one.
It is hard to believe that the online school has been around for almost a year. With that in mind, it is crazy to look back on everything people had to learn for the first time. As a student, and only a student, I was a bit weird to transition from face-to-face from online, but everyone was considerate of all the Zoom call problems like wi-fi or poor connection. This is my third semester with another online option and it is still weird and takes some getting used to. I miss the face-to-face interactions. ON Zoom, I feel like I can’t speak without it being awkward, and there is that moment of silence, I am sure you have experienced, when a question is answered. Though, it can be funny at times because everyone is staring at each other waiting for someone to speak. Before COVID, I was confident in class and was excited to answer the professors questions. Now, it’s like I have to ease back into public speaking.
I hope that everything in your classrooms in going smoothly, though that does take time to transition back into the school mind. After a few weeks, everything will pick up as students get used to the school work and how to schedule it. The communication is not only required of you but for your students too. It is very important to inform everyone correctly on the work they are given, especially now since a student can’t pop in the classroom during lunch or after school to answer a question.
Best of luck teaching,
Lindsey Kinane
Hi Lindsey,
DeleteIt truly has been a learning curve for us all, thank you for sharing your perspective on how you are feeling as a student. I do agree with you that participation online versus in person is quite different and can cause students to become shy and reserve. I’m constantly asking for my students to respond either verbally or in the chat.
Thanks for your response.
Cristal,
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly on many of the points you made. I do feel that, as teachers, the pandemic forced us to essentially learn overnight, on the fly, and even live with our students so as to give the best instruction possible that offered something similar to the face-to-face experience. The first few days and weeks were tough having to scour the internet and YouTube for tutorials on how to teach online. And as we share with our colleagues ways to improve our instruction, all I can think of is we are teachers teaching teachers how to teach their students. It is no easy feat do be effective and engaging educators so I want to congratulate you on your ability to adapt to the circumstance and learn new platforms to benefit your students.
On a second note, I totally agree with you. Technical communication is not solely the responsibility of the teacher, but is essential that students communicate appropriately during this virtual learning. I always tell my students, now more than ever, they need to understand that this relationship is a two-way street and if they are not clear and communicative, they run the risk of slipping through the cracks and falling behind.
As educators, we are constantly having to update our knowledge because it is like you say, we must be experts in our craft in order to be effective teachers to our students.
Hi Kati,
DeleteI love what you said, “teachers teaching teachers” and learning being a two way street is right on the money! I think collaboration with colleagues is incredibly important, and communicating effectively is what drives the best results.
Hey Cristal,
ReplyDeleteI think other english teachers here understand that sentiment that this year has thrown at us. While many people were in the boat of learning technology, in our foremind, we already knew this year was coming with change. A change in standards and TEKS, was already something we were preparing for. I reflecting on our readings, I feel like this was something I connected. We were already preparing for a problem we thought we anticipated: New Standards. Yet, this year was something that made us realize there was more to come with the problem now with Pandemic teaching.
You mentioned that you believe one has to know their subject inside out to communicate. I think this has come in handy for a lot of educators. I also see this as a problem for our newbies who are starting who are just figuring out how their content English looks in actual practice. Us who have taught are adjusting how we normally communicate those skills while the new ones are figuring that part on in such an extreme environment.
I will be honest, I absolutely forgot i was working under adjusted standards, so thanks for reminding me how awesome we all are in this adjustment period.
-Valerie Saenz
Hi Valerie,
DeleteAs a mentor for new teachers, I always tell my new teachers to take it one step at a time, and offer both emotional and instructional support. I think sometimes mentors don't place enough emphasis on the emotional aspect of not only starting a new job, but becoming an effective teacher. I feel like last year we ALL felt like new teachers since we had to teach virtually.
I really didn't feel like I knew what technical communication was until I realized how much we do all of these things as teachers. We are constantly working to adapt lessons throughout the days, and even when the pandemic hit, we had to figure out how to convey our lessons in an online platform. Even this past week, I forgot to post a lesson for my one section of level English IV students, and in a tradition year, I would have probably figured it out on my way to work that morning, But since this is no normal year, I spent an hour the night before carefully and thoughtfully posting my lesson, so that my students would be able to learn the skills they needed to learn for the day.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteYes, I agree that teachers are professionals when it comes to adapting and we have had to become quick learners so that we may provide our students with the best instruction. A tip that I will share is what I have been doing in regards to the uploading of assignments and lessons, every Sunday I upload all my lessons and assignments for the week; this has relieve some stress in being prepared for the upcoming week. Hope it helps.