Day 1: The Beginning

16^th of March, Year 2015 marked the beginning of a course devoted to teaching learners how to become teachers. Our acting skills were tested in the morning as we tried to simulate teaching sessions between patients and therapists. This day was also a day for a Yoga class and a Video Critique activity which happened in the afternoon.

After all our activities for this day, I realized that a lot of teaching and a lot of learning happens during a single therapy session. Our profession really entails not just in depth knowledge about conditions, disabilities, assessment and management of such conditions but also several skills and virtues which I deemed prerequisites in becoming an effective teacher. These skills include good communication skills, flexibility, resourcefulness, creativity and patience. The role play activity was very eye-opening because it was then that I realized there is no one way to approach a teaching session. The Yoga class helped me get the idea on how I would teach psychomotor skills especially in providing appropriate feedback and using different cues economically. The video critique activity made me realize that we should really practice reflecting on our performances every day because everything should be for your improvement and development.

One of the most important things I have learned is that therapists should always be ready. There is always a need to plan everything out. You also need to be ready for what is coming at you because even if you have come prepared, not everything will go with what you have thought of.  In the end I learned a lot of things and In the future, when I am already practicing, it is best to come prepared and be ready of what might happen and more importantly take everything as part of your learning experience.