Day 6: Paper that Guides

23^rd of March, Year 2015 was a day for planning our teaching. A workshop for creating an instructional design (ID) was scheduled for the whole day. The objective of the activity was to develop an ID individually that would serve as a guide and a structure/matrix for our teaching activity scheduled in another time. It was an open workshop where all the students were free to consult the advisers regarding the construction of their IDs.

At the end of the day, I was able to create an acceptable instructional design for a wellness activity of 10-12 clients who had CVA. The wellness class was meant to be a group teaching activity so I actually had a hard time forming my own instructional design. I had several problems in forming a picture in my mind about the clients because we were only given rough descriptions that we need to consider when conducting the class. What we did was work with what we had at that time. I also consulted all of the available advisers so that I could get a variety of responses and feedback on my instructional design.

I actually realized that being a teacher really entails being prepared. Teachers are really required to think creatively and become goal-oriented in creating their lesson or activity plans and in conducting their classes. For me, forming objectives was actually the hardest part. I was also open for the fact that even if we have a perfect instructional design, things can go differently during the teaching session. But the creation of an ID or a lesson plan is essential because it would help you in your teaching activities as it serves as some sort of a blueprint. Whenever you get lost in your teaching, refer to your instructional design because it might help you get back on the right track.

As a physical therapist, planning and preparing before your session with a client is really important if you do not want to go blindly in your session. You have a structure prepared for your treatment and teaching activities so you would not have a hard time. Doing such preparation also shows your competence as a physical therapist as you are upholding your professional duty.