03-16-15

Last Monday marked the first day of PT 138. Ever since I can remember, I never liked talking in front of a group of people. What more if I need to teach them? That is why I was scared going into Teaching. But thankfully, we were eased into it with fun learning activities.

First off was the role-playing class. We are not exactly inexperienced in this because we do it during laboratory sessions. What made this time different is its emphasis on how to teach potential clients a certain skill or exercise. We were exposed to more challenging cases thus, getting our thinking gears working as to how to facilitate learning. Assigned to be the PT, it exposed me again to the difficulty of adapting to a client; which made me realize the import of being able to think on my feet and reacting quickly to a situation.

Next was the video critiquing wherein I reflected on how I taught a simulated client. This was a good way to look at my way of teaching – from the outside looking in – therefore helping me recognize my good points and those that needs improvement. Although still amateur "teachers", it was nice to know and recognize one's own abilities. Not wholly dwelling on the mistakes but also appreciating the good points was a good way to encourage oneself to do better.

Lastly was the yoga session with Ma’am Rotor. Despite my body getting stretched to its limits, I cannot help but be in awe of her way of teaching. If there’s one thing that got me interested and focused on the session is that she exuded confidence in her knowledge regarding the exercise. That sureness in one's own knowledge can go a long way in making the learner feel safe, that they are in good hands. 

As a future PT practitioner, these would be essential as I get to interact with clients in a teacher-learner setting. I learned the importance of knowing and understanding a concept well. If I fully know what it is I am talking about, teaching it would come naturally. So is the ability to adapt the teaching style in relation to the learner. Individualized teaching. Keeping these in mind and also remembering that being a teacher is an integral part of the profession, with the help of those introductory activities, it made me think that teaching might not be so scary after all.