It is usually easy to reflect on the things that you have done, nostalgically if not realistically. We talk about all of the books and articles we have read and all of the fantastic concepts we have become acquainted with, recalling bits and pieces of memory and combining them into a recollection of an assignment or course or event. But thinking about the future? That is often harder, at least for me. Where I am going is always foggier than where I have been; I chalk that up to occupational hazard – in my 15 years in the military I have never done the same job in the same place for more than two years (and that was only once). I am quite good at adapting to new situations, but less so at sticking to concrete plans so future learning efforts may very well suffer a similar fate. However, the concepts of leadership and communication, coaching, and flipping the classroom are currently important to me due to career or leisure applicability, both now and in the foreseeable future.
The first of these areas is leadership and communication. Leadership is very important to my current career and I believe it is critically important for teachers and coaches as well. Likewise, communication is a skill that is vital to interactions in all parts of life. For me personally, my leadership experience will be what sets me apart from others new to the teaching career field and, therefore, is a skillset that I want to continue strengthening. One resource that I will definitely be using is the Air Command and Staff College distance learning program. This series of courses is required for Air Force officers at the career point I am currently at; I have already started it and have learned much about leadership and communication already.
Leadership and communication are also very important for coaching. Unlike teaching, I am currently coaching and my secondary area of concentration during my MAEd program was sport coaching and leadership. Continuing to develop my coaching skillset is important to me because I love coaching soccer and would like to continue coaching as my children continue playing the sport; in the future I may even decide to pursue coaching rather than teaching. I am constantly amazed by the variety of challenges that I come across as a coach and I am always on the lookout for new ways to approach familiar content (much like teaching). A resource that will assist me in this area is the United States Soccer Digital Coaching Center. This website is full of free resources to learn about coaching skills, planning practices, and to interact with other coaches. Through e-learning, it is also where the academic courses for coaching licenses are accomplished; these licenses identify which competitive levels a person is allowed to coach at and I will need to attain higher levels if I pursue employment in this area.
Finally, the one education concept that I would like to continue researching during the years until I consider leaving the Air Force is flipping the classroom. I love the possibilities this concept provides for education and would very much like to run my potential future classroom in this way. The Flipped Learning Network is a website founded by many of the teachers that pioneered the concept of flipped learning to serve as a hub for those interested in the subject. It features a wide variety of resources, from articles with tips and tricks, to reviews of products that help implement the practice, to forums that network teachers worldwide to discuss the idea. As it was founded by those that founded the concept, it is the most complete one-stop shop for those looking to learn about and practice it.
Together, these resources successfully span a combination of my needs and my areas of interest. Currently, continuing education in the areas of leadership, communication, and coaching will be important as I continue my Air Force career and my coaching of local soccer teams in my spare time. These concepts will continue to be important into the future as I transition away from the military to a potential coaching or teaching career, with the concept of flipping the classroom being especially crucial to how I would like to run a classroom. I definitely have no clue how the future will play out but for now, at least, I have some sign posts to keep me moving in a positive direction.
The first of these areas is leadership and communication. Leadership is very important to my current career and I believe it is critically important for teachers and coaches as well. Likewise, communication is a skill that is vital to interactions in all parts of life. For me personally, my leadership experience will be what sets me apart from others new to the teaching career field and, therefore, is a skillset that I want to continue strengthening. One resource that I will definitely be using is the Air Command and Staff College distance learning program. This series of courses is required for Air Force officers at the career point I am currently at; I have already started it and have learned much about leadership and communication already.
Leadership and communication are also very important for coaching. Unlike teaching, I am currently coaching and my secondary area of concentration during my MAEd program was sport coaching and leadership. Continuing to develop my coaching skillset is important to me because I love coaching soccer and would like to continue coaching as my children continue playing the sport; in the future I may even decide to pursue coaching rather than teaching. I am constantly amazed by the variety of challenges that I come across as a coach and I am always on the lookout for new ways to approach familiar content (much like teaching). A resource that will assist me in this area is the United States Soccer Digital Coaching Center. This website is full of free resources to learn about coaching skills, planning practices, and to interact with other coaches. Through e-learning, it is also where the academic courses for coaching licenses are accomplished; these licenses identify which competitive levels a person is allowed to coach at and I will need to attain higher levels if I pursue employment in this area.
Finally, the one education concept that I would like to continue researching during the years until I consider leaving the Air Force is flipping the classroom. I love the possibilities this concept provides for education and would very much like to run my potential future classroom in this way. The Flipped Learning Network is a website founded by many of the teachers that pioneered the concept of flipped learning to serve as a hub for those interested in the subject. It features a wide variety of resources, from articles with tips and tricks, to reviews of products that help implement the practice, to forums that network teachers worldwide to discuss the idea. As it was founded by those that founded the concept, it is the most complete one-stop shop for those looking to learn about and practice it.
Together, these resources successfully span a combination of my needs and my areas of interest. Currently, continuing education in the areas of leadership, communication, and coaching will be important as I continue my Air Force career and my coaching of local soccer teams in my spare time. These concepts will continue to be important into the future as I transition away from the military to a potential coaching or teaching career, with the concept of flipping the classroom being especially crucial to how I would like to run a classroom. I definitely have no clue how the future will play out but for now, at least, I have some sign posts to keep me moving in a positive direction.