Page 1
Professional Experience
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare you for the interview process. This task will usually be part of the conversation between you and your prospective employer. You need to have thought about and organized your response to this question.
REQUIRED:
Compose a narrative – (one page is adequate) addressing the following topic:
“How my professional (non-teaching) background has given me a solid foundation for teaching courses in my discipline at the community college level.”
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Page 2 & 3
Classroom Teaching Experience
The purpose of this assignment is to help you organize and present your teaching experience in a manner that is professional and convincing. Your response to the questions below is absolutely critical to your ability to gain a teaching position.
REQUIRED: Write a narrative (one or two paragraphs) on each of the following topics:
“A detailed description of your teaching experience.”
“The most rewarding aspect of your teaching experience.”
“The most challenging aspect of your teaching experience”
“Your instructional strengths (skills you are good at)
The areas you would like to “improve”
NOTE:
YOU CANNOT JUST SAY, “I do not have any teaching experience.”
If you answer in this manner you are doing yourself a tremendous disservice, and probably killing your chances of getting a teaching position.
So, what to do???????????
1. If you do NOT have any teaching experience, your response to these questions is even MORE important
2. You must present a case that demonstrates your commitment to teaching and your ability to respond to the demands and responsibilities of the classroom.
3. Activities that help demonstrate your interest and experience in teaching include your involvement in the following:
-Conducting training in a corporate setting
-Giving music lessons
-Teaching lessons in a church function
-Leadership experience for youth organizations such as Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Junior ROTC, etc.
-Tutoring individuals
-Giving marketing/sales presentations, etc.
-Conducting management analysis seminars, etc.
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Page 4 (Case Study)
Case #2 – The Case of the Textbook Buy-back
As you begin your fall-term teaching assignment at a local community college, you are assigned to an office cubicle that is located across the aisle from the cubicle of a full-time instructor.. You are busy with preparing for the term and occupied with getting your lectures organized and constructing exams for your course. Because you are part-time at this college and you are assigned to an evening class you are not in the office in the morning hours when the instructor across from you is in the office. Consequently, you rarely see the instructor in that cubicle.
One evening, about an hour before class, you are at your desk. A person who is a representative for a book publishing company drops in and pays you a visit. The book rep wants to provide you with “examination” copies of books by several different authors on the topic you are teaching. This is very interesting to you because you have been informed by the Division Chair that you will be allowed to select the text for the course in future semesters. You are very excited and most interested in reviewing a variety of new books to pick the one that best suits your needs. With the interview complete, the book rep gives you a business card and departs. A few days later a box of books for you is delivered to your office.
As the semester progresses, you notice stacks of books piling up in the office across the aisle. Stacks of books up to four feet high begin to crowd the office. Eventually the stacks spill over into the office cubicle (unoccupied) next to that office. Out of curiosity you look over some of the books. They are all new. For some reason, you detect that the books are on a variety of subjects not at all related to the subject the instructor in that office teaches. You are perplexed.
One evening, you get another visit. This time it is from a person who identifies themself as a book buyer. They ask if you have any unwanted text books. Since you have now made your choice for next semester, you confirm that there are three books you do not want. The book buyer looks at these books and offers you $50 for all three. You take the cash and are glad to be rid of the unneeded books. Then, you notice the stacks of books are gone from across the aisle and you remark to the book buyer that those must have added up to a lot. The book buyer says, “Oh yes, over $1,000. That is one of my best customers.” Suddenly, it occurs to you that the instructor has been getting as many books as possible from various book reps with the ultimate intention of selling them for cash.
REQUIRED:
Compose a critique of this situation. In your critique be sure to cover the following points.
ETHICS
1-What ethical issues do you see involved in this situation?
PRACTICE
2-Do you think this practice is acceptable?
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
3-Is there any action that you should take?
PERSONAL CHOICE
4-Would you be interested in following the same course?
