What A Professor At University Of San Diego Wishes They Had Known Before Entering Education
Professor Tito wished they had understood the importance of "modality astute" teaching earlier in their career, recognizing that different learning styles require varied teaching tactics. This realization, gained through experience teaching diverse groups—from short corporate workshops to longer academic courses—allowed for more precise delivery and better achievement of learning objectives.
Teaching Styles, Instructional Strategies, Adult Learning Theories, Classroom Management, Curriculum Design
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Tito Zamalloa
Professor
University of San Diego
Cal Poly Pomona
UCLA MBA
Marketing
Education
Education
HSI Grad, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Understanding different learning modalities is crucial for effective teaching. Different students learn best through different methods (hands-on, group work, lectures, etc.).
2. Tailoring teaching tactics to the specific audience is key. The approach that works for one group (e.g., corporate employees in a short course) may not work for another (e.g., university students in a semester-long course).
3. Experience helps refine teaching approaches. Through experience with different class formats and student populations, you'll become better at identifying and using the most effective teaching modalities for each group.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would've told you before you entered the industry?
That's a good question. Why would I have wanted to learn?
Perhaps the ability to be more modality-astute. Different folks learn in different modalities.
Some, perhaps more in enclosed work groups, with more hands-on application and exercises. So it depends on how they go about the process.
I wish I'd known a bit more about tactics so I could say, "This person or group may learn more this way," to be more effective and deliver the class's objectives. Understanding modalities and finding the right tactics to teach a class, depending on the segment's profile, would have been helpful.
I've done classes for corporate employees, one or two week durations, and then fall semester, quarter-long, month-long. I've been able to be a lot more precise in the delivery approach and what mode works best for the audience. It would have been good to know early in my career.