Ten random (and great) tips from our OT community

You will see in previous posts that I have grouped many of our tips into themes...but this week it's all about random little gems that have come from our very own OT community.  In no particular order, I present you:

Ten random responses to, “what would your students say if I asked them what makes you a great educator?”

I remind the student that my ease/knowledge (or whatever the student calls it) comes from years of practice.   Time and practice are all that are needed to make a student into a clinician.

I wonder if it is simply that I love what I do and that I learn something new every day.  My take home message is that I hope students see that where there is passion/commitment and willingness to learn you will become a better clinician.

I challenge students to consider what they want to get out of their fieldwork experience.

I remind myself that I can learn valuable things from my students; I have them take on the role of educator!

I encourage independence and debrief re: the experience; independence is the most significant facilitator to building confidence I have seen in my students.

I ask for feedback and questions! Students may say they don't have a question about a certain situation, but I often find they're just processing what's going on and may have questions later.

I focus on their strengths as I think if they feel confident in one area, it will help boost their confidence in areas that need work.

I try to remember that I’m not necessarily evaluating a student to do my job; I am evaluating their ability to demonstrate an OT skill set; I align expectations with the stage of learning they are at. 

My thoughts are that they are a person first and a student second.  I try to remember what it felt like to be a student.  Although it was a long time ago, some memories (good and bad) are pretty fresh.  It is not easy to be a student and encouragement is always welcome!  It is intimidating for me to take a student (maybe I shouldn’t admit that?!?) because I question my knowledge base.  So I also try to remember I have a lot to learn from a student too and it is positive experience. 

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I feel very lucky to work in an area I love, and like my job sells itself in a lot of ways! But maybe having a student is a reminder to showcase the work I do as an OT and to celebrate it.

Thank you once again to the nominees to the Fieldwork Roster of Honour for graciously sharing their tips.