Sidney

Certified Tutor

Hello,
I am Dr. Sid Vineburg.

I hold a Bachelor's degree from Columbia University in New York, a Master's in Education (Differentiated Instruction of At-Risk Learners) from Marian University in Wisconsin and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Management (With Distinction) from Capella University in Minnesota.
I taught Middle School Social Studies and health for 5 years and was an At-Risk Coordinator for 1 year under my Wisconsin Teaching license. I currently hold a Professional Educator License from the Dept. of Education in Michigan. I have also taught American History online to students in China.

Currently, I am an online adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University in the College of Education, teaching graduate courses in the Teacher Education program. I am also one of two Clinical Practice Mentors in the College of Education working to integrate the edTPA (Pearson) assessment into the Student Teaching course. I have taught a variety of courses in the Program, including the Student Teaching course. I am also a Faculty Supervisor (Student Teacher Supervisor) for Grand Canyon University and for Western Governors University.

Having taught the same material in both ground and online environments, there are some principles of teaching that remain the same no matter what the modality. First, timely and frequent communication with students is essential to the learning process. In the online environment, this means individual questions and comments need to be answered within 24 hours, 12 if possible.
Communication also needs depth, which is why instructors should participate in the course discussion in meaningful ways. Course discussion is one of the few methods of actual teaching in the course room, and should not only share the instructor's experience, but resources such as scholarly articles, videos and alternative opinions. An instructor should be present in the discussion at least 4 days per week.
A second opportunity for teaching is the feedback that is provided for student work. Feedback needs to be holistic. It should consist of discussion about the topic and contents of student work, along with an assessment of grammar and a takeaway, something the student can do to ensure progress at a higher level in the class. Feedback should begin with the mention of something the student did well, and then move into areas for improvement. Feedback should be gentle, never sarcastic and always professional.
Differentiation, which is at the heart of what I teach my students, should be modeled in an online course also. Rather than assigning papers exclusively, students should be able to express their learning in other ways. PowerPoints are common, but I would also like to see student videos, posters and perhaps even group work, if the platform allows.
Finally, it is very important to remember who our students are. Most are non-traditional, many are career changers. Therefore, it is important that instructors understand that these students already have a great deal of knowledge and experience. This makes them different than the average college student. We need to respect their experience and build upon what they already know. Our students can also make unique contributions to the class by sharing their learning and accomplishments with each other and the instructor.
As an instructor online for the past 3 years and an on-campus instructor for 20 years, I have learned to interact with my students as a guide and mentor. The keys are communication, differentiation and respect. As a teacher, instructor and professor, I am guided by the following quote attributed to Albert Einstein:
"Education is not the learning of facts, it's rather the training of the mind to think."