Thursday, September 29, 2016

Instructor Development Workshop from North Carolina Real Estate Commission

     I know why I was there.  I am not sure why the other dozen people were there.  I was there because I was issued a North Carolina real estate instructor's license from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission on May 1, 2016.  This is a temporary license.  In order to turn my temporary instructor license into a permanent instructor's license, I have to submit an hour long video of me teaching and have it approved by the staff of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.
Ron Climer At First Real Estate School, Hendersonville


     Apparently, my thirty years of teaching real estate pre license classes in Florida has not prepared me for the real estate instructor licensing process with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Apparently my 25 year  membership in Toastmasters www.fourseasontoastmasters.com has been no help.  Apparently, all those Google reviews on my website don't mean much. 

     The staff of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission has rejected my third video submission.  They say that I am not worthy to hold a North Carolina real estate instructor license.  After December 31, 2016, I will not be able to renew my temporary license.  If you need more detail, read my previous blogpost.  http://rondclimer.blogspot.com/2016/09/my-process-to-get-my-north-carolina.html 

     Bruce Moyer sent me my third rejection letter.  He suggested that I enroll in the Instructor Development Workshop from the North  Carolina Real Estate Commission on September 27th.  I signed up. 

     The purpose of this workshop is to teach me to teach the North Carolina way.  More specifically, " The North Carolina Real Estate Commission created this instructor development workshop to enhance N.C. approved instructors and School Directors' ability to provide quality and effective real estate educational programs for N.C. consumers and licensees." 

     The objectives of the workshop are  to:
      1.  explain research based methods of educational instruction
      2.  identify effective strategies for dealing with multi generational students
      3.  describe how items are developed for license examination

     Our workshop began with an explanation of performance based teaching vs. mastery goals teaching.  In performance based teaching, students learn just to pass a test or win an award.  In mastery goals teaching, students learn just for the pleasure of learning .  The purpose of the workshop is to teach instructors how to instill the desire in our students. 

     I was trying to figure out how to instill the desire for mastery in myself.  I already considered myself an excellent instructor by any standard except the video evaluation of the staff of the N.C.R.E.C. I just wanted to learn how to "pass the test" and get my hour long real estate teaching video approved and get my permanent license. 

     At the workshop, the instructors explain the difference between passive learning and active learning. 

      Passive learning is where the student just sits and listens to the instructor.  Maybe the student asks a question once in a while.  Last month my tailgate would not open on my 1993 Ford pick up truck.  I went to You Tube.  I put "repair tail gate on 1993 Ford pick up truck"  A video came up.  I passively watched that video.  I fixed my tailgate.  If it ever breaks again, I will know how to fix it. 

     Anyone that is soon taking the North Carolina real estate exam can go to You Tube and passively watch my videos on how to do any of the math that is on the exam.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxc4SZ1CW1w    If you want to practice passive learning, watch my videos.  Some of my old ones from Florida have been watched over 50,000 times.  Maybe some people like that teaching style for learning how to fix tailgates and do real estate math etc.

     Quote:  "Active learning is a process where by students engage in activities, such as reading, writing, discussion or problem solving that promotes analysis, synthesis and evaluation of class content.  Active learning is , in short, anything that students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor lecture. "

     At the workshop, they showed us a video of a TED talk by Salmon Kahn.  It was a lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl-9AhJFh-U  about teaching for mastery.  It was excellent. As I watched this excellent video, I noticed that Mr. Kahn stood within a five foot square the entire time he was speaking.  I liked that.  Some people think you are more effective if you walk all over the stage.  Every one has an opinion. 

     At the workshop, we learned to assess student progress throughout the course.  This was no great ah ha for me.  I have always done that.  Many times through the years, I have handed a failure notice to a student.  They said ."I knew I was going to fail.  I did not study."  It was seldom a surprise to me either.  A good instructor knows.  The instructor may or may not be able to solve the problem.  The student can almost always solve the problem, if they will. 

     I was hoping I would learn how to instill desire in students when there is none at the workshop.  The student has to have the desire.  If I could learn how to create desire, I suppose I would be a sales manager instead of a real estate instructor.  Did you read my watermelon article?   http://rondclimer.blogspot.com/2016/09/lots-of-lessons-learned-in-watermelon.html     

   We were taught, at the workshop, how to relate to multi generational  learners.  This was presented at the workshop like it was a new problem that just started last year.  When I was thirty years old, I was teaching real estate classes to multi generational learners.  The boomers were the young folks in the room then.  Today, the boomers are the old guys in the audience.   A humorous video from Cam Marston was shown at the workshop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl-9AhJFh-U  to help us understand the generations. 

     I hope my fourth video that has already been sent to the N.C.R.E.C. is approved.  If not, I certainly hope I learned enough at yesterday's workshop to make an acceptable video that will be approved.  I confess that I was a performance based learner at the workshop.  I just want to "pass the test"  I will consider this time and effort worthwhile when I have my permanent instructor license.

     The staff of the N.C.R.E.C.  also taught us about the North Carolina real estate exam.  Did you know that after every question, you can leave a comment?    I DID NOT KNOW THAT.  Neither did any other instructor in the room.  I am going to teach my students to leave a comment, "Ron taught us that"  after the questions that they are sure they have correct. 

     If you are a  North Carolina real estate instructor, I would highly recommend the Instructor Development Workshop put on by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.  www.ncrec.gov

     Pray for my approval.  It is subjective.  www.firstrealestateschool.com

1 comment:

  1. Sorry to hear about the challenges with the Commission.

    You are right that you cannot instill a desire to learn in a student. Lack of student desire to learn the material can only be overcome by the student.

    Me personally, I don't think the problem is that an instructor failed to motivate the student. I think students just don't have resources once they get out of class, when they're doing their homework. There are a lot of students who just don't learn that well with the book and their own devices.

    If they could simply have their instructor sit down with them until they got it, they'd be fine, but, nobody's got that kind of time.

    More instructors should take a look at what Ninebricks is doing, they help instructors to make video courses so that their students can have other options besides just the book. Now the student has got the next best thing to a private tutor helping him at all times. Video works.

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