Karen J. Trout Teaching and Pedagogy
Education Portfolio
This portfolio embodies my teaching philosophy, showcasing my commitment to fostering creativity and critical thinking. Explore my journey through innovative learning technologies and continuous professional development geared towards enriching student engagement and understanding.
Teaching Philosophy
My Aspirations, Goals And Objectives
As a teacher, my aspirations are to instill a love of learning into my students. I will convince my students to step away from distractions and read. Critical thinking is a compelling skill I will teach. I have found meaningful paths to successful outcomes which I hope to transfer as knowledge, wisdom and discernment.
I think that the classroom could most benefit from being set up into group workstations, each with a power port and monitor for students to plug in their laptops. These workstations will be a hub for creative group project work. Student groups will have access to a working document that they will all contribute to, eventually assembling a group product as well as individual report-outs. My role will be to assign parameters, rubrics, and provide clarity, guidance and inspiration for projects.
My classroom will have a large video screen up front to watch presentations that students create, as well as other short instructional videos. I will begin each class with a few minutes of questions and responses. I want to connect with my students by revealing information about myself, as well as obtaining reactions and opinions from my students. In a lecture situation, I will have everyone listening while typing or writing notes at their workstations. There will be a conference style meeting table so that groups can gather and discuss their projects without monitors and computers in front of them.
In the event that I teach online classes, I have found weekly zoom meetings with quick assigned breakout groups to be very helpful and fun. As we gather back into one zoom meeting, interaction between students and teacher is dynamic and flexible. Calling on various students to express their ideas is a great way to get to know each other and experience diverse opinions. Students have so much to offer, it is my goal to extract opinions and knowledge from each student. This helps people to be more comfortable with public speaking and interaction. My students will walk away from each class with a developing sense of purpose, tools to complete the projects I assign, and a buoyant sense of hope for the future. The knowledge they gain will be focused and measurable. At the conclusion of each term, my students will be able to discuss what they have learned with their peers outside of class. It is my hope to inspire the development of future generations of teachers by helping them learn to love academics.
Methods
Project based learning is very dear to my heart. I have found it to be a wonderful way to learn and opens new doors of knowledge for students with every hour they work on their projects. Small, medium and large projects are each effective in their own way. The human brain makes connections that commit knowledge to long term memory as learnings are associated with the various elements of a project. This can be achieved both singularly and in a group. Both are effective, yet in different ways. Learning from each other, students gain social acumen as well as new skills and perspectives.Teaching students to speak publicly without fear is a heartfelt goal. As someone who stopped being able to breath in my first speech to a class as a freshman in college, I want to help others who feel this way. I have found through many college classes that watching TED talks are particularly helpful for students to learn how to speak. In addition, video production is a big learning opportunity for students. Having these creative tools in this digital age is a great asset. Researching in conjunction with video making is a wonderful permanent way to achieve long term memory solidification as well as meaning making.
Student Understanding
Grading against a class syllabus including an established rubric for each assignment is in my experience most effective. Tests seem to be a stressful way of measuring learning. Cramming for a test for a few hours beforehand does not commit the material to memory. It is my opinion that project based learning that can be evaluated in a holistic manner is the most effective way of transference of skills and meaningful learning. In addition, I am a proponent of assigning papers to describe learning outcomes from reading. This encourages students to read the material and write down their thoughts. This practice forms long term memories. Assigning the creation of videos about a variety of topics enables the mastery of subject matter as well as use of creative tools. In person presentations as well as online video presentations are both effective. In fact, presenting one’s own videos to an in person class can reduce anxiety and help the student articulate more skill levels than might otherwise be apparent.
Improvement
Considering student evaluations will be important for seeing my teaching effectiveness through my student’s eyes. Effective teaching encourages feedback and trust. Preparation and knowledge of both the curriculum and a solid lesson plan framework will certainly prove to be critically important for my teaching success.
Additional Considerations
Teaching is important to me because I have built my life around continuous learning. I enjoy working with fellow students and teachers as well as researching independent projects. Having participated in hundreds of classrooms as a college student, I have benefited from online classes as well as in person classes. My favorite experiences used projects that included building a framework and proceeding through a variety of steps to achieve the final project and presentation. In order to maintain positive relationships with my students and colleagues, I intend to use the full scope of my Psychology Bachelor of Science degree. Supporting these relationships with a servant attitude and caring for each individual is my goal. Humility is a critical factor in psychological relationships. This attitude will enable confidence and trust to flourish.
Conclusion
I am excited to continue the journey of a lifelong learner. Now I have come to a place where I will be thrilled to fulfill my dream of becoming a professor. There is so much I can learn while I journey along this hallowed path. Diligence and unwavering focus on the tasks ahead will be my mission as I seek to develop my abilities as a teacher.
List Of Classes I Am Prepared To Teach
Explore a diverse range of classes taught by Karen J. Trout, designed to inspire creativity and enhance communication skills. From beginner to advanced levels, each class offers a unique learning experience tailored to individual needs.
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Introduction to Communications: Fundamental concepts of human interaction and meaning-making.
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Public Speaking/Oral Communication: Developing effective public speaking skills.
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Interpersonal Communication: The study of how people communicate in personal relationships.
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Media and Mass Communication: Analyzing media's role in society and how mass media works.
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Computer-Mediated Communication: Exploring communication through digital platforms.
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Communication Research Methods: Learning how to conduct research in the field of communication.
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Small Group Communication: Examining how communication functions in small groups, according to LACC.
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Argumentation: The principles and practice of making arguments.
Classes I have observed in the process of developing my teaching skills
Communications 100
Speech
Visiting Professor Lecture on C.S. Lewis's Eschatological Platonism
Art Therapy webinar
Sample Lesson Plan
Corporate Crisis Communication Lesson Plan
Subject: Creating a corporate crisis communication plan
Course: Crisis Communications – For use in an introduction to creating a communication plan in a corporate crisis scenario
Theory: A corporate Communications Professional must be prepared to activate the correct timing and actions for appropriate communications in the event of a crisis. It is important to determine the pre-established steps for a successful collaborative plan of corporate internal and external communications.
Topic: Preparation and Planning
Lesson #1 60 minutes
Overview: This lesson will highlight the importance of preparation in effective messaging during a crisis, and how to develop the actionable steps for framing messages that instill confidence and trust.
Out of class work:
Please read:
https://francescopecoraro.com/handling-crisis-communication-with-grace/
https://francescopecoraro.com/?s=High-Stakes
From the perspective of a communications officer, research and complete a draft of a corporate crisis press release for a company.
Materials Needed:
PowerPoint: Crisis Communication
Preview next lesson: Building on the concept of planning effective messaging, students will learn about communicating in a corporate crisis situation and how pre-planning can be an effective technique to prepare in advance of a crisis.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this lesson, students should be:
Familiar with the steps required to establish a professional communications crisis execution plan
Be able to draft a crisis response corporate press release
Be able to synthesize basic details about a crisis incident into a succinct and effective message.
LESSON PLAN
Activities:
- Lecturette on crisis preparation slideshow. (10 minutes)
- Have students write down a corporate crisis with 5 crisis “points” on a piece of paper and turn it in to the teacher. The corporate crisis will be randomly drawn as the subject of the “crisis game.” The teacher will notify the class in advance what the chosen crisis is. (5 minutes)
-Role play in class “crisis game” teacher pre-assigns student roles as C Suite officers, CEO, COO, CFO, General Counsel, Director of Risk Management as well as Director of Communications. The CEO reads the Crisis points out loud to the class. The team has a “dramatic play” meeting in front of the class to determine next steps in a crisis communication plan. Each player should try to act out the perspective of their particular position. The team establishes 5 actionable items for delivering a unified message. (20 minutes)
- Afterwards the class responds with critiques and ideas to improve reactions. 20 minutes discussion with teacher asking prompting questions.
Homework Assigned: Write a public press release regarding this or another crisis. This will be turned in online.
- Close: Announcements for next class, reminders on upcoming assignments (5 minutes)
About
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Karen J. Trout
Resume
Summary
Dedication to operational excellence is the cornerstone of my professional ethos. An unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction has fostered a reputation for meticulous attention to detail and superior service in a competitive landscape.
While supporting the Clorox Professional Products division, I operated the logistics of our bi-weekly leadership team meetings, which included creation of agendas, collecting pre-reading, packaging meeting documents, and archiving minutes and decision documents. I collaborated on department budgets and managed the department procurement account and reconciled multiple expense accounts.
Calendaring, email vetting, travel planning, budgeting, office management, and purchasing are a few of my skills. I am experienced at supporting the C suite and board of directors, general counsel, finance and accounting, applied technology, engineering, product supply, professional products, and research and development.
Education
Gonzaga University, Master’s degree candidate, Leadership and Communication Studies 12/2026
Biola University, Rosemead School of Psychology. Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology, Theology Minor. 12/2024
Experience
Self-employed Hospitality Specialist
November 2017 – Present
A careful and thorough organizer, I plan for excellent engagement with all guests, communicating reservation details and ensuring an excellent customer experience. I manage all day-to-day operational aspects of the business including customer service, unit preparation, and maintenance.
Administrative Professional - The Clorox Professional Products Company
May 1999 - October 2016 (17 years 6 months)
Assisted the Clorox Professional Products Healthcare and Cleaning Marketing and Sales Divisions, coordinating leadership team meetings, including scheduling, agenda, and pre-reading packages. Manage complex calendar schedules and organize large-scale off-site events. Budget analysis and planning, Travel arrangements and expense reporting. Computer support and troubleshooting. Welcome and mentor new hires into the division, coordinating onboarding schedules.
Client Relations Executive at Creative Learning Systems
February 1997 – April 1999 (2 years 3 months)
Develop relationships with school district superintendents throughout the U.S. Maintain and work sales database, travel for in-person sales relationship building and development, educational sphere trade show planning and attendance. Present multi-function learning system computer labs to middle school and high school technology teachers and administrators. Support fulfillment of request for proposal (RFP) bids for CLS labs in school districts across the U.S.
Executive Assistant at Biomagnetic Technologies, Inc.
November 1992 – January 1997 (4 years 3 months)
International travel arrangements, meeting planning, clinical trial patient coordination and travel, marketing support, patent support, calendar cross functional support.
Executive Assistant at KPMG Peat Marwick, San Francisco/San Diego/LA, CA
August 1989 – July 1991 (2 years)
Support International Tax Partner in Charge, Tax document and advice transcription, corporate tax return packaging, travel arrangements for partners and staff, calendar support, client meeting support and planning.
Skills & Expertise
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Website management
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Event planning
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Consumer products
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New employee onboarding
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Customer insight
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Operational excellence
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Continuous improvement
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Customer service
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International relations
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Strategic sourcing
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Budget
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Logistics
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Inventory management
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Vendor management
Karen Trout's Teaching Portfolio
FOCUS
Innovative Teaching Methodologies
My pedagogical approach emphasizes hands-on learning, encouraging students to explore their creativity through various artistic mediums. By integrating technology into the classroom, I strive to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment for all.
Teaching Technologies:
Canvas
Blackboard
Microsoft Suite
Google Suite
Zoom
Wix
WordPress
Adobe Creative Cloud
Collaborative Learning Environments
I believe that collaboration is key to effective learning processes. By fostering collaborative projects, I encourage students to learn from one another, enhancing their communication and teamwork skills along the way. This results in a richer educational experience.
Professional Growth
Continuous improvement is essential for educators. I commit to attending workshops and conferences, ensuring my teaching practices remain current and impactful. This dedication to growth not only benefits my students but also enhances my professional journey.
