I'm First! Supporting First-Generation Students

submitted by Elisabeth Fredrickson, Associate Dean for Instruction at EdCC

Recently, I listened to a Teach Better Podcast episode on Inclusive Teaching with A. T. Miller, director of Cornell’s Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives. The episode focused, in part, on the valuable perspectives that first-generation students bring to the classroom and on practical strategies we can use to help level the playing field for them.

Financial obstacles and lack of family support are common among first-generation college students. But these students share other characteristics as well.

First-generation students . . .	We can help by . . .
often have more life experiences than the prototypical college student. They have had to figure things out for themselves--and have gained some wisdom in the process.	treating their experiences as an asset. Give them an opportunity to write, speak, and build projects around their lived experiences. We can also help by framing their past experiences as an advantage. They have done hard things and learned new skills before, and they can do it again.
may not speak the insider language of the institution: program, dean, prerequisite, syllabus, objective, transfer.	interpreting the language for them and creating motivational syllabi that are welcoming and inclusive.
might feel alone, or suffer from “imposter syndrome.”	identifying first-generation faculty on campus and providing opportunities for students to network with those faculty. Cornell’s “I’m First!” campaign identifies faculty who were first-generation college students themselves, so that they can be positive examples and mentors to first-generation students.
might struggle in self-selected, unmonitored group work. When students pick their own groups or teams, academically-advanced students may partner up and rush ahead with the project, while less confident students, including those with limited English proficiency, may find themselves grouped together, with less collective knowledge between them than other groups have.	ensuring every group has a confident person who can provide leadership and direction, and by creating clear rotating roles to ensure that less-confident students don’t always get stuck in lower-level “task” roles, like being the notetaker or timekeeper.
may not feel comfortable asking their instructors for extensions, even in the case of family emergencies. In fact, they may not be comfortable asking for favors from authority figures at all.	“practicing paradox,” (clear deadlines, plus reasonable flexibility) and by reaching out to first-generation/non-traditional students who are falling behind and explicitly offering an alternative deadline schedule.

 

Helping Students Develop Mastery

submitted by Peg Balachowski, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning at EvCC

Do you believe in coincidences? In the space of 1 week, the same idea appeared in three different places. The first place was on a whiteboard in a classroom that I was visiting. The second place was in a chapter of “How Learning Works” that we were reading for a faculty group meeting, and the third place was in an article from Faculty Focus, one of my favorite blogs.

How do we move students from not knowing what they don’t know to mastery? We know that an activity based classroom where students are practicing skills leads to mastery, but does that alone work? There is lots of disagreement on how much activity is necessary – in general most (certainly not all) people agree that an 80% - 20% activity/lecture model is best for moving students towards mastery. But we don’t just make mastery happen with classroom activities.

Let’s look at the visual in How Learning Works. What are some of the ideas in between the stages listed below?

One important suggestion from the authors of How Learning Works is to help students begin seeing patterns. The authors tell us “…because experts immediately recognize meaningful patterns and configurations based on their previous experiences, they are able to employ shortcuts and skip steps that novices cannot.” Something that I suggest that my math students use is to ask, “Where have I seen that before?” This will help students build their knowledge base AND potentially transfer their skills across disciplines.

An important warning that these authors have for us is to beware the “expert blind spot.” I myself have fallen prey to this, both inside the classroom and out! A great example the authors provide is how a chef might teach a novice to cook; yep, that was me trying to teach my son how to roll out pie dough! Test the consistency (what is that, mom?) Use a little ice water (how much, mom?) In a math class I often assumed knowledge that students didn’t have. “Add these 2 equations” (what’s an equation?) or “If a train leaves the station going…” (Why is this important/relevant to me??)

It’s tough to get to the middle of a term and find that students are struggling with the material in your class because they didn’t have the background knowledge or the necessary skills to build the current knowledge. One tip you might find useful is to use a short first day assessment to determine where students are in terms of the skills necessary for your class. This may help you determine where students are on the mastery scale.

Ambrose, S.A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M.C., Norman, M.K. (2010). How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Dealing with the Dip

submitted by Elisabeth Fredrickson, Associate Dean for Instruction at Edmonds Community College

When I was teaching, a colleague and I had a longstanding tradition of checking in with each other during the seventh week. This was our time to commiserate over what we called The Seventh Week Blues--that feeling of frustration that students just weren't getting it, coupled with the sudden impulse to redo everything for next quarter.

It helped to talk about it. The feeling would pass, and reason would prevail. I learned to make small adjustments quarter to quarter and save the major overhauls for summer.

I didn't realize what a common feeling this was among teachers until I read Bonni Stachowiak's blog post, The Dip. She compares the rhythm of the school term to Tuckman and Jensen's stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Then, she notes that teaching seems to involve a little extra storming (stress and frustration) just before the adjournment phase--both for students and for teachers. For some students, this is the point where the choices they have made throughout the quarter, or the setbacks they have experienced, have finally caught up with them, leaving them (and perhaps you) feeling discouraged.

If you don't experience The Dip (aka, The Seventh Week Blues) then lucky you! But if you do, it may help to know that it's normal.

If you want more than just reassurance, Stachowiak offers some concrete strategies for keeping your spirits up during The Dip. She provides tips on keeping an "encouragement folder," communicating proactively with students who are trying to renegotiate their grades, and injecting a little humor (used appropriately) to lighten the mood.

Introducing Brigid Nulty

Brigid Nulty is the Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at Shoreline Community College

What do you like most about your job?
 
It’s early days, and not only am I new to this role but the role is new to the campus. I’m excited for the work, and faculty really seem excited to have me here. I have often said that I care deeply about student learning, and express that by caring about and investing in teacher learning – I want to help teachers help students. It’s a treat to finally have that be my full-time professional work.

 



What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

1)    Meet people where they are, and capitalize on what they care about
2)    Admit and accept imperfections and constraints, but don’t be defined or hobbled by them
3)    Strive for excellence, but don’t let the pursuit get in the way of actually getting something done
4)    (Bonus) Assume Best Intent in others

What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
 
I am a dog-person. I just joined a board for a community center. I volunteer with a couple of organizations. I’m a career recreational soccer player (30+ years of being a hack). I spend a lot of time with other people’s kiddos.

Are you messy or organized?
 
I try to be organized, but entropy often wins the day.

Do you have a favorite newspaper, blog?
 
So many! Some blogs relevant to this group: Prof Hacker, MindShift, Faculty Focus, Agile Learning (Derek Bruff), Computing Education (Mark Guzdial). I also skim the Chronicle when I can, and Change Magazine, as well as Inside Higher Ed.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?
 
Maybe to have been in the front row of Barack Obama’s (first) inauguration.

What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
 
My dog!

Best childhood memory?
 
Growing up in an incredibly diverse hometown with a famous folk festival and Fourth of July parade.

If your house was burning down, what’s the one non-living thing you would save?

Ack, this question causes me anxiety!

Top 3 life highlights? (I have two)
 
The good fortune to have had many trips abroad

Having a community of loving friends and family who inspire me

Retreat…or Advance?

Submitted by Peg Balachowski, Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning at EvCC

I just returned from the Winter Assessment, Teaching and Learning (ATL) retreat held every quarter at the Rainbow Lodge in North Bend, WA. The Lodge is in the shadow of Mount Si near North Bend, and on Thursday afternoon as we were working in our small groups we looked out onto the grassy area behind the Lodge and saw 2 elk grazing. It’s a wonderful place for our state-wide group of faculty professional development folks to grab a little time for our own professional development and talk about teaching and learning at our different colleges.

The dictionary defines retreat (v.) as the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy, and (n.) a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy. Certainly our time together at the Lodge includes time for both of these. We retreat from our computers, the fast paced every day duties, the traffic, and find a place where we can have real conversations with our colleagues.

Maybe we should call this an “Advance,” defined as (v) to move forward, to improve, to promote, or (n) to increase in value, to improve or make progress, to grow in importance. Our discussions provided an opportunity for us to advance our understanding of what happens in the professional development and teaching and learning centers on the various campuses, and among the workgroups we discussed outcomes assessment, new faculty orientations, and faculty competencies. We also wondered if we should pursue becoming a Council within the SBCTC system. Together we were able to do some sense making of the issues that face our complex system of 34 community and technical colleges, each with a different culture, and potentially resolve some of those differences to ensure both faculty and student success.

Want to know more about ATL retreats? Check out the SBCTC website and learn how you can be involved!