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Welcome to the CIRTL Network’s Virtual Coffee Hour TEACHING AT A PRIMARILY MINORITY INSTITUTION Tabitha Hardy Keri Mans Imani Goffney Session begins at 12(noon) CT When you join the room please run the Audio Setup Wizard: Tools Menu->Audio->Audio Setup Wizard While we wait for the session to begin, we encourage you to test your mic and webcam If you are experiencing problems and/or have questions, please type into the chat window www.cirtl.net Ways to Interact during the Coffee Hour Discussion • Turn on/off your microphone: • Turn on/off your video: • Raise your hand if you have a question or comment • Use the chat window to add comments, ask questions, or request help www.cirtl.net Relating to my students at a minority serving institution Keri Mans CIRTL Coffee Hour 3 28 13 www.cirtl.net Find common ground • At first glance, students at a minority serving institution might initially balk at finding any common ground with me. However, I focus on my strengths. – I’m young – I like a lot of the same things they do. – I was a first-generation college student, like many of my students are. www.cirtl.net Be “real” • Honesty and openness is the best policy. • Smaller classes make it easier to be more accessible. • Students are sure to see through any façade. www.cirtl.net Getting what I want • Expectations are clearly laid out. • I do what I say I’m going to do, and hold them to the same. • Penalties for missing deadlines are strictly enforced. • Create a classroom environment of inclusion, not exclusion. Respectful discussion is encouraged. • I keep long office hours and online availability to provide extra guidance on difficult topics. www.cirtl.net CIRTL Online Coffee Hour: Teaching at a Primarily Minority Institution Dr. Imani Masters Goffney University of Houston March 28, 2013 7 Why Teach at a Minority Serving Institution? • Opportunity to serve those who have often not been served well so far by public schools • Invest in students are very motivated to succeed for many different reasons • Challenging work that is complex and interesting • Rewarding 8 Opportunity to serve those who have often not been served well so far by public schools • Many students either start out needing to take remedial courses or transfer in from community colleges– need deliberate support to prepare them for university level rigor • Universities need to move beyond recruitment to consider what it takes to help students to succeed • Professors need to broadly consider what it takes and means to be successful in their courses and develop pedagogical tools that will create pathways for engaging in rigorous work for diverse learners 9 Invest in students are very motivated to succeed for many different reasons • Many students at these institutions have encountered a range of barriers to their progress and are highly motivated to succeed • Students want to do well but often don’t know how or when to task for help, but if help is provided they take advantage of it and share that information with others they know face similar challenges • Paying for school themselves and want to maximize learning experiences, not just get an “A”– emphasis on learning and applying what they have learned 10 Challenging Work That is Complicated and Interesting • I like being a “boat-rocker” and challenging conventionally held beliefs about who can and should be “good” in school • Finding ways to help diverse students succeed adds to the knowledge base in our field • Challenges arise often and solutions are not always obvious, creating interesting and engaging opportunities for work 11 Rewarding • Students are often appreciative and grateful for these kinds of learning opportunities • Students often share/ disseminate resources to their colleagues and classmates as a way of spreading a wealth of knowledge • Major contributions to student success and attending to differences in patterns of success and achievement in schools • Equity is achieved when patterns of success are not predicable along racial, cultural, or SES characteristics….. 12 Teaching at a Primarily Minority Institution Tabitha M. Hardy, Ph.D University of Alabama at Birmingham CIRTL Coffee Hour 3/28/13 From Student to Teacher Stillman College Small private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church; Founded in 1876 Require a high school diploma or a passing score on the GED/TOEFL; suggests that the ACT is taken but no set score for admissions Rolling admissions 1072 students enrolled (2011); 47% Male 53% Female Student- Faculty ratio 18:1 Tuition $14,710; Room and Board $7,o56 (2012-13) 95.1% of fulltime students receive financial aid U.S. News and World Report 2013 Benefits of Teaching at a Minority Institution Smaller class sizes and student-teacher ratios Input into departmental and class structure “Family-like” environment Many opportunities for service (i.e. student group advisor) Opportunities for small scale research and lots of willing students Opportunities to mentor students Great place to try out new ideas Good place to explore grants and funding opportunities Characteristics and challenges of Minority Institutions Institutions Typically smaller classes Family environment Close student-teacher relationships Open enrollment Foreign-born faculty Religious influence Cultural influence Challenges May not have access to a lot of resources May not have established community and academic collaborators May not have the infrastructure to support grants and grant writing Salaries may not be as competitive Characteristics and challenges of Students at Minority Institution Students Diverse educational and financial backgrounds Urban vs. Rural Education Likely live within the immediate community 1st generation college students Challenges Value of Education Financial Family Employment Imposter syndrome Inferiority complex Competitive nature Lack of diversity Distrusting of others Minority Institutions: Student Perspective Feel more support at minority institutions because of more facultystudent interaction and more gains in cognitive and personal development. Feel that their needs are being directly addressed Minority students believe that minority faculty members are more likely to instill positive beliefs in their students and can help dismiss the myths and stereotypes of white students. Do not think that majority instructors believe in their capabilities and they have negative and low expectancies Believe that they could benefit from wider diversity, different perspectives, mentorship and cultural enrichment. The Journal of Multiculturalism vol 7 (Dec 2011) Tips for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students Be sensitive to cultural differences Get to know your students Establish a rapport Set your expectations/goals high; communicate expectations clearly Know that each student is an individual don’t make assumptions about different groups (all _____’s are not alike) Be patient Seek feedback often TEACHING AT A PRIMARILY MINORITY INSTITUTION Tabitha Hardy, Post Doc, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Fellow Keri Mans, Post Doc, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Fellow; Imani Goffney, Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Houston www.cirtl.net NEXT MONTH’S COFFEE HOURS BUILDING AN ACADEMIC CAREER SERIES TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE STEM CLASSROOM SERIES Tenure and Promotion: What you should know, what you should ask Fostering Critical Thinking April 17th, 2013, 1-2pm CT April 25th, 2013, 12-1pm CT Facilitated by: Facilitated by: Don Foss, Professor, Dept of Psychology, University of Houston Philip Cohen, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean, Graduate School, Professor, Dept of English, The University of Texas at Arlington Daniel Mosse, Professor, Dept Chair, Dept of Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh Nancy Ruggeri, Associate Director of Graduate Programs, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University www.cirtl.net To sign up to hear about these and other CIRTL events, email