Transcript Document

Here to Stay:
Faculty-Student
Relationships
facilitated by
Ginny Hronek
As a result of attending this workshop,
participants will be able to :
• understand some factors related to why students leave
college and why they stay in college
• explore ideas to create conditions that promote student
retention
• identify what faculty can do to support satisfying student
relationships
• describe how to practice dialogue, rather than monologue,
to achieve greater learning and promote student-faculty
relationships
• apply activities to promote a learner-centered environment
“People don’t leave companies,
they leave bad bosses.”
76% do not communicate their real
reason for leaving.
Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, 1999. First, Break All the Rules: What the World's
Greatest Managers Do Differently.
Why do students leave
college
before earning a degree?
• Inadequate funds
• Credit card
addiction
• Too much partying
• Relationship
trauma
• Family matters
• Poor academic
preparation
• Distaste for lecturepaper-exam grind
• Lack of connection/
feel isolated
• Unmet expectations
• Lack of respect
Factors affecting attrition
that may be in our control
• Unmet expectations
• Lack of connectedness
• Lack of respect
Learner-Centered Culture of
Accountability
An environment in which people
want to work and learn
Learner Centered Culture of
Accountability
Focus on meeting students needs through:
• streamlined student delivery of services
• a full range of student-centered
learning environments and activities
• accountability and responsibility for
results
Accountability Model*
Other-Directed
Self-Directed
Authority
Autonomous
“I Have to”
Comply
Resent
Rebel
Resist
I’m Not Responsible
Belief
Attitude
Reaction
Feeling
Behavior
Like a Victim Get Revenge
•Keith Ayers, Integro Learning.
“I Choose to”
Agree
Disagree
Accept Consequences
I am Responsible
Accountable
A learner-centered culture of
accountability
is grounded in
trust
The Elements of Trust™
• Acceptance... people are respected for their
contributions, differences are valued and
leadership is shared
• Reliability... people can count on each other
for support, keep their commitments and
strive for excellence in what they do
TM Keith Ayers, Integro Learning.
The Elements of Trust™
• Openness... we exchange information,
discuss feelings and opinions and do not
keep secrets
• Straightforwardness... expectations are
clear, disagreements are discussed and
resolved and individual performance is
discussed and agreed on
The Elements of Trust™
• Acceptance
• Reliability
• Openness
• Straightforwardness
Culture is formed by
Behaviors
Beliefs
Attitudes
Feelings
Trust
Creating a culture
of accountability:
making connections
Three critical "connections" that
need to occur with students at
the outset of a course:
• student-instructor connection,
• the student-student (peer) connection
• student-course (subject matter)
connection.
Student Instructor Connection:
Know Yourself
How are you perceived by
students?
Annoying Behaviors of Faculty
Gonsalves, Sonia. What you don’t know can hurt you: student’s
perceptions of professors annoying teaching habits: College Student
Journal, 9/1/03.
• Disorganized teaching
• Talk too fast/too slow
• Monotone
• Degrading students
• Lack of interaction
• Lack of enthusiasm
• Not available outside class, do
not show up for office hours
Annoying Behaviors of Faculty
Gonsalves, Sonia. What you don’t know can hurt you: student’s
perceptions of professors annoying teaching habits: College Student
Journal, 9/1/03.
•
•
•
•
Unclear assignments
Opinionated
Reading from book or notes
Keeping class overtime
(disrespectful)
• Too much overlap with book
• Unfair testing/grading
• Talking to the board/pacing/staring at
students
?
Seek regular feedback
• Take a pulse
• How I am doing?
• More of / less of?
?
Know your students
Name tents or Name tags
Photo op
Best vs. Worst Learning Experience
Best
Reflect on a learning
experience when the
concept or skill really
clicked, when you
were motivated to learn.
Identify the characteristics
of the experience that
supported the learning.
Worst
Reflect on a learning
experience when the
concept or skill just didn’t
click., when you were not
motivated to learn.
Identify the characteristics
of the experience that
de-motivated the learning.
Student-course connection:
know learning styles
• develop an understanding of various
models that will help you understand
how students learn
• determine strategies and techniques
for including course materials in a way
that takes multiple styles into account
Models of Learning Styles
• Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorTM
• Kolb/McCarthy Learning Cycle
• Felder-Silverman Learning Styles Model
• Grasha-Riechmann Learning Styles
• VARK: - Visual, Auditory , Reading/Writing,
Kinesthetic
• Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
Input Preferences
VARK*

Visual



Auditory Read/write


Taste
Smell

Kinesthetic
*Fleming, Neil. VARK, A guile to learning styles: http://www.vark-learn.com
See slides 67-70.
Gardner’s Model of Multiple Intelligences
8 Pathways to the Brain
Process Preferences



Linguistic Interpersonal
%7
>
Kinesthetic
Logical/Math

Musical

Intrapersonal
Naturalist Visual/
Spatial


Adapted from Howard Gardner’s Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, 2000.
Create opportunities for
success!
• Frame the course in positives
• Communicate expectations
(different from “rules”)
• Design an early “win”
• Build complexity of skill
development, projects
• Recognize & reinforce
Give ‘em an “A”
• On first day of class, ask
students students to write a
letter in past tense on how they
earned an “A”.
• Periodic 1-on-1 review
Coach rather than tell
Don’t tell students something you can ask
them.
“How do you think that can be
accomplished?”
“What may be getting in the way
of achieving the goal?”
“How can you do this differently?”
Challenge mental models
“Mental models are deeply
engrained assumptions,
generalizations, or even pictures or
images that influence how we
understand the world and how we
take action.”
- Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline
VII
IX
SIX
IX6
• What was necessary to come up with the
answer?
• How did the presentation of this exercise
influence what you saw as a solution?
• How does presentation of data influence
what students see?
Applying the Skills
The Story
Statements about the Story:
Answer True, False, or Unknown ?
( T , F , ? ) 1. A man appeared after the owner turned off the lights
in his store.
( T , F , ? ) 2. The thief was a man.
( T , F , ? ) 3. The man who appeared did not demand money.
( T , F , ? ) 4. The store owner scooped up the contents of the cash
register and sped away.
( T , F , ? ) 5. Someone opened a cash register.
( T , F , ? ) 6. After the man demanded money and took the contents of
the cash register, he fled.
( T , F , ? ) 7. Even though there was money in the cash register, the
story does not tell how much.
( T , F , ? ) 8. The thief demanded money from the store owner.
( T , F , ? ) 9. The story tells of a chain of events that involves only
three people: the store owner, the man who demanded
money, and a police officer.
( T , F , ? ) 10. The following three things happened in the story:
someone demanded money, a cash register was
opened, and a man fled from the store.
Statements about the Story:
Answer True, False, or Unknown ?
?
1. A man appeared after the owner turned off the lights
in his store.
?
2. The thief was a man.
F
3. The man who appeared did not demand money.
? 4. The store owner scooped up the contents of the cash
register and sped away.
T 5. Someone opened a cash register.
? 6. After the man demanded money and took the contents of
the cash register, he fled.
T 7. Even though there was money in the cash register, the
story does not tell how much.
? 8. The thief demanded money from the store owner.
? 9. The story tells of a chain of events that involves only
three people: the store owner, the man who demanded
money, and a police officer.
? 10. The following three things happened in the story:
someone demanded money, a cash register was
opened, and a man fled from the store.
*
Climbing the ladder of Inference
Take actions
based on conclusions
Draw conclusions
based on assumptions
Make assumptions
based on meaning I add
Reflective Loop
Add meaning
to selected data from experiences
our conclusions &
actions affect what
data we select
Observable data
(things I see & experience)
next time
Climbing The Ladder of Inference
Actions
“Don’t give them assistance. Limit
availability. Be terse,no empathy.”
Conclusions
“These students aren’t serious learners.”
Assumptions
“These students won’t do well. They’ll come
running to me for special assistance.”
Reflective Loop
Experiences
“Students who arrive late don’t perform well.
They expect you to help them out at the end
of the term.”
Observations
“A group of students
consistently arrive late to class.”
our conclusions &
actions affect what
data we select next
time
Not Getting “Stuck” on the
Ladder:
Skills for Dialogue
Reflection
Advocacy
Inquiry
Reflection: Becoming aware of your thinking
and reasoning.
“How have I arrived at this?”
“Explain to me how you see it that way.”
I. Reflection: Reflect on your thinking to deal with
the tendency to resist, withdraw, insist, demand.
Examine where you may be on the ladder of inference.
Reflection occurs throughout the dialogue.

What has led me to think / feel this way?
 Why didn’t I say what I was thinking?
 What assumptions am I making about…?
 What are the costs of acting this way?
 What are the benefits?
 What prevents me from acting differently?
Not Getting “Stuck” on the
Ladder:
Skills for Dialogue
Advocacy: Making your thinking and
reasoning visible to others.
“This is how I see it.”
Advocacy:
Making thinking process visible (walk up the
ladder of inference slowly).
What to do
What to say
State your assumptions, and describe
the data that led to them.
"Here’s what I think, and here’s how I
got there.
Explain your assumptions
"I assumed that…."
Make your reasoning explicit.
"I came to this conclusion
because…"
Explain the context of your point of
view: who will be affected by what you
propose, how they will be affected and
why.
"To get a clear picture of what I’m
talking about, imagine that you’re the
person who will be affected…
As you speak, try to picture the other
people’s perspective on what you are
saying.
Advocacy
(continued)
Publicly test your conclusions and assumptions.
What to do
Invite others to explore your thinking, your
assumptions, and your data.
What to say
"What do you think about what I just said?"
or "Do you see any defects in my
reasoning?" or "What can you add?"
Avoid defensiveness when your thoughts
or ideas are questioned. If you’re
advocating something worthwhile, then it
will only get stronger by being tested.
Reveal where you are in your thinking.
Defuse opposition.
"Here’s one aspect which you might help
me think through…."
Listen and stay open, and encourage others
to provide different views.
"Do you see it differently?"
Not Getting “Stuck” on the
Ladder:
Skills for Dialogue
Inquiry:
Seeking to understand others’
thinking and reasoning in a nonadversarial way.
“Explain to me how you see it that way.”
Listen:
• to others
• without resistance
• to yourself – be aware of thought
• to your reactions – pay attention
to emotions
Listening is not waiting for your turn to talk!
Inquiry:
Ways to ask others to make their thinking process visible.
What to do
What to say
Find out what data others are operating
from.
"What leads you to conclude that?"
"What data do you have for that?"
"What causes you to say that?" (Be
aware of tone of voice; defensive).
Use non-aggressive language,
particularly with people who are not
familiar with these skills.
Instead of "What do you mean?" or
"What’s your proof?" say, "Can you
help me understand your thinking
here?"
Draw out reasoning. Find out as much as
you can about why they are saying what
they ‘re saying.
"What is the significance of that?"
"How does this relate to your other
concerns?" "Where does your
reasoning go next?"
Explain your reasons for inquiring, and
how your inquiry relates to your own
concerns, hopes, and needs.
"I’m asking you about assumptions
here because…"
Compare your assumptions to theirs.
What to do
What to say
Test what they say by asking for
broader contexts, or for examples.
"Can you give an example…?" "How
would your idea affect..?" "Is this
similar to …?"
Check your understanding of what
they have said.
"Am I correct that you’re saying?"
Listen for the new understanding that
may emerge. Don’t concentrate on
preparing to destroy the other
person’s argument or promote your
own agenda.
Opening Lines
When…
Strong views are expressed without any reasoning or
illustrations…
you might say…
“I’d like to understand more.
What leads you to believe….?”
The discussion goes off on an
apparent tangent…
“I’m unclear how that connects
to what we’ve been saying. Can
you explain how you see it as
relevant?”
Two members pursue a topic at
length while others observe…
“I’d like to give my reaction to
what you two have said so far,
and then see what you
and others think.”
Applying the Skills
• Ask students to compare and clarify assumptions
about each other, the course, the instructor, with you.
• Sit in pairs and have one person state an assumption
and the other person respond. The assumption does
not have to be negative. The other party will refute or
confirm the assumption.
Examples: “I assume you like this class because
you frequently asking questions.”
“I get the idea from what you say about
your last school that you are satisfied with
this school. Is that right?
Apply Dialogue Skills in
Learning Communities
Establish and support informal
learning communities to promote:
- Student/faculty dialogue
- Faculty dialogue
- Faculty-administration dialogue
"Once a group has achieved community, the single most common thing
members express is: “I feel safe here.”
M. Scott Peck, M.D.
Create and support
Learning Communities*
• A learning community is an alternative form of
education directed by participants, not a designated
instructor. It can occur in many forms such as online,
or small groups meeting face-to-face. Generally, a
learning community commits to regular meetings and
format for discussion, dialogue and growth. Groups
may consist of all students or a combination of
students and faculty. Importantly, there is a common
goal and collaboration. Learning communities are
particularly effective for group learning projects.
*Wilson, Brent & Rider, Martin. Dynamic Learning Communities: An Alternative to
Designed Instructional Systems. Available online at:
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/dlc.html
Suggested activities to further
promote a learner centered
environment
Get and keep attention!
• Start or interject the class with fun facts, humor, or a
brain twister.
• Example: What is peculiar about the number
8549176320?
Hint:
- You need no mathematical skills to solve the problem.
- Each digit is used once.
- The sequence of the numbers is significant.
Silent Start
Objective: Apply critical thinking skills and prepare
for discussion.
Materials: Paper, pen
•
Start the class with a brief writing assignment by posting 2-3
questions.
•
Give students 5 minutes to write responses.
•
Group students in pairs or triads for discussion. Allow 6-8 minutes.
•
Facilitate discussion. Compare and contrast responses. Summarize
and bring to closure.
Examples:
-
What is feminism? Are you a feminist? Why/why not?
-
Should grades be eliminated and replaced with a pass/fail system?
Why/why not?
Partner Progress
Objective: Compare information, share ideas;
opportunity to assess.
• Depending on the nature and time frame of the class, ask
students to turn to one another (online - exchange emails)
and compare notes or exchange any questions or concerns
about the class content.
If the class involves skill application, i.e., draw, design, etc.,
have students assess each other’s work with predetermined
criteria.
• Give them 3-5 minutes.
• After this activity ask what they learned about the content or
another person’s perspective.
• Ask what questions they have as a result of the partner
exchange.
Summary Swap
Objective: Summarize a segment of content and
identify key learning points.
Materials: Index cards or student’s paper
•
After a period of time, roughly 10 minutes, in class or lab, ask
students to summarize the key learnings from that segment of the
class.
•
On an index card, or sheet of paper, they are to put their name at
the top. Use only one side to record the summary. Take about
two minutes for this.
•
Ask everyone to stand up and exchange the card with someone.
The person who received the card will read it over and add
anything they think is important that the card “owner” may have
left out.
•
Exchange cards 2-3 times with different students.
•
Direct everyone to return the card to the “owner.”
•
Ask for a volunteer to read their summary and what was added to
the card.
•
The cards make a great tool for review.
Activate the concept
Objective: To strengthen learning by acting out the
concept
Physically acting out a concept may be a more effective and engaging for
students than simply reading or hearing about the concept. The example below
was used in a research methods class. It can be adapted to many different
concepts and learning environments.
Learning objective: Distinguish between independent and dependent variables. Identify
possible antecedent and intervening variables.
1)
Have the entire class stand in a group.
2)
Pose the following research question: What is the correlation between sex of the driver
and being stopped for speeding?
3)
Advise students to first identify the independent variable (sex of driver), the attributes
of that variable (male/female), and the dependent variable (stopped for speeding).
4)
Next, tell the students that they need to actually show how we would research this by moving
around the room. Ask, “What would you do first?” Here the students need to
divide into the two attributes, male and female.
5)
State, “Now that you are in two groups, what is the question?” (Who has been stopped
for speeding?)
6)
This activity can go on as you ask students to identify possible antecedent and
intervening variables.
7) Ask if correlation implies causation.
Props
Objective: Learn an abstract with a tangible
Materials: Miscellaneous props
• Roll dice or flip a coin to teach probability. Have students
work in pairs or small groups with dice to experience this
first-hand.
• Use candy to show measures of central tendency. Jelly
beans or M&M’s work well with this activity. Give pairs or
groups of students candy and “data.” They are to use the
candy to depict a bar chart, histogram, polygon, etc.
• A human histogram or scatter gram can be created by
asking students to position themselves in the room as if
each person were data.
When we teach, we learn
Objective: To reinforce learning by teaching to a
peer
•
Advise students that they are to select one concept, skill, formula, etc.,
from what has been covered today, to teach to a classmate.
•
Allow about 3-4 minutes for preparation. The teaching should only take
2-2.5 minutes each.
•
Pair students for the “teach/learn” activity. They may select their own
partner or you may ask them to pair with someone they don’t know, or
haven’t paired with previously.
•
Give then some directions to begin, i.e., the person whose first name
begins first in the alphabet. Tell them they have 5 minutes total for both
students to teach and ask questions. Advise them when half of the time
has elapsed.
•
Ask: What was difficult about this activity?
What was easy or fun about this activity?
How did the teaching reinforce the learning?
Teaching is the highest form of understanding. Aristotle
References
•
Buckingham, Marcus & Coffman, Curt, 1999. First, Break All the Rules: What the
World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, New York: Simon & Schuster,
•
Doyle, W., & Rutherford, B. 1984. “Classroom research on matching learning and
teaching styles.” Theory Into Practice, 23, 20-25.
•
Felder, R.M. , 1996. Matters of Style. ASEE Prism, 6(4), 18-23).
•
Felder, R.M., & Silverman, L.K. 1988. Learning styles and teaching styles in
engineering education. Engineering Education, 78(7), 674-681.
•
Fleming, Neil. VARK, A guide to learning styles: http://www.vark-learn.com
•
Gardner, Howard, 2000. Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st
Century. New York: Basic Books.
•
Grasha, A.F. (1996). Teaching with style: A practical guide to enhancing leaning
by understanding teaching and learning styles. Pittsburgh: Alliance Publishers.
References
•
Grow, Gerald O. (1991/1996). Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed. Adult
Education Quarterly, 41 (3), 125-149. Expanded version available online at:
http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow.
•
McKeachie, W. (1994) Teaching tips: A guidebook for the beginning college
teacher (9th edition). Lexington, MA: Heath.
•
McKeachie, W.J. (1995). Learning styles can become learning strategies. The
National Teaching and Learning Forum, 4(6), 1-3.
•
Oxford, R., Ehrman, M, and Lavine, R. 1991. Style wars: Teacher-student style
conflicts in the language classroom. In S. Magnan, (Ed.), Challenges in the
1990's for College Foreign Language Programs. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
•
Wilson, Brent & Rider, Martin. Dynamic Learning Communities: An Alternative to
Designed Instructional Systems. Available online at:
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/dlc.html
Visual Learners Prefer

• Visual materials (e. g., pictures, charts)
• Description of images
• Color to highlight important points in the text
• To take notes or illustrate idea
• Study in a quiet place
Auditory Learners Prefer
• Discussion

• To make class presentations
• A tape recorder during lectures
instead of taking notes
• Read text aloud
• Analogies and story telling
• Mnemonics and musical jingles to
aid memorization
Reading/Writing Learners Prefer
• Detailed note taking
• Essay exams
• Printed materials (e. g., handouts,
texts, lecture notes, lists)
• Articulation and full sentences
• Independent study



Kinesthetic Learners Prefer
• Hands-on, moving around, touching
objects
• Doodling
• Take frequent study breaks
• Inconsistent eye contact
• Chew gum/listen to music while
studying