Assessment is tricky business. There are so many different options to use in trying to assess how much the students have learned. And I just have to say, that grading is not one of the favorite parts of being an instructor. I have been teaching for a long time. I have tried several different ways to assess the students in my courses. What I have found to have made the biggest impact on their learning of, and retention of, mathematics, has not been my change in how I assess, but how often I assess. It isn’t unusual, in mathematics, to have your pass rate fall within the (50-60)% range. After having assessed basically at the end of chapters, 16 years ago I switched to assessing every week in many of the courses I teach. These are major assessments not just little quizzes. After this change I noticed a pass rate that was 20 to 35 percentage points higher than before. Here is an example, my college algebra course went from 55% to 80% pass rates on average with just this simple change. I’ve tried collecting Homework, daily quizzes, collaborative activities, large group projects, working at the board, etc. and none of those had the impact that this did. The biggest change wasn’t necessarily that the students were learning more but that more students were learning. The big change I saw was that the withdraw rate went from around 40% to 10%. I don’t know if this will happen in every subject or every different course within a subject area but I have seen it work for all of the courses I teach (intermediate algebra, college algebra, pre-calculus, and calculus 1 2 and 3). Give it a try if you haven’t ever.
Relevant, Student-Driven Teaching
Those of us who are very fortunate to have a variety of cultural representations within our classroom brick-and-mortar walls, it is imperative to give each and every one of those students a teaching voice. Not only will the teacher/professor become worldly and culturally enlightened by primary human sources, even more importantly, the peer students will be learning first-hand from native, first-generation immigrants and newly arrived refugees. We need to value and empower our precious human resources, the richly evolving cultural diversity molding moment-by-moment in America’s ever-changing society. As a developmental English and English as a Second Language college professor, I am very proud and honored to be facilitating cultural enrichment within the Maricopa community in Arizona. I encourage all teachers across America to capitalize on their human resources, which are richly present in their classrooms.
Keys of Leadership
Today’s leaders have to be more cooperative and transparent than ever before. How many of us have lived through scandals involving leaders at all levels? How many of us have lost faith in some form of leadership–local workplace leadership and local, state, and national political leadership? I’m sure we could all make a list of leaders who have fallen short. Why do some leaders cause their people to lose faith? Why do some leaders fail?
Looking at successful leaders, it’s easy to see why they have remained trustworthy and admirable. Michelle Obama said, “When they go low, we go high.” Leaders go high without letting injustices off the hook. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” went high, but he still shared his disappointment with fellow clergy and white moderates for their indifference. Interestingly enough, the second sentence of his letter reads, “Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas.” While this might seem like he turned a deaf ear toward critics of his vision, instead he explains that he would not have time to get the “constructive” work done if he responded to those opposed to him and his methods. He listened, but he maintained his vision and continued his work toward justice.
In education today, we have to continue to work toward what is best for our students even in the face of criticism, sometimes disguised in the form of budget cuts or other subtle acts of devaluing education. Educational leaders continue on. Classroom instructors continue on. When the noise gets too loud, we focus even more intently on our classroom and students because this is the daily work that really matters–helping students progress toward their dreams and goals.
Finally, leaders emphasize input and cooperation from a chorus of voices. It’s tough to know which words any of us say that may open up a great idea or shut down dialogue–though it’s a bit easier to figure that last one out. Being authentic and kind allows all of us to take more risks. In taking risks, we are able to achieve beyond what was thought possible.
Life Lesson
Way back when, half a lifetime ago when I worked in a lab, I learned the lesson of follow through. Or to be more exact, I learned the consequences of not following through. Let me clear up your confusion by sharing some back history.
My mother and most of my family go to a doctor in my little hometown, I will call him Dr. Big Stuff. I never cared for Dr. Big Stuff, I just couldn’t relate or talk to him, ever. I think it’s important to be comfortable with and able to talk with your doctor, to share intimate details about yourself. Not going happen with Dr. BS. I was a young adult when I realized I didn’t have to see him, I could choose to see someone else, which is what I did. Dr. BS discovered this fact one day and he was never nice to me again, not that he ever was in the first place. I worked in the local hospital and had many occasions to interact with him. He treated me with barely veiled contempt. Whatever. The fact that my Mom and family were his patients didn’t give me a pass. Nope, I had rejected him, HIM, and deserved his contempt. Again, whatever.
One day I received a call from his office nurse who phoned in a lab order for one of his patients. I quickly jotted it down, and instead of going to the front office and filing the order, I shoved the paper in my pocket, I would do it later. Procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate. I was a procrastinator from way back. To be fair, I wasn’t such a procrastinator anymore and was very busy, running my fanny off that day, but I should have filed it right then and there. I didn’t.
Back in the day we wore paper lab coats and they got gross, covered in all manner of body fluids. Can you say DNA? The following day I was wearing my shiny new, clean lab coat, going about my business when it hit me. I remembered the lab order from Dr. BS that I had shoved in my pocket and neglected to file. It was gone, still in the pocket of the lab coat I threw in the biohazard trash at the end of my shift. Horror! I struggled to remember the patient name and orders, but of course, that was also gone. Nothing for it but to suck it up and phone his office to beg Sue (his nurse) to forgive me, pull the chart, and repeat the order. It really was no biggie, not really. So who do you suppose answered the phone when I called the office? Why, Dr. Big Stuff, of course. And heaven only knows why, I still question it to this day, but he was delighted to hear from me! He was so pleasant and kind, downright cheery. Until I confessed my sin of not following through and throwing away his lab order. His voice got really flat and he handed me off to Sue as quickly as possible. I know my face was burning with shame. Seriously? It was not a big deal, not really, an honest mistake, but it was a big deal to me.
What is it about shame that teaches us (me, for sure) some very valuable life lessons? I need to search psychology books on this phenomenon, it’s kind of fascinating to me. I swore that day to always follow through and try my very best to complete a task as accurately and quickly as possible. And for the most part, I do a decent job with follow through. When asked about qualities I consider most valuable in colleagues, I always reply with the practice of follow through, it’s right up there for me. It tells me that my request and time is important, that the person who follows through cares about me and my needs. Or the needs of our students and colleagues.
I learned a painful lesson that day, but it has stuck with me through all of these years. I am grateful to Dr. Big Stuff. He was a player in an interesting chain of events that reinforced a quality I hold most dear. Our relationship has mellowed over the years and grown to one of mutual respect. I email him for news of my mom’s health, and he always follows through, replying to me very quickly. Thank you, Dr. BS, I appreciate you and all you do for my mom. Thank you for teaching me this valuable life lesson.
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
It is simple to say, “Be kind.” It takes more work to apply it. It takes even more work to synthesize it (Right, CRE Learning Community Colleague Sherry? I’m bringing in my Bloom’s here.). One way I think about crafting my skill of kindness is to think of myself, thanks to Carol McCloud’s work and my first grader, as either a bucket filler or a bucket dipper. A bucket filler is a person who practices kindness by proverbially filling people’s emotional buckets. The best way to fill a bucket is by being kind. Listen. Give a compliment. Show gratitude. Of course, the yang to this cheery yin is the gloomy bucket dipper. A bucket dipper is someone who empties other people’s buckets by saying or doing cruel things.
A moment of authentic kindness functions as a salve to soothe emotional shards of absolute grief, frustration, sadness, desolation. Despite this, research shows that our brains pack boxes of negative memories and associations, because of their impact, for safe-keeping more frequently than those that are positive. I believe that seconds of genuine kindness can reverberate, sink in, sponge through the bones eventually attaching themselves to our long term memory, and begin to overlap or push over and supersede the negative.
At the end of the day, we are in the work of helping people and doing what is best for students. When you have the choice to fill or dip, I hope you decide to fill and pass it on.
Facilitating Classroom Leadership
When asked to comment on instructor leadership techniques, I immediately self-reflected upon the many leaders and teachers who regularly attend my classes. No matter what age my students are, I view all of the participants as teachers. Learning is most powerfully committed to memory not by just viewing and listening to the instructional input, but rather by teaching another learner the skill or knowledge set will solicit about 90% retention of presented material. Hence, cooperative learning has become very common place within American classrooms ranging from preschool even through the university platform. Considering the heavy influences and integration of various technology devices, I question whether or not learning will be enhanced or diminished through lessened physical face-to-face interactions. Network connectivity is a progressive technological phenomena and possible teaching pedagogy, which will enter the performance educational psychology domain in the near future.
Video Investigations as Assessment
Sian (left) and Merry (right) at SCC Tech Talks 2017
On January 27, I attended TechTalks at SCC and watched Geology faculty Sian Proctor and Merry Wilson present their talk Video Investigations: Students Presenting Their Understanding of Our World. From their abstract (scroll down the linked page a bit to read it in full):
Video investigations are a unique way of having students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of complex topics and establish accountability in an online learning environment.
I love this idea for assessment in an online class. Merry assigns 4 video investigations per semester, while Sian assigns them weekly. Their students:
- receive specific guidelines for each assigned video investigation
- see an example video made by the instructor
- get a link to the free Screencast-O-Matic.com
- do not need to be given instructions on how to make a screencast – they figure it out on their own
- create 1- to 5-minute videos to show knowledge, demonstrate mastery or reflect on course topics
- embed their videos into Canvas Discussions to share with the rest of their class
Photo of presentation slide on the Design of Video Investigations
Sian and Merry had some goals in mind when they designed the video investigation assignment. One goal was having a way to be sure the students were actually the ones submitting the work in an online environment. A video submission goes beyond plagiarism detection via Turnitin, because you are hearing the student’s own voice, and possibly even seeing the student via webcam. Another goal was to cut down on grading time. You can grade a 5-minute video in 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how much feedback you write per student. Other goals included increasing student engagement and learning retention.
Being top-notch scientists, Sian and Merry gathered data about their students before and after introducing video investigations into the courses they teach. If my memory is accurate, they found students tend to report they enjoyed the topics where video investigations were assigned more than the topics that did not involve a video investigation. Students also felt more of a sense of community, because they saw and heard each others’ faces and voices as they shared their videos. The process of creating video also built up the students’ information literacy skills over the course of the semester.
Photo of presentation slide on Engagement and Literacy
I’ve used video in the classroom as a student and as an adjunct, and I can confirm that having students produce short videos is an excellent learning and engagement tool. If you would like to learn more, reach out to Sian and Merry, or contact me in the Center for Teaching, Learning and Engagement for more information.
Choosing Your Side – Everyday
Still behind on Write 6×6 posts, but not giving up.
People this past week have been writing about kindness, and the opportunity to be vulnerable, as it relates to their work in teaching and learning. Ann Riley wrote about noticing the connection between kindness and vulnerability and challenged us to be the first make eye contact and to say hello as we walk around campus. That’s a challenge I issued to myself at the start of the semester this year.
Often when I smile and say hello to someone I don’t know, I am ignored. And that’s ok. It doesn’t feel great, but I know that I tried and will try again.
Just as often, I receive a silent smile back, or maybe a returned “hello” or “good morning.” That’s nice and makes me smile.
But I feel like the real opportunities are when I see something I can do. When I ask someone with a confused expression if I can help, and I end up spending five minutes walking them to the right building and finding out someone’s name or what they’re here to study. Or when I open a door for someone loaded down with books, and see that they look surprised and grateful.
A lot of students tend to open doors for me, and I always express my gratitude. But I am really enjoying when I find a true opportunity to be on a stranger’s side. I feel like I have to be very observant and alert in order to make it happen.
So far this semester, instead of just helping students find the room they say they’re looking for, I’ve made sure several of them know how to search the GCC website to find their teachers’ office location and office hours. I taught one student how to read the campus map. I helped a Muslim woman locate a few private options for one of her daily prayers. I made time to get to know an older gentleman who I see regularly on campus.
I’m feeling that so much of the time, it’s easy to focus on my own immediate goal, where I’m going, what I need to do next. But it’s so much more rewarding to observe the people in close proximity and look for opportunities to be on their side for a few minutes. And this is a daily choice. Whether I’ll be on my side only, or let go of what I need at a certain moment to make sure I’m on their side when they could use a hand. Focusing only on myself makes me feel like a drone. Being on their side makes me feel like a human being.
Kindness = Benevolent = Our focus at GCC
I like the different definitions behind the definitions. Here’s what I found when I looked up kind and it took me to benevolent:
1. characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings: a benevolent attitude; her benevolent smile.
2. desiring to help others; charitable: gifts from several benevolent alumni.
3. intended for benefits rather than profit: a benevolent institution.
I especially like the expressions goodwill; desiring to help others; and intended for benefits rather than profit.
That certainly sounds like GCC to me! We are always looking out for our students. When I updated my Canvas announcements for the week, here’s what I included today:
Campus Resources
Glendale Community College is focused on student success, and today’s announcement contains resources that might be helpful to you or someone you know.
GCC Food Pantry
9 a.m. – Noon
Student Union – Room 123A
February 15, 2017 and
Every Wednesday Campus is Open
Students can visit and select up to five non-perishable food items.
No ID or paperwork required.
This project is made possible through a partnership with the Salvation Army Glendale Corps.
Do you need money for college? Apply online. (Links to an external site.) There are also workshops to help you write your applications.
What a great place to teach!
Challenge + Support = Success
Someone once told me that you learn the most from your mistakes. Another wise person encouraged me to find my green lights. A third mentor brought these two words of wisdom together when she shared her expectation that we need to provide adequate support in challenging situations. Throughout my life, I will never forget friends, colleagues, supervisors, family, and faculty who help me live through and become stronger during emotional, financial, interpersonal, and intellectual difficulties.
The way support was offered varied based upon the people, my need, and our relationship. Sometimes it was a brief smile from a stranger when I was walking across campus. Other times, people supported me by telling what I needed to hear but didn’t necessarily want to hear in a kind and gentle way. Still others, helped me embrace my feelings which seemed to be getting the best of me. Sometimes it was about listening. Other times it was about solving problems or figuring out action steps. Regardless of what the person provided, I responded best when I knew why the person was responding to me in a particular way.
At the time I never really thought about how people decided to provide support. I have come to realize there are two different ways, the golden or platinum rule, to respond to others. From a very young age I was taught to treat others how I would want to be treated (the golden rule). This works best when someone is like me. Throughout life, there have been times when I thought I was supporting when I wasn’t. It was through these times I learned it is not about how I want to be treated, rather it is how others want to be treated (the platinum rule).
Looking back, I find myself relying upon the golden rule when I do not know the other person well. In these cases, it is easy to respond based upon how I would want to be helped. Sometimes it is scary to ask what another person needs. At times I have been uncertain on how to ask what a person needs. Sometimes I avoid asking about a need because I’m not sure I can respond. Still other times, I’m afraid to ask because I might identify the wrong need. So the golden rule is safer and works.
The platinum rule – while good in concept – requires connection, risk, trust, and sometimes getting it wrong. The platinum rule takes valuable time. With the platinum rule, I need to communicate my needs to others. I need to give others the space and time to share their needs. There will be times when I ask for something I cannot receive. There will come a time when I am asked for something I cannot do. In these cases, I will learn what is reasonable or doable. I will learn what I must do and how others help. When I am able to practice the platinum rule, I find that connection occurs, service improves, and relationships strengthen.
What will it be for you today? Gold or platinum? Testing Services recently adopted the platinum rule for our team. This means we have spent time defining workplace expectations, discussing individual & group needs and learning about the impact of the “office” on the team. It has taken time. It is an ever-evolving practice and conversation. Just when we think we know everything; new things come up. We are stronger because of the conversations, experience, and memories. We made the change because it provides strength in time of stress or challenge. When we work together, the load lightens.