Tag Archives: Faculty

Write6x6

Disconnected???

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This week is the first time in my academic career that I have officially felt I am having difficulty connecting with my students. I am in my 19th year as a college professor, having started at 27 years old.  I remember starting out, fresh out of graduate school. I was frequently mistaken for a student by faculty members who did not know me. I was able to easily connect with the students as I could relate to much of what they were going through. I longed to be respected by my peers, most of whom were older than I was. I sometimes wished I were older because I believed that if I were older, people would respect me and question me less.

Fast forward to this past week. In my 19 year career I have never been more challenged by students. The students in my classes today question me more than ever, and I don’t understand why. I saw them as disrespectful, as entitled, and as rude. I wondered why they felt the need to verbally share everything they know about a topic as though I am not going to cover the topic well enough if they don’t. I wondered why they act as though the are the authority on everything, as though I am not the person to cover the topics. I even wondered if I was in the right profession anymore. I started talking to my colleagues and found that many of them were feeling something similar, though maybe not as pronounced as I was. It was then that I realized that part of the problem was that I had spent a long time becoming a professor, and preparing myself for class every day, and maybe my feelings were hurt. I felt I was at a crossroads in my career, feeling disconnected from my students.

For the last few days I have been thinking about this, and I have come to the conclusion that I need to re-think my beliefs about my students and my role as their professor. The truth is, they do have the ability to find all the information I share with them on their own. With access to Google they can pretty much cover it all. What I need to do is make sure I am focused as a professor on giving them skills that Google can’t give them.  I can teach them to think like a scientist. I can teach them to be critical consumers of information (so I guess I should be happy they question me?), and I can teach them about integrity and professional responsibility.  Maybe teaching the content is becoming a smaller and smaller part of what I do.

The problem is not that the students are different, the problem is figuring out how to change what I do so that I can be fulfilled by my job and give them what they need. I am not one to engage in edutainment, I am pretty old school when it comes to teaching and I doubt that is going to change significantly. I need to connect what I can offer to what my students need.  If I can do that I can continue to do what I do at a high level and enjoy it. Something for us all to think about.

Adjunct Faculty, Administration, Administrative Services, Write6x6

Simply the Best

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Simply the Best – I’m Naming Names

Who drives you to be the best version of you?

Here is my current top-twelve list of coworkers who push me out of my comfort zone, fire my passion for my field of interest and remind me of my role at GCC. These people probably have no idea that simply by being themselves 100% of the time, they are setting an example and driving people like me to dig down deep and give all of myself all of the time.

In the past couple of weeks, each of these individuals has done something impactful that has helped me reflect on how I can be a better version of myself and ultimately help others to do the same.

Lisa Lewis – She boldly goes where others would falter. She does more work than anyone I know and has never complained once about it. Her work ethic makes me want to work harder. She brings out the best in her students, regardless of their excuses. She sets standards so people will reach higher.

Stephanie Sawyer – She goes and she goes and she goes, and nothing stops her. The ideas keep streaming and she pushes me to think of things in new and refreshing ways.

Alisa Cooper – She makes the most difficult and complicated matters seem simple and achievable. Her smile is contagious and her warmth makes her approachable.

Dr. Kovala – A true leader in a leadership role. I walk away from every encounter with a lesson that can be applied to my life. Just through Write 6×6, I am reminded of the joy of buying a drink for a student and how to be better prepared for a public speaking engagement.

Scott Schulz – A true supporter of dreams. He is approachable and knows when to acknowledge people’s efforts, encouraging self reflection and personal responsibility.

Eric Leshinskie – Willing to help, at the drop of a hat, in matters of grant writing, especially in moments lacking clarity and time.

Tressa Jumps – A real person with big dreams and guts. She is not afraid to laugh at herself. Another living example that it is possible to adapt your comfort zone in order to get the ship going in the right direction.

Mary Lea – The only person I know who can bring calmness and serenity to all circumstances. When life gets stressful, I invoke Mary Lea. She is like a genie in a bottle and always shows up when you need a dose of positivity.

Trisha Thurston – A spirited body who is not afraid of hard work. She brings out the best in people, especially when self doubt is slowing us up.

Nancy Burke – While standing in line at the cafeteria, I observed her as she offered to buy lunch for a member of the military, to thank him for his service. Sometimes we forget to look around and see the people standing in line with us. It’s fun to make someone’s day and take our mind off of our own worries.

Kristin Bennes – She sees a need and she finds a way to make life easier for everyone. She is compassionate and a true listener.

Lindra Fishleder – Game for anything that is going to make a positive difference. Another compassionate soul who builds confidence in others so that they may achieve their dreams without hesitation.

So, who drives you to be the best version of you? Would you be willing to name names?

Who shows bravery when others would throw in the towel?

Who keeps forging ahead despite a million excuses?

Who takes risks in order to help others?

Who sees past self doubt in others and pushes them to be their best?

Who sees a need that nobody else can see?

Who goes at everything with a positive attitude and a sense of humor?

Who sees your abilities and passion before your appearance?

Who finds a way when there is a road block?

Who sends a message of positivity in all of their interactions?

No man, or woman, is an island, and nobody is perfect. By supporting each other and bringing out the best in others, we can spend our days at work the way they are supposed to be spent…filled with passion, living our dream and improving the lives of others in the process.

Don’t see your name on this list? Keep working on the best version of you. You will find yourself on someone’s list!  ;o)

student success

Making the Most of the Last Five Minutes

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We have all been there as a student….the class is close to over; we start gathering materials, opening and closing backpacks, planning our escape as quickly as possible to the door to either run to a next class or sprint to the car to beat traffic.  As an instructor though, these final minutes of class are extremely valuable and we need to think of creative, strategic ways to use that time wisely.

As I wrote in my initial “6×6” post, the first five minutes of class are critical to establishing the purpose and tone for the day.  Similarly, the final five minutes of class are equally important to assess learning and establish expectations for the next class meeting.  Specifically, I believe the final five minutes of class are perfect to administer some type of classroom assessment technique (CAT) to determine, in a low-stakes, low-stress manner, if students learned the content for the day.  A resource I have used and shared with others with much success is “Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Instructors” by Thomas Angelo and K. Patricia Cross.  This resource includes how-to advice regarding implementing classroom assessment techniques into instruction to determine how well students learned material for the day.  The beauty of CATs is 1) instructors receive immediate feedback regarding student learning and 2) instructors can modify instruction based on the results of the assessment to better help students learn.  Personally, I have a few favorites.  I use “The Minute Paper” at the end of class and ask students to respond to two questions: What was the most important thing you learned during this class? And What important question remains unanswered?  I also use concept maps frequently, where students draw or diagram the connections they make between a major concept and other concepts they have learned in the class or throughout the course.

Although I’m more of a dog-lover myself, CATs (in this sense) are something I enjoy and try to keep in my bag of teaching tool tricks as much as possible.  And, they really help to make the last five minutes of class more worthwhile and meaningful for students.

For more info about CATs, visit: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/cats/

Student Engagement, student success

It’s All About Your “Hook”

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As I was choosing new song lyrics for my students to infer as an activity today, I was thinking about how important it is that I ” hook” my students into a lesson, and this requires constant change, as each semester I see new faces…

Coming from an education background, it is still ingrained in my lesson planning that idea of incorporating an exceptional anticipatory set, or “hook.”

I find this step so imperative in activating my student’s prior knowledge/ schema when introducing a new topic.  The change comes when I monitor and adjust the videos, activities, visual aids, and realia I implement each semester as I reflect upon each class. Here are some of my examples:

Video Clips: My RDG 081 students were reading a article on child-rearing styles, and after they read, I chose to have them watch a video clip that  added a different type of style than what the article listed. The feedback from the students was very positive, as the video did a nice job of presenting the attributes of each style.

Activities: For my RDG 091 students I use fortune cookies to introduce patterns of organization and transition words. I have them work in small groups of 4-5, and they have to create a paragraph using everyone’s fortune. This type of application makes them think and builds their collaboration skills.

I also use visual images. A perfect example is when I introduce propaganda…I have the students look at different types of advertisements with a partner, and label each advertisement with a sticky note. This is a perfect introduction, as it is relevant, and makes that connection for them as they then have to transfer this skill  to reading actual text…

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As I plan my lessons….I think ……What can I do to create that spark of interest to engage their minds and curiosity in what they are learning about?

So bottom line is…..Yes, it’s all  about your hook!

 

 

 

Write6x6

What I Do When I Have “A Week”: The Human Connection

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It’s been a week. Not to over-share, but this week I put $3000 into repairs for my car. This did not even fix the A/C blower that still works inconsistently. Luckily, I can get the blower to work if I open the driver’s door while the car is running and then slam it shut really hard. I thank my eleven year-old for helping me figure out that tip.

Also, this week, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and though my family has known for a while that something is terribly wrong with my dad and we weren’t surprised at the diagnosis, I’ve still felt a lot of sadness this week.

In addition, my eleven year-old had a orthodontic installation on Tuesday afternoon, which has now given him a speech impediment. (He thayth hith Th’th funny now.) and a sore mouth. This has made him cranky. He also can’t eat well and has had his fill of pudding, apple sauce, and soup this week.

There are also other stressors on our family plate, like are on all family’s plates, but I’ll spare you those.

So why do I share all of this personal information with people I don’t really know that well? It’s something about that human connection. And that’s the same reason why I teach: for the human connection.

What keeps me afloat in a week like this one? My work. My students. Every day is an opportunity to make a difference in some small way. You have to love a job like that. And I think when I can make a difference, even in a small way, I can step out of my own personal difficulties, even for a little while.  While I’m helping a student edit his essay that’s due that evening, I’m wholly invested in our work in that moment together. Then, I don’t have to worry about my dad or my son or the car.

Furthermore, working daily with my students means that I am reminded daily that everyone has challenges. We just all do. I’m no different than any other person who’s sitting in a chair in my class, except that I have my degree, and I get to use it in a meaningful way. Now, I can help others work toward their goals, despite their personal challenges.  Keeping in mind that we all have difficulties while attempting to achieve our goals means that I can work with students more mindfully.  Like me, like everyone else, they are managing a lot.

Earlier this week, one of my twenty-something year-old students just had surgery to remove thyroid cancer from her body. She emailed me last night to say that the surgery went well but that she is in a lot of pain. I wrote her back and told her to sleep and rest as much as she could. Next week, if she’s able, she can take up her writing again for our course. And then she can use Spring Break to catch up.

Obviously, this student’s  cancer surgery  this week completely pales  my own worries or challenges. In January, she knew this surgery was looming and asked at the beginning of the semester if I would work with her when the time arrived. I said I would. I figure if she wants to continue her education while fighting cancer, she should. In fact, I find her approach to be incredibly brave. It would be easy to give up one’s educational goals in the face of cancer, even if only for the semester.

So I as I teach my students daily, they teach me. And these lessons sustain me–especially through the rough weeks.  And I’m sharing all of this with you, just in case maybe just one of you has had a challenging week, too. 🙂

Adjunct Faculty, Student Engagement, Teaching Ideas

Canvas and Face-to-Face Classes

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When I returned to college-level teaching (after almost 20 years break), I felt intimidated by the prospect of using a Learning Management System. Talk about change … we were just barely using email over dial-up on a UNIX prompt (no web browsers yet) last time I was in academia. It wasn’t the technology that intimidated me – it was the fear of using technology as part of my teaching method. I felt outdated, and out-of-touch with new teaching technology.

I couldn’t have been more wrong! Using Canvas as a part of my class has freed me from creating and maintain spreadsheets, updating grade reports, grading tests, and much more. It has also enhanced the learning experience for my students by allowing them to discuss things online, providing a running tally of the assignments due, and providing grades and feedback as soon as something is reviewed or graded by me. It also allows me to communicate with students on a more real-time framework, and it keeps all the paperwork associated with the class in an easy-to-access, organized fashion.

Here are some of the ways I use Canvas for face-to-face classes:

Gradebook – I love this feature. I can set up weights on grades and offer extra credit without having to do much math at all. After I do a set of grading, I usually look at the overall total for each student to see how they are doing in the class as a whole.

Front Page – I have found a way to set up a table for the course home page that I can update each week. I put some kind of picture that represents the area of study and a quote by someone regarding that area of study. I also have spots for Important Links, What is due in the coming week, and a section for honors. I can also put a big, red announcement across the top of the page to emphasize something important (like test dates, etc.).

Assignments and Rubrics – I set up all assignments in Canvas for several reasons. First of all, I must to that to use the gradebook feature. However, by setting up the instructions for the assignment online, I don’t have to worry about students losing the printed assignment instruction sheet. I also set up rubrics, so when I’m grading, I can remain objective and accountable.  I also ask students to turn in assignments via Canvas whenever possible – I know exactly when an assignment was turned in (late or on time), and I never have the fear of losing someone’s paper. Also, students can’t claim they turned something in when they really didn’t.

Tests – I hate tests. I like to use projects to assess how students are understanding and applying the material, but I also know that tests are a necessary evil. I also like to use interaction, small group activities, and active learning in class, and I feel that class time is better spent in discussion and activity than in taking tests. I set up quizzes in Canvas, and students must take them within a certain amount of time. The time limit prevents them from looking up every answer, so they must know a bit about what we’ve been discussing in class. However, as we all do in real life – if there is something they are blanking on, they can use notes and text to find the answer.  By using this strategy, I have gained three additional class periods that would otherwise be used in testing. … And no more scantrons! Canvas grades them for me, so all I do is look at the statistics in case I have to revisit any of the questions or material later.

Small Group Work – this semester I have assigned small group projects that require a bit of work outside of class. By using the groups feature, students can interact with each other online, which makes it easier given their busy schedules.

Discussions – I use these to make students accountable for preparing for class. I ask them to post one or two things about the reading material, and then comment on someone else’s posts. Then when we use and apply the material in class, they aren’t totally left in the dark, and I don’t have to revert to lecturing.

It’s not a hybrid class, but using the features of Canvas to support my activity in class has opened up all kinds of possibilities to reduce paperwork, but more importantly, enhance student learning. Change, in this case, was good!

Administration, Student Engagement, Write6x6

Ch-ch-ch-changes

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Ch-ch-ch-changes!

The fitness industry is booming these days. What changed, you may ask?

For years, the medical community has been focused on fighting communicable diseases. Vaccines took care of most of these problems. Today we are faced with a more challenging problem…hypokinetic disease…or the disease of inactivity.

The act of sitting too much has made us sick. It is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer, back pain, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and many diseases and disorders related to mental health.

Trillions of dollars are spent on this “sickness” industry each year. I cannot fathom “trillions.”

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Positive change is afoot.

In 2007, the American Medical Association joined forces with the American College of Sports Medicine to ignite an initiative called Exercise is Medicine. (You have probably heard about it because we are embracing it at GCC!) They are simply asking that exercise be recognized as a medical vital sign. If patients are not getting enough exercise (150 minutes per week), they should be referred to an exercise professional.

A long time ago…before times changed…the exercise professional was the person who liked sports and spent a lot of time in the gym. If you had muscle definition, you were considered an expert.

The fitness professional has evolved, thank goodness. We now have reputable organizations that certify and demand excellence through continuing education. Today’s fitness experts have a solid understanding of the skeletal and neuromuscular systems, they understand the inner workings of the heart and lungs, and they know how to fuel the body with optimum nutrition. They can design individualized exercise programs for a variety of populations, they know how to motivate and lead, and they understand their scope of practice within the allied health continuum.

The other thing that changed that has led to a booming fitness industry is the number of baby boomers hitting retirement. Sedentary baby boomers…

This is great news for graduates of the GCC Exercise Science and Personal Training programs who are looking for immediate entry into the workforce. Back in 1985 GCC was one of the first colleges in the country to offer a personal trainer certification. We were innovators on the cusp of a health revolution.

This health revolution is preventative medicine. It is very simple and it does not require any pills. It simply requires that we move more.

What does this change mean to the faculty, staff, students and GCC community? It’s time to “move” in the right direction and stop sitting so much!

Uncategorized

Teaching vs. Learning: Something I Learned

      I can’t recall the particular moment that I learned this.  More than likely the discovery came over time and, like most things we learn, once we learn it, there’s no unlearning or going back.  What did I learn?  That just because I taught it, it doesn’t mean they learned it.  You might be thinking Duh. Believe me, I wish I could have learned this very early in my career, but teaching has really changed over the last 25 years because students and our world have changed.  And I never learned this in my education classes when I was in college.  This was something I learned out of experience and probably a change in state standards, but it did take awhile to sink in.  When it did, my practice changed.
     Now, I teach composition, so there is a significant skill based component to that course.  It’s built for teach, formative assess, reteach and clarify, formative assess, remediate with a few students, assess.  It’s built for returning to concepts, so that the competencies are revisited and revisited, and by the end of the course, students can really bring research and synthesis and citation and format all together to create something of which they can be proud.
     “I taught that” was replaced with “my students learned ______.”

Write6x6

The Pressure is on for English Teachers

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freshmancompI teach English at GCC. Technically I teach Freshman Composition, but we say English when asked what we teach. Composition is writing. This is a very interesting considering I majored in English Literature. You know: Beowulf, Shakespeare, Austen, Joyce and Lawrence. I was never taught to write beyond ENG101 and ENG102 in undergrad, but I was expected to do it in every literature class I took. I eventually graduated with a degree in English Literature. So what kind of job does one get with a degree in English Literature? Education or teaching is the number one option. So here I am, teaching English at GCC.

What you can garner from that short story is that most college students get very few opportunities to learn how to write, even when you are studying to be an English teacher. I eventually earned a masters degree in education where I learned to teach writing, but composition classes prior to that were minimal. That is why ENG101 and ENG102 for our students is so crucial. For most it will be their only opportunity to learn to write for their college careers and life in general. Those important skills they learn in Freshman Composition include:

  • Written and other communication skills
  • Understanding complex ideas and theories
  • Research

So the pressure is on for English teachers – ENG101 and ENG102 teachers. These are important skills that go beyond just writing an essay. We’re trying to teach students to think critically, read critically, research critically, and then write. That’s what makes Freshman Composition challenging for students. For the most part, students know how to write or they should considering they just spend four years in high school learning how to do it. But college writing is different. There’s more at stake considering this may be students only chance to learn these skills. Yet many students don’t see the importance of these two courses. They take it for granted.
As I sit here reflecting and writing, I’m all that more thankful for the English teachers I had at Phoenix College and Yavapai College. Because with out that foundation those instructors instilled in me, I really don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing today. And I don’t just mean teaching English. I mean blogging and writing all over the internet in social media sites, writing emails to my colleagues, and writing in my profession. I’m thankful I have the skills, written and other communication skills, critical thinking skills, and research skills, to do my job and do it well.

Adjunct Faculty, GCC Students, Student Engagement

I’ll miss you when you’re gone

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Most of us who work as teachers find that working with students is the most important reward of the job. I believe it is beneficial to build some kind of relationship with each student in the class to help determine how to best to meet individual learning needs. These relationships are build over the course of the semeseter – and all to often, they end after final exams.

On the first day of a new semester, I often wonder how I will make the class have a cohesive camaraderie, and if it will live up to the one I taught the previous semester, or in previous years. People are often quiet and shy, and are not showing their true colors yet.

I spend a bit of time getting to know them by hanging out before and after class, providing comments on work turned in, walking around and interacting with small group discussions, sending emails regarding missed assignments, and offering help whenever its appropriate. In some cases, students will offer information about themselves – like work scheduling, family obligations, and outside activities. This gives me the opening to talk with them individually about more personal things.

Right around mid-semester, things start gelling, and people are talking and interacting. I know all the names in the class, and I generally know a little bit about each student other than just their student life. They also seem to be more comfortable with each other, and are more willing to contribute in class. The begin forming community.

By the end of the semester, the students genuinely enjoy being with each other. I have bonded with them, and we have a thriving community atmosphere. Often, as we are wrapping up for the semester, I might mention that we only have 2 or 3 class sessions left, and some students are visibly disappointed – and I am too.

Once the class is over, I miss the students. It seems like I only have them for a short time, and I want to know how they’re doing, and what they’re up to.

I am always so happy to run into former students at the college, or in the community. I saw one student in the enrollment center one day, and she emailed me later expressing her difficulty scholarship funding. I was able to share her story with the right people, and she was able to get what she was promised – and it made it possible for to continue going to school. Another group of my former students coordinated their schedules, and are purposefully taking classes together this semester.

Our time in class is short, and I have memories of many students long after the semester is over. I often wonder if our impact on students is limited to the time we have them in class. I know they have impacted me. I would love to see some comments on how others have retained contact with former students.