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AU1HOR Roueche, Suanne D., Ed.TITLE Innovation Abstracts: Volume XI, Numbers 1-30.TNSTTTUTION Toxc Univ. , National Inst. for Staff and

Organizational Development.SPONS AGENCY Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, Mich.; Richardson

(Sid W.) Foundation, Fort Worth, Tex.PUB DATE 89

NOTE 62p.

PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) -- Reports -Descriptive (141

JOURNAL CIT Innovation Abstracts; vii n1-30

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Abstracts; Classroom Communication; Community

Colleges; Critical Thinking; *Ins*ructionalInnovation; *Learning Strategies; PersonnelSelection; Scholarship; *Teacher Role; *TeacherStudent Relationship; *Teaching Methods; Two YearColleges

ABSTRACTThis serles of one- to two-page abstracts highlights

a variety of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in thecommunity college. Topics covered in the abstracts include: (1)

cooperative planning for institutional excellence; (2) rewardings;holarship among community college faculty; (3) in-class debates asa learning strategy; (4) instructional approaches for remedialmathematics d English composition; (5) providing incentives fr.faculty publishing; (6) creating supportive environments for changeand for effective adult learning; (7) strategies for helping studentswith declining grade point averages; (8) using a lottery approach toget students to "volunteer" to answer review questions; (9) studygroups and study partners; (10) motivating adult basic educationstudents; (11) helping students prepare for biology exams; (12)goal-setting and goal-using as learning strategies; (13) survivalstrategies for nursing students; (14) faculty hiring practices; (15)using desktop computers and combined auditory, kinesthetic, andvisual learning methods in auto shop; and using computers to recruitstudents for the program; (16) enhancing critical thinking; (17) anexperiment with freshman education majors in a college mathematicscourse; (18) formal program review of student services programs; (19)faculty taking classes from colleagues in other departments; (20)

techniques to help instructors remember names and faces; (21)enhancing teacher enthusiasm; (22) selecting a chief instructionalofficer; (23) freshman orientation; (24) humor in instruction; (25)critical thinking and collaborative learning; (26) a review of themovie "Dead Poets Society"; (27) "Podium," a journal designed topromote educational research in the community college; (28) improvingclassroom communication; (29) staff development through a wildernessprogram; (30) employee orientation; (31) a common-sense approach togood teaching; and (32) the future of writing-across-the-curriculumprograms. (JMC)

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INNOVATION ABSTRACTSVOLUME XI, NUMBERS 1-30

1989

Editor, Suanne D. Roueche

Published by the National Instute for Staff and Organizational Development, TheUniversity of Texas at Austin with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the

Sid W. Richardson Foundation.

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TN";MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

S. Roue?.he

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TO fHE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice or Educational Research and Improvement

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INFORMATIONCENTEER

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 1

.0 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS: /: e I' . I I' .

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Energizing an Institution for Excellence

In the spring of 1984, the president of RiversideCommunity College formed the Strategic PlanningAdvisory Committee, PSPAC (pronounced pizz-pack).Fifty-eight faculty, managers and support staff gatheredtogether to try to answer such questions as: "Who arewe? What's our purpose? Why do we exist? What dowe do well? What is our business?"

The group met each Friday afternoon (yes, Fridayafternoons 'o discuss case studies of successful andunsuccessful businesses. We read John Naisbitt'sMegatrends, George Keller's Academic Strategy and ahistory of our college, written by two Riverside profes-sors.

President Chuck Kane was the "teacher of record" atthe Friday meetings. His presentations includeddifferent audiovisual media: videotape, overheadtransparencies, biackboard, sound/slide, flip charts.Other presenters were expected to follow suit, and mostsessions were exemplars of good teaching.

The president usually opened the Friday meetingswith, "Name one good thing." This created a positive,healthy, upbeat atmosphere. There were some surpris-ing reports, things most people wouldn't have known.The "good thing" accounts often brought spontaneousapplause and encouragement. There was also lots ofhumor, with the president often laughing at himself.Through the process, new and hidden talent appeared,frequently from surprising sources.

Smaller groups of nine or ten, which we called CANGroups (named for a can-do attitude), met for an hourbetween the large-group meetings on Fridays to mullover the discuss on questions on the week's case studyor current topic. Each CAN Group had a CAN Leader,and the CAN Lcaders met with the president onThursday afternoons as his CAN Group. The CANLeaders informed the president about how things weregoing in each of the groups. What was said, rather thanwho said it, was stressed. Individuals' names were notto be used. Of course, not everything went smoothly;some CAN Leaders were having a tough time with afew individuals in their groups, so other Leaderspitched in with suggestions to alleviate tensions andavoid potential problems.

It was our original intention to change the personneland leadership of the CAN Groups about every fourweeks. When we brought it up with the leaders, theyall said, "No way!" Their groups were just beginning tojell, and they didn't want to repeat the courtship period.Gradually, an extremely strong spirit of trust andcamaraderie had quietly developed among the mem-bers of each CAN Group, including the president's.

While the CAN Groups were expected to discussideas and look at concepts from evety possible angle(we called it "looking at the fish" from an article whichdescribed 19th century Harvard professor LouisAgassiz's habit of making his students study a dead fishby the hour, day and week), they were not expected toproduce any product. To produce a product, wedevc,uped "Action Groups." Action Groups weremade up of representatives from each of the six CANGroups. They operated on Friday afternoons and hadto work within very limited and rigid time limits.While philosophical discussions were held in the CANGroups, Action Groups were to quickly create some-thing of substance and to explain and defend it. Forexample, they could be assigned to rank the top fivethings the college does best (from a list of 100 devel-oped by the large group), or list three of the mostimportant things we must do to become a qualitycollege (again from a long list).

Some participants didn't want themselves and thecollege to be compared with businesses. They said a"business mentality" was hostile to academe. "We'renot a business!" they exclaimed. But the complaintsbecame less frequent when we got into our own busi-ness. Almost subconsciously, some newly-learnedbusiness and marketing principles were applied toRCC. We brought in former faculty members who hadtaught in the '20s, '30s and '40s, and they shared storiesof what this college was like in its early years. Weinvited some community leaders who had done infor-mal surveys of what the "man on the street" thought ofour college. We had graduating high school seniors tellthe group why they would no be attending RCC andwhat made another college or university more attrac-tive. Some of their reasons were not flattering, but we

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinED8 348, Austin, Texas 78712

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needed to hear them. Another group of our ownstudents told us why they had selected RCC.

The college had gone through its ten-year regionalaccreditation process the preceding year. Most of uswere weary of writing mission statements and goalsand objectives. So when the president badgered us,week after week, with "What business are we in?", thegroup decided that a one sentence statement about ourbusiness would be far more effective than a paragraphon our mission.

Once we decided what business we were in, westarted talking about values. One of the intriguingdiscussion questions about the three businesses westudied was, "What does this company value?" Onevalue was profit, one was quality, and the other wasservice. What were Riverside Community College'svalues? Not surprisingly, the committee discoveredthat everyor 2 wanted to do a good job. Groundsmenwanted the lawns to be green, mowed and trimmedwith neat shrubbery and fresh, colorful flowers grownin season. Faculty members wanted to be excellentteachers, lucid and able to get their subjects across inan interesting, stimulating manner. Secretaries wantedto turn out work efficiently and respond to telephonecalls before the third ring. Eventually, everyonerealized that students were the fulcrum around whichthe institution revolved. We originally came up withseven values and grudgingly whittled them down tofour. Student centercdnesF became our first value.

Finally, we asked ourselves about our vision. Whatdid we want to be in 1995? Did we want to become thebest community college in Riverside County? Cer-tainly, and we may already be the best!

How about the best in Southern California? Abso-lutely! What about the entire statethere are somepretty good colleges among the 106? Yes! And if webecame the best in California, why not the entirecountry. or for that matter, the world? Well, gosh, geewhiz, why not go for it?!

Eventually, the Action Groups had to make a state-ment about our business, vision and values. While de-veloping one of our values, student centeredness, theAction Groups were asked to complete this sentence:"To achieve student centeredness, we will ...."

As the weeks went by, people began to know eachother, and talk! They called each other by first names.Gradually, they began to realize that they indeed mighthave some say about the destiny of their institution.

Gradually, there was a changed attitudetowardtheir job, each other, the president, the teaching profes-sion. They developed an understanding of the interde-pendence of each job on campus.

There was a kind of euphoria that gripped that firstgroup. We were giant killers. There was nothing thatwe couldn't do if we put our minds to it and workedtogether! We had a vision; we knew what our businesswas. And our four valuesstudent centeredness,teaching excellence, learning environment, tradi tionwould keep us on track!

*Examples of PSPAC's outcomes, listed under the

four values, follow:Student Centeredness Our class schedules and otherpublications no longer have pictures of buildings ontheir covers. The pictures (in color) are of students andfaculty working together, illustrating each of our fourvalues.Teaching Excellence(i) Faculty members were en-couraged to use media in their class presentations. Amedia specialist was hired to work with individualfaculty members.(2) As a result of mixing disciplines within CANGroups, members grew to recognize the expertise offaculty in other areas. Some began to invite membersfrom other departments to lecture to their classes onpertinent topics.Learning EnvironmentPSPAC identified the need toupgrade the condition of all claKzooms. During thesummer of 1984, an ad hoc faculty committee drew upa list of 24 items an ideal classroom should have.TraditionAs a result of valuing tradition, we rein-stated Convocationa college-wide activity whichtakes place during the opening of the Fall Semester.Faculty members, in full academic regalia, lead theirstudents to the quadrangle lawn with pomp andcircumstance, where a distinguished speaker gives ascholarly address on a topic of academic interest.

Note: PSPAC II participants were nominated bymembers from the first. PSPAC III's members wereprimarily self-selected, and students were included forthe first time. Beginning with and since PSPAC III,new faculty have been included. And PSPAC IV meton a different schedulemembership largely wasfaculty whose school schedules prohibited theirattending '.1ri Friday afternoon sessions. PSPAC VII isready to go. Over 300 individuals nave been involvedin PSPAC, thus far.

Evan Vail, Dean, Research and Planning

For further information, contact the author at RiversideCommunity College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, River-side, CA 92506.

Suanne D. Roueche, Editor

January 13, ;989, Vol. XI, No. 1The University of Texas at Austin, 1989

Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 7545 Subscnplions are available to nonconsorbum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once dung the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 2

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUaLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TIDE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT A USTIN,WITH SUPPORT FROM THEjW.W. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

Rewarding Community College Scholarship

Picture this. It is a balmy evening and the city's besthotel gleams with lights. In a second floor room, thecollege president walks across the deep carpet. He isfollowed by the chairman of the college board, and theexecutive director of the state system is already greetingguests. Crystal wine goblets shine from a corner table,and the attendant arranges the last pieces of pineappleon a center table. A reception for foundation donors orstate legislators? Far from it.

Approximately 50 guests arrive. They engagenaturally in the acceptable "reception" format. Thechatter is somewhat normal for such a gathering; butalso it is excited with such comments as "We've neverdone this before," "This is wonderful," and "It's abouttime." A yellow program, printed by the computergraphics students, announces a "reading." At theappointed time, a poetic rendition is delivered by afaculty member from the English department. Who isthe auL__2nce? It is the faculty and staff of a technicalcollege who each, in the past year, published an articlein a significant journal or presented a paper to profes-sional peers at a regional or national meeting.

The poem, the refreshments provided by the collegefoundation, and the thank-you's of the president andothers not only served to say that the "extra" work donein the name of scholarship is appreciated, but also pro-vided these faculty with magnificent motivation to beback at next year's Author's Reception. The wholeaffair was an innovative way to both empower andreward those who produce. It also cost less than $250.It was innovative because it was a fire . It was alsounusual for a technical college! It empowered thosefaculty and staff who were "authors" because it pre-sented their work as important to the most influentialpeople in the college.

Even collecting the information about scholarshipwas a new activity at our two-year college. When theannual activity sheets of faculty and staff were tallied,we were thrilled. In 1986-87, faculty from our collegepresented over 40 papers in 19 states and two foreigncountries. These faculty also published 12 articles innationally-refereed journals. They did not receive a payraise for their scholarship. They weren't even asked to

do it, and they persisted in spite of 18-20 classroomcontact hours each week. Our college, like most com-munAty colleges, had no way of "rewarding," let aloneencouraging, faculty scholarship. The Author'sReception gave us the power to d3 both.

The reception also produced other outcomes. Whennews media were informed of the accomplishments ofthe college's faculty, two importan. stories were fea-tured by local newspapers. Thi3 year we noticed a sig-nificant increase in scholarship.

Over the last two years, a number of innovativeprograms to empower and reward faculty have beenimplemented at our college. The Author's Reception isone which adds a classy thank-you to the college'sclimate for productivity. Another program, PRICE(Program Reward for Innovative and Creative Excel-lence), features competition between departments for afew thousand dollars to complete an innovative project.The Incentive Travel Program matches a facultymember's departmental or personal travel contributionif a paper is being presented and all other funds areexhausted.

1. If you want your rewards to be noticed, do some-thing that is a first, or something unexpected.

2. If you want rewards to be motivational, do some-thing that shows genuine, personal appreciation.

3. If you want the rewards to be challenging, repeatand make them a part of your college culture; thiswill build expectations.

4. Routinely collect information about faculty and staffscholarship.

5. Don't let the lack of big money deter you. The PRICEawards assisted six departments for $9,000, and theincentive travel is only $5,000.

6. Express clearly why scholarship, the receipt ofgrants, community services, and teaching are allimportant and worthy of reward.

Reid A. Holland, Vice President, Educational Affairs

For further information, contact the author at MidlandsTechnical College, P.O. Box 2408, Columbia, SC 29202.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 76712

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On the Notion That"It's Easy"

As I recall the behaviour of my own teachers andpeers and when I reflect on my own, I am struck by thenumber of times we encourage students with thestatement that the learning in question is "EASY." Ourintentions are good; after all, we are addressing thestudent's anxiety about the learning episode.

What we are also doing, unfortunately, is settingthem up for a disappointment. If a student has diffi-culty comprehending a concept, or manipulating aparticular tool after hearing that the task is "EASY," heor she can only feel more stupid or incapable of furtherlearning. On the other hand, the student who mastersthe idea or task feels no sense of accomplishment.After all, it was "EASY." Our good intention of moti-vating students has either robbed them of the sense ofvictory in learning or made them feel dumb in findingit difficult.

It is important to encourage students, particularlyadults who may have had problems in school and holdserious doubts about their ability to learn. So how dowe address these feelings?

An answer is to agree with their perceptions aboutthe difficulty of the material and to disagree with theirperceptions of their ability. This two-pronged ap-proach to the issue identifies with their feelings andconcerns, while at the same time offering the bestpossible option for their learning.

We tell them: "This stuff is hard (tricky, etc.), butyou can handle it with my help and the help of yourclassmates." If they quickly grasp the material, theythink: 'Wc. 'v, I am student material." If they take along time, they think: "Well, it was difficult anyway."The combination of their persistence and the support ofothers not only helps them with the learning at handbut provides a model for learning episodes ahead. Thisalternative provides realistic expectations that preparethe student for success and a sense of accomplishment.

A colleague once said: "Teachers should be carefulof what they say because students believe them." Ourattempts to encourage students should not set them upfor disappointment.

Pat Pattison, Instructor, Electrical Department

For further information, contact the author at Red DeerCollege, Box 5005, Red Deer, Alberta T4N 51-15,CANADA.

Do Unions (Bleep)?

Teaching INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS is tough,given the combination of topical diversity and widerange of studera experiences. Yet it was in this coursethat I made a startling discovery.

The topic was unions. As usual, I had preparedtransparencies, assembled relevant articles from thenewspaper, and checked the Instructor's Manual forteaching tips. I have belonged to a union for years andknow it well. But, admittedly, my treatment of thistopic always had been lackluster.

I enthusiastically previewed the topic for the class:"Next time, let's talk about unions. What are unions?What do they fight for?" Students responded coolly.

"How do you f -e -e -1 about unions?" I gasped."Unions (bleep)!" a student shouted."Unions (bleep)?" I asked. "Want to debate it? Next

time, Jerome will argue against unions. Who willargue for them?" Immediately, Vicki volunteered,starting a verbal battle among the two students andtheir respective supporters about the debate's outcome.

At the beginning of the next class, I printed "Dounions (bleep) ?" on the board, with students' namesarguing for and against unions. During the next 75minutes, I participated in the most detailed, compre-hensive and emotional discussion of any topic in thebusiness text and, perhaps, in my eight years of teach-ing this course. My role was to facilitate the discussion:analyzing, clarifying and summarizing studer:s'positions while relating their lan juage to relevantconcepts in the text.

Some students seemed surprised that answers totheir questions were actually in the book. Othersappeared amazed that their classmates knew so muchand had such strong feelings about something theywere assigned to read for homework. Students whohad not spoken in crass before joined the discussion,supporting or denying a debater's position based onpersonal experience, hearsay, or occasionally--evensomething they had read in their business text.

At the end of the class, the debate continued; thequestion"Do unions (bleep) ? " remained unan-swered. And this teacher had learned something aboutunions and about teaching.

James Paradiso, Instructor, Management

For further information, contact the author at Collegeof Lake County, 19351 West Washington Street,Grayslake, IL 60030.

Suanne a Roueche, Editor

January 20,1989, Vol. V, No. 2elhe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin. Texas 78712, (512)471-7545. Subscnplionsare available to noncon5or-hum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W K. Kellogg Foundabon and the Sid W. Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes ar9 in session dung fall and spnng terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0199-106X.

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 3

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSf PUBLISHED BY THENATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOAIENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

SUPPORT FROM THE W.-K. KELLOGG. FOUNDATION AND THE SIDW. R CHARDSONFOUNDATION

What I Learned in Math 001

Foundations of Mathematics, Math 001, is not ahighly regarded course by faculty or staff at TritonCollege. The low level of course content engendersnegative feelings toward students who place into thecourse, and the course lacks prestige for college faculty.This combination results in staffing problems and isconsidered a likely explanation for a 13w percentage ofcourse completers.

For many reasons, students do poorly on the mathe-matics placement test. Some students clearly lack orhave never !earned basic math skills. Others may havehad some mastery at one time but have adopted badmath habits; the result is common errors in problemsolving. A third group has simply forgotten math skills;in actuality, they need a refresher course.

The course content is divided into four topics: wholenumbers, fractions, decimals and percents. Even theleast mathematically inclined person perceives thesetopics as belonging to an elementary curriculum. Thisis affirmed in the textbook title which contains the word"arithmetic."

I have always enjoyed, at times loved, teaching math.I have always thought of myself as an effective teacher.I have always been pleased with the student evalu-ations and other feedback. However. Math 001 hadsome very troubling aspects. I perceived students asunmotivated, tardy, truant and totally disintere;ted.The department course completion rate for Mato 001was approximately 50%. Many 001 students' lack ofinterest in my instruction caused me to feel that machof the fault lay with them. If they would only "get theiracts together," they would complete the course.

As Chair of the Math Department at Triton, I sched-ule all of the math faculty assignments. Math 001 is anunpopular assignment. I had not taught the course forover a year; so to avoid any repercussions tr3rn othermath faculty, I scheduled myself to teach two sectionsof Math 001 in summer 1987 and one section in fall1987.

I thought of ways to improve instruction and com-pletion rate. In the summer sections I tried a neworganizational presentation and testing approach.Success was somewhat better, but both samples were

small; and I did not feel satisfied that I had made asignificant improvement.

I took on the fall semester with missionary zeal. Iwas determined to make Math 001 a success. My spiritwas dashed the fiist day of class. I walked into theusual sea of facesno smiles, just looks; not hostile; notfriendly. During the third week of class, I put a newplan into action. I asked students to meet with me inmy office for a brief five- to ten-minute interview. Ibelieved this personal approach would help me charttheir progress and ensure they were going their work. Itook my appointment book to class and personallycontacted students to set an appointment at theirconvenience. This necessitated my being in the officemany more hours than usual. One student could only"squeeze me in" on Saturday. I agreed to the meeting.

Again my spirit was saddened. Within the next fewdays, only three of the first 12 appointments were kept.My first reaction was, 'What a bust of an idea." I feltthis was just another example of their lack of responsi-bility. However, I decided to persist. At the :text classmeeting, I rescheduled the students who had missedtheir appointments and chided them for their forgetful-ness. I verbally reminded all who had appointments inthe upcoming da) 3.

The students began showing up at my office on time.The conversations, a more appropriate word thaninterviews, were lasting longer and longer. A iew,students stayed 30 to 40 minutes. We talked about theirprowess in class and their plans for the future. Somestudents were very definite abk ut their plans. Otherswere undecided, but very open to suggestions. Severalstudents needed academic cowl riling, and we reviewedcatalog requirements. I asked each student about his orher interests. I began to look forward to and enjoy ourconversations and the insights I gained from eachperson. I was continually amazed at the many accom-ph. hments of each student.

I became acquainted with a young woman who wasa social worker at a home for retarded adults. Wetalked at length about her job. Some of her stories wereheartrending, and I gained a new respect for the gener-osity and patience required in her job. Her plan was tobecome a chiropractic physician.

I met a 65-year-old gentleman who told me about his40 years of service as a registered nurse. He was

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NI SOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

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delightful and charming, and he often spoke of hisgrandchildren. He had returned to school to learn therestaurant business.

One young student revealed that he had won anumber of state awards in music. He could playseveral instruments and was a member of a small band.He was proud of his accomplishments and planned tobe a music major.

Another student was a cocktail waitress at a first-class hotel. Sue was looking forward to a career inchild development. Through the interviews I met twosecurity guards, a disc jockey who was planning tostudy architecture, and an air conditioning and refrig-eration technician. All of these students were in Math001 to enhance their skills and pursue career goals.

I helped one young lady who was having extremedifficulty in the class discover, after years of struggle,that she had a learning disability. She told me that shealways thought she was "just dumb," and she wasrelieved to find out it was something else. She set agoal to become an automobile repair specialist and hassince takeri a job in the automotive department of amajor store.

I sent a note to a student who had stopped comingto class and asked her if she needed extra help. Mynote so impressed her that she resumed her coursework after family problems were resolved.

After all of the interviews were completed, I tookclasstime tc introduce each student to the class andmenaon a little bit about the job he or she held. Thisquestion was then asked of each: "How do you usemath on your job" Some interesting answersemerged; and when a student was stumped for ananswer, the rest of the class made suggestions. Mathcame alive through this exercise, and each studentshowed a genuine interest in the work of others.

I enjoyed interviewing the students in Math 001.Each was pleasant, interesting and enjoyable. I am notsure how much the interviews helped to improve mathskills, but I do know that they were very important tome as I prepared for each class. Twenty-two of the 24students were employed, and I was impressed with theresponsibility each assumed. I no longer thought ofthem as unmotivated, tardy, truant, irresponsible andtotally disinterested people. I had underestimatedtheir capabilities. My view of them changed fromstudents needing remediation, to successful andresponsible adults. Each had strengths and qualitiesthat could not be demonstrated in a simple math

41111111111011111.71111111311119111111111Pr 411111111111114111MINI

classroom. Although these students were not strong inmatt tics, they were proficient and even excellentin areas that were difficult, challenging and requiredaccountability.

Reflecting upon many years of teaching, I feel guiltyover my possible lack of empathy toward some of mypoorest students. Perhaps I would have been a moreeffective teacher if I had taken the time to know mystudents and show them that I cared. I realized that Iwas more approachable to students and that theyshared more openly with one another. Because i tookan interest in each student, all students took an interestin each other's accomplishments, progress and jobs. Iwas not viewed as one apart and in charge. Class wasa pleasant, fun experience; and I was the facilitator.

Seventeen of the original 24 students finished theclass with a "C" or better. This enabled them toprogress to the next math course. While this retentionrate is not spectacular, it is certainly better than thedepartment average of 50%.

For me, this experience is worth repeating. I expectto conduct interviews in all of my classes next semes-ter. While it is time-consuming and sometimes incon-venient, the rewards are great. Perhaps this techniquewill not be effective in every class, but I will continue topursue adaptive methods of teaching which makeknowledge come alive and learning fun.

Ellen Milosheff, Chair, Mathematics

For further information, contact the author at TritonCollege, 2000 Fifth Avenue, River Grove, IL 60171.

Suanne D. Rouoche, Editor

January 27,1989, Vol. ,Y4 No. 3©The University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for thaw own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of thb National Institute for Staff and Organizatonal Development (N!SOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austrn, 4usbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471 -7545. Subscnptionsare available to nonconsor-tium members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Fuundabon and the Sid W. Richardsln Foundationissued weakly when classes are in session during fall and spnng terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 4

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Community College Staff Development:Institutional Incentive for Professional Publication

Although some community colleges require profes-sional publication for advancement, most communitycolleges (including my own Kalamazoo Valley Commu-nity College) do not. Community colleges were createdprimarily as teaching institutions, seemingly to theexclusion of research. And while I do not necessarilysubscribe to the "publish or perish" policy so oftenattached to four-year institutions, I do feel it is impera-tive for community college instructors to be profession-ally active, including professional publication. There-fore, as part of my Professional Development Plan(PDP) at KVCC, I developed and proposed a means forreceiving credit for my professional publications.

The Professional Development PlanThe PDP allows faculty members to earn graduate

semester -hour credit through a variety of activities:graduate and undergraduate coursework, routine andnew work experience, industrial school comses, corre-spondence courses, technical seminars, and approvedresearch. The work performed in these activities isequated to graduate semester-hour credit; and afterearning 15 semester hours, a faculty member advances acolumn or the pay scale. At KVCC there are six col-umns: I: Less Than Master's; II: Master's Degree orEquiv.; III: MA =l5sh or Equiv.; IV: MA+30sh orEquiv.; V: MA+45sh or Equiv.; VI: MA+60sh or Equiv.

A New ProposalThe "Approved Research" component of the PDP

states: "A research report judged by a panel of peers tobe of caliber and extent of a typical master's thesis willbe equivalent to three (3) graduate semester credithours." It was under this rubric that I proposed receiv-ing credit for my professional publications:

As part of the "Approved Research" section,I would like to receive credit equated tograduate semester-hour credit for the pub-lished writingbook reviews, articles andbooksI do while teaching English atKalamazoo Valley Community College.

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The reasoning for my proposal was quite simplewriti g teachers should write, must write (and not justin the writi..,; classroom with their students). Thatwriting teachers should be writers themselves is atheme in many compositional texts for teachers.

As I stated in my proposal, writing teachers whowrite can empathize with their students and the diffi-culties they face in writing; writing teachers who writeknow firsthand the writing process and how it works;writing teachers who write and publish can feel a senseof professional fulfillment by contributing new ideas,perspectives and information to the profession, andthus are producers rather than merely consumers intheir field; writing teachers who ',rite and publish areactively involved in the profession, which reflects wellon their institution and community colleges in general.

I queried 20 of my colleagues from various disci-plines at KVCC about my proposal; 18 supported it.Most agreed that community college instructors shouldbe more visible in their respective fields and shouldsharein writing their ideas, interests, findings andpracticeswith others in their field. Also most believedthat equating published writing to graduate creditwould provide incentive for instructors to write.Several colleagues expressed an interest in writing asimilar proposal for their own PDP.

Deciding how to equate graduate semester-hourcredit to published book reviews, articles and booksproved to be no easy task. I discussed my proposalwith several colleagues and worked closely with myassociate dean and dean of instructionboth of whomreflect the administration's desire to encourage profes-sional developmentto develop an equitable equiva-lency. Ultimately, we decided upon the following:

Book review = 0.25 to 0.50 graduate semester-hourcredit, depending upon lengthArticle = 1.0 to 3.0 graduate semester-hour credit,depending upon lengthBook = 3.0 to 9.0 graduate semester-hour credit,depending upon length. No vanity press publica-tions.


NIMENNI1k

Additionally, the proposal stated that all publishedwork would be judged by a panel of peers and wouldappear in recognizable journals. I included a list (by nomeans exhaustive) of i ossible professional journals inwhich I might publish for example, College Composi-tion and Communication Teaching English in the Two-YearQ____Aeze, and Western American Literature.Naturally, this list of journals would vary according toan instructor's discipline and areas of interest.

Publication IncentivesNaturally, this proposal could be tailored for

community college teachers in any discipline; it shouldnot be limited to writing teachers. Teachers in alldisciplines (from accounting to zoology) should beprofessionally active and should be encouraged topublish their work, whether that work is an automotivetechnology instructor's investigation of the Flat Ratesystem in the automobile service industry, an economicinstructor's newspaper column on current issues ineconomics, or an accounting instructor's discussion ofclassroom Strategies.

My professional publications will not only bring mepersonal satisfaction, but institutional recognition and(eventually) financial reward. Since the approval ofmy PDP, I have received 0.25 graduate semester-hourcredit for a published book review and have had anarticle accepted for publication, for which I will receivecredit upon publication.

Finding the time to be professionally active, to write,while still managing a typical community collegeteaching load of 15 to 16 hours per week, is a dilemmathat community college instructors continually faceand must strive (on a college, state and national level)to solve. In the meantime, I am encouraged to followDonald Murray's advice: "Nu lla dies sine linea"(never a day without a line)if only a few lines,written in the gaps between teaching and familyresponsibilities.

Keith Kroll, lnstt uctor, English

For further information, contact the author at Kalama-zoo Valley Community College, 6767 West 0 Avenue,Kalamazoo, MI 49009.

Plan to join participant. from col-leges across the U.S. and Canada forthe eleventh annual celebration ofteaching excellence, to be held inAustin, May 21-24, 1989.Featured speakers: Jacr'ielynBelcher, Vice Presideni for Aca-demic Affairs, Lane CommunityCollege Oregon, and President,American Association of Women inCommunity/Junior Colleges; WalterBumphus, Vice President for Stu-dent Services, Howard CommunityCollege, Maryland, and President,National Council on Student Devel-opment; Harold "Bud" Hodgkin-son, Senior Fellow, Institute forEducational Leadership, Washing-ton, D.C.; Charles Kane, President,Riverside Community College,California; Hans Mark, Chancellor,The University of Texas System,Texas; Byron McClenney, President,Community College of Denver,Colorado; Kay McClenney, Educa-tional Consultant, Colorado; Char-les Pascal, Chair, Ontario Councilof Regents, Ontario, Canada; andTerry O'Banion, Executive Director,League for Innovation in the Com-munity College, California. A finalprogram for NISOD's InternationalConference on Teaching Excellenceand Conference of Administrators

be available by March 15.

Sunni, D. Roueche, Editor

February 3,1989, Vol. XI, Vol. 413The University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and OrganizationalDevelopment (NISOD),EDB '348, The Universiry of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Sibscnphons are available b nonconsor-tiuir ambers for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Rtcharckon Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once dunng the ,wmniur. ISSN 0199.106X

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 5

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND.ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSIT OF TEXAS AT AUXINWITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHA6DSON FOUNDATION

On Teaching English Composition to Older StudentsAfter only three class sessions into the semester, a

student came into my office and issued the followingwarning: "The two people I hate most in this world aredentists and English teachers!" No, I'm not her dentist.

This student, perhaps 40 or 45 years old, spoke formany students who, after several years away from anacademic environment, return to school to faceamongother thingsall those remotely familiar rules andexceptions and diagrams and formidable terms whichmake up their memories of past English classes. Unfor-tunately, they hated English then, and they hate Englishnow. Like our counterparts, though, the dentists whocasually approach their patients with Novocain sy-ringes hidden behind their backs, there are some meas-ures we can take to make it all less painful.

Identify the StudentsThis first task is the easiest. The older student who

fears English will usually let the instructor know of thatfear, sometimes in the forthright manner of the above-mentioned student, and sometimes in the form of "It'sbeen years since I've had any English!" This common"confession" is most often followed with a plea forpatience. In contrast to this direct approach, some olderstudents will simply remain silentboth in classdiscussions and on the page itself. This particular formof "writer's block" may become apparent with the firstin-class writing assignment, bur most older studentswill face their fears and let the instructor know of themrather than sit there and f :e the blank page for verylong. A spontaneous conference can ease the pressureand show the student that the instructor understands.

Identify the Students' FearsThe fears older students face when returning to

school are usually not singular, and in English classthose fears usually coalesce. The older students fearwhat they think is extremely sharp competition fromyounger students; they fear failure, especially if somepast failures trigger additional guilt and regret for notremembering all those English rules and exceptionswhich they know they should ha ve learned ages agoand which, they believe, their younger classmates have

so recently and skillfully mastered. Combine enoughfear with enough guilt and regret and mane has theclassic older student's resistance to writine, i EnglishComposition.

One particular fear, though, has surprising potentialfor immediate devastation: the fear of grammaticalterms. To fire barrage after barrage of "correlative andcumulative' adjectives, or "reflexive and demonstra-tive" pronouns at the older' studentwhose memorymay remember the words but not the meaningsis totrigger all the other attendant fears of English. Forsome, the words "coordinating conjunction" or "subor-dinate clause" are as menacing and spine-straighteningas the sound of any dentist's drill. To some, who mayknow their way around in the practical uses of thelanguage without too much difficulty, those terms spellimmediate confusion and lack of confidence.

Overcome the ResistanceMuch of the resistance can be overcome by "playing

down" the terms. This is not to say that t-le termsshould be neglected, nor that rules should take secondseat to "free expression" (as happened during the 70's).it is to recommend an astute awareness of the anxietiesgrammatical language can create in older students. Inshort, the terms can be more overwhelming and intimi-dating than an instructor might imagine. Therefore,until the student feels more comfortable with writing,the term should be of secondary importance. Then asthe student's writing mistakes become apparent, thenecessary terms can be used to make the corrections.

Secondly, both the instructor and the student canmove forward faster if the student is not allowed toemphasize past failures. For some reason, a few olderstudents think that the instructor will be more patient ifhe is reminded frequently of the student's past failures.Such emphasis on past performance, though, canbecome a block to success in the present. An instructormight acknowledge those past shortcomings, but onlyin passing as a sign of understanding. An instructormight also point out that past failures have nothing todo with performance now, nor with the current possi-bility of success. One might ask "Are you doing poorly


now?" instead of "Why did you do poorly in thepast?"

The instructor's main task is to get older studentscomfortable enough with using language that they cando so effectively. Often, it helps to tell the studentsstraight out: "Don't worry about making too manymistakes now. The more yo make now, the more wewill catch and correct, and the fewer you will makelater on." This attitude, along with a grading scalewhich places more emphasis on later work than onwork done early in the semester, does much to relaxthe older students about their real or imagined short-comings.

There are other ways to help older students relaxwhile all their fear-filled memories of past Englishclasses reform in vague shadows on the blank page infront of them. One of these is to point out that, con-trary to how or what they may be feeling, most olderstudents outperform younger students simply becausethey have been exposed to more writing opportunities.They most likely have written more letters, morebusiness reports, or more PTA or school board reports.Moreover, older students usually have read more thanyounger students and, thus, may have developed a"street wise" sense in and around the more commonuses of the language. This working knowledge of thelanguage gives many older students a more confidentstart in academic writing.

One last comment on the value of positive com-ments. Imagine sitting in a dentist chat, while thedentist examines your X-rays. Would you rather havehim click his tongue and shake his head; or would yourather hear, "Not too bada little work here, a littlethere maybe, but otherwise no problem"?

Getting an older student tc, write well is often madedifficult because of past fears and anxieties which loomas composing obstacles. If a student can realize thatEnglish is not really as painful as st,,! or he recalls, thencorrective measures will come more easily.

William Horrell, Instructor, English

For further information, contact the author at NorthArkansas Community College, Pioneer Ridge, Harri-son, AR 72601.


February 10,1989 Vol. XI, No. 5The University of Texas at Ai,;tin, 1989

Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471.7545 Subscnptionsare available to nonconsor-hum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson FoundationIssued wacky when classes aro in session during fall and sprang terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

VOLUME XI NUMBER 6

ts)g INNOVATION ABSTRACTS"00 i 111

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Creating Supportive Environments for ChangeSpace, solitude, ritual and community are four

potential sources of support for individuals and groupsduring periods of change. I believe it is important tofind comfortable physical space, to spend time alone, torecognize and repeat meaningful experiences, and tobuild relationships with a core group. There arepatterns that emerge when such support is offeredacomplementarity between space and solitude andbetween ritual and community, as well as synergismamong them all. For example, to be alone and to be ableto find one's own seace are vital, although sometimesunacknowledged, components of community.

It k .ny sense, in fact, that these fo elements canprovide a valuable support framewurh which encour-ages positive, meaningful change. It is a frameworkwhich makes it possible to think about both the individ-ual and the group, uoth physical and emotional needs,both practical d symbolic acts.

As an internal consultant to the Dallas CountyCommunity College District, one of my goals is to helpmake space, solitude, ritual and community more of areality in our organization. In my own mind, at least, Ispend a portior of my time promoting these fourqualities. Another way to describe my task is to see it interms of buying time for the organization, because timeis the elixir that brings these properties to life. If wefind spar-, it is because there has been time to find andenjoy a ce of our own. If we find solitude, it isbecause there has been time to be alone. If we findritual, it is because there has been time to share andcelebrate. If we find community, it is because there hasbeen time to get tc know one another.

As you know, the gift of time is easily ''riven" ina community college. My organization, the CCCD,has some 50,000 credit students each semester andalmost that number of noncredit students. We offermore than 120 vocational programs, as w,-*: as the ucitalarray of transfer coursework and a broad spectrum ofcontinuing education offerings. We are a commuterinstitution. We have 7000 full-time employees and arehoused in 11 district locations spread across DallasCounty. Furthermore, we seek to be innovators, andour own expectations of our work are high. We insist of

ourselves that we be quick on our feet, always pressing.It was my senseboth of the urgency surrounding

our work and the need for space, solitude, ritual andcommunitythat brought me to these questions: Howcan leaders in my organization find time for personal/professional growth? How can these "different drum -met" rhythms be made more appealing? How can Ihelp? The answers did not come easily, and then theyseemed perhaps too obviousmake it easier and moreinvigorating to set aside the current hornet's nest ofwork; structure my time with leaders in ways differentthan the usual organizational encounters; practice theart of idea-giving with no strings attached; take advan-tage of "down" times, if there are any!

The Reading RoomProviding services through the Reading Room is my

clearest attempt to create opportunities for space,solitude, ritual and community. Through this me,ha-nism, I seek to offer time and reinforcement for per-sonal/professional growth. The image is drawn frommy favorite place in the library. As I studied in thelibrary during formative years, the Reading Roomoffered indirect lighting, polished floors, tall ceilings,leather chairs you could get lost in. People spoke inhushed voices. It was a place where you could day-lream, lose track of time, think brave new thoughts.bAnout anyone getting suspicious.

It was in the spirit of the Reading Room that mysecretary, a student helper and I volunteered to provideleaders several services: a book-lending service, acassette-lending service, our own version of a clippingservice, as well as a standing offerto listen to aninterest or concern and look for resources that hadapplicatio: . Leaders were invited to take advantage ofthese services, and participation was completelyvoluntary. As often as possible, I reinforced the notionthat the goal was to save time for our busy profession-als. My offer was to sort through large quantities ofinformation and provide easy access to only the best.Our office began and continues to circulate 'bulletinsannouncing new resources available through theReading Room. Each issue provides several pages ofresource "teasers"summaries that are themselves


designed to be food for thought. Requested resourcesare then circulated through campus mail.

Since the services of the Reading Room have been inplace for several years now, it is possible to take a lookat the progress we have made, some of which has beenunexpected. For instance, we do seem to haveprovided space and solitude. Most of the activitiesencouraged through the Reading Room are solitary, atleast to begin with. People read alone and listen alonein their own space at work or home. Another unantici-pated way we have promoted these qualities hashinged on our professionals' use of the automobile.Since we are a commuter institution and leaders areoften on the road, a good number have begun to listento Reading Room a_ . apes in their cars --one of thefew places where there Lay be an absence of demandand few intrusions. Specifications for institutional carsinclude a cassette deck as a standard feature, in part toencourage leaders to take advantage of this learningmethod.

Often after their perusal of Reading Room materials,these leaders will then talk to one another about whatthey have read or heard. Since they all have access tothe same materials, common reference points seem toencourage the dialogue that is a necessary part ofcommunity. And as for ritualswell, we have begunsome: back to school, holiday and summer ReadingRoom Bulletins, for example. We regularly showcasethe "just published" writings of our cwn professionals.But more important, the materials provided throughthe Reading Room stress the importance of attendingto our organization's culture. They suggest ways forour DCCCD professionals to develcp their own ritualsand promote community.

We continue to explore the ways in which theReading Room can provide helpsimply and volun-tarily. Currently, some 200 of DCCCD employeesreceive our bulletins. Any staff member is added toour routing list upon request, and a number routinelyroute their copy to friends and associates. A typicalissue describes perhaps 30 resources (books, tapes,articles) and, over a month or so, generates an aver ageof 100 requests for resources. The majority of ourresources fall in the following general categories:teaching and learning, creativity and innovation, andpersonal and professional growth.

Under these general headings, there is help with thenitty grittyhow to write, speak, save time, getorganized, become more or less assertive. There is helpwith the difficulthow to supervise and evaluate moreeffectively, how to interview prospective employees,

how to deal with personnel problems. But the mostpopular selections deal with the profoundhow toengender trust which builds community, how tostructure and encourage organizational alignment,how to provide an undergirding vision and the neces-sary supporting values for a healthy organizationalculture, how to maintain ethics and integrity, how toblend professional and personal goals.

This year we have freed up a niche in our districtoffices and have dubbed it the Reading Room Library,if you will. Now anyone so inclined can drop L:,-,browse, think and write. On a very small scale, it's myoriginal image come to life. You can sit in a comfc rt-able chairnot leatherand enjoy indirect lighting, anuncluttered telephone-free work space, soft music, ifyou choose. This space will hop fully offer a plact. toget away from the day-to-day, even for an hour.

Although the Reading Room is only one effort toprovide different rhythms and structures in the workenvironment through the sharing of resources, itappears to be effective and comparatively inexpensive.Through a "Readers' Survey" and frequent, informalencounters, we have received much encouragement, aswell as good suggestions. I suspect this success is notan aberration, but simply gives testimony to ourcollective hunger to establish more organizationalprocesses that encourage different tempos, differentdynamicsrhythms that seem more humane. TheReading Room buffers and encourages the occasionallyoverwhelming, always hectic prlePsr of working in acommunity college. It is an innovation designed toencourap the renewing inclinations within us.

Nancy Armes, Consultant to the Chancellor

For further information, contact the author at DallasCounty Community College District, 701 Elm, Suite518, Dallas, TX 75202-3299.

Sunni D. Rambo, Editor

February 17,1989 Ye. No. 6OThe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDD 348, The University of Texas at Ausbn, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscnptions are availabi' to nonconsortium members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. IC Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when cses are in session during fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199.106X

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 7

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSI

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Pleasurable Education: A Brain-Compatible Environment forEffective Adult Student Learning

Throughout the last 15 years I have been involved ina very exciting and creative processteaching in thecommunity college. I have attended many trainingseminars on teaching techniques, enhancing studentmotivation, learning projects for adult learners, etc.Prior to joining the faculty at Rio Salado CommunityCollege three years ago, my experience was in "tradi-tional" teaching/learning environments. That is, I gavelectures; and students took notes, memorized informa-tion (just long enough to take the test!), took an exam,then moved on in their academic and personal lives. Itis not as if I did not care whether my students werelearning or not. On the contrary, I did. But somethingwas missing. I began to re-evaluate my training experi-ence and philosophy of teaching. Were my studentsreally learning information that was meaningful andapplicable to their own lives? Or were they beingdrowned in information? Many teachers teach as theywere taught. All too often, information flows from thenotes of the pi ofessor into the notebooks cf studentswithout passing through the minds of either.

Studies of teaching that produces the most learningsuggest that "effective" teachers use an analytical andsynthetic approach to the discipline, organize thematerial well to make it clear, and establish rapportwith their students. Most studies identify enthusiasmas important in promoting students' learning. Anenthusiastic instructor is a person who cares about andvalues his subject matter and teaches it in a manner thatexpresses those feelings with the intent to encouragesimilar feelings in the learner. Is this enough? Whatpart does environmental stimuli play in activatingeustress (good stress) as opposed to distress in thelearning process of the adult learner? What i learningand when does it occur? Is learning pa:nfil or pleasur-able?

Brain research and information-processing theory areproviding exciting insights into the learning process,inviting us to observe learning as a natural phenome-nonsimilar to the heart beating and the lungs takingin air. For the past four semesters I have taught classes

utilizing strategies and techniques built on the follow-ing premises:a. the most comprehensive learning includes an ab-

sence of threat, careful orchestration of multidimen-sional teaching strategies, real-life experiences, andan understanding of barriers to learning;

b. learning occurs constantly at both the conscious andunconscious levels; and when meaningful compre-hensive learning does not occur, the brain continuesto engage in personally meaningful activity notnecessarily related to the lesson or what the teacher isteaching;

c. teaching moves like a symphony, with major themesrepeated numerous times, always in a slightlydifferent context;

d. feedback, when given properly, can encouragepositive stress that motivates students to have astronger personal sense of control, an importantfactor in reducing stress.

Premise #1: The most comprehensive learning includesabsence of threat and a relaxed learningenvironment

I check out the room temperature before class to seeif it is too warn or too cold. The chairs are usuallyarranged in a horseshoe configuration. The studentscan see me and each other. About five to ten minutesbefore class begins, I play different selections of specificbaroque music. Depending on the time of day, themusic invites students to relax or get re-energized forlearning. Brain research has indicated the powerfulinfluence of peripheral stimulithe use of music, art,posters on the wall (with positive messages!), teacher'sappearance, and voice intonation. Learning occursconstantly at both the conscious and unconscious level.The brain is continually attempting to categorize andpattern new information with what is already stored.The brain continues to engage in personally meaningfulactivity whether it is related or not to what the teacheris teaching.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZ4T;ONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

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Premise #2: The instructor is an ever present influence.As students arrive in class they are handed a person-

alized letter. The letter (on college stationery) is titled"Welcome to Rio Salado Community College and theExciting World of Psychology!" The letter highlightsnew information and research in applied psychology,the nature and scope of psychology, the text used inclass, the instructor's philosophy of the teaching/learning process (active participation and sharedresponsibilities). In closing, the letter indicates theinstructor's pleasure in having the student in class.

The use of desirable, positive words and phrases canbecome ar invitation and challenge to motivate studentlearning:

Relax Enjoyable Invitation to learningIInvite YouYou Can!You WillSurpriseYourselfWhen You Do ItYou Will LearnFaster, Retain More Information and HaveFun at the Same Time!

Much too often the use of less desirable wordstry,don't, difficult, hard, effort, expect, confusedcancreate a perceived threat to students.

Also to be taken into account are the conscious andunconscious characteristics the teacher presents to theclass. Whether greeting the class warmly"Goodevening. it's good to be here with you," or recognizingan individual"Congratulations in getting the job,Marie," projecting a sense of caring and concern forstudents' welfare encourages respect and trust.

Premise #3: Teaching moves like a symphony.Brain research tells us the brain is actively engaged

in matching, comparing, categorizing and patterningincoming information with already stored information.Material covered from a lesson plan could be intro-duced in a variety of waysstory-telling with baroqueor classical music in the background, guided imagery,videos, and games. Brain research has further indi-cated material repeated in a variety of ways enhanceslong-term memory storage. When I read the storyabout Abraham Maslow to my classes, they experiencea different view of this giant of a man in psychologywho was terrified of public speaking until he was overfifty! It always amazes me the reaction from studentsas I "tell" the story of Maslow. The specific music usedin the background invites a cognitive and affectiveexperience. The story format describing real eventsportrays Maslow in a more human way, elicitingstrong emotions from students. Thus, whole-brainlearning takes place. Storytelling also tends to relaxstudents.

Premise #4: Retention and long-term memory can beincreased in a pleasurable, fun way.

The subject of "testing" and evaluation causes muchstress in the lives of students, especially the returningadult 1^ner. In an attempt to decrease the stress leveltoward "testing" and develop critical reading andthinking skills, I have students develop study guidesafter we have discussed two chapters in class. Studyguides are developed during class time utilizing anopen-book format. Multiple-choice questions are oftwo basic kinds. Most items are drawn fairly directlyfrom the text. These emphasize understanding as wellas rote learning, and they represent varied levels ofdifficulty. Interspersed throughout these traditionalitems are others that can be described as "general,""conceptual," or "applied." Such items typicallyrequire thought or analysis. A few of the conceptualitems are quite difficult, but most simply requirestudents to extrapolate conceptscritical reading/thinkinginto new situations or to deal with examplesnot used in the text. Students are encouraged (andoften do) to challenge me when they feel their answtis correct. They become active participants in thelearning process. The study guides are used to preparefor the "Exit Inventory" they will complete beforeleaving the class. At that time no books or notes areused. Results from the Exit Ii.ventories have beenencouraging in demonstrating recognition and recall ofpreviously learned "study guides." Students arepleased with the amount of information recalled on theExit Inventory. More important, they report increasedlearning in a more relaxed way.

Premiss. #5: According to students, learning can be fun!Student evaluations have been very encouraging,

indicating a renewed interest in the learning process."This is the most in-depth studying and learning I'vehad in years, and it was great (makes me want to learnmore!)." "I actually enjoyed learning."

Rene Diaz-Lefebvre, Instructor, Counseling /Psychology

For further information, contact the author at MaricopaCounty Community College District, 3910 East Wash-ington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

Note: Dr. Diaz-Lefebvre will be presenting "Pleasur-able Education" at the NISOD International Conferenceon Teaching Excellence, Sunday, May 21, 1989, 2:00-4:30 p.m.

Suenne D. Roueche, Editor

February 24, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 7OThe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own prsonnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Stall' and Organizational Development (A"SOD),EDB 348, The l.,niversity of Texas at Awn, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471.7545, Subscnphons are available to nonconsor-hum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199.106K

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VOLUME XI, NUMBER 8

iNt4NNOVA TION ABSTRACTSz I :

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Hit'm with a FJ.S.T.

Hitting students with a F.I.S.T. helps floundering gradepoint averages by:

F = Finding students who do not perform well onfirst exam.

I = Identifying standardized test scores.S = Supporting students in their educational quest.T = Teaching students good study skills.

2'Step 1: F = Finding Students Who Need a "Hit"

Our rerent research indicates that grades on the firsttest best predict students' final course grade. The SpearmanRank Order Correlation Coefficient for first test gradeand final course grade is +.83. We use this first testgrade as a critical indicator of potential academicdifficulty and a useful tool for identifying students whoneed hitting with a F.I.S.T.

From the first test we garner two bits of information.(1) We determine each student's perception of test andstudy time: two noncredit questions at the end of thetest assess whether the student thought the test wasdifficult, easy, or average and determine the student'spreparation for the test in terms of hours studied. Onan objective test these questions appear as two multiple-choice items. On an essay or short-answer test, thesetwo questions are open-ended. We know that thestudent has a vested interest in the answers to thesequestions; but they provide us with a point of departurefor later discussion, and most students are honest intheir responses. (2) The actual test score is the secondpiece of important information.

For analysis of this first test score, we use an effectivetwo-step technique. First, at the beginning of the classhour, and as soon as the exams are returned, thestudent completes a short questionnaire: 1) What doyou consider "studying"? 2) How did you study forthis test? 3) Did you miss questions based on lecturenotes? 4) Did you miss questions based on the text-book? 5) Did you miss questions on application ofinformation? 6) Did you miss questions integratingmaterial to higher order thinking skills? Second, afterthe student completes this questionnaire, we conduct

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individual interviews, either in the corner of theclassroom or out in the hallway.

Frequently, after analyzing the questionnaire andtalking with the students in these short sessions, apattern emerges. Many times we make "band-aidsurgery" suggestions for rectifying study skills or test-taking skills. For example, if students miss questions ofan application nature, we suggest that they consciouslyapply the information to their daily lives. If they missquestions from the textbook, we try to determine if theproblem is a lack of reading skills or is simply the needto take more time in reading and studying the text! Ifwe determine that "band-aid surgery" is not sufficientto help solve the problem, we recommend that thestudent make an appointment with us, DevelopmentalStudies, or Counseling for additional intervention.

While the individual sessions are being conducted,other students "class edit" their exams by discussingthe correct answers. (One student is provided with acorrected i. A and serves as arbitrator.)

2'Step 2: I = Identifying Standardized Test Scores

The "I" in our 11 code' stands for identifying students'standardized test scores. We check college records todetermine whether or not the student qualified forfreshman English (Counseling's recommended scoreson SAT, ACT, and ASSET determine qualification). Inour research we find that students who have notqualified for freshman English tend to have moreacademic difficulty in our classes than those whc have.We recommend to these students that they seek helpthrough Developmental Studies to improve readingability, writing, and study skills. With this supplemen-tal help, students who did not qualify for freshmanEnglish stand a much greater chance of earning apassing grade in our course and less chance of with-drawing from the class. For students who qualified,there is a direct and high correlation between studytime and final course grade. For students who qualifiedfor freshman English but did poorly on our first exam,we stress the benefits of more productive study timeand good study skills.

Standardized test scores are readily availablethrough the registrar, and collecting these scores from

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program4Tpc University of Texas at AustinED8 348, Austin, Texas 78712 .i. i'

the registrar's computerized records does not takemuch time. (We compiled six classes of standardizedtest scores in less than an hour.)

Step 3: S = Supporting Students in Their EducationalQuest

"S" represents the support that students need intheir educational quest. Students need to know thatthe instructor cares that they do well in a course andthat we will help them. Sometimes just an "I care"gives students the motivation to try harder or improvestudy skills. In addition, we suggest resources offeredby other departments on campus. Counseling offersseminars in self-esteem, career goals, timeInanage-ment, study habits, and many other areas of generaland personal interest. Many students benefit frc rnattending a selected number of these programs. Devel-opmental Studies offers workshops, computerizedprograms, tutors, courses, and videos on study skillsand test-taking. Sessions on test anxiety are availablethrough the Developmental Studies and Counselingoffices. Not only must the students attend the session,but they must write a short report on the program'scontent, how the program's information relates tothem, and how they can use this information forpersonal improvement. We offer incentives to studentsfor availing themselves of these resources by addingtwo bonus points to the mid-term grade for eachsession (up to one letter grade improvement in score).

Step 4: T = Teaching Good Study Skills

The last step in hitting students with a F.I.S.T. is toteach good study skills. In our syllabus we include acopy of the SQ3R method of study. When we reviewthe syllabus and discuss the required textbook, wedemonstrate how to read the textusing this methodof study. Before the first exam we discuss tips ontaking objective or short-answer tests: looking throughthe test and answering the known questions; readingthe questions, carefully noting key words; reading allresponses, beginning with the last choice and movingtoward the first; and so on. In addition, we providehandouts offering other specific hints for successfultest-taking.

Conclusion

Prompt intervention may mean the differencebetween success or failure. Early intervention hasproven to be very effective with students in academicdifficulty, in both lowering dropout rates and raisingfinal course grades. Hitting floundering students witha F.I.S.T. merits the attention of instructors concernedwith students' academic success.

Adrian Rapp, Instructor, Sociology

Lynda Dodgen, Instructor, Sociology

For further information, contact the authors at NorthHarris County College, 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive,Houston, TX 77073.


March 3,1980, Vol. XI, No. 8e/The University of Texas at Austin, 1989'.- other duplication is permitted by MEMBERiratitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS s a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The Univers* of Texas at Ausbn, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 7545 Subscnpbons are available to nonconsorbum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundabon and the Sid W Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and sprang terms and Ince dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

18

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 9

1N NOVAT 1 ON ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED B4' THE NATIONAL, INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIO NALDEVEpPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY-OF TEXAS AT AUSTINWITH SUPPORT FROM THEW. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDWN FOUNDATION

It's All ir the Cards!

Lotteries, playing the odds, and gambling are social,enjoyable, and sometimes addictive activities. They donot create visions of students reviewing notes or formu-lating thoughts. However, an instructional modifica-tion of these activities can be used to stimulate thought,actively engage students in learning, and build camara-derie. Further, it can serve as a method of focusingattention, learning others' names, and encouragingparticipation.

PreparationDuring the first class meeting, students put their

names (as they wish to be addressed in class) on 3" x 5"cards. Nicknames are encouraged. Students are in-formed that these index cards will be used ir a "volun-teering" system to answer class questions. [Please notethat the procedure for using the cards should bedescribed only after they are collected. One year, amore "spirited" class was told, before collection, howthe index cards would be used; as a result, about one-third of the cards bare the name of one popular stu-dent.]

The GameAt the beginning of the second class day, five or six

questions reviewing material from the previous classare written on the overhead or blackboard. The indexcards are shuffled, held face down, and one card isdrawn by a student. This student reads the name on thecard aloud, and the student whose name was called isallowed to select any question he/she prefers to answer.If this "volunteer" is successful, his/her card is sepa-rated from the rest, and the process continues. If theanswer is incorrect, the instructor can either give thecorrect response or ask other questions designed to helpthe student "discover" the correct answer.

Care must be taken not to embarrass or degrade thestudent. Whether successful or not, this student isallowed to select the next card and read the name of thenext "volunteer." This process continues until all thereview questions have been answered. By continuallyseparating the "volunteers" from the others, studentswho have not participated know that their chances ofbeing "volunteers" are improving.

Students seem to enjoy trading barbs when theirnames are called; likewise, some students vow afriendly revenge. Once all students have "played," thecards are reshuffled, and the process begins again.

After the first few class periods, students have settledinto the procedure. Once the instructor begins writing,the students immediately quiet down and begin skim-ming over their notes.

The RulesStudents will answer at least one question aloud

during the semester. This creates a little motivationbecause most student-3 want to demonstrate theirknowledge and ability to classmates. With a class of 30,this daily 10-minute process will have actively engagedall students in approximately five class meetings.

Students are informed that this activity has no effecton their final course grade. As a result, it becomes a no-risk situation.

Students are allowed to say, "I don't know." Theyare informed that this response will work a couple oftimes, but not forever. However, once a studentanswers, "I don't know," that response triggers a briefreview of the related material.

VariationsIf you sense boredom with this approach, add variety

by writing a "bonus" question. No information aboutthe question is made available until the student selectsit. If the student volunteers for that question (as op-posed to its being the only question left), praise him/her for the curiosity. At times, several bonus questionscan be made available in sealed envelopes. It all adds tothe fun!

ConclusionDuring one semester I used this activity once or twice

a week. The following semester, in a sequential course,I didn't use it at all. About half of the students told methat they missed ele activity, thought it was useful, andthat it made the class more interesting.

James W. Taylor, Director, Cardicrespiratory Care

For further information, contact the author at Kalama-zoo Valley Community College, 6767 West 0 Avenue,Kalamazoo, MI 49009.


19

On the Value of"Study Groups"

In the opening lecture for my General Psychologysurvey course, I have always supported the "thesis" ofstudy groups. This summer, I had occasion to test my"lip service."

Two days prior to the Unit III Exam, one of my stu-dents asked: "When are you going to form studygroups?" Obviously, we had had a communicationbreakdown! I had never intended to "formalize" thisprocess.

However, I seized on an opportunity to conduct aresearch project on the usefulness of this learningstrategy (without informing the students).

I had scheduled a 30-minute review, followed by aone-hour multiple-choice exam, for the next day. Ialtered the schedule to a 30-minute review, followed byone hour of "study groups."

That afternoon I created a random grouping. I ar-ranged the 30 students into five groups. I identified thefive students who had received the highest scores(total) on the first two exams. They were each, basedon alphabetical order in the gradebook, assigned to oneof the five groups. I repeated this procedure for thesecond, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lowest scores.Theoretically, the five groups met the criteria for ac-ceptable randomness.

I already had a "control group," based on previousresearch. (I routinely examine the data on my exams inan attempt to evaluate my delivery system. My fiveexams in this survey course are 60 points, four foil, andmultiple choice.)

Historically, the mean differential between UnitExam II and Unit Exam I has been approximately +1point. I have attributed this difference to students be-coming familiar with my teaching and testing "style"and the mutual "rapport" we have developed.

The difference in mean scores between Unit ExamsII, III, IV, and V has been statistically insignificant. The"norm" difference varies from +.2 to -.2.

I assigned the five study groups to five separateclassrooms and advised them as follows:1. They had one hour before the period was formally

over, but they were required to stay together for atleast 30 minutes. (Four groups met for the entirehour; one group "split" after 30 minutes.)

2. I would Ibx available for review, clarification, etc.(None of the groups "summoned" me; but I "stuckmy head" into each room, and four of the groupsposed some query.)

I eagerly awaited the results; after all, I believe in theprinciples of educational psycnology! Relevant dataare as follows:

N = 30Unit II Mean = 49.7Unit III Mean = 52.5Difference = +2.8 (Study Groups)

Statistically significant? Looking at the grading proce-dure, it appears to be.

Students are graded on a percentage basis:Difference

90% (x 60 pts.) = 54 = A 6 pts.80% (x 60 pts.) = 48 = B 6 pts.70% (x 60 pts.) = 42 = C 6 pts.60% (x 60 pts.) = 36 = D 6 pts.

In light of this predetermined system, it would seemthat the "study groups" accounted for nearly one-halfof a grade point differential.

I plan to replicate this experiment. I also plan toalter the variables slightly, by comparing Unit III toUnit IV and Unit IV to Un;t V. Study groups haveearned a place in my it structionai strategies repertoire.

Kaye Young, Instructor, Psychology

For further information, contact the author at NorthIowa Area Community College, 500 College Drive,Mason City, IA 50401.

Swann* D. Routrcht, Editor

March 101 1989, VoL XI, No. 9eYrhe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The Umversiry of Texas at Ausbn, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscnphons are available to nonconsor-tium members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.issued weekly when classes are in socsion during fall and spnng terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199,106X

VOLUME X1 NUMBER 10

ties( INNOVATION ABSTRACTS: 0 : . 0 I. . 0 0' ,"VI I 0_ 0 0, 0 , 0

A Scrapbook of Relevance

Motivating Adult Basic Education (ABE) students toread on a regular basis and to develop skill in readingare constant challenges for instructors interested in thepromotion of functional literacy. One key to positivemotivation is the selection of instructional materialswritten at appropriate reading levels, with sufficientinterest to hold student attention and special relevanceto issues and challenges that students face daily.

Alberta Vocational Centre implemented a ten-weekprogram in which relevance of subject matter forwriting and reading would be given highest priority. Itwas designed to motivate students to read, to developvocabulary and word attack skills, and to increasegeneral knowledge.

The program followed the model of IndividualProgram Prescription (IPP), used successfully in specialeducation and gifted programs. Students were assignedthe task of selecting and developing a topic in whichthey would become expert. Each week the studentsgathered two or three pieces of information on theirtopic. They shared this information with the class,thereby increasing everyone's general knowledge.Ultimately, the goal was for each student to produce ascrapbook as a finished product.

Initially, the instructor helped students select a topic:(1) they were cautioned against choosing topics thatwere too broad or too narrow; (2) they were coachedabout information sources and information types; (3)they were provided with an orientation to the library;(4) they were encouraged to consider using specifically-named community resourcese.g., various governmentdepartments, newspaper morgues, police departments,and even travel agencies; and (5) they were encouragedto be creative and divergent in their thinking. Xeroxingan article from an encyclopedia, taking clippings frommagazines and newspapers, paraphrasing longertechnical tracts, and writing drafts of structured inter-views were all considered fair game. The objective wasto gather information that could be organized andillustrated in scrapbook form.

Students were encouraged to collect informationduring the first three weeks of the program. Once anadequate amount of material had been collected,

. 0 , 0 . 0I f '1 I 0 0 I

students were instructed on appropriate organizingprinciples that they might use to structure their proj-ectse.g., chronological (historical), cause (effect), leastto most, and general to specific. At this time studentsalso were advised of the criteria that would be used toevaluate their projectse.g., quantity of material,organization, and overall appearance.

Students researched a wide range of topics: AIDS,impaired drivers, Nepal, child abuse, the NationalHockey League, motor vehicle accidents, tornadoes,parent-finding, clothes design, phenomena in space,history of Hong Kong, Rottweiler dogs, and nativecultural ceremonies.

They used a broad range of research skills to com-plete their projects. One student discovered that theCity of Edmonton had a Rottweiler on the dog squad.As a result of her inquiry and expression of interest, shewas interviewed and photographed; these records ofher work were significant additions to her scrapbook.Another student used the word processor to assemblethe history of the National Hockey League, includingteam composition on a year-by-year basis. Still anotherstudent conducted structured interviews with adultswho had been sexually abused as children. (Some ofthese adults had volunteered their stories after theschool grapevine had indicated that she was workingcn the topic.) One stude. . researched the topic of"impaired driving." Having lost members of her familyin a motor vehicle accident caused by an impaireddriver, she was initially intolerant of the drivers.However, her project exposed her to information aboutalcohol and Alcoholics Anonymous; she came tounderstand that the issue was complex, invol7ingpreventative treatment and education.

Students reported that they were sharing information(networking), meeting new people, and talking aboutnew issues and topics over coffee.

Relevance is a critical issue in Adult Basic Education.It is prudent fot us to listen and respond to the custom-ers of our service--the students in our classroom,.

William Green, Research Officer

For further information, contact the author at AlbertaVocational Centre, Room 224, 10215 108 Street, Ed-monton, Alberta T5J 1L6, CANADA.


Preparing for Biology Exams

Several of my former students have shared with mehow they successfully prepared for their exams. Ishare these successful study methods, at the beginningof each semester, with my newest students.

I hope that you have already established a successfulmethod of study in your previous classes. I also hopeyou will quickly establish a new method of preparationif you have been dissatisfied with your performance ina science class or feel you will need a new method forthis class. [Note: If you have a method to add to thislist, please feel free to inform your instructor.]

1. Read over your class notes on a regular basis. Oncea day, seven days a week, spend time reading allnotes taken to date. [Variations: once a day, fivedays or three days a week]

2. Copy over your class notes on a regular basis. Aftereach class or before the next class, copy your classnotes. Make corrections on the notes and add anyinformation previously omitted. Recopy again asneeded.

3. Borrow the class notes from a classmate on aregular basis. Copy these notes and make compari-sons with your own. Make a new set of notes thatcombines the two. Recopy again as needed.

4. Record the lecture and play back the tape as ameans of review. Replay as needed. Make acomplete transcript of the taped lecture by which tostudy.

5. Read the textbook chapter(s) that cover(s) thelecture(s) before the material is presented in thelecture. Or read the textboo" chapter(s) thatcover(s) the lecture topic(s) after the material ispresented in the lecture. Or read both before andafter the lecture.

6. Transfer your lecture notes to 3" x 5" cards. Eachcard represents a single topic or concept. Read overthe cards on a z egular basisperhaps once a day.

7. Read the lecture notes aloud.

8. Explain the material to someone else.

9. Have someone read aloud the important words thatmust be defined and check your responses (defini-tion and example).

10. Make physical models that represent the conceptse.g., a model of an -tom, compound, or cell. Make adrawing to represent the concepts.

11. Take the test objectives and check to make certainthe review material covers the test objectives.

While the methods varied, they all involved aregular time commitment outside of class and the reali-zation that course material should be understood, notjust memorized.

Lloyd L. Willis, Associate Professor, Biology

For further information, contact the author at PiedmontVirginia Community College, Route 6, Box 1-A,Charlottesville, VA 22901-8714.

Sum* D. Rood'', Editor

March A 1989, VoL Xi, No. 10The University of Texas at Austin, 1989

Further duplication is permitted ty MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Ins:itute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (N1S00),BOB 348, The University of Texas at Ausbn, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsor-Slum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. RichardsonFoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and sprang terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

22

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 11

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR S'TAF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXASA TAUST1NWITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

Goal-setting and Goal-using: Developing Personal MeaningTo Enhance the Use of Learning Strategies

In an attempt to respond to the needs of education-ally disadvantaged students, many post-secondarysettings have created courses or independent studyprograms to teach learning and study strategies. Anumber of these courses have been developed bystudying the academic behaviors of successful learners.The specific methods and strategies used by thesesuccessful students have been identified and materialshave been developed to teach these procedures to lesssuccessful students. This approach has producedsignificant gains for some students. Yet for otherstudents, who do not know or are unclear about whatthey would like to accomplish in college, this approachhas not been as successful. It appears, for these stu-dents, that what is lacking is a personal context fromwhich they can develop an understanding of how alearning skills program can help them attain their lifegoals.

One approach to solving this problem is to helpstudents develop and use a set of long- and short-termgoals to help them guide their academic behavior. Theprimary purpose of this approach is to help studentsdiscover how learning strategies and tactics can beimportant and/or useful in their own lives. By discov-ering a relationship between improved learning skillsand the process of achieving personally importantgoals, the learning strategies become integrated into apersonal context of things that are valued and strivedfor by the individual.

To help students develop a personal context in whichthey see the relevance of learning strategies to theattainment of their goals, a series of goal-setting andgoal-using exercises have been developed. These exer-cises have been field-tested with more than 1500students who have participated in a learning-to-learncourse taught in the Department of Educational Psy-chology at The University of Texas at Austin. (SeeInnovation Abstracts Vol. X, No. 11, for a description ofthis course.) The exercises are designed to help stu-dents focus on the following types of questions:

1. What do I want out of my life? What do I want to

experience, achieve, and/or obtain?2. How committed am Ito the attainment of these

goals?3. How important is my college education to the at-

tainment of these goals?4. How do my courses this semester help in the

achievement of my long-term goals?5. If college is important to the attainment of thesc,

goals and I also am committed to these goals, thenwhat strategies and methods am I presently usingto help me achieve these goals?

6. In the past, how successful have these methodsand strategies been in helping me reach myacademic goals?

7. If they have not been successful, what are somemethods and strategies that seem to be successfulfor other students?

The goal-setting and goal-using exercises that havebeen developed focus on long- and short-term goalsand their interrelationship to each other. The long-termfocus helps the students develop personal meaning,which provides an overall motivation to be in college.The short-term focus helps translate abstract long-termgoals into concrete actions that can be used to guidedaily behaviors. The focus on the interrelationshipbetween long- and short-term goals provides theneeded integration of the students' long-term strategicpursuits (e.g., college degree), with their shorter-termpractical pursuits (e.g., knowledge and skills from aparticuia, class), and even their shorter-term taskpursuits (e.g., use of reading skills).

At the long-term level, students begin by identifyingwhat they would like to experience, achieve, and obtainduring their lifetime. This process begins by having thestudents brainstorm long-term acader. ic, occupational,social, and personal goals. Students are asked to evalu-ate and prioritize their goals in each of the differentareas to see if they are compatible with rich other and ifthey meet the criteria of a useful and eff( ctive goal(specific, measurable, challenging, ILalistic, and with astated completion date).


The next step is to have the students assess the rolethat college plays in the attainment of these goals. Thestudents rate, on a scale of one to ten (one being verylow and ten being very high), how important theircollege education is for the accomplishment of theirlong-term goals. The students are then asked toexplain these ratings. This step provides the opportu-nity to develop a relationship between their presentactivities and their long-term pursuits.

Students are then asked to explain end/or develop arationale for how the classes they are taking during thecurrent semester can help them to attain their long-term goals. For some classes this tends to be an easytask, but for classes that the student feels are notinteresting or not relevant, the activity helps tc increasetheir interest level and motivation by developing aconnection between their classes and their long-termgoals.

Once students have identified and clarified howtheir college education is helping them to attain theirlong-term goals, they are asked to rate and then explaintheir level of commitment to the goals they havedeveloped. This flep is seen as critical to the determi-nation of the effort and persistence that will be putforth by the student in goal attainment. If students arenot committed to the attainment of their goals, littleeffort or persistence can be expected.

Students then clarify further the present status oftheir goals by discussing how far they have come inachieving them and by reflecting on what they knowabout themselves, the present situation, and thepotential methods and strategies they could use to helpthem move closer to the attainment of their goals. Thisinformation is used by the students to develop short-term subgoals to either eliminate uncertainty abouttheir commitment to their long-term goals or movethem closer to the goals accomplishment.

These short-term subgoals are evaluated against thecriteria of a useful goal, and tactics and strategies toaccomplish the short-term subgoals are brainstormed.A strategic plan is then created using their subgoals,their knowledge about themselves and the task, andtheir brainstormed tactics and strategies. This strategicplan is implemented, and the student keeps a journalthat is designed to foster active monitoring and adjust-ment of the plan if needed. A final evaluation stepencourages the student to determine the relativesuccess or failure of the plan, its implementation, andthe continued usefulness of the goal.

To develop short-term goal-setting and -using,students begin the learning skills class by writingdown what they hope to achieve in this course as well

as their other courses. Many times the students' initialclass goals are quite global and vague. Yet this exerciseprovides an important experience in the process ofsetting, clarifying, and then using goals in an academicpursuit.

Short-term goal-setting/using and their integrationwith long-term goals start at the beginning of thesemester when students complete several assessmentmeasures to determine their academic strengths andweaknesses. After goal-setting skills have been dis-cussed, students reexamine their pre-course assessmentscores and write personally meaningful self-improve-ment short-term goals. These improvement goals arethen integrated with the student's semester goals, aswell as the student's short-term subgoals that weredesigned to help the student move closer to his or herlong-term goals.

Through these integrative assignments students gainexperience with goal-setting, clarifying, and using, aswell as developing a personal relationship between theknowledge and skills they are learning, the classes theyare taking, and the long-term goals they would like toattain during their lifetime. As students begin tounderstand that effective learning in college is neces-sary for them to meet their goals, they are more likelyto have enhanced appreciation for the value of learningstrategies; this improves the likelihood that students'use of the learning skills will be transferred to otherlearning situations.

We have found the integration of both goal-setting/using and learning strategies in a learning-to-learncourse to be both useful and exciting. Assignmentspertaining to goals have been reported by students tobe among the most enlightening and thought-provok-ing in the course. They often find that this activityhelps to bring their coursework into better focus suchthat they understand how it may be important in theirown lives. We have also found that students whoinvest themselves in goal exploration tend to takegreater responsibility for their own actions and experi-ence enhanced intrinsic motivation to succeed aca-demically. Essentially, their learning becomes a moreautonomous, self-controlled process.

Paul A. Schutz, D. Scott Ridley, Robert S. Glanz,Graduate Students, Educational Psychology

Claire E. Weinstein, Professor, Educational Psychology

For further information, contact Dr. Weinstein at TheUniversity of Texas at Austin, EDB 352, Austin, TX78712.

Suenne D. Roueche, Editor

March 31, 1989, Vol. XI, No.11IDThe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscnptions are available to noncon,snr-bum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X.

24


*INNOVATION ABSTRACTS.NATIONAL, INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

OM THEW, K.' KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID,W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

Survival Strategiesfor Nursing Students

A new class of nursing students is admitted to yourtwo-year nursing programa new troop of rookieswho do not have a clue as to how to survive the nexttwo years of an intense nursing program.

The Midland College Associate Degree Nursingfaculty wished to ease the transition from citizen tonursing student enrolled in an intense program ofstudy. The co-founders of the program, having hadteaching experience in other nursing schools, agreedthat these students were older and non-traditional andthat most attrition was due to the "reality shock" of thenursing curriculum. Adult students were overwhelmedwith numerous responsibilities, little free time tension,inadequate child care, and lack of financial resources.Observations revealed that spouses/families/signifi-cant others also were not prepared for the changeswhich would occur within the family unit as a result ofhaving a nursing student in the household.

With this information in mind, the faculty introduced"Survival Skills for Nursing Students." Spouses, chil-dren, parents, and significant others were invited to thissession, held in the Simulation Lab, with faculty andstaff. The purpose of this location was two-fold: Thissetting introduced the students' support systems to thelearners' "home away from home" and allowed thestudents' children to view and/or manipulate some ofthe equipmenti.e., electric hospital beds, wheelchairs,mannequins, etc. Introductions included the facultyand their teaching responsibilities and the nursingdepartment secretary who would know the students'whereabouts in case a family member experienced anemergency and needed to get in touch.

The Survival Strategies session included specificinformation about:1. Student responsibilities

A. To attend clinical labs which begin as early as6:30 a.m.

B. To utilize audio-visuals and periodicals withinthe Learning Resource Center

C. To limit the number of allowable absences in classand clinical

D. To prioritize obligationsE. To recognize heavy time demands

2. Potential role conflict within the familyA. Spending more time at school or in study, with

less time available for the familyB. Providing for child carei.e., sick child and/or

taking the child to the pediatricianC. Scheduling one day of the week strictly for

activities not related to school3. Peer support

A. Big Brother/Big Sister as a resource person13. Interpersonal skillsC Time management (including lack of sleep)D. Written assignmentsE. Stress controlThe initial Survival Strategies session (1982) began

what has become a tradition at Midland College. Sinceits inception, however, the program has been designedand offered by second-year students during the firstweek of each fall semester. The program has beenexpanded to include spouses advising spouses andchildren talking to children. Innovative presentatiLnow include videotapes, skits, spoofs, and tours. Aswell, it is at this session that Big Brothers and Big Sistersare introduced to designated first-year students.

Each year the presentation is evaluated by the first-year students. Faculty and students continue to givethe session high marks and feel that this sharing ofinformation early in the educational process has con-tributed to the average (and remarkably low) attritionrate of 17% in the nursing program. Of the studentswho choose to leave the program, only two stated thatthey were overwhelmed and not prep.. red for theamount of time required for program completion.

A Survival Strategies session is a cost- effectiveinvestment in the education of nursing students. Only alittle time and creativity is needed to develop a familyatmosphere of caring and trust enjoyed by the MidlandCollege Associate Degree nursing students.

Eileen Piweiz, Chair, Health Sciences

For further information, contact the author at Mid laCollege, 3600 N. Garfield, Midland, TX 79705-6399.

nd


The Study Partner Program

We have been struggling with the problem offinding ways to assist students in mastering thevolume of information in our accounting and businesslaw classes. At the same time, we have searched for away to incorporate even more time-demand items,such as writing-across-the-curriculum and essaytesting.

In 1986, as we were contemplating ways of improv-ing classroom study skills and test performance,through the college mail came an Innovation Abstracts"Tandem Testing" (Volume VIII, Number 29). The titlecaught our attention; and once we had read the article,its subject piqued our interest. We began to experi-ment in two of our classes. The results were encourag-ing enough to contirue with others. Our successeswith this teaching strategy encourage us to suggest it toinstructors in our own and oti.er disciplines.

Note: The Study Partner Program must begin withthe instructor's decision to give up traditionally-heldviews of "individual" homework and test performance.They must be replaced with a "team" viewwherestudents share, not only the homework assignments,but also the test-taking and the resulting grades.

We were reluctant to leave the time-honored secu-rity of every student doing his own work and earninghis own grade. For too long we had thought of coop-erative effort on a test as "cheating." But we movedpast that belief and introduced students to the pro-gram.

The StrategyWe begin class on the first day by introducing the

Study Partner Program, along with the other classactivities. We explain that it will be easier to master thevolume of information required in the course if thestudents form small study groups. As support for thisnotion, we explain that the learning process will bemore permanent if they add verbal discussion to thestandard learning tools of reading the book, listening tothe lecture, and writing the homework. We explainhow the program should work and what is expected ofeach student in the role of being a good partner.Students are encouraged to become acquainted withothers sitting nearby, by talking before and after class,and to form into working groups after the first week,meeting outside of class to do homework and confer-ring by telephone.

Up to this point the students listen politely but aregenerally unimpressed by the Study Partner Pro-gramand righ.iy so. They have heard all of that

before. Then we lay out the final point: Students willtake their tests with their partners and share the grade.Student interest picks up right away!

We design every test so that each two-person team isa testing partnership. Primarily, we use short-answeressay-style questions. The partners are free to discussthe questions and their answers quietly until they reachagreement; frequently, each partner writes a portion ofeach answer. The team submits one test paper withboth names; the test grade is recorded for both mem-bers.

Several students can work on a study team, but onlytwo students are allowed on a test-taking team. Somestudents prefer to work alone, and we allow solo test-

taking. Whatever the arrangement, the same test istaken by all.

While we assist the students in forming initialworking groups, they are free to choose their own test-taking partners and free to change them at any time.Thus, the hard-working student can "dump" a non-working partner; the lazy students soon feel thepressure to get busy with the assignments.

Program EvaluationIt is difficult to measure the results in a purely

quantitative fashion, but we feel several positiveoutcomes. As teachers, it is rewarding to stand in ourclassrooms on test days and observe the amount cfadditional learning that is occurring in the midst of thatquiet buzz of voices. When we overhear such tellingbits of conversation as "... but he said this ..." or "...Is what the book said," we know that the Study PartnerProgram is working.

The student drop-out rate has decreased. Studentstell us that the added support provided by the home-work group makes them feel less lost and helpless.

We can add material, and thus be more comprehen-sive on tests, without discouraging the test-takers. Wecan ask for responses to more difficult concepts.Interestingly, asking more questions has not created ahigher grade curve. Test anxiety has been reduced.

We have not used the Partner Program in everyclass, but it appears to work best in those classes wherethe material is especially complicated.

Larry Williams, Instructor, !itisiness Education

Bob Fullerton, Associate Professor, Mathematics

For further information, contact the authors at PalomarCollege, 1140 West Mission Road, San Marcos, CA92069-1487.

Suanne D. Rambo, Editor

April 7, 190, Vol. XI, No.12The University of Texas at Austin, 1989


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS Is a publication of the Natrona! Institute for Staff and Crganizabonal Development (NIS 10),EN 348, The University of Texas at Ausbn, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscnpfrons are available to n ,con.sor-bum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Ft)ardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and sprang terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199106X

26


tlet INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHEDZY-THEN4F4pNAL-1141-1T-LITE-EDWITH SUPPORT FROV'THE W. K.KisELLOGG F

Blueprint for HiringCollege Faculty

FF-AND-OR ANIZATIONAL-DRELOPMENT,THE-UNI-VE-IttY-OFTEX44.4--DATION AND THE SID W.,RICHARDSON FOUNDATION \-7,

Traditional hiring practices are riddled with percep-tion problems. It is very difficult to make valid judg-ments of job candidates; and, as a result, people areoften hired on the strength of Superficial impressions.In particular, research has shown that most employersemphasize the employment interview which, as a hiringtool, has an unimpressive record in terms of reliaNlityand validity. Interviewers have great confidence intheir ability to select the right person for the job; how-ever, they often weigh the same information differentlyand fall prey to the "halo" effect. The following strat-egy is recommended for increasing the validity of hiringdecisions.

A Selection StrategyShortlisting

Applicants should be shortlisted according to anumerical weighting of job qualificationsi.e., pointsare given for education and experience. There should,however, be maximum values attached to each categoryso that qualified applicants are not screened out againstindividuals with more than the required educat: n orexperience. Twenty years of experience does notnecessarily guarantee more skill than does ten. Remem-ber, as Robert Half says, " 4 resume is nothing mutethan a balance sheet without liabilities."Presentation

Each shortlisted candidate should be invited topresent a 15-minute lesson on the subject that he/shewould be teaching. For examp' the candidate couldmake a presentation on the value of being a student inhis/her particular field. TI,, pr entation would berated by the search committee e- a predeterminednumerical scale and then folio by a structuredinterview.Structured Interview

A structured interview, using the following guide-lines, tends to increase the validity and reliability of theselection decision (Campion, Pursell, and Brown, 1988):i) develop questions based on joh analysis; ii) ask thesame questions of each candidate; iii) anchor the ratingscales for scoring answers with examples and

illustrations; iv) have an interview panel record and rateans 'ers; v) consistently administer the process to allcandidates.Optioaal Written Exercise

Candidates may be asked to participate in a writtenexercise. For example, the exercise could address aproblem situation with a student or a colleague. Onceagain, a numerical rating scale and a sample answerwould be used to score the response.Reference Check

After the toi_ andidate has been identified throoshthe numerical weightings, Caere should be a carefulreference check. The preferred candidate's backgroundinformation should be verified; additional performance-related data should be obtained from previous employ-ers. [Caution: The consent of the candidate should beobtained before utilizing a "network approach" tochecking referenceseach reference identified as suchby the candidate provides the name of another.]

Evaluating the Hiring ProcessSearch committee members rarely receive proper or

accurate feedback regarding the outcomes of theirhiring decisions: They seldom learn about the perform-ance of the individuals they chose to hire. It is essentialto maintain a record of the results of all hiring decisionsand answer, on some appropriate schedule, suchquestions as: Is the faculty member still with thecollege? Is his/her performance satisfactory? It iscritical that search committee members gather data todevelop a realistic perspective on their abilities to makegood hiring decisions.

Campion, M. A., 7. D. Pursell, and B. K. Brown. "Struc-tured Interviewing: Raising the Psychometric Proper-ties of the Employment Interl,iew," in PersonnelPs7chology, Vol. 41(1), pp. 25-42.

Ken Robb, Manager,, Human Resources & Staff Develop-ment

For more information, contact the author at SaultCollege of Applied Arts & Technology, P.O. Box 60, 443Northern Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 5L3,CANADA.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Ladership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

2?

Using the Desktop Computerin the Auto Shop

I had been looking for ways to bring the teaching ofcommunity college auto mechanics into the 1990's.What I discovered was that auto shop students loveusing a desktop computer if you, the teacher, will takethe time to get them interested and then guide themkeystroke-by-keystroke until they catch on.

One summer I worked in the VIP program at thelocal Pontiac dealership. I saw how they used comput-ers to prepare bills, inventory parts, and analyze profitand loss. One night I went home and decided to try toduplicate their repair order form on my Apple com-puter. After about two hours of experimenting, I hadreproduced the essential features of their mainframecomputer business form. My form allows the studentto enter the flat-rate times for each job operation andthe number of parts and their unit cost. Then, after twokeystrokes the computer sub-totals the labor charges,the parts charges, and the sales tax, and calculates agrand total.

The service manager at the Pontiac dealership talkedabout effective labor rates, and I soon learned that alabor rate was a measure of job effectiveness. That'swhen I created the back side of the repair order formwhich is the part that the customer doesn't see. On itthe business manager accounts for all of the costs ofrunning his business so that he knows how much profithe is making. [Students learn how to use a similarspreadsheet to calculate their weekly paych ok if theycontinue to perform with the same effective labor rate,to calculate the costs of running the business, and tocalculate the bottom-line profit on each job or series ofjobs. They play "what if" games with the spreadsheetto determine what happens to paychecks and profitswhen operating parameters change (such as pay perflat-rate hour) in the sprt.adsheet.]

None of these operations requires specializedsoftware. All of these jobs are completed on Apple-works, a combined word processor, database, andspreadsheet. Once students know how to operate eachof these modules, only their imaginations limit whatthey can do.

Here is how I use my computer to enhance myeffectiveness as an auto shop teacher. 1) I write myworkbooks on word prc -using software. They can berevised every semester as the technical content of mycourse changes. 2) I write purchase orders. I keep allof them in a tile for future reference at budget writing

Suanne D. Rotted., Editor

April 14,1989, Vol. )41 No. 13O1 he University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is peirmited by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

time. 3) I write my program review. As the data forthe various parts become available, I incorporate theminto that report. 4) I write all my memos. I find that Iget better responses to my requests. 51 I buy softwareto drill my students in auto terminology, individual-ized for each class. 6) I make bannel, ,using Print-Shop) advertising upcoming classes. 7) I .vrite mytests. Tests can easily Lo revised and updated. 8) 1

write my lecture notes. The lecture notes are used toinstruct students in using my workbooks. 9) I ma: ecopies of my lecture notes and make them available tostudents. They can use the notes to help find correctanswers to the workbook questions. 10) I invented acourse called Computerized Shop Management tomake my auto students computer literate: They write aletter advertising a sale on lube, oil, and filters at theirplace of employment; use a spelling checker to proof-read their letters; make a banner advertising the saleitem; make a database file listing their customers andmanipulate that file to select only special customers sothey can send a customized letter promoting specialservices; and make a spreadsheet to calculate their pay-check.

Finally, I show them how to use a repair orderspreadsheetenter the flat rate times the cost andnumber of parts; and the ,omputer automatically cal-culates the total labor and parts bill, adds the tax to theparts subtotal, and gives a grand total. Students usethe data to calculate the bottom-line profit earned onthat one bill, or they enter all the bills for a week andfind out how much the shop earned. They play "whatif" with the spreadsheet to determine the amount oftheir paycheck if they beat the flat-rate time and if theytake twice the flat-rate time to finish the job. Then theysee what happens to bottom-line profits when theydouble their salary.

My pilot class included a wide diversity of students.Their ages ranged from 18 to 55. Some were currentstudents, some returning students, and some currentmanagers of small indepe.tdent garages. The payofffor a teacher comes when the student tells you that heused to spend all afternoon performing an operationthat the computer just completed in seconds. Thatmakes teaching exciting!

Terry Ristig, Auto Mechanics Coordinator

For further information, contact the author at KankakeeCommunity College, P.O. Box 888, Kankakee, IL60901-0888.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the N3tional Institute for Staff and Organizabonal Development (NISOD),EDE 348, The University o. Texas at Ausbn, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471 7545. Subscnetions are available to aonconsor-bum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson FoundrtionIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and sprang terms and once dunng the sumer. ISSN 0199 106X

fl r)O


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS: : , II. . I

Enhancing Critical Thinking:Linear vs. Volume Learning

It has often been said: "Too many times informationgoes from the notebook of the instructor to the note-book of the student without going through the mind ofeither." We need to ask ourselves as educators why thishappens and, more important, why we let this happenin our own classrooms.

A major problem throughout our educational systemis that students are allowed to be passive_ learners. Butin many cases we as educators are also passive instruc-tors. Learning must be a function of personal experi-ence; students must see real and lasting relationshipsbetween what they learn and the time spent in learning.The absence rate in our classes is high, and the loss tostudents is real. In many cases, students do not knowwhat hard work really is and have never experienced it.In far to many cases, students tend not to think aboutwhat they should be thinking about wh;le in class.

We need to seek positive solutions to the problem ofthe passive learning syndrome: address the quality ofthe learning environment, engage the student in thetopic at hand, capture the student's imagination to gethim/her active in the learning process, develop apassion to enlighten the student to learning, encouragethe student to think in terms of self-image, and be ableto connect this same image in reference to the materialsto be learned. We need to place ourselves as instructorsin the student rolein the individual learning roleinorder to understand what is going on in the student'smind; then we can relate with them, not to them. Wemust learn to "mind line" with our students.

We likely would agree that all of our students shouldhave the following qualifications when they enroll inour courses:1. adequate mathematics (or discipline- specific) skills,2. average degree of motivation to learn,3. basic background of formal thought,4. acceptable level of curiosity.However, we often find our students missing some orall of these qualifications for survival.

Year after year, those of us who teach mathematics

. . 1

. '1 I.

and science go into our classrooms, try to teach stu-dents how to solve problems, assign homework thatforces them to practice problem solving, provideaudio-tutorial or computer-assisted instruction pro-grams that drill them, subject them to exams that testtheir ability to solve problems, and then make thefollowing observations about their performance.1. some students can't even work the problems cov-

ered in lectures;2. some students can work problems they have seen

before, but they can't work similar problems;3. some students can work problems that are similar to

those they have worked before, but they can'thandle problems that 4sk them to go on stepfurther.At least part of the trouole that students have with

problem solving in introductory chemistry coursesmust be attributed to the fact that chemists have alwaystried to teach their students how to solve problems bydoing nothing more than working exalt les. In recentyears, however, chemists have begun to realize theimportance of general strategies in problem solving.Steps to Problem Solving

There are several stages or steps involved in prob-lem solving:1. finding the problem (recognizing that a problem

exists),2. representing the problem (understanding the gap to

be bridged),3. planning the solution (choosing a method for

bridging the gap),4. carrying out the plan,5. evaluating the solution,6. consolidating gains (learning from the experience of

solving the problem).No raatter which model of problem solving we use,

there is imanably an early stage; its goal is under-standing and identifying the problem. This is a stagewhere relevant information is extracted and where theelements of the problem are juggled until the problemis transformed into a problem the student understands.Understanding c problem requires that the student recognizethe initial and goal stages.

It is up to us to de-bug the program and re-programthese students in order to teach oroLiem-solving

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (MSOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

2E)

techniques. Thinking and learning are skills that canbe taught!Teaching These Skills

One method of instruction to approach the afore-mentioned problems is to utilize area or volumelearrligi in our classrooms rather than linear learning.[It also incorporates the writing-across-the-curriculumconcept int3 our courses. The simple act of writing is aphysical activity and a method of recording one'sthought processes. The act of writing is also a verygood means of generating thought. The actual readingof what has been written creates knowledge throughthe thinking process.]

Mathematics and science instructors realize thatstudents often solve problems backwards; they do notuse a logical approach to problem solving. They lookat solutions to sample problems in the book and thenextract the information from the verbal question. Theyalso look at the answers to the even-numbered prob-lems in the back of the book and then proceed to workout the solutions.

Why not capitalize on the process they alreadyutilize in their learning ai,d approach it in a logicalmanner? Give an example solution to a problem; thenhave students write out the question or problem to fitthe clues found in the solution. This activity wouldallow them to verbalize the solution to the problem athand. Instructors could encourage such thinking bygiving students the solutions to a few problems in thetext and having them write the clues from the solution,identifying the problem which best matches thesolution.

This exercise would enable students to extract infor-mation both fc-wards and backwards. Eventually, itwould allow them to extract information from a wordproblem with a forward logical approach rather thanwith the backdoor method. In science, laboratoryactivities, as well as lectures, utilize more area orvolume learning; mathematics is more involved withlinear learning. Science is like a history course taughtin definite units of information; mathematics is more astep-by-step sequence of information building. How-ever, both methoLls still involve:1. organization of information,2. decision making,3. critical thinking,4. problem solving.Summary

Students need additional clues to problem solving.We must allow them to build a broader base of clueswith which to solve problems. Utilizing a broader

immorauslowziavormarra

diversity of instructional modes in our courses andincluding more of the five senses into our learning ac-tivities should help students build that critical broaderbase.

Michael W. Waiters, Instructor, Chemistry; and Depart-ment Chair, Natural/Social Science

For further information, contact the author at CowleyCounty Community College, P.O. Box 1147, 125 SouthSecond, Arkansas City, KS 67005.

Suonno D. Rancho, Editor

April 2_ 1 1989, Vol. X4 No. 14The University of Texas at Austin, 1989


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a puNication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscnptions are available to nonconsor-bum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid ',V Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session daring fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer ISSN C199-106X

3 (J


42 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS: 91

"4V.I. I' . . :1'

I. I

An Experiment with FreshmanEducation Majors in a CollegeMathematics Course

Teaching mathematics in the elementary classroom isa skill/art to be developed during all four years of astudent's undergraduate education. Too often, e,!. ra-tion majors are not well-equipped with good mathemat-ics teaching techniques. Many times these futureteachers admit that, "Math is not my favorite subject,"or worse, "I never was very good at math." Thesecommentstogether with my own personal observa-tions of algebra, statistics, and calculus students whowere able to solve an equation, calculate a descriptivemeasure, or differentiate a function only to get bibbeddown when a fractional root required checkingled meto speculate about their basic skills in arithmetic.

Educators and psychologists, whose theories onmaturation and development stress "readiness" fortoilet training, reading, and a myriad of other skills,lead mathematicians to speculate on the optimum agefor learning various mathematics skills. For example,one might wonder if the age and grade level for theunderstanding of the concept of fractions is appropri-ately placed in the curriculum.

As a mathematics instructor at Burlington CountyCollege, I (with the support of a faculty fellowship)developed and introduced a new module into ourmathematics course for education and liberal artsmajors. This pilot program was designed to placefuture teachers in the classroom of a master elementaryteacher who was conducting a lesson on any facet ofrational numbers (a topic which we cover in our text).These college freshmen were to observe the teacher andclass; answer a checklist; and design a visual, work-sheet, or handout appropriate to the lesson observed.(Provision was made for students who were not educa-tion majors. These students and I agreed upon amutually-acceptable alternate assignment relating theirmajor to the topic of rational numbers.)

This classroom observation assignment was inaddition to activities in our full syllabus and completelyon the student's own time. Anyone familiar with the

I I'I I I.

profile of a community college student knows that he/she typically works a part-time job while jugglingclassload and family responsibilities. Also, manycommute to class by bus. Needless to say, I thoughtthat this additional assignment would create problemsfor my students, but I felt strongly that their effortwould be rewarded by an exciting exposure to atalented teacher role model. recause this was anexperiment and I fully anticipated that some studentswould be unable to fit this assignment into their busyschedules, I decided to assign only ten points of our400-point grading system to this requirement.]

Each student requested the school he/she wished tovisit, and I was to contact the principals. I had no ideathat each student would choose a different school! Mytask proved to be very time-consuming. The principals,superintendents, and curriculum coordinators withwhom I spoke were, to a person, very cooperative andprofessional. Some of our local elementary schools, Ilater discovered, are fairly inun.'.ited by similar re-quests from surrounding four-year institutions.

Midway through the semester one student decidedto do her "classroom observation." At the subsequentclass meeting she presented me with a big smile and athick portfolio which she referred to as her "report."That evening I was overwhelr led with the length,detail, and enthusiasm of this ten-point assignment.She included a very interesting three-page narrative ofher observation (this was not required) and had devel-oped not one, but two, innovative games which couldhave been used for the lesson she observed. Sharingthis report at our next class meeting served as a catalystto the other students. Exciting things began to happen.Some students would seek me out, even on days whenwe had no class, to tell me about their "observation."They apparently took my admonition to "dress appro-priately" to heart, and many very well-dressed studentscame directly from the elementary school to share theirexperiences with me.

It soon became a habit for many of us to arrive a fewminutes early to class so that we could discuss andshare someone's "observation." We still had a very fullsyllabus of goals and objectives to cover, so these bits ofsharing had to be brief.

I continue to be delighted with the keen insights andcomments from freshmen college students. [Note: A

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (N1SOD)Community College Leadership Pmgram, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

31

classroom observation check/comment sheet providesstructure to the observation activity.]

611_grade middle school: "The teacherwas in total control throughout theclass period. It seemed as if theteacher and students had a mutualrespect for each other (like mother andchildren)."

5th grade elementary: "He ... favoredthe girls to the boysespecially thosewho got most of the questions right.He spoke in a soft monotone voice,which I feel contributed to the restless-ness of the children after 25 minutesinto the class. The children reacted tohim eagerly; they appeared to like him.He showed me samples of their workfrom September to date, and therewere remarkable jumps in grades."

6th grade parochial: "Every studentanswered at least one question. Thestudents had to explain how they gotthe answer which showed that theyseemed to understand the material."

6th grade elementary: "The game iscalled fraction basketball. The socio-economic background of the studentswas a contributing factor to the devel-opment of the game. If there was onething that the students knew, it wasbasketball."

College-aged class for the deaf (mystudent signs for the deaf): "Theteacher seemed to go too quickly forthe students. She began erasing theboard before some of them werefinished copying. I think she shouldhave used an overhead projecto-; thenthey could read her lips as well us copythe notes."

6th grade elementary: "[The teacher]is a very enthusiastic person; she reallycaught the class's attention. She wasalways moving around, or drawing onthe board so the students couldvisualize what she was explaining. It

is important to haie your studentsinterested in what you're teaching.[The teacher] joked around as shetaught and used examples that thestudents could relate to, such as foodand games. The few students who didnot catch on as quickly sat quietly intheir chairs and would not lookdirectly at the teacher."

7th grade (accelerated) middle school:"I could tell that the students wereunderstanding the material, becausethe teacher made sure they under-stood. She would call on everyone,separately, of course, checking up oneach of them. If a child was talkingwhile she was, an 'excuse me' wouldshut them upthat happened rarely,though."

7th grade middle school: "The stu-dents were complimented when theygave the right answer and wereieinforced by examples when theywere unsure or if they gave the wronganswer."

In addition to these written comments, I was sur-prised to learn that most of the observed teachers haddone much more than allow a college freshman to sitsilently in the rear of the classroom. Most of theteachers actively involved my students in the class.One student was asked to come forward and tell theclass about her college and this project. Others wereincluded in small groups and actively helped students.Some teachers shared previous test scores from thc:rroll books while explaining a current test. Many of mystudents were invited back to follow up on the ob-served activity.

Instead of waiting until near the end of a four-yeardegree program to get into the elementary classroom,students should observe excellent teaching techniquesand role models in many disciplines during all fourundergraduate years.

Patricia Piech, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

For further information, contact the author at Burling-ton County College, Pemberton-Browns Mills Road,Pemberton, NJ 08068.

Suenne D. Rottecho, Editor

Apr112 ,8 1989, VoL No. 15©The University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizabonst Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texts at Austin, Aunt), Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545, Subscnptios are available to nonconsor-tlum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are m session during fall aid sprang terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199.106X

32


WA' INNOVATION ABSTRACTSI I'

. O. I

Formal Program Review:A Critical Imperative forStudent Services

The concept of institutional effectiveness has engen-dered much concern in institutions of higher education,particularly in the community college. Of primaryconcern to community colleges is finding a way inwhich to make judgments objectively on the efficacy ofeducational programs. Today, educators want to knowhow to measure the quality of educational outcomes, in-structional effectiveness, services rendered, and operat-ing procedures. Currently, some colleges have begun tolook seriously at measurements resulting from formalreview.

During the past decade of dwindling resources, chiefexecutive officers, local governing boards, state agen-cies, and regional accreditation agencies have becomehard pressed to assure quality educational programs ata minimum cost to students and taxpayers. The onus ofresponsibility for developing a set of "proofs" that willdemonstrate educational effectiveness and efficiencylies with personnel throughout the institution. Onesure means of providing evaluative information onstudent services programs is via formal programreview. However, one major challenge in studentservices program review is the identification of meas-ures that will prevent the formal review process frombeing discounted by any constituencies.

Dimensions of Formal ReviewThe three major dimensions under scrutiny in formal

program review are the quality of educational out-comes, the appropriateness of services determined bystudent need, and the accountability of institutionalresources. The process of formal program review actsas a catalyst to strengthen and sicport a number offunctions within the institution, sue as budgeting,program planning, strategic planning, and othereducational developments. Far too often, available dataare not used within a systems framework. In somecolleges where there is an abundance of data, thereappears to be an overemphasis on data collection at theexpense of data analysis. Therefore, a formal review

I O I'O O.

process serves an essential function in contemporaryeducational systems.

Basic Purposes of Formal ReviewThe six basic purposes of program review are easily

identified: (1) to establish a procedure that will system-atically ensure quality programs; (2) to identify specificprogram deficiencies in order to modify services asnecessary for improvement and productivity; (3) toassist service units in planning professional develop-ment programs and activities; (4) to provide an equi-table method for institutional resource allocation basedon identified need; (5) to maximize utilization ofresources in support of service unit goals and objec-tives; (6) to synthesize and collate data from programreview into a priority planning document.

Sccee of Formal ReviewThe full scope of program review in student services

encompasses every independent service unit. Typically,in community colleges the maior divisions arc Admis-sions and Records, Counseling, Financial Aid, StudentActivities, Campus Police, and the College Bookstore.However, there are usually a number of smaller pro-grams and service units contained in each division, suchas Assessment and Research, Veterans' Affairs,Women's Center, Tutoring Services, InternationalStudents' Office, Intramural and Extramural Programs,Health Clinic, Disabled Student Services, and JobPlacement. This array of programs and service unitsdictates an extended period of time for program reviewto be accomplished. Therefore, it is recommended thatthe review for student services be scheduled for either athree- or five-year cycle, depending on the institution'sposition regarding the intent of the evaluation.

Review ProcessCritical to the success of the program review is the

implementation of a process that mirrors, to a largeextent, the evaluation of elements in the PPBS model.The review. process should be accomplished in six to tenstages with corresponding timelines. The actualnumber of stages and timelines are dependent upon theadministrath e structure of the college. Four supervi-sory levels are assumed: service unit supervisor,division director, vice president of student services, andpresident. The number of levels will vary from oneinstitution to the next, depending on reporting relation-ships.


The core elements are the focal issues of the reviewprocess and should be studied both individually and inrelation to the goals and objectives of the program.There must be checklists and data forms for everyprescribed core element. There are five recommendedcore elements for the formal review in student services.The five critical core elements are Productivity LevelProgram Need, Quality of Service, Staff Quality, andCost Effectiveness. Supporting documentation relativeto these core elements should be presented in a suc-cinct and graphic manner. Service units are given anopportunity to include any additional information ordata that are germane to the evaluative process.However, it is recommended that any additional datapresented include performance measures for theservice unit's goals and objectives, as well as a statusreport on its unit plan. It is also recommended thatsome effort be made to investigate other variables andintangible:, specific to each unit: no amount of adher-ence to a formal process can replace an honest effort toidentify and address deficiencies.

There are ten activity stages in the process (1) Athree-member Service Unit Program Review Commit-tee is appointed by the unit supervisor. (2) TheCommittee begins gathering data to document theunit's performance on the five core elements. (3) Theunit supervisor and director negotiate additionaicriteria. (4) The Committee requests any additionaldata through its supervisor. (5) The Committeecompletes the report and submits it to its supervisor.(6) The supervisor reviews the report, attaches asummary, and submits it to the director. (7) Thedirector reviews the report, attaches an evaluation, andsubmits it to the vice president. (8) The vice presidentreviews the report, attaches an evaluation, and submitsit to the Program Review Council. (9) The ProgramReview Council (consisting of representatives of thestudent body, professional staff, faculty, and admini-stration) evaluates the report in consultation with theunit's supervisor and submits its findings to thepresident. (10) The president makes a final determina-tion of the program's status (exemplary, satisfactory,conditional, or probationary) and reviews the findingsand recommendations with the appropriate adminis-trator.

Criticality of Formal ReviewMany program planning decisions should be guided

by information obtained from this kind of formalreview process. The criticality of educational programreview in years to come cannot be overstated. Thereality of excellence in higher education can only berealized when institutional resources, human and

otherwise, are developed into the proper blend.Excellence is not achieved solely by hiring competentfaculty and administrators. Excellence in highereducation can only be achieved by developing qualityeducational programs, by formally identifying andaddressing progran.rengths and deficiencies, bypromoting quality within each employee who servesstudents, by requiring the best effort of all who seek aneducation, and by assisting each student to discoverand value his or her unique worth.

Earl L. Wright, Vice President, Student Services

Reprinted with permission of Commission XI News-letter, Convention Edition, March 1989.

For further information, contact the author at SanAntonio College, 1300 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio,TX 78284.

Swim D. Bouocht Editor

May 5,1989, VoL ,I No. 16The University of Texas at Austin, 1989


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Ausbn, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscriptions are available to nonconsurbum members for $40 por year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundabon and the W. Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spnng terms and once dunng the summer ISSN 0199 106X

34


**INNOVATION ABSTRACTS0000 411

I).I

$ I I' ''I I

Take a Course/Drop a Courseor "What Did You Learn in School Today?"

During the fall, the members of the English andForeign Languages Department volunteered for a heavydose of role reversal. Using a pool of administrativesupport time, the department head offered to give onecourse of release time to any member of the departmentwho would take a course from another member. Halfof the members jumped at the chance to become stu-dents in their colleagues' classes, a few more wanted tobut could not because of other obligations, and therewere some who became teachers of colleagues but notstudents. In our departmc .t, it is not surprising to findteachers ready to try something new. However, consid-ering the autonomy of the classroom, it was gratifyingto find this many willing to open themselves up asteachers and learners.

Probably one reason for the number of participants isthe fact that, as a group, they are among the bestteachers in the college. Although they give about threetimes as many C's as A's, which is opposite the generalcollege ratio, they consistently score higher on studentevaluations than the rest of the college. On the average,these teachers have been reading student compositions,or teaching language classes, for about 19 years. For theEnglish teachers this has usually me?nt five courseseach quarter with 25 students in each class. A courseoff, then, was an attractive offer; and taking a coursefrom a colleague seemed just strange enough to be fun.

The rules for the project were simple. First, thecourse had to be taught in the department. After all, ifwe were going to share teaching and learning, why notshare it with each other? Second, the teachers had toactually register for the course and stay in attendanceuntil the end. Third, they could audit, but they had tocomplete, and submit for grading, all assignments. Forthis, they would be released from one teaching assign-ment.

The first hurdle was registration. According to thecomputer, English teachers do not meet the prerequi-sites for their courses. One of the composition teacherswho was blocked from registering for a compositioncourse said it was like having your credit card refused

by Ivey's when there are 20 people in line behind you.She, like the other students, had to go to a special deskin the registration center, operated by another memberof the department, and have the block electronicallyremoved. Another instructor called from out of town,using our new telephone registration system. We foundthat it takes an average of four telephone calls to get theprerequisite block removed and complete the recr,istra-hon. Two who waited until final registration found thesections they wanted full and had to get a "green form"from the department head to take back to registrationbefore being allowed into the class. Although all of usin the department assist students over these hurdlesduring registration, we had not anticipated having todo it ourselves. Consequently, we all learned some-thing about embarrassment, frustration, and the short-est route from Sloan Building to Registration to TerrellBuilding.

The second major phase was entry into the class. Forthe teachers who found colleagues in their classes, therewas predictable anxiety. But the teachers/studentsexpressed equal anxiety in anticipation of having theirwriting and other work actually graded. This was thephase where humor became the driving force.

As students again, we all learned things about"studenting" that we had forgotten. The other studentsquickly accepted us as "one of them" and wanted totalk about assignments, tests, and to share grades Weexperienced the dread of being called on and thetightening of the stomach as the teacher hands backtests or compositions. We also admit to glancing at theclock near the end of the period and praying the teacherwould forget to give the next assignment. Teachers, wefound out, rarely forget, and many of us becamereaquainted with "midnight oil." Then, on a Mondaymorning about a third of the way through the term,several of us were standing around the coffee pot andrealized we were discussing our weekend homework.

We also learned some important lessons about being"adult" students. On more than one occasion, a

teacher/student shared his frustration at not having

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (N1SOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

3 '

enough time to really do the assignment well. One ofthe participants had what amounted to a shift changein some very important volunteer work she was doingin the afternoons and had to miss one day of class eachweek. The ones with families felt in a double bind. Ifthey spent time with their families, they had to stay uplate, alone to complete their work. If they got theirwork out of the way firm, there was not enough timefor family. One participant had a death in the familyand almost had to drop the course. Several, naturally,missed days because of illness; and one missed becausehis car broke down. Community college teachers arcvery familiar with these excuses for missing class. Butfor most of us, these were not things that happened tous "back when we were in school." Consequently, wehad come to view these as things that happen to "our"students. Now we know that these things are simplypart of being an adult student today.

We also learned some things about our own classes.One tea( her/student announced that she was going toban yellow hi-liters from her classes forever. As ateacher she had always been pleased to see the hi-litersmoving briskly as she asked probing questions aboutselect passages in a story, taking this as a sign ofattentiveness. In her role as a student, however, shelearned that the students were hi-liteing instead ofthinking. Everyone also began to look at syllabi,objectives, test questions and handouts from a differentperspective. But the same is true for teaching styles.One person commented that this teacher was verypunctual and that he had not realized how much heappreciated knowing that the class would start and endexactly on time. Another teacher/student appreciatedhis teacher's detailed organization of class time, whileanother liked her teacher's laid-back, open discussiontechnique.

This experience supports the idea that there is notone best teaching style. However, it is clear that we allneed to continually examine our own to ensure that theone we are using is our best, if not the best. Perhapsmost important, though, is that after working togetherlonger than many families live together, we stilllearned a thing or two about each other. One teacher/student said about her teacher, "You know, all thistime I thought she was easy. Now I think she's justgood." Another said, "What he is doing is not what Iwould call English. But in Composition 11, it works,and I think it is as important as what I do."

Almost all of the participants have asked for achance to do this again, even though they all say theyworked harder in the course they took than they would


August 25,1989, Vol. XI, No. 177. Tne University of Texas at Austin, 1989

Further duplication is permitteJ by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

have tea Ming another course. Also, several of the onesw ho could not take a course want to take one in thefuture. Perhaps the greatest success in the experienceis that wt. had fun together. We laughed at ourselves andat how easily we became like our students. Wewatched each other do what we do best: Teach. Andwe came away from the experience with, hopefully, alittle more pride in ourselves and with a little morerespect for each other. And all it takes is a little crea-tie scheduling, a genuine respect for the people whoteach, and a well-de eloped, ready sense of humor.

Macy Creek, Instructor,, English & Foreign LanguagesDepartment

Joe Barwick, Depaitnzent Head, English & ForeignLanguages Department

For further information, contact the authors at CentralPiedmont Community College, P.O. Box 35009, Char-lotte, NC 28235.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publicabon of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development 1NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712,1512) 471 7545 Subscriptions are available to nonconsorhum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W tv Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer ISSN 0199-106X.


tVcINNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAIWITH SUPPORT FBOM THE,W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDA

AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THBUNIVERSIT FTEXASATAUSTINON AND THE SID W. RICHAF.1DSON. FOUNDATION

New Students, New Semester:How to Remember Names and Faces

It's the first day of a new semester. In addition to theenthusiasm and optimism inherent in new beginnings,we as teachers also must confront a humbling task:how to learn the names and faces of the 20 to 40 unfa-miliar students expectantly sitting before us.

And we must learn them quickly! In teaching, as inso many other fields, first impressions count for much.Before becoming teachers, all of us were students; welearned, if only subconsciously, that teachers who wereslow in learning the names of their students tended tobe uninspired and uninspiring. Although we certainlydon't want our students to come to that harsh prejudg-ment of us, we are only human. Almost all of us find itdifficult to put together names with the faces of somany new people in short order. The only individualswho seem to succeed, apart from professional memorytrainers and sales representatives, are politicians.

Actually, there is a technique that can reliably beused to associate the names and faces of at least 75% ofa typical first day class size of 20-40 new students. Evenbetter, skillful use (i.e., the right amount of showman-ship) of this technique can leave the impression thatyou have gotten to know almost all the students' namesand faces by the start of the second class meeting.

STEP 1Before coming to class, read the class roster severaltimes. Focus on the last names and honorifics (MrJMs.). Memorize as many of them as you can.

By familiarizing ourselves with the names before-hand, we set up a kind of cognitive dissonance: If weknow there is a Jones in the class, thr t we can concen-trate on looking for Jones and remerabering what he orshe looks like. Under this procedure, paradoxically,students with unusual names become easier to remem-ber. At this point there is no need to focus on the first,or given names. That just increases memory burdenwithout yielding important initial benefits.

STEP 2Start the class by introducing yourself and describingyour background and expectations for the course.Conclude by saying that you would like to learn moreabout them, but there isn't time for everyone to be aslongwinded as you've been. Hand out a "StudentExpectations Survey" that asks for a name, address,and phone number(s), and includes an open-endedessay question about backgrounds and expectations.Allow students at least 15 minutes of writing time.

While the students are busy writing, take the oppor-tunity to study their f:.ees, clothing styles, posture,haircutsanything, in short, that you can use to person-alize the individual student. This visual informationalso sets up a cognitive dissonance: you'll certainlywant to learn the. name of the punk rocker with thepurple hair. (The wnting exercise is ... : only a chanceto study the physiognomy of your students, but is also away of taking attendance and gauging the overallintellectual potential and interests of your new class.)

STEP 3In addition to absorbing the "tableau" of visualinformation presented by individual students, set up amnemonic positional framework. For example, in atraditional classroom layout, call the first row on yourleft "A," the second row, "B," and so on. Similarly,call the first student in row "A," 1; the second, 2, etc.Modify this positional framework to fit variouspossible seating arrangements.

This framework is the heart of the technique pre-sented. It relies on a curious fact of student sociobiol-ogy: students almost invariably return to the same seatthey occupied during the first class, or in reasonableproximity. For example, students who choose to sit inthe back of the room on the first day will almost nevervoluntarily change their scat to the front, and viceversa. Students who seem to prefer quick access to thedoor will sooner die than sit over by the windows, andvice versa.


ri

STEP 4Collect the student papers. Then, starting withposition "Al," ask the stueents to introduce them-selves and say a few words about themselves andthei_ expectations for the course.

Again, this step, like the preceding ones, is not verydifferent from ordinary classroom practice and soundgroup leadership. But it does set up the next step.

STEP 5While listening as carefully as possible to whatstudent "Al" is saying, find the name on the classroster and code "Al" next to it. (Obviously, if thestudent is not on the roster, write in the name and thecode.) If you have memorized or nearly memorizedthe set of names, and have carefully studied the facesan appearances of your students, then the positionalcode will serve as the link or index betwef n namesand faces!

At first glance, Step 5 appears to be the result ofcross-pollinating cognitive psychology with an elec-tronic spreadsheet like LOTUS 1-2-3. Despite theresemblance, it isn't. You might be surprised to learnthat the technique described above is virtually identicalto the method used by ancient orators like Cicero todeliver complex orations without reading them to theiraudiences. (For more information on the techniques,consult any scholarly work on ancient oratory, particu-larly Frances Yates.)

STEP 6.As soon as you can after class, read the "StudentExpectations Surveys," covering up the name of thestudent. Attempt to remember the name, based onyour recollections of what students said in class aboutthemselves. Refer to your class roster and position-code the "Student Expectations Survey" so that youcan "triangulate" if necessary.

This step provides additional reinforcement of thelinks between names, faces, and places.

STEP 7Before the second class meeting, review the surnamesand honorifics of the students on the class roster.Reread the "Surveys" and attempt to recollect names,faces, places.

By this point, the majority of the names, faces, andplaces should be almost committed to memory. And ifduring the second class you don't mind using theroster with positional codes as a kind of crib sheet-well, you can make it seem as though you know more

names and faces than you really do. In fact, with theright amount of showmanship, you can appear to be aclose relative of the "Amazing Kreskin."

ConclusionsMake no mistake: this technique does require a

certain amount of work. Like anything else, practicemakes it easier and easier to apply. But is it worth theeffort?

1 here is no doubt, in my mind at least, that "the painis worth thO gain." In cry own career as a student, Iremember that my bes' teachers always seemed to takesome extra effort to learnand usestudents' namesas quickly as possible. The worst (i.e., graduateassistants in large undergraduate lecture courses)never bothered. Teachers cannot claim to be concernedabout how well their students learn, if they themselvesdo not try as hard as they can to show they care aboutone of the most important possessions anyone can havein a mass civilization: a face and a name.

Myron jaworsky, Associate Faculty, Accounting

For further information, contact the author at PimaCommunity College, Community Campus, P.O. Box3010, Tucson, AZ 85702-3010.


September 8,1989, Vol. XI, No. 18©The University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the Nabonal Institute for Stall and Organizational Development INISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545 Subscriptions are avri table to nonconsor-tium members for $40 per year Funding in part by the VI K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid 141 Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session dunng fall and spring terms and once during the sdmmer ISSN 0199 106X.

3o


*INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTATE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF_ TEXAS AT AUSITINWITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG UNGrAlION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION .

Enhancing Your Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm. Think of the classes and workshops youhave taken where the instructor was E^ excited aboutbeing there, where his/her energy for the material andfor learning was so strong that the whole class wascarried to another level. Remember the courses youhave taken where the instructor's enthusiasm was sogreat that you couldn't help but become involved :n thesubject matter and in the classroom experience. Per-haps we need to approach stimulating student interestby exploring the enthusiasm we bring to the classroom.

Are there steps we can take to enhance our enthusi-asm and thereby create exciting learning experiences forour students? I surveyed the more than 100 full- andpart-time faculty members at Santa Fe CommunityCollege, where I am an instructor, to find out how theydevelop their enthusiasm. The survey (43 facultymembers responded to the written survey) revealed 10different approaches which we can utilize to exploreand expand the joy and excitement we bring to ourcourses. I have grouped the 10 approaches (with someof the instructors' comments) into three categories:t: ose approaches that focus on a) the instructor-studentrelationship, b) the instructor's relationship to thesubject matter, and c) the instructor's classroom teach-ing style.

A. APPROACHES FOCUSING ON THEINSTRUCTOR-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP.1. Paying attention to the joy of watching students

learn. Several instructors expressed how excitedthey felt "witnessing the glow in students' eyeswhen they realize that they've just learned some-thing important." We can use the jc, of watch-ing "when the light bulb clicks on" in a student'smind as a motivation for becoming better teach-ers. The excitement that students experience asthey learn can inspire excitement within our-selves and motivate us to actively seek out newways of stimulating student learning.

2. Developing a personal relationship with stu-dents. By getting to know students and bysharing with students, many instructors create a"personal" bond that motivates them in the

classroom. The personal relationship that isdeveloped by having students share their back-grounds with the class, by calling on students byr..me, and by "working one-on-one with stu-dents having trouble," personalizes our experi-ence of teaching. As teachers, we are morestimulated and more excited about teachingwhen we know the people in our classes.

3. Appreciating the important role we play in ourstudents' lives. As teachers, we significantlyinfluence the lives of our students. Simply byour personality and our manner, we positivelyand/or negatively influence our students' self-images and their feelings about the subjectmatter and learning. By reminding ourselves ofthe instructors in our past who helped turn us offto a particular subject and remembering thosewho helped us open doors in our minds, we arcmotivated to more positively and effectivelypresent ourselves and the subject matter.

B. APPROACHES FOCUSING ON THEINSTRUCTOR'S RELATIONSHIP TO THESUBJECT MATTER.1. Loving our subject matter. Several instructors

spoke of how their enthusiasm sprang from"falling in love" with their subject matter. Deepfeelings for our field of expertise, a keen interestin "new discoveries or ideas," and "excitement"for our professions are strong motivators. Byloving what we teach, we more profoundlyinspire our students.

2. Teaching new and/or a variety of courses. An-other technique for enhancing the enthusiasm webring to the classroom is by "teaching a varietyof subjects." For example, by volunteering toteach something we've never taught before, weexperience an awareness of the challenges thatour students face on a daily basis. Teaching avariety of courses can help us keep that certainedge of vitality, of fresLness to our presentations.

3. Appreciating the importance of what we teachto our students' lives. We can enhance our en-thusiasm by keeping in mind the "criticallyimportant" role the subject matter will play inthe lives of our students. Whether it is teaching


LI

people basic reading skills necessary for survivalin today's world, teaching skills that are vital torunning a business, or teaching nursing skillsthat will be critical to the survival of patients, wecan come to class excited about the pivotal rolethat we and the content we teach can play in ourstudents' lives.

C. APPROACHES FOCUSING ON THEINSTRUCTOR'S CLASSROOM TEACHINGSTYLE.1. Teaching in a way that involves us in the

course. By "walking around the room, gettingcloser to students," by presenting the material ina way that "requires a response, not just absorp-tion," by continuously adjusting our teachingstyle based on the responses given by students,we enhance our active involvement in the class-room and thereby enhance our enthusiasm forthe teaching experience. The employment ofsuch teaching styles as playing "devil's advo-cate," going over the homework together withstudents, sharing the responsibility with stu-dents for covering new material, questioningstudents, and so on, make the classroom astimulating learning environment for ourselvesas teachers.

2. Making the material real to our students andhelping students learn for themselves. Byconnecting the "course material, in some way, toan aspect of their (the students) own experi-ence," students and the instructor become moreexcited about the subject matter. A great deal ofenthusiasm is generated by designing ourcourses to be "hands-on sessions, as close to reallife as possible." Several instructors, as well,wrote of the excitement they derived fromhelping students be responsible for "their ownlearning," incorporate the material "in their ownway," and discover the "answer on their own."We can be invigorated then by helping ourstudents apply the subject matter to their livesand learn for themselves.

3. Using humor in the classroom. Humor can beused to enliven the classroom experience, tomake it fun. Laughing with students at life andourselves eases tension, raises the energy of theclass, and helps students perceive us as morehuman and accessible. Humor has the addedbenefit of making material easier for students toremember.

4. Challenging ourselves to find the best teachingstyle for each situation. We can also generate agreat deal of enthusiasm by accepting the chal-lenge of finding the most effective teaching stylefor each situation. By seeing each class sessionas "an entirely new experience," we open to acontinuously unfolding and exciting discoveryprocess. For each group of students and eachparticular topi. :overed, we can actively explorethe learning format that will best facilitatestudent understanding and integration of thematerial.

This survey of faculty members at Santa Fe Commu-nity College revealed a broad diversity of approacheswe can use to explore and enhance our enthusiasm. Byapplying these approaches, we encourage exciting,productive learning experiences for our students.Instructor enthusiasm is a powerful teaching tool. It

not only enhances our own experience of teaching; butmore important, it stimulates interest in our tudents.

Lee J. Cartwright, instructor,, Business & Occupations

For further information, contact the author at Santa FeCommunity College, P.O. Box 4187, Santa Fe, NM87502.


September 15, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 19Tho Uni.asity of Texas at Austin, 19'.i9

Further dupkation is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a p,blication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 7545 Subscriptions are avoilable to nunconsorCrum members for S40 per year Funding in part by tho W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richards )n FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session dunng fall and spring terms and once during the summer ISSN 0199 106X

40

VOLLIME XI, NUMBER 20

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS41111M111=11111611//

I: callg/5411011WO/MIL127,Agil-Ater440 *Ire r or lqiimmirivariolatgyAmmigg.Pm/ .

Selecting A Chief Instructional Officer:The Palomi.:r College Experience

Academic search commit. 2es are much like the littlegirl with the curl: when they are good they are veryvery good, but when they are bad they are horrid. Abad search is a frustrating and expensive waste of timeif a successful candidate cannot be selected; selection ofa candidate by a sloppy, rushed, or rigged process maydevastate an institution. A good search is composed oftwo diverse but complementary components: process?nd philosophy. Each is critical to the eventual successof the search and each requires proper care and plan-ning for appropriate implementation.

During 1987 and 1988 the Palomar CommunityCollege District ur..!ertook a nationwide search for anAssistant Superintendent/Vice President fcr Instructionwith a target date for employment of July 1, 1988.Appointment of the search committee occurred in thespring of 1987 with the active part of the search sched-uled to begin the following Sc . rnber. Each area of thecollege, including faculty, classified staff, executiveadministration, middle managers, and students, inde-i,endently selected reps esentat.ves. College PresidentGeorge Boggs charged the committee to recruit, inter-view, lnd recommend the best candidates available forhis fin, I consideration and recommendation to theGo% erning Board. Upon nomination by the committeehe appointed me chair, while agreeing that the commit-tee would be free to select a co-chair to preside in myabsence, as necessary. At the organizational meetingthe newly formed committee received information onrecr. itment, affirmative actio.', and lgal requirementsfrom the Director of Human Resource Services andAffirmative Action, an ex officio member. The commit-tee agreed to meet again in September. At this time thePresident. having given us our charge and a deadline,stepped away from the process and allowed us toproceed with the assigned task. He received regularreports from the chair but allowed us the flexibility tooperate independently for the remainder of the search.

The committee convened again in the fall to reviewtimelines and establish ground rules. We determined aquorum (9 of 13 members) and decided to keep andratify minutes of our meetings. The Chair and Director

of Human Resources proposed a timeline developed byworking backwards from the target employment date.This schedule considered and allowed a.iequate timefor advertising and recruiting, developing forms andquestions, screening applications, selecting applicantsto interview, checking re:crences, and making site visitsto finalists' home institutions.

A difficult problem for any search committee isscheduling regular meeting times around the individualcalendars of a very bus, group of classroom instructors,administrators, and staff. Each committee membersubmitted a complete schedule which I plotted in graphform. Miracul.,usly, a free hour appeared each week.(If this is not the case, the graph will likely show somehours in which only one or two people are unavailable.In that case, I recommend selecting two alternatemeeting times and staggering the meetings betweenthese times. While one person may have to be absentfrom a meeting, it won't be the same pers ,nch time.)Scheduling the interview blocks as tar in advance aspossible is also critical so that everyone may clearcalendars or obtain substitutes for the period covered.We agreed that regular ousiness would be conducted ateach meeting once a quorum was established but thatwe would not consistently backtrack due to the absenceof any member. (It may be appropriate to establish amaximum number of absences before a member isreplaced; however, this was not a problem with ourgroup.)

Three subcommittees worked to develop an applica-tic ri forth and screening documents from the applica-tions and interview questions. We found it much easierto edit forms and questions p.epared by the subcom-mittees than to create them as a group of 13. The assis-tance of the Human Resources staff proved invaluable.Competent support staff and excellent advice from theDirector ensured smooth operation within legal andinstitutional requirements. Acknowledgment of thiswork when the process is over is both appropriate andappreciated.

Proper scheduling allowed for efficient use of time.For example, screening forms were developed during

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)fr Community College Leadership

EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712 Program,The University of Texas at Austin

4 i.

the advertising period.Prior to the formal screening, the committee did a

"holistic" app..cation screening where they werepresented with three dummy applications and directedto screen as though these forms and the candidatesthey represented were real. We discussed our individ-ual screening line-by-line to compare scores and ensurethe screening device was adequate for the task. Thisprocess allowed us a better understanding of how wewere screening indi,,idual qualifications and savedlater debate over the qualifications of actual candidates.The Human Resources staff pre-screened applicationsfor the minimum qualif:cations. I reviewed thosescreened out, did anyone on the committee whochose to dr 'o.

After application screening, each committee membersubmitted no more than 15 names as possible interviewcandidates. One candidate was endorsed by all 13members; several others received two cr fewer en-dorsements; many received from 1-12. Each memberhad the opportunity to defend any candidate chosen.Ultimately, we agreed to interview those candidateshaving eight or more endorsements. During thescheduling time, questions were finalized and a holisticinterview held with the chief instructional officer of aneighboring campus. We used this as a check on ourquestions for quality of content and to eliminate anyambiguities not readily apparent in the process. Wewere also able to hear a set of arbwers from a personworking successfully in a position comparable to theone we hoped to fill.

Each candidate received by mail a packet of materialdescribing the college and the district. Prior to theinterview each was given a tc..ir of the campus and anopportunity to meet staff. A copy of the questions wasprovided for reference during the interview. Adequatetime was allowed for complete answers and for follow-up questions from the committee. Following the oralinterview each candidate was required to respond in% riting to a final ques,on within a designated time.These essays becamo part of the interview evaluation.

Extensive re'a.rence checking followed the inter-views. We checked official references, and eachcommittee member assumed the responsibility fortalking with his or her counterpart at the current andprevious places of employment. For example, ourBusiness Manager talked to other chief financialofficers while I spoke with library directors. In the case

of our in-house candidate, we had the unique opportu-nity to interview ourselves! Seriously, critical facts, proand con, emerged from these con ersa dons which


were consistent from person to person and withinaffirmative action guidelines.

The con,mittee then met to recommend finalists forthe President's consideration. The finalists werein ited back to campus to meet Av ith the President, theExecutive Administration, the Faculty Senate, andrepresentatives of other campus groups, a site % isit bythe President and the search committee chair followed.At the site visit, we met with the College President, theAcademic St. nate President, academic deans, and otherstaff conersant with the candidate's qualifications. Aschair, I made a recommendation to the President fol-lowing the site visit. I le then weighed the recommen-dations and his own impressions and decided on hisrecommendation to the board.

Trust, hard work, sad confidentiality were thehallmarks of this process, is was the work of an out-standing support staff. We on the committee agreed torecommend no one with whom we could not live.When only two finalists were recommended, thePresident accepted our judgment. We in turn allowedhim to make the final recommendation based on thefactors previously listed.

Much has been written about the mechanics andphilosophy of academic searches. Our search workedwell, primarily because the members of this committeeoperated as a team and kept institutional needs aheadof departmental considerations. Discussions were fre-quently spirited and, at times, emotional. A high levelof candor evolved and with it an equally high let el oftrust. 0%er time the group stopped operating as acollection of mdi% iduals and began to work as a team.In our deliberations, issues were brought out which, inprevious searches, may only have been discussed byone or two members rather than by the entire commit-tee. We were able to % ent our concerns and frustra-ti is to each other and rcsol% c them a group. Timein ested in the planning and organizational stagessaved an infinite amount of grumbling and second-guessing in the later stages of the process. Comidenti-ality was a by-word from the beginning, and institu-tionally the result has proved very successful.

JI dy J. Cater, Media Ser ices Librarian

For further information, contact the author at PalomarCoy :num ty College Di strk t, 1140 1Vest Mission Road,San Marcos, CA 92069-1487.

September 22, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 20sr The University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personni.

ivOVATION ABSTRACTS is a pabhca7on of the National Institute for Sall and Organizaton,31 Development (NISOD),.D8 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (5121 471 7545 Subscriptions me available to non-unsortium members for $40 per year Funding in part by the V/ k hoiogg Foundation and the Sid Vi Rft,hardson FoundationIssued weekly when ciasses are in session dunng fal and spring terms and once during the summei ISSN 0199 106X

42


OINNOVATION ABSTRACTS I

PUBLISHED By THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF- AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT.AUST7k.WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SOW. RICHARDSONFOUNDATION' . ..di

Personally Speaking: StudentsVoicing Their Opinions

The freshman year experience is an important part ofthe total college program designed to provide opportu-nities for social as well as interpersonal groch anddevelopment. STD 100-Orientation is a one-credit, 16-week course that is required for the full-time studentwho seeks to earn a degree or certificate. Each classmeets for one session a week. Objectives of the courseare for students to become aware of the various collegeservices available, provide opportunities for adjustmentto and survival in college, improve study habits, clarifyeducational and vocational goals, increase their per-sonal understanding, and have them accept the respon-sibility for learning. Aside from class attendance,participation in out-ot-class workshops, seminars, orpresentations is also required. Structured exercises tomeet the objective of increasing personal understand-ingsuch as, values clarificationare made availableduring the sessions.

Another activity that sets ground rules, but is basi-cally free-flowing, is "Personally Speaking (PS)"aseries of sessions devoted to the discussion of topicsrelevant to students. Two class sessions into the semes-ter, students are requested to list topics of interest thatthey would like to discuss. Imaginations may run wildat this point because there is no limit to the number ofsuggestions a studei it can submit. For example, myclass of 24 students submitted a total of 36 topicsranging from devil worship to snake-handling,chur:hes to television evangelists.

After this initial compilation, the list is read to theclass. The students are required to write down only onetopic they feel they would like to talk about. From this,the list is narrowed to 12 topics or so because similarchoices are categorized as a single item. Then what?The final listing is presented to the class and rank-ordered. Some time during the next 14 weeks could bescheduled for PS (assuming part of the first two ses-sions were devoted to compiling the list).

What would tt a initial structure be like? Prior to thebeginning of PS, the instructor mentions that there areno right or wrong answers also, that each student's

comments, however ludicrous or far.fetched, need to berespected. In other words, students are not to make funof others' statements. And, the instructor may intercedeto enforce these rules of order. [There are instances inwhich the discussants become very emotional. Forexample, one issuegender equity in workrapidlyescalated into "women who join the military can onlyserve in a support capacity because they can't do halfthe physical work that men can do." One of the stu-dents had completed basic training for the marines, andshe told the group that the top recruit to graduate was awoman! You can imagine the response of a formermarine who voiced the first statement. Calm andrational thinking prevailed, however. Needless to say,the students voiced their opinions and it was onesession that neither I nor they will ever forget.] Attimes, the instructor needs to prod students by askingquestions that are relevant to the topic. If the issue is"devil worship," you may ask if it exists in the varioushigh schools that students attended or if they saw theGeraldo Rivera special. Aside from acting as enforcer,the instructor encourages participation and feedback.

Early in the semester the group may not be comfort-able enough to start speaking out in PS sessions.Therefore, later in the semester may be ideal because anelement of familiarity, trust, and support has evolved.Class composition is a plus as the older, more maturestudents provide opinions obtained from life experi-ences. Discretion for the scheduling of I'S is a combina-tion of instinct and interest. Ask the students whenthey would like to have a PS session.

What are the outcomes? Students feel more confi-dent speaking their minds in front of a group of people,and the sessions create a learning climate that is primar-ily student-initiated. For first-year students, thisreinforces the attitude that learning is the responsibilityof the individual and that ideas of other people arerespected in the work world.

Quintin S. Doromal, Jr., Assistant Professor-Counselor,Student Support Services

For further information, contact the author at SouthwestVirginia Community College, P.O. Box SVCC, Rich-lands, VA 24641-1510.


4

TeachingWhat a Joke!Maintaining a Sense of Humor in the Learning Process

People who display a sense of humor are healthier,more fun to be around, and live longer than those whodo not. It is easy for an educator caught up in theseriousness of the rob to accidentally create a humorlessenvironment. Many of us believe that a humorlessenvironment is a humanless environment. Smiling orlaughing, especially a't one's own folly, is a uniquelyhuman characteristic

I propose that not only can learning be more funwith the use of humor, but that learning is actuallyenhanced. Encouraging students to display their senseof humor is important. Humor, being creative innature, tends to be left-brained whereas much subjectmatter, especially in 1 isiness, mathematics, andscience, tends to be right-brained. Research has shownthat learning is enhanced when i,:ft- and right-brainedactivities are co-mingled. It appears that what one jokesabout, one fends to remember! For example, studentsshould be encourage," to tell funny stories that arerelated to the subject at hand.

I only know two jokes about accountinga particu-larly humorless discipline. One is that in determiningthe value t,) place on your inventory, you may use theLIFO (last-in first-out method), FIFO (first-in, first-outmethod) or FISH (first-in still-there method). Buyersmay not particularly like this joke! The other is aboutthe accountant who looked in his bottom drawer a halfdozen times a day for 25 years. After he retired hisfellow employees rushed to the drawer, which healways kept locked, curiously waiting to see what helooked at so frequently. They got the key, opened thedrawer, and on the bottom of the empty drawer wastaped a sign which read "Debits left, Credits right."

This joke should be told at an appropriate time.Students who have been introduced to basic debit/credit theory and are struggling with the concept of themeaning of the words will benefit from this joke andwit' probably always remember "debit left, creditright."

It is important to make it all right to make a mis-taketo have little failuresin a classroom setting. Ifstudents can feel comfortable laughing at their ownshortcomings, the whole atmosphere can improve. Afriendly smile and an atmosphere where a student can"simply try again" is an improvement over a punitiveenvironment based on fear or threats.

Why we continue to struggle to teach and studentscontinue to struggle to learn is a question we askourselves from time to time. It reminds me of the jokeabout the guy who went to the psychiatrist and saidthat he had a brother who thinks he is a chicken. Thepsychiatrist said to bring him in right away. The guysaid, "Well, I would, but we need the eggs."

Speaking of eggs, did you hear about the chidenwho.

Jerry W. Lancio, Chairman, Applied Business

For further information, contact the author at DaytonaBeach Community College, Box 1111, Daytona Booth,FL 32015.

Suanne D. iloueche, Editor

September 29,1989, Vol. XI, No. 21©The University of Texas at Austn, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Stall and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of T #- as at Austin, Austin, Texas ;8712. (512) 471 7545 Subscnptionsare available to nonconsonhum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W RichardsonFoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session dunng fall and spring terms t. id once during the summer ISSN 0199 106X

44i


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS9 I.

Critical Thinking and Collaborative LearningWhile most experts agree that critical thinking can

and should be taught, many disagree with how it isbeing taught. Those who disagree contend that teachersare teaching students to think critically as individuals,while most problem solving everyday life occurs ingroups. Experts point out that individuals who prob-lem-solve quite well individually perform abysmally ingroup situations, and that the sum of group thought isusually less than the sum of individual thoughtaphenomenon referred to as "groupthink." Also, inrecent years employers i ave begun to call attention tothe deficit in group problem solving skills which theyencounter in their college-trained employees. Theteaching of critical thinking is not enough. Educatorsmust also discover ways to teach meaningful criticalthinking skills. One method is the collaborative orgroup learning method.

Through careful design of the classroom setting,specific instruction in the evaluative method, andprecise structuring of assignments, students can solvepertinent problems which require the development anduse of critical thinking skills. At the same time, stu-dents will benefit from experience in collaboration.Practical activities which require students to evaluate aproblem, by establishing group criteria and applyingthose criteria to problems, will foster the growth ofcollaborative critical thinking abilities in students.

One successful method of organizing such an activityincludes three major steps. The first step includesestablishing groups and individual responsibilitieswithin groups. The instructor may select groups in avariety of ways (however, I have found that odd-numbered groups of not more than five per group workwell). Each group, then, can select a group leader, apresenter, and a secretary. The entire group is respon-sible for determining the materials the secretary willinclude in the group report. The group leader's respon-sibilities include ensuring that all members contribute,organizing the final report, and leading the groupdiscussion. The presenter is responsible for the oraldelivery of the final group report to the class. Thesecretary is responsible for compiling, from the notes ofthe group members, the final report under the direction

of the group leader and members. All group membersincluding leaders, presenters, and secretaries areresponsible for researching, note taking, setting criteria,and evaluating the problem.

Once students understand their group roles, theinstructor can make the assignment. Students shouldhave completed an appropriate reading assignment thatwill force them to formulate critena by which they willevaluate a problem. Instruct students to keep a carefulrecord of these criteria, as well as the application ofspecific elements of the problem. Explain that studentsmust make and justify judgments. Tell Students thattheir job is to determine whether particular outcomesare good or bad, and why they are one or the other. Tokeep the activity within a manageable time frame, allota specific amount of time for each task. Inform studentsof the time limits; i.e., they have 15 minutes for research,ten minutes for compilation, etc. After students areaware that they have a schedule for solving the prob-lem, describe the problem. The following problems,taken from different disciplines, have been used suc-cessfully by four FCCJ instructors:

European History: What caused the FrenchRevolution? What were the gains and lossesto each segment of society? Do the gainsoutweigh the losses? Do the gains justify theviolence that accompanied the Revolution?Would it have been desirable to have pre-vented the Revolution? If so, how could ithave been prevented? Compare the social,economic, political, and ecclesiastical posi-tions of each estate at the beginning with theend of the Revolution. Each group willestablish a unique criterion for evaluating theconditions of the estates.

Anita Morris, History

Economics: One of the most pressingproblems facing the government is thefederal budget deficit. There are manyproposed solutions to the problem. During


4

the process of reading/researching, studentswill analyze the several aspects of theproposed solutions. Why did the deficitoccur? Is a budget deficit ever "a goodthing" for a country? Why? Why not? Isthe deficit best solved by raising taxes orcurtailing government spending? What arethe advantages and disadvantages of each?Which solution do you think is the mostsuccessful? Why or why not?

Elizabeth Otto, Economics

Political Science: The United States recog-nizes the vast expansion and modernizationof the Soviet military and realizes thedanger to Western/U.S. interests; however,the Soviet leadership is advocating militaryreductions and appears to seek a warmingof relations between the Soviet Union andthe United States. Considering the currentbudget deficit crunch, should a presidentadvocate increases in military expendituresto counter the threat as a safety measure orshould he gamble that the political overturesof the USSR are genuine and likely to belong term, even after the present Sovietleader has departed from politics?

Edward Fleming, Political Science

Psychology: In Europe, a woman was neardeath from cancer. One drug might saveher, a form of radium that a druggist in thesame town had recently discovered Thedruggist was charging $2000, ten times whatthe drug cost him to make. The sickwomen's husband, Heinz, went to everyonehe knew to borrow money; but he couldgather only about half of the drug's cost. Hetold the druggist that his wife was dyingand asked him to sell the drug for lessmoney or to let him pay later. But thedruggist said, "No." The husband gotdesperate and broke into the man's store tosteal the drug for his wife. Should thehusband have done that? Why or why not?(Rest, 1968)

Robert Rainey, Psychology

Having made the assignment clear, the instructormay start the groups. A suggested schedule for gn.upwork is 15 minutes for research, 10 for compilation of

data, 40 for presentations and discussion, and 10 forclosure. Students may use the closure period tocomment on material presented by other groups or forrevised summary. It is also the time the instructor willuse to summarize the work of groups. The instructormust keep the students moving from one part of theactivity to the next. If students are left to manage timeon their own, they frequently are unable to moveahead.

The collaborative/critical thinking learning methodis time-consuming but rewarding. Because it is time-consuming, it may be appropriate only infrequently.Nevertheless, this instructor has found this method tobe an excellent one for introducing specific units ofstudy. However, when students are accomplmemory-level learning independently, this methodshould be the "main course." Not only does it developthe highest level of learning ability but it encouragesstudents to use that ability in the most practical waycooperatively.

Anita Morris, Instructor, History

For further information, contact the author at FloridaCommunity College at Jacksonville, 11901 BeachBoulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32216.


October 6, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 22The University of Texas at Austin, 1989


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Irstitute for Stall and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, 1512) 471 7545 Subscriptions are available to nonconsorhum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes art, ,n session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer ISSN 0199 106X

46

VOLUM:: XI, NUMBER 23

INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NOTIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF. AND 011GANIZATIONALDEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOJATAUS'IlkWI 1H SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W.RICHODSONFOUNDATION

Using Combined Auditory, Kinesthetic,and Visual Learning Methods in the Auto Shop

"Crayons! Crayons? Son, why are you takingcrayons to college?"

"I'm using them in my auto mechanics class, Dad.The teacher has us color the hyd-aulic diagrams for ourautomatic transmissions."

I teach auto mechanics to community college stu-dents. Their ages range from 18 to 65 years. Theyexhibit a wide variety of learning methods. Some arekinesthetic learners who learn best by touching. Othersare auditory learners who learn best via listening. (Allof us use all three methods, but we normally use onemethod more than the others.) Most of my students arevisual and/or kinesthetic learners. Very few areauditory learners. Yet auditory learning skills areexpected for the lecture portion of class. I have found away to combine all three majcr learning methods intoone. I still use an auditory lecture, but I supplement itwith visual and kinesthetic methods at the same time.

Automatic transmissions have hydraulic circuits thatare used to control when the transmission shifts gears.In each gear different passageways are filled with oil.When students first see the complete factory hydraulicschematic of a production transmission, they areoverwhelmed. They can't see the individual compo-nents because of the overall complexity. Therefore, Icreated a beginning generic hydraulic schematic of thetransmission gears. There are eight or more differentpatterns for them to learn. It would be very time-consuming to make a unique drawing for each gear ofeach transmission, so I use a computer to make a basicpattern. At first I thought that I would have to mastercomputer graphics to create this pattern. But afterexperimentation I found that a simple word processingprogram, rather than complex graphics, was all Ineeded. The time-consuming part is creating theoriginal generic form. The easy part is to copy the basicform using the computer and then to modify just thoseparts that are different in each gear. As I teach cactinew transmission, all I do is modify the generic formand include the different features of the current trans-mission, rather than create a new computer form.

I also create a schematic diagram that identifies thephysical location of the various clutches and bandscontrolled by the hydraulic system. As well, thesediagrams are computer files for easy manipulation. Forboth types of schematics I use the same color codes forthe bands and clutches. That way the stuaent can secthat the red-colored pressure in the hydraulic schematicis responsible for applying the red-colored clutch in thephysical location schematic.

In lecture class I use these twG forms as the organiz-ing format for my lecture on transmissions. I have thestudents sit around the table at the front of die roomwhile I lecture. As I lecture, I have them color thevarious hydraulic circuits that I am explaining. I useone color for mainline pressure and others for throttlepressure and governor pressure. The students are allclose at hand, so I can easily use the form that I am alsor gyring to show them how the circuits function. Since Iuse a different form for each gear, the student can seewhat is happening as the transmission shifts gearsby flipping rapidly from chart to chart. The forms canalso be used to make overhead projector transparencies(via the copying machine).

I have found that student comprehension of basicautomatic transmission hydraulic theory has increasedsince I have begun using this combined auditory,1,isual, and kinesthetic method Of teaching. I know thisbecause I also use the charts on my tests. One part ofthe test is to color a duplicate of one of the pages thatwe colored in class. Then students can use their dia-gram to help answer the short essay question about theoperation of the hydraulic system as it shifts from gearto gear. Students at first joke about bringing crayons tocollege, but soon they are proud of their sketches!

Terry Ristig, Coordinator,, Auto Mechanics

For further information, contact the author at KankakeeCommunity College, P.O. Box 888, Kankakee,, IL 60901-0888.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR S AFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

Afr)f

Using the Computer to Recruit Auto Students

At Kankakee Community College the instructor isthe pe:son primarily responsible for recruitment, andcareer center schools are the main source of newstudents. I have tried several methods of gettingstudents' attention when I visit with them in recruitingsessions that can last as long as two hours. I knew thatI needed to impress students with Kankakee Commu-nity College and to talk about the advantages of attend-ing my college. This year I tried what has proven to bea very successful approach. What i discovered is that ifyou give them something to do while you are talking,they will more likely give you their attention.

First, I have students complete a form on which theylist their name, address, and presumed college major;then they check boxes to request additional informa-tion that they might want about my college. This formis not ordinary Between the major sections of the formare statements about my collegesuch as, "Did youknow that the Auto Mechanics certificate programtakes only eight months to complete?" I intend thatstudents, in completing the form, get the first of severalpresentations about what I want them to know aboutmy auto program. The entire process is a "soft sell."After they fill out the survey form, I give them a sheetthat says, "Help Wanted: Auto Mechanic. Must beable to fix PFI, TBI, and DIS." Following the "ad," 1 listsome of the advantages of my programsuch as, thecost. Many times the students V. 'II ask what PFI, TBI,and DIS mean. This lack of definition on the ad sheet isdeliberate because it sparks questions and discussionabout the program. I tell them that DIS stands for dis-tributorless ignition system, which is a computer-controlled system with no moving parts, other thantwo magnets, that has taken the place of the oldmechanical distributor. TBI is throttle body fuelinjection, and PFI is port fuel injection. Once thosequestions are answered, I tell them that autos arecomputers with tires on them and that I will teachthem a basic computer skill that they will be able to usewhen they own their own businesses (most incomingcollege freshmen dream of owning their own busi-nesses someday).

Then I ask if anyone has prior computer experience.(The high school students to whom I speak fall into twocategories: the minority is computer literate, themajority has never touched a computer. The novelty oflearning a little about computers makes this activityparticularly exciting.) Those who do have prior

experience are designated as the typists. The studentsare divided into equal-sized groups, using as manypersonal computers as the high school can spare. Eachteam is given a printed sheet with the words andformulas that are to be entered into each cell of thespreadsheetdeveloped for my Computerized ShopManagement class. It is the first that the studentsstudy. It will calculate take-home pay (by entering theamount paid per hour), the number of hours worked,and the federal and state tax rates expressed as percent-ages. talk them through the entire spreadsheet, onestep at a time. Then they get to play "what if" with theform. I have them give themselves a raise. I have themincrease th, rates. They can instantly see whatwould happen to their checks if these changes weremade. (Many express surprise that so much money isbeing withheld as taxes!)

Depending upon the time availabks, I have them useanother spreadsheet to calculate a customer's bill. It

will perform a financial analysis of the profitability ofthat billcalculating the cost of rent, insurance,utilities, etc.

When I have more time, I use a program thatsimulates an engine that continually breaks down. Theobject of this program is to drive the car, then diagnoseand fix the failures while the program keeps track ofthe amount of money spent. (I use this program in myshop; and many students discover, in using thatprogram, that they need more study. A variationwithin this program is a series of five cars that haveincreasing numbers of problems. The object is to fix allof the problems with the least expenditure of time andmoney.)

The students have fun with these exercises. Thecomputer is the "hook" to get their interest, and then Ican promote my program.

Terry Ristig, Coordinafor,, Auto Ain:hanks

For further information, contact the author at KankakeeCommunity College, P.O. Box 888, Kankakee,, IL 60901-0888.


October 13,1989, Vol. XI, No. 23©The University of Texas at Austin. 1989Further duplication is permuted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel,

INNOVATION ABS TRACTS is a publication of the Nabona' istilute for Staff and Organizdtional vpment (NISOD),EDB 2i8, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, ?excl. 78712, (512)471 7545 Subscriptions are available to nonconsoihum members for $40 per year Funding in part by the Vr K Kellogg Foundation ano the Sid W Richardson FoundationIssued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer ISSN 0199 106X

4 F


**INNOVATION ABSTRACTS. : '

I

0 Robin! My Captain!

. I L I Ill

Your children have been out of school and underfootfor less than a month and already you are counting thedaysminutes, you say?until school regathers themto its bosom in blessed September. For now, enroll thenfor two hours in Welton Academy. You, too, might aswell matriculate for the pleasure of studying poetrywith John Keating.

Keating, played with restrained perfection by RobinWilliams (there is no "G000000000000d MorningVermont!"), is the intense but deft English teacherwhose spirit drives "Dead Poets Society." This moviemay wean a few adolescents away from addiction to themerely visual. It can spark appreciation of the rap-turesthat is not too strong a wordthey can receivefrom words.

The title itself speaks well of the movie's makers.Notice, no roman numeral. In this summer of sequels(coming soon, "Ghostbusters Go Star Trekking Througha Nightmare on Elm Street with Indiana Jones, PartXIV") this is an original idea. The title is quirky andprobably off-putting to the lowing bovine herd ofpeople who are put off by anything odd. Poets? Today,slam-bang mindless action seems required to arrest theattention of the jaded public with its flickering five-second attention span. This movie promises onlyonly!the pleasure of words.

A prep-school teacher as hero? Keatag is heroic, butnot in the banal manner of the whip-cracking, death-defying archaeologist Jones. Keating's heroism is in hisdiscipline, the purity of his devotion to his vocation. Itis, for him, literally a vocatio, a calling. Languagespoken by dead poets calls him. He will summon f7..)msome sons of the upper class a sense of the wonderfulwildness of life.

Wildness is severely suppressed at staid Welton inrural Vermont in 1959. But Keating enkindles sevenstudents who revive a secret society, the Dead Poets. Itmeets after midnight, against school rules, in a cave,where poetry is read after an invocation by Thoreau: "Iwanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow oflife." When they prance through the forest fog towardthe cave they resemble druids in duffel coats. Youthusually has its private language. The seven boys

experience from poetry a bonding and delight thattoday's youth derive from rock music and the patheticverbal slouching of rap.

Robin Williams's favorite poet is e.e. cummings. Thatfigures. Or: tHa)t fi!Gu s. cummings, whose exuber-

er

ance was too protean for orthodox typosraphy, saidthe Cambridge ladies who live in furnished soulsare unbeautiftil and have comfortable minds.

Williams's Keating begins refurbishing his pupils' soulsby telling thet.-. i,ney are mortal, "food for worms,lads!...Carpe Diem, lads." The boys declaim lines fromWhitman while kicking soccer balls. Keating's credo isWhitman's, "...the powerful play goes on and you maycontribute a verse."

A powerful teacher like Keating may at times teeteron the brink of intellectual bullying, making individual-ity mandatory. However, Williams rightly describesKeating as a "catalyst" for the boys, and Keatingperiodically recedes from the story. This is the movie'spoint. Keating is always there because a good teacher isa benevolent contagion, an infectious spirit, an emulablestance toward life. That is why it is said good teachersenjoy a kind of immortality: their influence never stopsradiating.

The school (actually, St. Andrew's in Delaware) hasan N. C. Wyeth mural. On one side, boys surround afigure of Liberty; on the other, industrialists surround adrafting table. The mural serenely suggests the easycompatibility of liberty and practicality, the free man aspragmatist. The movie sees a shadow over life, atension between the poetic and practical impulses. Bothare natural and dignified. What is perennially problem-atic is accommodating individuality and social ambi-tion.

Adolescent awakening: The story is set on the eve ofthe 1960s, so it may seem quaint that Keating must toilto overcome student pas_ivity. Actually, few '60sstudents fit the '60s stereotypes. Furthermore, this storyof adolescent awakening is both of the late '50s time,and timeless. Although the 1950s are called years of'conformity,' the principal conformity was that of thechorus decrying it. The characterization of the Eisen-hower years as "the bland leading the bland" does nojustice to the intellectual ferment and literary vigor.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadersnip Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

4 SI

1

David Riesman's "The Londy Crowd" (1950), C.Wright Mills's "White Collar" (1951), Sloan Wilson's"The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" (1955) and WilliamWhyte's "The Organization Man" (1956) anticipated a1960s anxiety, the suffocation of individuality by socialstructures and pressures. In "Dead Poets Society"these pressures are incarnate in a thin-lipped fatherpracticing parental fascism and hounding his son toHell and Harvard Medical School.

There was in the '50s an unhealthy concern withproducing "well-adjusted" (to what?) adolescents so"well-rounded" they had no edges. Keating is anadmirable sort of '50s figure, an intellectual eager tocarve edges or prevent them from being abraded by therasp of a dull school. However, he is not a harbinger ofthe 1960s, not a politicized academic. His politics (and,for all I know, Robin Williams's) may be partNietzsche, part Pogo. The power of his personality isin the purity of his conviction that literature, the highmountain pass leading to passionate understanding, isso large and absorbing it leaves no time for lesser,supposedly more "relevant" (to what?) matters.

Hollywood has an almost unconquerable itch formoral black and white, and this movie has a two-hankyending that manipulates emotions too mechanically.But at the core of the movie is a flinty, unsentimentalmessage: the wildness of life can be dangerously wild.Creativity can have painful costs that must be paid inthe coin of personal, family, and social stresses.

Speaking of stress, while waiting for September donote that Keating tolls the boys they may address himeither as Mr. Keating or 0 Captain! my Captain! (fromWhitman's poem about Lincoln's death). This summer,answer your children only when so addressed. It willwork wonders for your morale, the tone of yourhousehold, and the caliber of the long days until LaborDay.

George F. Will, Columnist

From NEWSWEEK, July 3, 1989, © 1989, Newsweek,Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

. ,

Samna D. Roueche, Editor

October 20,1989, Vol. Xl, No. 24OTha University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERirstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National hsbtute for Staff and Organizational Development (AXON,EDB 348, The Univers* of Texas at Austin, Auctin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 -7545. Subscnptions are available to nonconsor-bum members for $40 per year Funding in pan by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0193.106X

50


*INNOVATION ABSTRACTSPUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SIAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEkAS AT AUSTINWITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AIIIKTHE SID W RICHAIIDSON FOUNDATION

There's No Such Thing as Too Many Cooks in the ClassroomAfter months of listening to my vague complaints of

not being completely satisfied with teaching writing,despite my love of both teaching and writing, a closefriend of mine and farmer composition teacher herselfsummed up all my stewing in one apt analogy. "Ofcourse you're unhappy with what you're doing," she letfly one day. "It's just like putting on one big meal afteranother: All you do is prepare, prepare, prepare, andthen clear up, clean up, clean up. You're left withalmost no time or energy to enjoy the meal in between."

Sound familiar? It sure did to me! I prepared sinto minutiae, evaluated papers into eternity, and inbetween I met with classes full of students who didn'tseem nearly grateful enough for all my hard work andconcern. It was like a perpetual Thanksgiving dinner:It just looked effortless to my students because I slavedlong and hard under a hot desk lamp to make it lookthat way.

This realization, though heartening because of theclarity it produced on one level, was confusing onanother level. Maybe I was guilty of overkill in myattempts to be the best teacher possible, but I couldn'tbelieve the alternative was to surrender to what Ilooked upon as the fast-food purveyors of teaching: theburned-out, the lazy, the cynical, and the less-than-capable who somehow manage to survive in everydiscipline. Yet learning to give less to my teachingsounded like the only possible response to overkill,which in turn sounded suspickrisly like learning toserve up junk food. The fact that the friend who flashedthis realization before my eyes had given up teachingcompletely was not lost on me either; but she wasworking at least as long and hard in her present career,so conclusions weren't easily drawn.

Searching through scraps of memory and experiencefrom my years as student as well as teacher brought meback to the same point again and again: Very goodteaching is inseparable from very hard work. Try as Imight, I couldn't find the line between hard work andoverkill, so I was about to acquiesce 'o the idea ofslaving away alone in a hot educational kitchen the restof my life and being vaguely dissatisfied in the name ofduty and honor when I remembered a vital point about

my friend who made the analogy in the first place.Although she's a great cook, she never does the cleanupafter the meals she prepares. And that may be the keyto her continuing love affair with cooking through allthese years.

In other words, I was finally struck by what mayhave been obvious to the non-Thanksgiving-dinner-producing people of the world all along: Not all hardwork is alike. There is a difference between miserablehard work (e.g., overkill) and positive hard work (whatI now, at times, become exuberant enough about tothink of as joyful hard work). The implications of thisdifference can have an effect on both our approaches toand satisfaction with teaching.

Miserable hard work is doing it all ourselves butreceiving very little acknowledgement for our effortsbecause these efforts are, paradoxically, both hiddenand selfish: We are the ones who shop for the ideas,buy those that we believe are appropriate, prepare theideas in the way we find most interesting, feed them toour students, and then evaluate their digestion of theideas presented. So we prepare, prepare, prepare, andthen we clean up, clean up, clean upover and overagain. This approach does get the turkey on t! ebut it rarely leaves students or teacher satisfied. 1"" atis there to be satisfied about? We as teachers haveclaimed full responsibility for the success of the classand so become like anxious hosts, hoping above all elseto avoid any embarrassing social blunders. The stu-dents are denied any part of the creation of the class oreven their own ideas, so naturally they have no strongfeelings either way about the class, as long as they canfigure out what is expected of them and play along for apassing grade. Satisfaction, in the end, is choked out ofthe class for all of us.

How, then, does positive hard work differ frommiserable hard work? I'm sure the true answer is inways we'll never stop discoveringsince variations onthe theme "take risks together and learn together" arclimitless. One element basic to all positive hard work inteaching seems to be this willingness not only toencourage students to take risks in learning but to takerisks ourselves. From this basis, some of the steps I'm

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leaders4 Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712 51

beginning to take in my o -aching are the follow-ing:

I try to start by believing that every person in theroomregardless of the level of the classhassomething valid to say that is worth his or her timeto learn to say in writing.I focus my class on writing first and last because it isa writing class. I avoid the seemingly safer ap-proaches of grammar for grammar's sake or exer-cises to fill the hours. These approaches vest meagain with all the responsibility (I have all the rightanswer;,!) while stealing writing and thinking timefrom the class.I encourage collaboration in writing and at timesteach effective methods of collaboration. I'm awareof strong opposition to collaborative writing byteachers who fear their students will never becomeindependent writers. But I have seen dramatic gainsin writing skill and confidence by students encour-aged to learn from one another's strengths. PeterElbow makes a wonderful point about collaborativewriting:

If we help them use collaboration to maketheir own papers better than they couldmake them without help ... they will havethe feel for a good paper. They will have thetaste of it in their mouths. That feel or tastemay be the biggest aid of all in the ensuingyear when it comes to learning to do italone.

I'm learning to listen and respond to ideas I've neverthought of before, which arise from students forcedto come up with their own ideas. This forces me,also, to take the risk of thinking on my feet.I'm also learning to endure blank spots and silences,rather than filling them myself. This allows studentsto learn about silence, about its being good at timesand embarrassingly revealing, like nakedness, atother times.I try consciously to push aside cynicism, which rubsoff on students like newspaper ink on fingers andleaves them too tarnished to accept all the freshideas that could be available to them.In place of cynicism, I try to cultivate and convey anhonest appreciation of my subject and a strong senseof purpose. I found this to be impossible when Iwas doing no writing of my own.

I realize that these are not concrete suggestions forspecific action, as we would demand from our stu-dents. But maybe every now and then we need to stop

and think hard about why we do what we do and letthe how develop on its own. I'm just beginning todiscover how this more positive approach can affectmy teaching and my students' learning. One overallsuggestion I can offer is to try each semester to givestudents something you can all be thankful for: Teachthem to prepare their own feasts.

Elbow, Peter. "A Note About Collaboration." Teach-ers & Writers Magazine 19.4 (1988): 4.

M. A. Elliott, Instructor, English

For further information, contact the author at El PasoCommunity College, P.O. Box 20500, El Paso, TX79998.

Suannto D. Bombe, Editor

Octoba 27,1089, Vol. XI, No. 25©The University of Texas at Austin, 1988Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National Institute for Stall and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The Unrrersiry of Texas at Ausbn, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscnptions are available to nonconsobum members for $35 ppeerr year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Fcundabon.Issued weekly when dassems are in Orson dunng fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X


ilL;t1NNOVATION ABSTRACTS. PUBLISHED ay THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

Podium: A Forum of Inquiry

In 1983, the Brookdale Center for EducationalResearch was :_stablished to promote educationalresearch at the community college. The mission of thecenter was to recognize the ongoing research, to encour-age new research, and to publicize these projects in thecollege and in the community. Research was broadlydefined to exceed the traditional structures establishedin most institutions to include classroom research, grantproposals, and special projects.

One of the original goals of the center was to developa journal that would publish the unique type of researchconducted at the community college level. It wouldrepresent the efforts of the total college community(faculty, staff, students) who contribute to the success ofthe overall educational program.

In the fall of 1985, with a grant from the New JerseyDepartment of Higher Education, Pouium began to be areality, It took about two years for the first issue t, getoff the ground. Each successive issue, now supportedby the college, is published annually. It has color andillustrations, and its lively format is accessible to bothprofessional and lay audiences.

Subjects in Podium are as diverse as the collegecommunity, Recent issues feature articles on the"Vanishing Towns of the Pinelands," "The Use ofHumor in Teaching," and "Latchkey Children." View-points on challenging teaching methodologies includearticles on "Discovery Through Writing," "RiskyBusiness," and "New Computer-Aided Indexes."Research involving statistical data is represented byarticles on "The Reverse Transfer Student," "TheUnknown States," and "Who Are the Math Achievers?"Each issue has interviews with faculty, authors, musi-cians, and/or artists.

The journal is edited by a writing faculty memberwho solicits manuscripts from the college community.The role of the editor is to encourage and assist fledg-ling authors to risk putting their ideas and experienceson paper.

Podium has been enthusiastically received at thecollege. Several articles have been republished in otherjournals. Copies have been circulated at college confer-ences, workshops, and seminars in a variety of disci-

plines. It has become a model for other colleges. Thefocus is so disparate that everyone seems to findsomething to read and discuss.

Frank Paoni, Coordinator, Center for Educational ResearchFreda Hepner, Editor, Podium

For further information, contact the authors atBrookdak Community College, Newman Springs Road,Li ncroft, NJ 07738.

The following is abstracted with permission from Podium '88.

Teaching by Storytelling

While one purpose of storytelling is entertainment,the story is not a trivial device intended only for amuse-ment. The story is one of the basic intellectual meansthrough which we make sense of the world and organ-ize events and facts.

The purposes and uses of storytelling in the class-room include:1. Curriculum enhancement: Almost any area of the

curriculum can be enhanced by the addition and useof storytelling as a form of presentation. Obviouslyliterature and the social studies courses seem to benatural areas for the incorporation of storytelling as ateaching technique. Yet, les, obvious areas, such asscience and mathematics can benefit from the tellingof tales regarding beliefs, discoveries, and evenrelated mythology.

For example, the myths which complement thenames of the planets and stars of our universe canentertain and inform the class. Anthropology andsociology courses can be enriched by tales from thefolklore of diverse cultures. Philosophy and religionare natural areas for the presentation of mythologicaltales.

Almost any course and instructor can employwhat R. R. Ross, in The Storyteller, calls "the Experi-ence Story"... "those remembrances that caught andstirred our emotion at the time of their happening,and imprinted themselves on our memories," Theseanecdotal scones can be tailored for any subject area,

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDS 348, Austin, Texas 78712

53

but like more traditional stories, require more thanmere memory. Careful preparation will ensure thatthe relating of experiences is more than an amusingdigression.

2. Improvement of listening skills: Farnsworth statesthat "Listening, a normal and necessary humanfunction, is nearly a forgotten art. No wonder thatlistening skills are now being taught in business, inuniversities, and in human relations. Storytellingencourages and develops concentration and goodlistening habits in a pleasurable and effective way."

3. Language development: Listening to stories alsointroduces more varied language patterns and canwork to extend vocabulary, even among collegestudents whose experience with language hm beenlimited in our "post-literate" age.

4. Creative expression: Listening to stories givespractice in visualization and leads to further devel-opment of the creative imagination.The time involved in the selection and preparation

of stories for telling can be considerable, but theinvestment of time yields rewards and enjoyment inboth the learning and presentation phases.1. The story must have meaning for the storyteller, and

the teller must be comfortable with and enjoy thestory hims,..1f/herself. The selection and telling of astory ultimately reveals aspects of one's self. Theteller's life experiences will influence the interpreta-tion of a tale, and the teller should look for storieswith which he/she can identify in terms of content,character, emotion, and Style.

2. The story must be appropriate for the3. These criteria are inherent in the story itseu: a) well-

developed plot; b) clearly defined theme; c) style,especially use of language; e.g., vivid vuab laryand rhythmic and pleasurable combination ofsounds; d) characterization; e) dramatic appeal; f)faithfulness to source material or best translation.

4. Storytelling within the classroom requires that thetale go beyond entertainment. The ster:,- selectedmust, therefore, meet the instructor's goals andobjectives for a particular unit and be accompaniedby follow-up activities where appropriate. Some-times the purpose of the telling may be to fill in gapsin the student's background or to provide informa-tion in a manner that delights and instructs.In the visual approach, the teller learns the story as a

sequence of pictures or as frames in a storyboard. Inthe auditory approach, the teller retains the sounds andrhythms of the story's language. Both approachesshare some basics:

1. Read the story several times, both silently and thenaloud, to acquire a feeling for it. As it is re I aloud,listen to the sounds and rhythms. After r( .ding,stop and recall the images which comprise theoutline of the story.

2. Telt the story without the aid of the book. Be surethe proper sequence of events is learned.

3. Practice the story's style. Learn and use the interest-ing and repetitive phrases or words that add to theflavor of the story.

4. Practice timing to ensure dramatic impact. Useeffective pauses to heighten suspense. Emphasizeimportant words. Remember that this is story-telling, not acting. The teller does not have to usedifferent voices or be overly dramatic.

5. Be aware of tone of voice. Use breath control to addvariety and strength to tonal patterns.

6. Practice gestures. Eliminate any distracting move-ments or mannerisms. Use gestures which feelcomfortable and are suitable to the story.

7. Prepare an introduction to the story that places itwithin the context of the course and the audience'sexperience.

8. Practice in front of a mirror or with a tape recorderor video recorder. This allows the teller to see andhear the process and may indicate areas which needrefinement.The delivery of the story should be as natural as

possible. The teller should strive to maintain aninviting, relaxed, and intimate environment. This canbe aided by establishing eye contact with the audience.The teller should establish a sense of personal warmthwith a smile and pleasant facial expression.

Editing: The storyteller should feel free to edit the storyin the process of telling. Unnecessary material may be

cut and certain scenes and characters may be elaboratedupon or eliminated as the occasion demands. One of thecharacteristics of the oral tradition is the wealth of storyvariations produced by such editing over the centuries.

Physic:.! setting: The best environment for storytellingis free of distractions such as doors, bulletin boards, orwindows. The teller should be the center of attention.

Evaluation: Depending upon the purpose of the telling,follow-up activities such as discussion, art projects, dramaticBinutetqzfrteentatthioenc,

concentration tormeoarlybettsa rttahetc.

cwenritrtiantfoern;erideendc

story is a learning experience in itself.

Janice Antczak, Associate Professor, Library Science!Literature


November 3,1989 Vol. No.26eThe University of Texas at Ausbn, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publicabon of the Nava Institute for Stall and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The Unwersiry of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. Subscnptions are available to noncensorbum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the W K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. "lardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session dunno fall and spring forms and once during the sun. o. ISSN 0199-106X


tla` INNOVATION ABSTRACTS:10. '0 c I I

I414,

Improving Classroom Communication

The teacher's life, however fulfilled, however stimu-lating, has days R. J. Yeatman must have seen thinkingabout when he wrote, "For every person wanting toteach, there are at least 30 not wishing to be taught."Students sometimes fall asleep in class, read the campusnewspaper instead of the lecture outline, talk when theyshould be quiet, refuse to speak up when they should,and respond to the imtructor's most profound ideaswith, "Is this going to be on the test?"

When the worst of times invade the best of times, orwhen the mysterious slu p pervaaes days or weeks ofclassroom interaction, we tend to oversimplify causes.It's either our fault or it's the students' fault; and ifeveryone would only try harder, things would beperfect. In our more lucid moments, we acknowledgethe complex of factors which may be operating inconcert to sabotage course objectives, realizing that abad day might be the consequence of a particularlydifficult course topic, the aftermath of a treacherousexam, the morning after spring break, rampant fluvirus, or the malfunctioning air conditioning. Still, theevaluation of our teaching effectiveness often proceedsin a more or less random fashion with little in the wayof systematic examination on making weak classroomcommunication better or successful interaction evenmore effective.

Elements of ProofOne way of scrutinizing communication effectiveness

is to think of classroom presentation as a collection of"proofs." Each of us has available three types of proofto use in persuading students to understand, accept,and/or act on the ideas we present. This three-partconception of the speaker's potential means of persua-sion was detailed in Aristotle's The Art of i: ietoric andremains applicable these many centuries later. Perhapsits greatest merit lies in acknowledging the sometimesundervalued role played by the second and thirdelements of proof.

Logos, the first type of proof, consists of logica'reasoning backed up factual/expert opinion ci-dence. When we think of the suLstance of a lecture ordiscussion topic we are most likely thinking of logos.

A logical unit of proof contains three elements: some-thing claimed or asserted, something to back up thisclaim, and something in the middle to provide theinferential link between the claim and the evidencei.e., the reasoning. Although there are cases in whichthe reasoning may be self-evident and not explicitlystated, the evidence should be presented along with theclaim. Otherwise, of course, what we have is just anassertion or what someone once called "a vagrantopinion with no visible means of support."

This is an area to consider carefully, if only becauseof the complacency we develop over time about oursubject matter. When a course concept has been cov-ered again and again over a span of many years, thetemptation to regard it as common knowledge grows.It is so firmly embedded in our own academic roper-toire that we lose sight of the student for whom the Ideais brand new and .lay be received as something fresh.ad exciting or soinetning ague and unsubstantiated.

Pathos, or "emotional" proofs, form the secondelement of proof. Emotion seems more traditionallyviewed as an irrelevance, even an impediment toinstruction, rather t..ila the benefit it actually is. Someof us do a disservice to ourselves and our students bysubmerging emotion so effectively in the name ofscholarship and dignity that we imbue our subjects withsterility. We are too afraid to laugh, to show unhappi-ness, to exult in the frequently exi=ting aspects of ourworkto have fun in the classroom. "Star Trek's" Mr.Spock, with his calculating Vulcan side tempered by hismore vulnerable earthling side, is an instructive ex-ample of the power of emotion as well as logic incompelling interest and acceptance.

Ethos is the third element of proof. The credibility ofthe speaker held in the minds of the listeners is the mostpowerful of the three types of proof we use to advanceour ideas. It is, ironically, the least credited of the threein terms of its power to attract or repel studen' interests.No matter how brilliantly a class session may bestructured and no matter how much the instruLiorchews on the sLenery while presenting it, if the personexpressing the ideas is regarded as incompetent,untrustworthy, and insincere, the message will not get

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL fisEVLLOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEdB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

through. Emerson's often-quoted line expresses theidea succinctly: "What you are speaks so loudly, Icannot ht. r what you are saying."

lite three most significant dimensions of ethos arethese:

CompetenceThe speaker who is perceivedas poorly prepared, unable to explain themal2rial clearly, and deficient in the neces-sary knowledge will cc.use listeners to turnaway from the ideas presented.TrustworthinessListeners must sense awell-meaning attitude toward them. Thespeaker must be seen as honest, sincere, andconcerned about the welfare of the listeners.DynamismResearch conducted in speakercredibility suggests that modern-dayaudiences are mc.e influenced by thespeaker's energy level than by the other twoethical ingredients. While I would behesitant to recommend that anyone cultivatean artificially frenetic classroom style, anyinstructor with an extremely low-key styleof speaking is working twice as hard to getthe information to its destination than theone who will do a little tap dancing.

Ideas for Improving Classroom Speaking StyleSpeak loudly, clearly, and at a rate that is comfort-able to you and manageable for the students.If you use a lectern, avoid welding yourself to it.The speaker's stand should be used as an aid forholding class notes, not as a Barcalounger.Keep your eyes on the students. Watch fornonverbal, as well as verbal, feedback. Do theylook perplexed, hostile, sleepy? Are they takingnotes? Are they alert and interested?Never read lectures. It is agonizing for listeners.Speak from an outline rather than a manuscript.Use supplements (charts, graphs, drawings, mod-els) when they might help you explain something.Encourage a friendly, open atmosphere wherestudents will not be afraid to ask questions. Drawout the quiet ones without intimidating them.Try to monitor understanding. Rather thansaying, "Everybody got that?" (to which everyonewill nod obediently), ask a student to rephrase theidea, give an example, or raise a challenge.Move around while you are working in the classroom. Listeners are better able to maintain atten-tion to aural stimulation if they are receivingsimultaneous visual stimulation. Moving close to

students who are providing some sort of distrac-tion in class will usually restore their attention.Look at your,e^ If honestly and try to identify andcorrect distracting mannerisms. If facilities areavailable, have one of your class sessionsvideotaped and scrutinize the tape carefully, ifpossible, with a colleague whose judgment yourespect. Do you: Fill pauses with "uhs" and"uhms?" Play with pencils, paper clips, rubberbands, and whatever else you find lying aroundin the classroom? Scratch your head? Play withyour moustache? Twirl strands of hair? Repeatcertain words or phrases so often that theybecome hallmarks of your style?Present yourself energetically and with all theconfidence you deserve. All audiencesstudentor generally invest about as much confi-dence 'n the speaker as the speaker seems todemand.Allow disagreement without being defensive.Sta dents who are asking challenging questionsare listening and thinking.Try not to let personal problems unduly influencethe conduct of your class. Although studentsunderstand that we are human, too much intru-sion from a negative mood dampens the overallatmosphere. The instructor's power to set thetone for everyone in the room is immense. To alarge extent, playing the role of good cheer evenwhen your outlook on the world is momentarilybleak, holds the personal distraction at bay. Theact becomes, for as long as it is necessary, thereality.Enter your classroom with optimism and goodwill toward your students. Treat them withrespect rather than patronizing them.

Janice Peterson, Assistant Professor, Communication

For furthr r information, contact the author at SantaBarbara City Coliegt'. 721 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara,CA 93109-2394.

Suanne a Roueche, Editor

Povember 10,1989 Vol. A No. 27The University of Texas at Austin, 1989


INNOVATION ABSTRACTS s a publicatior of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The University of Texas at Austin. Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 -7545. Subscnphons are available to nonconsor-hum members for $40 per year, Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session dunng fall and spring terms and once dunng the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

VOLUME Xi, NUMBER 28

*INNOVATION ABSTRACTSI I

Wilderness Classroom: A New Resource for Staff DevelopmentEspiritu Santa. an uninhabited island in .ne Sea of

Cortez, graced with numerous sandy beaches andwarm, clear water, was the site of a unique PalomarCollege staff do.,Plopm:-..nt program. Away from thestresses of everyday living, a small group of educatorsparticipated in a nine-day program which combinedcamping in the wilderness, kayaking along the shore-line of the island, and team-building workshops. Theprogram was designed to assist educators in identifyingprinciples of effective team-building and to "test out"their learnings in a real life situation. That goal wasattained by challenging the group to spend a weekliving together on a desert island where team-buildingskills were crucial.

In the wilderness, participants met in a different en-vironment and began relating to each other outside ofestablished roles. The intensive daily interaction facili-tated supportive and open communication within thegroup. Interpersonal barriers were lowered, andindividuals let their truer selves emerge. As the weekprogressed, interactions became more genuine andspontaneous. The group had formed a bond anddeveloped a cooperative attitude.

A series of workshops were offered to enhance theteam-building skills. On the island, workshops wereheld in "wilderness classrooms": a rock quarry nestledin a grove of fig trees, a protected cove facing theemerald sea, an around the evening campfire. The 20hours of workshops focused on important ingredientsthat make groups work, such as: "UnderstandingBehavioral Styles and Personality Types," "EffectiveCommunication," "Leadership and Problem Solving,""Goal Setting," and "The Creativity Process."

Experiential exercises were utilized throughout sprogram. Working in dyads, one person in each pairwas blindfolded; and the group took "trust walk," ne-gotiating difficult terrain. The experience stimulated adiscussion of establishing trust and introduced a seriesof communication exercises. Participants remarked, "1learned the importance of being specific and descriptivein directing others," and "I learned how vulnerable Ifeel trusting another person with my safety."

Other experiential activities involved art materials,initiative tasks, visualization exercises, journal writing,and group presentations. The learning gained fromthese activities was applied to responsibilities andrelationships in the workplace.

One challenge the group faced was passing the"dunk test," a drill where two people sitting in a kayakintentionally capsized the boat and practiced workingtogether to escape. The drill was used to prevent panicin case a boat really did capsize at sea. This was put toa test one day when two- to four-foot swells and stiffheadwinds made paddling difficult. Despite the fearexperienced as kayaks rocked sideways and one boatsnapped a rudder cable, the group effectively dealt withthe situation and returned safely to shore.

Regarding their learnings, participants wrote:"This was an excellent program to help individuals

learn more about themselves. As the week progressed,team feedback and sharing developed a solid level oftrust and an understanding of group dynamics."

"I was really forced to concentrate and had toeffectively con. nunicate."

"The presentation of behavioral styles and personal-ity types was the most worthwhile activity in regards toimproving teacher-student and personnel relation-ships."

"The right brain activities were beneficial...1 usuallydo not seek them out...they were effective for investiga-tion, creativity, and reflection."

"I have discovered a new approach toward accom-plishing my work."

Outdoor experience was not required for participa-tion in this program. The only prerequisite was anadventurous attitude.

Maria Miller, CounselorJudy Eberhart, Counselor

For further information, contact tne authors at PalomarCollege, 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, CA 92069.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 7871?

Adding Life to Employee Orientation

Orientation sessions always seemed so lifeless andboring when we gathered all new employees and hadvarious administrators and department representatives"talk at them" about the college's progra ms andoperations. In an effort to add some life to the process,Kirkwood Community College developed a mostsuccessful format for new employee orientation.

Orientation: Part IKCC holds two separate orientation sessions: one

session for new faculty and one for new support staff(including administratc Each session begins withthe president's addressan informal discussion aboutthe history of Kirkwood, the mission and philosophy ofthe community college, and many of the programs andactivities currently under way. Because the presidentis not actively involved in many of the hiring activities,this format provides an opportunity for him to meetnew emplo; ^es and to mat Kirkwood. The fact thatthis activity as priority status with the presidentspeaks for itself; the value cf this time and attention isimmeasurable. The informal climate created by thepresident, as well as the enthusiasm and energy hegenerates, make new employees feel instantly wel-come, comfortable, and glad to be at Kirkwood.

Also at the session, current staff employees (twosupport staff personnel and two faculty members, fortheir respective groups) address the new employeesand share their personal experiences and feelings aboutKirkwood. These speakers are encouraged to discussnot only the positive and beneficial aspects of their ex-periences but also some of their frustrations. Thesesessions have proven to be particularly useful in estab-lishing an identity for Kirkwood with our new employ-ees and helping them "picture" themselves here.

Orientation: Part HThe second part of the program involved the partici-

pants in a self-selection process. Tables and booths arearranged conveniently in a large, open room; they arestaffed by various department representatives, offeringwritten information describing a wide variety ofcollege services and procedures. Payroll, personnel, af-firmative action, media services, library services,counseling services, wellness programs, insuranceprograms, staff development activities, employeeunions, bookstore services, and graphics/printingservices are examples of the information available atthis "fair."

Participants are free to choose program/serviceareas in which they have interest and to move at theirown pace, according to their own priorities. Thisactivity provides them with an opportunity to meetone-on-one with department representatives, askquestions, begin to develop a familiarity and ease withother personnel on campus, and share their "new"status with each other. Refreshmer 'c are servedthroughout this portion of the prog, 1; the climate issocial, active, and participatory.

EvaluationThe response to this format has been very positive

from both new and experienced employees. Feedbackfrom new employees is that they leave the orientationfeeling good about their decision to be at Kirkwoodand excited about their future here. Experiencedemployees tell us they learn something new at everysession and feel a resurgence of enthusiasm for whatKirkwood is all about.

SummaryWe believe that it is important to orient new em-

ployees to Kirkwoodwhere we've come from, whatwe do, how we de it, where we're goingand trainthem in terms of service to the students and the com-munity. We believe that if we can instill the "sense ofKirkwood" in new employees, we will gain not onlyfunctionally-qualified personnel but also employeeswho will feel the essence of Kirkwood and will begin todevelop loyalty and dedication at an early stage of theemployment experience.

Lois M. Sawma, Executive Director, Personnel

For further information, contact the author at Kirk-wood Community College, 6301 Kirkwood Boulevard,S.W., Cedar Rapids, IA 52436.


November 17,1989, Vol. X4 No.28©The University of Texas at Austin, 1988Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS s a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EOB 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471 7545 Subs-nptions are available to nonccnsorbum members for $35 per year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when classes are in session dunag fall and spring terms and o dung the summer. ISSN 0199-106X

4 se IVOLUME XI, NUMBER 29

INV INNOVATION ABSTRACTS- .

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INS UTEFOR STAFF AND ORGANEAMML DEVELOPMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEWAT AUSTINWITH SUPPORT FROM THE W., K. LOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSONTOUNDATION 4

Good Teaching is Common Sense

"I take it for granted that every teacher should beinterested in teaching, that he should work hard atthe job, and that he should have good commonsense. If he does not have those qualities, nothingwill make him a good teacher. If he does havethem he wiII learn by educating himself."

While this view has been attacked by some as anti-intellectual, this dean at a Big Ten graduate school wasright on target with the importance he placed oncommon sense.

K. Patricia Cross suggests that we generally want tocause learning, which she sees as a process composedmostly of common sense practices. Cross gives usthree:1. Provide an active learning environment.

When students are actively involved in the learningtask, they learn more than when they are passiverecipients of instruction.

2. Allow and even demand practice.Students need to be actively and successfully in-volved in learning tasks that lead to desired out-comes.

3. Set high but attainable goals.Academic performance, believe it or not, usuallyrises to meet expectations.Looking at these practices, you may be saying to

yourself, "I do that," or "Maybe, I should do more ofthat!" In fact, Cross contends these relatively straight-forward strategies are only rarely implemented incollege classrooms. Our own commor Sense should tellus that we can be more effective by applying simplepractices that are known to work.

Some Things That Seem to Work ...What follows are a few general approaches that

embrace strategies I have found to be effective in theteaching process.1. An Assumption About Student Interest

I assume that students are motivated to be successfulin my course. Furthermore, I assume there willalways be topics of real interest, no matter howboring the general subject might seem. This positive

attitude is sensed immediately by most students andmakes them more receptive and participative.

2. Structure and TasksEvery teaching session has a definite structure.There is a logical sequence of tasks or objectives. Thestudents know this and generally are comfortablewith it. We may not always follow the sequence ex-actly, but there usually is a clear sense of accomplish-ment when the session ends. If for some reason wedon't get through everything planned for the session,we carry it over. If time does not allow that, analternative way of achieving that objective is found.

3. Students Using My Personal Notes and MaterialsI lend students my lecture notes (not copies), refer-ence books, and other resource material. They arealways returned. Most often this occurs with part-time students who are not in regular contact withother students. This is one of those no-cost supports) stems a teacher can easily put into place and whichwill help the student who is not strongly committedto the course to stay with it.

4. AccessibilityIt usually is not enough to be available to studentsonly for scheduled course hours. Some students willwant to see you in your office, so it is sensible toinform students of your availability. If necessary,give them your home phone number. Access isimportant to students, and these practices eliminatethe old "I couldn't get in touch with you."

Our clientele will change. To a large extent, italready has. Students have jobs, children, and otherresponsibilities that often make communicationdifficult. If we can provide some alternative ways ofkeeping in touch, let's do so.

5. Handouts, Handouts, HandoutsIn many situations where I coulzi pcovide handoutsto students, I don't. "Why?" you ask. "Is )t aneasy way to share material?" Of course, t is; andsometimes it is a good and n,-.Tescary practice. How-ever, there are things on my agt a besides distrib-uting the written word. If I do no. distribute thematerial, it means I will have to find some othermode of transmission; therefore, I will have to


vtf

rethink it and be creative.So let's say I decide to take a very conventional

approach and deliver the material in lecture style,-using the board and perhaps overheads. Now I amassured that many of the s ......ents will read or hearthe matenal, at least once. Hopefully, most will alsohave written, in note form, some or all of the mate-rial. The recording by hand of something seen orheard is thought to produce better retention thansimply seeing it.

6. Planning Carefully for Small Group WorkDue to the nature of systems work, I often wantstudents to work in small project groups. This canbe a good simulation of what happens in theworkplace. but it is necessary to provide a fairlyrigid structure to make it a productive activity.I hold frequent, brief, scheduled meetings with eachgroup; and I require all group members to attendevery meeting. The time 's used to check progressagainst a workplan and to discuss problems andfuture direction.

If a "people" problem is obvious in the group, Ischedule a special meeting to deal with that prob-lem. Often, the group will have worked out asolution before the meeting actually takes place.

Usually, I find I have to do very little. Groupsperform responsibly. I suspect this is so because theassigned systems project is hard work and verytime-consuming. In this case, group performancerises to meet expectations.

7. Using Simple Devices RoutinelyBy devices I mean methods of presenting material,ways to organize a teaching session, and processesfor communicating with students. An example isthe time-tested method (habit, really) of alwaysbriefly reviewing what was accomplished during theprevious teaching session at the beginning of thepresent one. Yc u might say, "Everyone does that!"And I would se/ to you that, based on feedbackfrom students, it is a rarer practice than any of uswould think. 1 he value of this simple practice isthat it ties sessions together, gets the student readyto move on, and helps the teacher focus more clearlyon upcoming material.

Let me add a note of caution by way of a littlestory that might be called "The Professor WhoReviewed Too Well.' Some years ago, I was en-rolled in a course that dealt with the political historyof Australia. The professor had been a very activeparticipant in Australtan ,ederal politics in the 19 'isand 1950s and had an astounding depth cr knowl-

edge to share. He was a firm believer in startingeach three-hour lecture with a review of the previ-ous lecture's material. Unfortunately for us, thisdevice completely took over, and it seemed some-times the review was longer than the original pres-entation. As the end of the course drew near, someof us coule "lip-sync" the first hour or two; after all,we had reviewed the material a dozen times!

In addition, I must mention a practiceimple-mented by my collegethat is based on commonsense and that, in my opinion, improves thestudent's probability of success. This practice isdesignating the faculty member as class advisor. Inthis role the teacher is the student's chief contact forcourse and program information. However, theprimary value to the student is in having a real liveperson to talk to. This is critically important to first-year students who are struggling to adjust to theoften fruArating college environment and thoseother students who are having academic difficultiesand personal problems. This important contactpoint connects the student wit many other morespecialized services provided by the college. Whilethis role is not teaching per se, it is something bestdone by the teacher and is a common sense contri-bution to learning.

How You Know ...Lhe student feedback as a gauge to measure your

effectiveness: not some formal evaluation Inol, butinformal feedback. For example:1. As you are teaching a course, students start to give

you unsolicited articles from periodicals that pertainto a topic discussed in class.

2. After you have given a truly mind-numbing finalassignment, students put notes on their submissionsindicating how much they enjoyed a particular partof the course, or even the entire experience!Common sense should tell us that when these

behaviours take place, we must be doing some thingsright. We may not know specifically what, nor does itmatter really, because most likely we have evolved astyle of teaching that employs the simple, effectivepractices with which we are satisfied and comfortable.

Gary Hagan, Instructor, Computer Studies

For further information, contact the author at MohawkCollege, Box 2034, Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8N312.


December 1,1989 Vol. Xl, N. 29 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS s a publicabon of the Nabonai Institute for Staff and Organizational ..ayso went (NISOD),OThe University of Texas at Austin, 1989 EDS 348, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (512) 471-7545 Subsenptions are available to nonconsor-Further duplication is permitted by MEMBER bum ,nembeis for S40 pot year. Funding in part by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundabon.inntautiorts for their own personnel. Issuod weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring loos and once during the summer. ISSN 0199.106X

1

iiete INNOVATION ABSTRACTSVOLUME XI, NUMBER 30

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONALINSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVa0PMENTRIE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTINA WITH SUPPFIRT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSOIV FOUNDATION ,

Into Century Twenty-One:After Writing-Across-The-Curriculum, Then What?

Despite the increasing popularity of across-the-curriculum programs in reading, writing, speaking, andthinking, educators as well as leaders in business andindustry seem generally agreed that there is still some-thing of a national literacy crisis. While the educationalcommunity tends to see the crisis as a lack of communi-cation skills necessary for academic success, the busi-ness community prefers to interpret the crisis as a lackof communication skills required to function sucoess-fully in the world of work. This crisis has, therefore, atleast two dimensions: a "literary" or academic dimen-sion, and a functional or real-world dimension. Mostacross-the-curriculum programs, it seems, focus uponthe academic dimension.

Here in Tucson, the Community CommunicationCorps, sponsored by Pima Community College, at-tempts to reach beyond traditional across-the-curricu-lum programs in several respects. The Corps tries toaddress both dimensions of the crisis. The Corps alsoendeavors to tailor its activities to the specialized (asopposed to the generic) needs of students. Again, whilemost programs promote literacy as a campus-wideresponsibility, the Corps believes that literacy, whetherfor acad?mic or real-world success, must be accepted asa commanity responsibility because the literacy crisishas .,}.,!y grown much too large for schools to remedi-ate alone. We need outside helpnow.

Essentially, the Corps is a partnership betweenbusiness and education that pre motes several commu-nication skills across the disciplines, from middleschools through community college. The concept wasborrowed in part from the Phoenix-based SWRL Projectand is partly an outgrowth of a local, multi-school,writing- and speaking-across-the-curriculum program.

Central to Corps activities is Business Partners inEducation (or BPEs), a resource that is creative, stimu-lating, and effective. BPEs, who receive release timefrom their place of employment, are not expected tohave degrees in English, speech, or reading; they needonly a reasonable facility in one or more of the commu-nication skills being promoted: writing, speaking,

reading, listening, and critical thinking. Having metthis requirement, BPEs meet in workshops with teach-ers from courses across the curriculum and withlanguage arts specialists to form T-Teams (teachingteams). These T-Teams develop communication unitsfcr classroom presentation. The kinds of units varyfrom role playing exercises to mock job interviews towritten scenarios to oral summaries to impromptudebates.

The following example was a Corps activity pre-pared for a class in human development at Pima Com-Alunity College. The class, called "Women in Progress,"enrolls re-entry womentypically single parents ordisplaced honnmakers planning to complete programsof study and/or obtain marketable job skills. In fact,many are in desperate need to find at least part-timework to remain in school.

In considering the needs of this group, T-Teammembers decided that a basic workshop in preparing aresume, completing application forms, and interviewing would be appropriate. The EPE, who works forPima County government, supplied job applicailonforms along with a listing of current job openings.During the classroom activities, students were giveninformation about employment opportunities, how tosubmit a good application and resume, how to dress forthat all-important job interview, and how to handle thatinterview. As part of tilt. workshop, students wererequired to "dress up" as though actually applying forthe position desired. The T-Team discussed the proper"uniform" for particular job interviews and thencritiqued each student's attire. At an appropriatejuncture, students were given a homework assignmentwhich required them to prepare an application blankwith an attached resume. The T-Team provided an in-depth critique of each application and required studentsto re-submit corrected applications.

As a result this exercise, some students actuallyobtained employment on a temporary basis. Even thosewho were less fortunate discovered that their applica-tion forms are often the only initial means by which a

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOA STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at AustinEDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

..

prospective employer can form an image about themand make a possible hiring judgment. Because there isso much competition for jobs, these students realizedhow very important it is to learn to communicatethrough the writing medium.

Students were not the only beneficiaries for thisactivity. One important lesson learned by the volun-teer teacher was the great need for students to learnbasic "survival" skills. As the instructor noted in herreport to the Corps, "Many students are seriouslylacking in fundamental knowledge about how to evenstart a successful job-hunting plan. In one of myclasses of 24 students, only three turned in applicationsthat the BPE and I considered to be ner.t and completeenough for a prospective employer to even contem-plate employing them. The students themselves weresurprised at the number of errors in their applicationsand then grateful that we had done such an in-depthcritique. As one student put it, 'I can understand nowwhy I've had such a hard time even getting called infor an interview.'

Like the team whose unit was just described, mostCorps T-Teams attempt to tailor classroom units to theneeds of their students. Most also demonstrate therelationship between communication proficiency andproblem solving. Further, most teams try to developcommunication skills activities which have discerniblerelevance to course content and which are grounded inthe working world. The functional value of literacy issometimes particularly enhanced in classes in whichBPEs emphasize the real-world necessity of correctspelling and punctuation, effective organization ofideas, clarity, and polish.

What had impressed us about the SWRL project wasits success in improving student attitudes about thereal-world necessity for communication skills. Ourexperience in the Corps has been similarly gratifying.Fr Corps teachers, the old adage "Seeing is believing"is reflected in altered student attitudeschanges whichteachers alone have been unable to inspire in years offutile classroom preachments. And we have discov-ered that when student attitudes about communicationskills undergo favorable change, the change is trans-lated into enhanced learning. In a sense, the real valueof having the BPE in the classroom ties, not in teachingthe teacher's class, but in reshaping student attitudes.

Project evaluations, based on 64 T-Teams workingwith approximately 1300 students, confirm the benefi-cial effects of the BPE in the classroom. Virtually everyparticipating faculty and BPE gave enthusiastic ap-proval to the experiment, and 84% of participating

students deemed their Corps learning experience to besubstantially worthwhile.

Whether the Corps will survive over the long run ifan open question, of course. One thing, however,seems clear. Educators will have to do more than theyare currently doing if our students are going to meetthe twenty-first century with real-world cor'.munica-tion skills. The Corps is our attempt to help studentsdo just that.

Stanley P. Witt, Director, Community CommunicationCorps

For further information, contact the author at PimaCommunity College, 8202 E. Poinciana Drive, Tucson,AZ 85730.

ERIC Clearinghouse forJunior Colleges

FEB ,c, 1990

Suunne D. Roueche, Editor

December 8,1989, Vol. XI, No. 30OThe University of Texas at Austin, 1989Further duplication is permitted by MEMBERinstitutions for their own personnel.

6;INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publica5on of the National insnoo for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD),EDB 348, The Universiy of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471.7545. Subscnpuons are available to nonconsor-tium members for $40 yoar. Funding in pan by the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation.Issued weekly when dassrs are in session dunng fall and spring tens &,d once during the summer. ISSN 0199106X

ed 314 116 jc 900 032 au1hor roueche, suanne …document resume ed 314 116 jc 900 032 au1hor...

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