Metacognitive thinking has come to be described as thinking about thinking by most of us. Matt Birkenhauer wants us to apply that to our teaching by making thinking visible. He suggests that we become "helicopter instructors" mimicking the best of what helicopter parents do, which is basically "pestering." I am not sure I would agree with him but the basics of his idea bear further discussion. Many of our students at BRCC are not only first-generation but may not have ever thought that they would be attending college. Some of them may have decided at the last moment to pursue a college degree. We know that without the proper preparation for anything, you typically set yourself up to fail. Realizing this, then the pestering or hovering that Birkenhauer recommends may have merit. We should certainly offer to mentor our students and that is a form of hovering. Asking questions to prompt deeper thinking and perhaps advanced planning can only be beneficial for our students. Here are just a few ways that you can begin to build an engaged relationship with your students that may pay off in the form of higher retention and graduation rates for BRCC. Remind them that this is not year thirteen of high school. College will require less time of them in the classroom but subsequently more time on things like homework, reading, and pre-class assignments. They will more likely experience being in larger classes in college. This can create problems for them but also opportunities to network extensively and usually larger classes allow them the opportunity to work in groups, a valuable life-skill that will be used in the workplace. The negative may mean less personal attention in some cases but they should be encouraged to make the effort to talk with you. College is typically less concerned about attendance although it is very important for our financial aid reporting that we capture this information. The idea here is to help them realize that they are “driving the bus.” That means they need to create a schedule and attempt to stick to it to help them manage their time wisely. Finally, you should remind them that they may have come from a culture that valued standardized tests but college requires them to think critically using empirical and quantitative methods. They will be asked to communicate their thoughts in various ways and they will be evaluated. Don’t forget to remind them that the rewards on the other side are substantial both economically and otherwise.
WHAT MAKES A TEACHER GREAT
The Common Reader Faculty Learning Community has attracted a number of you but there is room for more. If you are interested in joining the FLC that is set to begin on September 4, send an email indicating your interest to Barbara Linder (8228) at adulted@mybrcc.edu. Some of the most promising and effective professional development opportunities involve learning communities. Learning communities provide opportunities for faculty members to interact with others as they explore new assumptions and try out new approaches to teaching and learning. Learning communities enable faculty members to explore and experiment with new approaches to teaching in an environment that simultaneously provides challenge and support. The initial FLC at BRCC will be using What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain as the text and promises to be interactive and useful.
VISION AND CHANGE IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Jo Dale Ales, who serves as Dean of the Division of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and I have been invited to participate in an ongoing project focused on designing biology curriculum for the future. Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education, a group coordinated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is holding a conference designed to mobilize people to focus on undergraduate biology education by engaging them in shared, directed, provocative, and ongoing discussions that lead to action in the immediate future. Dean Ales and I will be traveling to Washington DC later this week to join with colleagues from across the U.S. I will share some of the outcomes with you next week. One of the more interesting ideas I have come across in the pre-conference reading (guess they are using a flipped classroom approach) is by Dr. Ann Austin who writes, "Improving student learning requires: (a) knowledge about how students learn; (b) knowledge of effective teaching strategies; (c) faculty members who understand processes of learning and what strategies are effective under what conditions; and d) faculty decisions to implement such knowledge of learning processes and teaching strategies into their own practice. Each part of this constellation of ingredients is necessary to encourage student learning."
KEEP CALM AND BE ENGAGED
