WE GOT FLIPPED

The Teaching+Learning Center was filled to overflowing today for Dr. Bill Wischusen's Flipping the Classroom seminar. Dr. Wischusen, the tall gentleman at the front of the T+LC in the pictures above, is associate chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU. He has a number of papers about the scholarship of teaching and learning. The main discussion at today's seminar focused on teaching students skills versus content. Most of the faculty attending agreed that skills were the more important of the two and that content is used to develop the necessary skills. Several of the faculty described how they planned to use what they learned at the interactive seminar today in their classes tomorrow. Sandra Guzman, biology, plans to use video power-points in her courses. Idell Adams, liberal arts, plans to use paired argumentative essays. DeWayne Logan, chemistry (who also picked up the door prize for being the first registrant), wants to implement the use of pre-quizzes. Becky Adcock, veterinary technology, plans to allow her students to make mistakes in the class and then challenge them to discover the correct solution. Wes Harris, English, plans to develop creative and engaging activities to teach skills in-class. Dr. Wischusen led the group through several activities designed to help them determine how they could flip their own classes. The discussion was lively as many of the participants shared their own versions of a flipped classroom using content from their own discipline.

GRANT WORKSHOPS PLANNED FOR APRIL

The Grant Resource Center and Teaching+Learning Center are teaming up to bring you two exciting grant proposal writing workshops. The first is set for April 4 at 3:00 PM and will focus on project construction and approval, researching funding sources, and an explanation of the needs assessment process. The second workshop set for April 11 at 3:00 PM will help you gain insight about the BRCC internal grant process, approval of projects, and proposal writing. Both of the interactive sessions will be held in the Teaching+Learning Center (311 Magnolia). To reserve your spot now, send an email to Ann Zanders at zandersa@mybrcc.edu. Space is limited for both events.

HELPING YOUR STUDENTS LEARN TO LEARN

Dr. Elizabeth Barkley encourages us to help our students to develop learning strategies. She says that we need to help learners become better able to direct and manage their learning by showing them how to use learning strategies. Learning strategies are devices or behaviors that help us retrieve stored information as well as acquire and integrate new information with existing knowledge. They include, for example, previewing, summarizing, paraphrasing, imaging, creating analogies, note taking, and outlining. You can read more about this in Dr. Barkley's outstanding book Student Engagement Techniques: A handbook for college faculty (LB2342.92.B34).

PINERO RECOGNIZED
Congratulations to Amy Pinero, Interim Department Chair of Social Sciences, for being selected as the BRCC Outstanding Faculty Member of the year. Pinero, who teaches criminal justice courses, received her recognition at the LCTCS luncheon today. She is a very active member of the BRCC faculty and currently serves on the eLearning Faculty Learning Community among other things. Well-deserved recognition for a terrific teacher!

READY TO FLIP YOUR CLASS
There are still a few slots open for the Flipping the Classroom seminar to be held on Thursday, March 21 at 3:00 PM in the Teaching+Learning Center (311 Magnolia). Dr. Bill Wischusen, associate chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU, will deliver this seminar. Although the concept of flipping has been around for some time now, new ideas continue to emerge that allow us to improve the innovative teaching approach. In essence, flipping means that students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos, and then use class time to do the harder work of assimilating that knowledge, perhaps through problem-solving, discussion, or debates. You might want to take a look at the Flipped Learning Network website for some additional information. To reserve your seat, send an email to Todd Pourciau at pourciaut@mybrcc.edu.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING REVISITED
Returning to the topic covered by Dr. Barbara Millis, the most recent distinguished speaker in the Teaching+Learning Center's ongoing series, cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning. Considerable research demonstrates that cooperative learning produces higher achievement, more positive relationships among students, and healthier psychological adjustment than do competitive or individualistic experiences. The research notes that this can lead to reduced attrition rates and hirer completion for students. Dean McManus who implemented cooperative learning into his classes notes, "For the students, change began on the first day. They learned that they would be expected to discuss the assigned reading and to teach it to other students. Furthermore, they would be writing one-page and two-page summaries of readings often, and five-page reports every couple of weeks. The emphasis would be on their ability to express themselves in terms of the science they were studying." Here are a few other resources for you to supplementthe material that Dr. Millis shared with us during her visit.

BEARS ENTER THE TIGER'S DEN
The Tiger Bridge Program is an innovative new academic opportunity that combines the on-campus living experience unique to LSU, with the smaller class setting of Baton Rouge Community College. This academic collaboration between LSU and BRCC is an invitation-only, year-long program that allows students the chance to make a seamless transition into college life at LSU. After the successful completion of this one-year program, students will transfer fully to LSU for their sophomore year coursework and beyond. Space is limited in the Tiger Bridge Program, and students will enter on a first-come, first-served basis. “I think it will be a great collaborative effort between BRCC and LSU," says Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Monique Cross. “This gives them additional options,” she said. “This is an alternate path students can take to get to LSU and they will also be able to earn an associate degree from BRCC.”

MILLIS EVENT A HUGE SUCCESS
Thank you to all of you who were able to attend the faculty development workshop by Dr. Barbara Millis on February 28. We had close to 100 participants from almost every discipline at BRCC. Dr. Millis left Baton Rouge with a great impression and found our faculty to be "friendly, sharp and committed to the cause." Dr. Amy Atchley, Speech Communications, noted that she plans to "start small" but eventually to move to using "cooperative learning as my method rather than lecture." Mary Miller, Biology, plans to use the jigsaw approach in her classroom. Kathleen Schexnayder, English, said that she plans to use the double-entry journal in her classroom. Russell Nolan, Biology, plans to use problem solving groups in his classroom. I want to remind you that the Library does have three of Dr. Millis' books and she has a number of articles and IDEA papers that could prove useful for you as you use this new tool from your expanded teaching toolkit.


GET READY TO FLIP YOUR THINKING
The next opportunity you have to add a tool in on March 21 at 3:00 PM. Dr. Bill Wischusen, Associate Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU, will visit BRCC to deliver a powerful seminar entitled Flipping the Classroom. This teaching approach has been especially effective for teachers who (among other things) are struggling with having their students complete reading assignments or who are focused on improving their student's critical thinking skills. Flipping demonstrates to your students that they can acquire knowledge in other ways than listening to a lecture. It is a method that stresses student accountability and promotes cooperative and deeper learning. Space is limited and registration has been brisk. If you would like to participate, send an email to Todd Pourciau at pourciaut@mybrcc.edu. This event is part of the Teaching+Learning Center's distinguished speakers series and will be held in 311 Magnolia Building.

CREATE SOME CREATORS
New research continues to emerge about the current generation of college students (sometime called Millennials, Gen Y or boomerangs). For instance, Jean Twenge, the author of the book Generation Me, considers Millennials to be part of a generation called Generation Me. This is based on personality surveys that showed increasing narcissism among Millennials compared to preceding generations when they were teens and in their twenties. Skip Downing, who wrote the ground breaking On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life series, suggests that we need to help the current student population to develop a Creator mindset. It is built on self-responsibility designed to help you build the life you want. Downing writes, "when psychologist Richard Logan studied people who survived ordeals such as being imprisoned in concentration camps of lost in the frozen Arctic, he found they shared a common belief. They all saw themselves as personally responsible for creating the outcomes and experiences of their lives." Downing pits the Creator Mindset (people look at multiple options, choose wisely among them and take effective actions to achieve the life they want) against the Victim Mindset (beliefs and attitudes that prevent good choices and decisions; the blame is always on other people or things). His personal guideline is 10 minutes for griping then on to being a Creator and finding a solution. If you have a class full of victims, I recommend that you read Downing's book for strategies that can turn your students into Creators.