Teach Students How Their Brains Learn

With all of the knowledge we now know about how our brains work best, why are we still ignoring the benefits of sharing this information with our students? You have probably noticed that I like to tweet about brain research on the CTLE Twitter account. We have also incorporated brain research into our College Success Skills course as we teach students how to be better at critical thinking. Looking back at some of the material we used initially reminded me of a good article by Dr. Judy Willis that appeared in 2012 (are we really 8 years removed from that?). In the article she writes, "Curriculum in schools of education has changed in response to changes in society, pedagogy and technology. As computer technology became an asset in classrooms, schools of education appropriately included that instruction in the curriculum. Many states made similar education program curriculum adaptations in response to multiculturism, increases in English language learners, and the use of the concrete-connect-abstract progression in math instruction. Now that the neuroscience research implications for teaching are also an invaluable classroom asset, it is time for instruction in the neuroscience of learning to be included as well in professional teacher education." Her words are just as salient in 2020 and we now know even more about how the brain learns. Spending some time in your classes dispensing this new knowledge will pay off for your students and help them to learn the information you are sharing. You can find information on this topic on this blog and on the CTLE Twitter page.

SOLUTIONS FOR OUR AT-RISK STUDENTS
The next faculty development opportunity comes your way in two power-packed sessions on February 11 and 19. Supporting the Engagement, Learning, and Success of Students At-Risk is the topic of the two webinars to be held in the Teaching+Learning Center (311 Magnolia Bldg./Mid City Campus). Learn how individual faculty members, academic advisors, counselors, and other educators can support at-risk students. Review effective skills, attitudes, and strategies that can enhance student success. Examine what existing departments need to collaborate effectively in order to increase the achievement and success of at-risk students. The webinar will be led by Thomas Brown, a former dean of advising services who also served on the Board of Directors of the National Academic Advising Association. He has consulted with more than 350 colleges and universities in the US and abroad on this important topic. Each session will last for 1.5 hours and the information in the second session will build on the first. It is recommended that you attend both sessions but you should make your decision based on your availability and other engagements. Registration is now open.

TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN USE
Dr. Tiffany Reiss has written an interesting article about the availability of information from an endless supply of providers and how that can be confusing for our students. She writes, "The issue is not with the information itself, but with the quality and sheer quantity of the information. The abundance of freely available information also has changed the role of educators. It’s no longer about us standing in front of class and providing information. It’s about helping these learners contextualize that information. Helping them connect it to what is out there in the real world and give it foundation and meaning." Her remarks follow closely on the faculty development webinar session we sponsored on Thursday. Dr. Shawn Orr, who presented the session, gave the workshop participants a number of great suggestions for engagement techniques that could be used in an online environment as well as face-to-face classes. Orr shared various online resources that we could use to create active learning opportunities for our students including Eyejot, Screencast-o-matic, and Delicious. I want to encourage you to become a follower on the blog and the Twitter sites so that you can keep abreast of what is happening the in the BRCC faculty development world. We did tweet throughout the webinar on Thursday and included resources to enhance your teaching toolkit.

IT'S IN THE SYLLABUS
One of the useful suggestions we heard on Thursday is something I have implemented in my CSSK class. We know how important the class syllabus can be in terms of being an agreement between you and your students. It is, in the fact, the road map for your course. The suggestion was to emphasize to your students just how important that syllabus is throughout the semester. You should try to reference it during every class. You should continuously point to it as the source of information. In that way, you are indicating that it is not something to put in your binder and never reference again. It needs to be discussed repeatedly in order for our students to understand its importance.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT KICKOFF
Mark your calendars for the BRCC Teaching+Learning Center's faculty professional development opening event of the Spring 2014 semester. Dr. Mary Clement, professor of education and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Berry College, will facilitate three sessions on Friday, January 17 in the Louisiana Building Board Room. Dr. Clement holds a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a specialist in curriculum and instruction and secondary teacher education. The theme for the day is Keys for a Successful Spring 2014. Sessions include Who are These Students and How Do I Engage Them on the First Day and Beyond? (8:30AM), Teaching with a Four-Step Lesson Plan (10:00 AM), and Using Student Feedback Throughout the Semester (11:30 AM). Registration begins at 8:00 AM in the adjoining lobby.

DO YOU TWEET
The Teaching+Learning Center has added a Twitter account in addition to this blog and the main website to insure that we are providing information to you in multiple ways. You can find the Twitter feed at @brcctlc. If you have a Twitter account, I encourage you to become a follower. In that way, you will get updates as soon as they are posted. You can simply view it without becoming a follower as well.

FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER
Vice Chancellor Monique Cross gave a great presentation this morning on the topic of retention. One of the many things she stressed was letting the first day of class set the tone for what is to come. Students build their future expectations on our actions. Dr. Mary Clement, in her book First Time in the College Classroom, says "Give them a mini-lesson or mini-lecture" on the first day of class. "Let's face it," she continues "students are in college to learn, and learning should happen on the first day. Plan to give a short mini-lesson about the first reading, or to present 10 fun facts about the subject matter. Teach in a style that gets the students to see who you are and how you teach."