Engaging Students and Creating Community

1. Engaging Students and Creating Community Jan. 11, 2010 Jennifer Brady, Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, CU-Boulder jennifer.brady@colorado.edu

2. http://www.thewisc.com/images/preschool_000.JPG

3. http://www.stjohnsmequon.org/PreschoolKids.jpg

4. “The lower school is a vibrant educational environment designed by expert educators committed to developing intellectual curiosity, a positive sense of self[. . .]. [. . .] Each child is encouraged to read as much as possible; develop thinking skills; write clearly; practice computational skills; work independently; and to respect themselves, others and the environment. [. . .]  From the first grade trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art to the investigation of mealworms in third grade science, students are actively engaged throughout their school day.  [. . .] The learning extends beyond the classroom.  Each lower school class is paired with a middle school class and a buddy is assigned.  Whether tie-dying t-shirts to be used for filed trips or reading to your buddy, the relationships formed build a feeling of community and family.  [. . .] Reaching out to the greater community through service projects is an important part of developing the students’ connection to the world beyond the classroom. [. . .] Each child is encouraged and enabled to do their best work. Our students leave the lower school confident and with a strong foundation that will serve them well in middle school and beyond.” -http://www.st-annes.org/lower-school

6. How does this translate to secondary and higher ed. students? • Encouragement and building confidence  Techniques: 1. Do give positive reinforcement; Don’t over-correct. 2. Do make learning fun; Don’t make your classroom a circus. 3. Do have authority and discipline in the classroom; Don’t be authoritative. 4. Do offer extra credit when it is appropriate; Don’t offer so much extra credit that that’s all students do.

7. How does this translate to to secondary and higher ed. students? • Building community  Techniques: 1. Make office hours mandatory once a semester. 2. Do something with them outside of class and/or outside of the classroom.  3. Ask them to do projects together. Switch groups. 4. Design activities that reach all learners 

8. How does this translate to to secondary and higher ed. students? • Do something with them outside of class and/or outside of the classroom.  Possible Ideas: • Organize a service learning / volunteer trip during or outside of class time. • Organize a mini-conference / presentation during or outside of class with other classes. • Organize a film series with instructors of your same / similar discipline. • Go on a field trip: see a movie, go to a museum, etc.

9. How does this translate to to secondary and higher ed. students? • Design activities that reach all learners  Techniques: 1. Kolb’s Learning Inventory.  2. Try something new; ask them if it worked. 3. Ask them to teach each other.

11. How does this translate to to secondary and higher ed. students? • Align curriculum, instruction and assessment. • Incorporate technology. • Scaffold new tasks.

12. Further reading: Anderson, Charles and Kate Day. “Purposive Environments: Engaging Students in the Values and Practices of History.” Higher Education 49.3 (Apr., 2005), 319-343. Applebee, Arthur N. “Engaging Students in the Disciplines of English: What Are Effective Schools Doing?” The English Journal 91-6 (Jul., 2002): 30-36. Denofrio, Lauren A., Brandy Russell, David Lopatto and Yi Lu. “Linking Student Interests to Science Curricula.” Science 318.5858 (Dec. 21, 2007), 1872-1873. Reilly, Mary Ann. “Opening Spaces of Possibility: The Teacher as Bricoleur.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy52.5 (Feb., 2009), 376-384.