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FromFrom thethe
MarginsMargins
to the to the CenterCenter
The Faculty Inquiry Network
Basic Skills in Complex Contexts
FromFrom the Marginsthe Margins to the Center to the Center
Understanding Identity, Engagement and Understanding Identity, Engagement and LearningLearning
FIN Presenters:FIN Presenters:Jan Connal, Cerritos CollegeJan Connal, Cerritos CollegeScott Hoshida, Berkeley City Scott Hoshida, Berkeley City CollegeCollegeA’kilah Moore, Los Medanos A’kilah Moore, Los Medanos CollegeCollegeSandy Wood, Santa Ana CollegeSandy Wood, Santa Ana College
A CommonA Common Concern Concern
Our Thorny Issue: Identity’s Impact on Learning
“How the learner defines him or herself is intimately connected to his or her learning mindset. We develop skills and acquire knowledge in service to identity…Learning changes who we are by changing our ability to participate, to belong, to negotiate meaning.” Etienne Wenger, 1998
Faculty Inquiry Faculty Inquiry ApproachApproach
Our Approach to Getting at this Issue:Faculty Inquiry
“…asking questions about the teaching and learning that goes on in their own classrooms…around a problem or something that’s not going right; …seeking answers by consulting the literature, gathering and analyzing evidence, and engaging students in the process whenever possible; …using what they find out to improve the experience of their students; and sharing this work with colleagues so that they and their students can benefit too.” Mary Huber, 2008
Faculty Inquiry Faculty Inquiry
Examples of Faculty Inquiry:
Berkeley City College
Santa Ana College
Los Medanos College
Cerritos College
Berkeley CityBerkeley CityWhere did we start?... Where did we start?...
How do we help student persist from one class to the next? How do they become the hero/heroine of their own stories?
Stumbling through research we found that… Metacognition… Motivation… Strategic use of skills and knowledge.
Personal Storytelling/Writing as a crucial place for students to understand themselves and their motivations; creating reflective students.
Berkeley CityBerkeley CityThe Hero’s Journey The Hero’s Journey
(J.Campbell)(J.Campbell)
DEPARTURELeaving Home,
Family, Community
INITIATIONEntering the Classroom
RETURNReturning with
new knowledge and
sense of self
What happens when students
place themselves on this
continuum? What happens when
they must narrate their own journey?
Berkeley CityBerkeley CityWriting Your Story: Two PathsWriting Your Story: Two Paths
INITIATION:Students
Enter Classroom. Asked to
Share Personal
Story
Fear and
Shame (from past)
Protect identity. Reveal little or
inauthentic
Feels safe and able to share.
Identity is
something that can
change
Student does not feel ready to take
the risks necessary to challenge himself and
become a self-motivated &
persistent learner.Student practices connecting her life
to her goals, develops
motivation, and increases
willingness to take risks.
Berkeley CityBerkeley CityLast ThoughtsLast Thoughts
Classroom Context (the vibe, the trust) Matterso Relationships with teachers and
peers;o Emotional safety helps student get
over humps, helps them take personal AND intellectual risks;
Sharing of self brings the whole student into the classroom
Questions:What is the role of teacher in facilitating this context? Of framing their narratives? How does self-disclosure for instructors impact this context?
When students share personal stories does it change their motivation? Their ability to learn from their past? Does it lead, in some ways, to persistence from class-to-class?
SantaSanta AnaAnaWho are Generation 1.5 Students? Typically speak 2 or more
languages fluently.
Aural and oral learners, learning English through listening and speaking, not reading and writing.
Often sound like native speakers.
Limited knowledge of academic English.
Never acquired or are losing literacy in home language.
Have cross-cultural identification, or confusion about cultural identification.
Completed most or all of their schooling in the U.S., but often incorrectly placed and have limited experience with academic reading and writing.
SantaSanta AnaAna Generation 1.5 students at Santa AnaGeneration 1.5 students at Santa Ana
For 25 years English and ESL faculty have referred to a group of SAC students as ESLers, showing characteristics of both ESL students and native speakers.
Our FIN work is designed to find out who these students are and discover ways to help them be more successful life-long learners.
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SantaSanta AnaAnaIdentity Issues for Generation 1.5Identity Issues for Generation 1.5
Usually born here -- raised without English at home. Between language “worlds.” Don’t see themselves as ESL due to speaking fluency and knowledge of social customs, U.S. culture and idioms. “I may be learning another language but I am not ESL.”
Identified by instructors as having weaker literacy proficiency than native speakers. Placed in low ability classes.
Identify with both U.S. culture and “home” culture. Develop language like group(s) they socialize and/or identify with.
SantaSanta AnaAnaImplicationsImplications
Not a monolithic group!!
Writing samples are the most valuable assessment to identify Generation 1.5 students, not standardized placement tests.
They have very strong opinions about being labeled Generation 1.5. Results of our lesson study: Labels are bad!!!
Maintaining low expectations of these students is not the correct strategy.
SantaSanta AnaAnaNew Questions?New Questions?
How does language proficiency affect identity?
How do we meet learning needs WITHOUT adding new courses or additional layers to their education?
How do we utilize their language strengths as a bridge to acquiring academic literacy?
Are they between or fusing cultural worlds?
How do we make the institution aware of this population without stigmatizing them?
LosLos MedanosMedanosUmojaUmoja FINFIN InquiryInquiry
Passion: The retention and success of African American students particularly in mathematics.
Problem: Many African American community college students enter developmental math classes with low efficacy and experience low success.
Purpose: To investigate how addressing affective issues in the context of a math class may influence African American community college students’ cognitive abilities.
LosLos MedanosMedanosAddressingAddressing IdentityIdentity
Math Efficacy Measurement Tool
Journal Writing
Positive Affirmations
LosLos MedanosMedanosBuildingBuilding CommunityCommunity
Brother/Sister Keeper – students are partnered with a brother or sister to hold each other accountable and encourage each other
Group Projects – working together toward a common goal
Everybody’s Business – atmosphere created where there are no secrets
Community-based Projects – service learning project of relevance to the African American community
LosLos MedanosMedanosStudentStudent VoiceVoice
LosLos MedanosMedanosEmergingEmerging QuestionsQuestions
What are other ways we can intentionally address learner identity in a mathematics classroom?
How do we make an explicit connection between the affective issues (ie. math efficacy, learner identity, etc..) and students cognitive abilities?
Is there a point when addressing affective issues is no longer necessary?
How can we teach students to do “this” on their own in other classes and settings?
Cerritos Cerritos Listening Listening ttoo StudentsStudents
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CerritosCerritosInsightsInsights
How might this student’s identity be influencing her learning?
What are the implications for our practice?
Emerging thorny questions/issues?
QuestionsQuestions
Questions
FromFrom thethe MarginsMargins toto thethe CenterCenter
FIN Basic Skills in Complex Contexts
Thank You
ContactsContacts
A’ kilah Moore
Sandy Wood
Jan Connal
Scott Hoshida
