TransformingTeaching:MovingFacultyfromNeutraltoEquityinTeaching

TaraKishbaugh LoriLeamanDepartmentofChemistry CollegeofEducationEasternMennoniteUniversity JamesMadisonUniversityHarrisonburg,VA Harrisonburg,VA

NSFDUEAward1611713

Overviewofthesession• Problem:thedifficultyperceiving&addressingtheinvisibleintheclassroom

Howdofacultylearntoeffectivelyshifttheirteachingidentity,practicesandbeliefstolearner-centered/culturallyresponsiveones?(Hendersonetal;Steinhartetal,2006)

• IntroduceaSociocultural framework forteaching&learning• Describe amodel offacultyPDwithkeysocio-culturalfactorsthatusesiterativecyclesofREAD-TRY- REFLECTto• Increaseawareness ofteaching&learningasladenwithsocio-culturalfactors,

• Bolsterbelief instudentcapacity,• Cultivatehabits ofculturallyresponsivepedagogy

• Providesuggestionsforinstitutionalplanning

Context

IncreasingdiversityofSTEMundergraduatepopulationatEMU

*

*

(5-year average retention rates, * = sig @95% conf. int.)

URM:NSF’sabbreviationforunder-representedminority

Movingbeyondthevisible,tacticalpedagogy toaninteractive,dynamic,dialogic(lessvisible)socioculturalpedagogy

TacticalPedagogy• IfIdeploy“activelearningstrategyX”,theyshouldbeabletolearn.Iftheydon’t,theyprobablyaren’tabletohandlethematerial/major.”

• Didactic:Iteach,implementx,theylearn.

Teach Strategy Learning

LearningOwnership&TacticalPedagogyCertainty:it’sthem,notme

Questioning:notsure?

Certainty:it’sus

Learningistheresponsibilityofthestudent

Not surewhoisresponsibleforlearning

Learningisthejointresponsibilityofprofessorandstudent

…thereisasubsetoftheclassthatdoesn’tunderstandtheexpectationsforcollege…

10%stillhadthewronganswersafter(pedagogicalintervention).I’mnotsurewherethistakesme.

GOAL

NSFStudy1611713Data:2017-18

SocioculturalFrameworkforTeaching&Learning

SocioculturalAwarenessTool(Senge,2009,Moule,2012)

LearningIncompatibilitiesmayariseatthebordersbetweencultures(Aiekenhead &Jegede,1999)

Someclassroomproblemsarise“outsideof”thecontentthatweteachinthesocioculturalspacesof:unspokenrulesofvalues,problemsolving,cognitiveprocessing.

• BorderCrossing:Whensafetyisreduced,self-esteemisatriskanddeepcultureisthreatened.

• Impact:Theborderistoohazardoustocontinuewithdeepculturallearningandidentityformation.

• Long-term Effect:Withdrawal,impostersyndrome,droppingout.

Visible plusUnexamined(Sociocultural)AspectsofLearning• Awareness:WhoamI?Whoareyou?

• GrowthMindset&DiscardingtheDeficitlens• Social-CulturalAwarenessaboutself &students

• Reflection:Whoarewetogether?• Deepculturaliceberg• Invitation• Communicationpatterns• Power• Risk/Safety

• Responsivenessintheclassroom• Teaching• Assessment• Invitingfeedbackfromourstudents

DescriptionofaModelofFacultyPDinfusedwithsocioculturalfactors

Framework:EnculturationasStudent-ScientistsandProfessor-Teachers

ApprenticeshipforStudents

LessVisible:FacultyBeliefs• Cultureofself&others• Capacityversusdeficit• Allculturesasvalid

LessVisible:Learningasacollaborative/sharedprocessbyprof/students

Visible:Culturallyresponsiveinstructionalpracticesthatfacilitateengagementandinteractions,safely.

Diagram: https://johnmill.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/visualisations-of-learning/

ApprenticeshipforFaculty

(Lave&Wenger,Aikenhead) (Chavez&Longerbeam;Hurtado)

ProfessionalLearningCommunityModelforculturallyresponsiveteaching

Participants:twocohortsofSTEMandwritingfacultywhoteach“gate-keeper”courses(voluntaryparticipation)

DescriptionofIntervention(AugustthruMay):• UnconsciousBiasTraining(pre-intervention,August)• Bookendhalf-dayworkshops (bookends:August/May)• onawareness/beliefsandbestpractices

• FacultycourseinPLCModel(Sept-April)(a)face-face“class”1x/month(b)Read-Try-Reflect

• Onlinereading• Assignmenttoapplytoteaching,and• Onlinewritten/peerreflectionactivity1x/month

InterculturalAwarenessreflectiveandpragmaticactivitiestorecognizeenculturation ofthemselves/students

SampleTopics• UnconsciousBiasTraining

• PerceptionsofFacultyBehaviorbyStudentsofColor

• Deficitvs.Capacitymindsetofprofessors

• ImposterSyndrome(FirstGen)

Activities• InterculturalDevelopmentInventory(IDI)

• Role-play:Analyzing“culturalmessages”ofprofessorcommunication

• Syllabusreviewforcultural“invitation”

EvidenceonLearningOwnership&AwarenessofselfandothersIdidmanymoresmall-groupactivities,andthestudentsfarexceededmyexpectationsintermsoftheirability/willingnesstoengagewithvigor.

Differentculturalbackgroundsmaymeanstudentsheavilyprioritizefamily.I’mseeingtheimportanceofrelaxingsomestandards(e.g.,deadlines),whilemaintainingothers(thequalityofwork). Givingtheareasforgrowthisabsolutelycritical,butalsomakesuretheyhavethesupportneededtodothosethings.

NSFStudy1611713Data:2017-18

Pedagogicaltoolsreflectiveandpragmaticactivitiestoincrementallytestoutintentionalshiftsinpractice

SampleTopics• ActiveLearningStrategies

• BackwardsDesign• Questioningstrategies• RapidStudentfeedback

Activities• Redesignalessonwithactivestudentlearning/participatorylectures• PeerSyllabusReviewre-designforclarity,capacity-language,culturallyresponsivelanguage• Earlysemesterfeedbackmechanisms(seeHandout)

EvidenceofPedagogyPlusSocioculturalfactorsIncreaseduseofIntentionalPedagogicalTools

myotherassignmentsaremuchmoreambiguousintermsofhowIevaluatethem.Irewrotemygradingpractices…toclarifyexactlyhowIplantoevaluateeach

WhileMaintainingRigorHighexpectationsisimportant…wherethereisa

disconnect,theremustbeassessmenttodiscernmissinglinks– followedbysupport…andnotalwaysbyinstructor.

WithInterculturalAwarenessalwaysdesignedmysyllabiaroundwhatIappreciated

asastudent.NSFStudy1611713Data:2017-18

DefiningStructuredReflection:iterativecyclesofenculturation&incremental,intentionalshiftsinpractice

• Read (littlesociocultural) Structuredexposuretonewviewsofteaching/strategiesbyexpert

• Try (moresociocultural) Facilitatedlearningexperiencesovertimethatmatchesidentity-developmentallevel

• Reflect (selfandwithothers)-SOCIOCULTURAL!!Safe socialnetworktodotheongoingreflectiveprocessofinterpretationofteaching/learning

Evidence:shiftingfromneutral• Tryingtoseemyclassesthroughtheeyesofothers.• Anunderstandingofhowculture canimpactteachingand

faculty/studentrelationships.• Questioningmyassumptionsandbeingwillingtochange• Listening - thinkingthroughwhatit'sliketobeinthisclass,in

thissituationincollege,asaminorityand/orfirstgen?Howdoes

whatIdoinclass,whatwedoasadepartment,makeanysense

tothem?Howdoesitmeshwith,&howdoesitinformwhothey

seethemselvesinrelationtoscienceandtheirintended

profession? NSFStudy1611713Data:2018-19

Implications for Faculty Development & Adaptability

RequiredFeaturesoftheModelPEDAGOGYPLUSPlusthelessvisiblesocioculturalelementsofteachingandlearningEXTENDEDYear-LongAPPLIEDFacultyneedtocontextualizepedagogicallearningtoatargetedcoursewithfreedomtoreject/adopt/adapt.ITERATIVE/REFLECTIVEReadit-Tryit-ReflectonitSAFEPROFESSIONALNETWORKProvidedbyaProfessionalLearningCommunity

SuggestionsforInstitutionalPlanning❑ Earlyinstitutionalbuy-in

❑ Small,voluntarypilot:cohortmodelwithinadiscipline

❑ Institutionalsupport forculturallyresponsiveteachingincentivesforpromotionandtenure

❑ Facultyleader/facilitator

❑ ProfessionalLearningCommunity-onlinelearningplatform-socioculturalelementsbeyond“teachingstrategies”

ReferencesAikenhead,G.,&Jegede,O.(1999).Cross-culturalscienceeducation:Acognitiveexplanationofaculturalphenomena.JournalofResearchinScienceTeaching,36,269-287.

Chavez,A.,&Longerbeam,S.(2016). Teachingacrossculturalstrengths:Aguidetobalancingintegratedandindividuatedculturalframeworksincollegeteaching. Sterling,VA:Stylus.

Hurtado,S.(2011).“Wedosciencehere”:Underrepresentedstudents’interactionswithfacultyindifferentcollegecontexts.JournalofSocialIssues,67(3),553-579.

Henderson,C.,Beach,A.,& N.Finkelstein.(2011)FacilitatingchangeinundergraduateSTEMinstructionalpractices:Ananalyticreviewoftheliterature.J.Res.Sci.Teach.48,952–984

Lave,J.,&Wenger,E.(1990). SituatedLearning:LegitimatePeriperal Participation.Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Moule,J.(2012).CulturalCompetence.Belmont,CA:Wadsworth.

Senge,P.(2009).Schoolsthatlearn.NewYork:RandomHouse.

SocioculturalVygotskymapimage:http://cmap.upb.edu.co/rid=1161955317109_1638800174_82659/vygotsky.cmap

Steinart,Y.etal(2006).Asystematicreviewoffacultydevelopmentinitiativesdesignedtoimproveteachingeffectivenessinmedicaleducation:BEMEGuideNo.8.DOI:10.1080/01421590600902976

Acknowledgements• EMUstudentandfacultyworkshopparticipants• Facultygrantandevaluationcolleagues:• StevenCessna(Chem,EMU)• DanielShowalter(Math,EMU)• LindaGnagey(AcademicSuccessCenter,EMU)• CarolHurney(CenterforTeachingandLearning,ColbyCollege)

• NationalScienceFoundation,DivisionofUndergraduateEducation1611713