Assessing and Addressing Barriers; Implications for Today’s College Classroom Dorothy A. Osterholt Sophie Lampard Dennis Landmark College, Putney, Vermont.

Assessing and Addressing Barriers;

Implications for Today’s College Classroom

Dorothy A. Osterholt

Sophie Lampard DennisLandmark College, Putney, Vermont

Where Students Learn DifferentlyCRLA 2013

Overview

Defining “At Risk” students Identifying Barriers to Learning Assessing Student’s Barriers Addressing 4 Domains that Affect

Learning Bringing Equity to the Classroom

through Collaborative Learning Collaborative Learning Activity

Who Are “At-Risk Students?”

Data Results 2009Student Perspective of Academic Behaviors

End of Semester Results

Beginning of Semester Results

© 2008 Osterholt and Barratt

Barriers Identified

Student perception of the barriers that prevent their success in the classroom© 2008 Osterholt and Barratt

Four Domains of Learning

  Four Domains of Learning

MotivationAble to comprehend the meaning

ofconcepts, see their relevance

within a larger context, set realistic

personal & academic goals

Self-RegulationAwareness, understanding and

monitoringof executive functioning skills

Social/Emotional Influences

Awareness and management ofemotional triggers

Ability to manage stress

Academic Skill Attainment

Ability to apply appropriate thinking,

reading and writing skills to complete

academic tasks

Areas that

Contribute to

Academic

Success

Observable Student Behaviors

•Please Note: students' characteristics do not necessarily fit this neatly into the 4 areas; there is a considerable amount of overlap between student need and domains.

• Long & Short-Range Goals• Understanding• Meaning is Established• Clearly Established Expectations • Perseverance• Flexibility• Appropriate Support System• Able to ActivateBrooks, R. (2006), Ames & Ames (1980, 1990)

• Awareness of Triggers that Induce Anxiety

• Resilience• Awareness of Strengths &

Challenges• Optimistic Outlook• Social Intuition• Detects Social CuesRichard J. Davidson & Sharon Begley (2012)

• Organized • Established Routine• Maintains Focus• Maintains Willpower to Complete

Tasks• Completes Tasks on Time• Reduces Stress • Maintains Physical & Emotional Well-BeginBJ Zimmerman (1990), Ratey, J. (1995)

• Content Mastery • Consistent Work• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving• Uses Effective Learning Strategies

for Thinking, Reading & Writing• Open-MindedDunlosky, ,Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham

(2013)

Motivation Social/Emotional Development

Self-Regulation Academic Skill Attainment

What would you hear?

•I hate this stupid assignment•I don’t know why I have to do this•The teacher’s assignments never make sense•I am not very good at-

•I’m always being interrupted by friends!•I had to take my friend to … and now I have an hour to finish this•I keep missing class and I am lost•I lost my assignment, then I missed my office hour appt.

• How do I…?• I don’t know how to -• I need to-• I want to…(organize,

read, write)• I don’t understand-• Can you help me with-

• This assignment is past due because I keep putting it off

• I can’t seem to get started

• I don’t care about the topic or assignment

• I don’t see the point of this assignment

Motivation

Self-Regulation

Social/Emotional

Academic Skills

Collaborative Learning as a Tool for Addressing 4

Domains

“Developing understanding, assimilating knowledge, acquiring skills, exploring new

perspectives, and thinking critically are activities that prompt strong feeling.”

-Stephen Brookfield, The Skillful Teacher

Historical Context

1897: Earliest American Study, 1981 Slavin “Cooperative Learning”

1924: Vygostky, 1950 Piaget, 2003: Liff, 2006: Brookfield “Social-emotional development”1990’s: Mazur “Peer-instruction”/ ”Flipped Classroom”1997: Johnson & Johnson “Collaborative Learning”

Defining Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning combines student learning and content coverage within an

interdependent participatory community.

Students are given relevant and meaningful work that is structured and supported as they learn to respect and

negotiate different points of view, solidify and rehearse content and build

positive academic connections in an effort to move toward a collective goal.

Collaborative LearningAddresses all 4 Domains

Deeper examination of content

Respectful listening and responding to others

Oral rehearsal of concepts Peer-peer learning

Work toward common goal Application of critical thinking

Responsibility to others Build academic connections

Respect of different perspectives

Equity in the classroom

Collaborative Learning in Practice

Provide explicit language modeling behavior/interactions independent application Individual responses Pairs Triads Small- larger groups

Setting the Stage for a Collaborative Learning

ClassroomFirst Day Collaborative Skill Building Activity

Objective: To promote class participation that activates background knowledge and fosters active listening and participation.

How does the current economy affect your future? Motivation1.After the question is posed students are asked to think about their response quietly. Motivation and Academic Skills2.Faculty asked students to respond in turn one at a time until all students have responded. Self-regulation and Social/EmotionalRule: Only one student at a time speaks. Everyone else must actively listen. If another student says what you wanted to say, they should refer back to that student’s comment and build on it.

Lecture could then ensue content related to the activation question such as how the economy affected business historically? Follow up: Pair up and draw connections between what happened in the past as presented in the lecture and the concerns shared at the beginning of the class. Academic Skills Social/Emotional and Motivation

Small Group CL ActivityBuilding Knowledge

Activity: Dr. Brooks’ 6 Attributes of SuccessStudents read Creating Motivating Environments by Dr. Robert Brooks motivation, Academic SkillsIn groups of six, each first becomes an expert on one of the six attributes for success motivation, Academic Skills Groups reconfigure so that all six attributes are represented by one person. Each student represents his/her attribute as their group discusses the meanings and connections between all six

Self-regulation, Social/Emotional, Academic SkillsThe group creates a visual model that illustrates the relationships between the attributes in the article, and shares it with the class for discussion

Self-regulation, Social/Emotional, Academic Skills

Complex Collaborative Learning Activity

Group Oral PresentationProblem: The town of Putney is in need of small businesses that would

provide greater economic growth and positive community gathering places

Steps to Completion Assignment Criteria Skill Domain

Addressed

1. Topic selection As a group, select a product to be Academic Skill Att.

marketed locally that represents Motivation responsible stewardship

2. Research and Research and task delegation of feasibility, Academic Skill Att.

Role Assignment market demands, product development, Self-Regulation

capital funding and marketing Motivation

3. Preview and Produce and Rehearse presentation of the Social/Emotional

Peer Review product and development process, Academic Skill Att.

using appropriate tools 4. Presentation Make an appointment and present ideas

Social/Emotional to the town’s representatives Motivation 5. Reflection and Solicit feedback from town representatives,

Social/Emotional Next Steps peers, outside group and instructor Academic

Skill Att. to use for group reflection and future planning

Collaborative Learning Activity

Take a moment to think of a collaborative activity that you have used, or could use in a classroom

Write your idea on your card Create a group with each color represented and each

share your idea Choose one idea through consensus to develop Thinking about the 4 Domains of Learning, shepherd

your domain (represented by the color of your card) to the group.

Make sure all domains are represented within the collaborative activity you design

Student Quotes

“I liked having conversations and spirited debate rather than sitting down and being told things, or forced activities.”

“In my personal opinion this is my favorite way to conduct a class. By that I mean through classroom discussion and small group work. It gives me a sense of feeling accomplished by contributing to the discussion but at the same time absorbing new information or opinions without even knowing that I am absorbing that material at the exact moment.”

“It was good because we all pulled out our thoughts on the topic and really came to a greater understanding of tolerance and its various uses in situations.”

“I was very attentive, which I am not many times in most classes, which means the class lesson kept me from being bored.”

Collaborative Learning Network Website

http://www.wix.com/dosterholt/collaborative-learning-network