In courses you’ve taught, how have you engaged students in active, collaborative, or innovative learning approaches? Please provide at least one example. (1-2 paragraphs)

The methods in which I have engaged my students in active, collaborative, or innovative learning approaches are as follows. When planning lessons for any particular course, I follow the Workshop Model. This primary objective of the Workshop Model is to focus on the concept that the student is the primary worker while the teacher serves as more of a facilitator. The most important aspect of the Workshop Model is that 1/3 of the class time the instructor is speaking while 2/3 of the class-time the students are working. By focusing on this premise, it lends itself to the students being active, collaborating, and engaged in the content.

Within this framework, I primary use Engagement Triggers focused around the Daily Themes of Mindset Monday, Teamwork Tuesday, Winning Wednesday, and Thankful Thursday. Each of these themes drive my engagement trigger for that particular day and immediately draws the students into the lesson and helps build relationships with myself and their peers. Examples of the engagement triggers I use on a regular basis are: discussion questions, quotes from texts, journal entries, TED talks, and online resources such as Kahoot.

Following these Engagement Triggers, I utilize a variety of different structures during my Mini-Lesson which introduce the content or objective for that particular lesson. Within this Mini-Lesson, I incorporate a variety of Cooperative Learning strategies such as Think-Pair-Share, Hat Full of Quotes, and Numbered Heads to name just a few to get the students engaged and active in the learning of the content. I also utilize the Scaffolding method because it better serves my culturally diverse students as well as taps into the various learning styles of so many of my students.

After the Mini-Lesson, I structure the Work Time to have the students engage very specifically with the content. This can look different depending on the goal of the objective. During this time, I may have students complete a Jigsaw, Annotate Texts, complete a Fishbowl, or do a Critical Analysis of a lesson or video. Recently, in both my Educational Psychology and Building an Effective and Equitable Learning Environment courses, I had utilized the learning activity of Jigsaw. I had my Educational Psychology students draw names of the various theorists that we were studying while I had my Building an Effective and Equitable Learning Environment students draw the various Classroom Management Programs we were researching. The students were then broken into groups based on their theorists or classroom management plan and instructed to become experts on each of these areas. Besides providing an overview of each theorist or classroom management plan, they had to also specifically address the implications of each of these on their classrooms, schools, and the art of teaching. The remaining students were also asked to create questions and critique others while the different groups presented each theorists or classroom management plan. It ended up being a much more effective way of presenting and teaching the material.

After the Work Time, I then have the students complete a Debrief that allows me to conduct a formative assessment on whether students comprehended the lesson or objective for the day. This is done either through a Discussion or Journal Entry in Canvas or an Exit Ticket email or note card. I am then able to use this Debrief to help me get started on the next class period’s lesson. Due to the fact that I am working with students who aspire to be teachers, I am consistently asking the students to take the information from each lesson and apply it to their future classroom and career in teaching.

Please explain how you might approach leading a Special Interest Group on this topic and how it might innovate teaching and learning at Park.

The teaching and learning topic that I feel most passionate about exploring and experimenting with during the AY 2018-2019 is Trauma and Resilience.

I was first introduced to this topic in the Fall of 2017 during a MACTE conference. During that conference, a Dean of Education from a state university presented this topic and shared how their college was incorporating it into their Educator Preparation Program and the positive impact it was having on students, parents, and faculty members at their university. Immediately after hearing her presentation, I was immediately struck by the fact that the information she shared was something that could have a tremendously positive impact in the way in which we approached teaching our students in the School of Education. I was also taken back by the fact that the information shared was the kind of life changing strategy that I wish I would have been taught during my own Educator Preparation Program. I came back full of excitement and passion to share this information with a few colleagues and immediately began a quest to learn as much as I could about Trauma and Resilience and how I could share this with my student teachers and practicum students.

In my research and from listening to different presentations on the topic of Trauma and Resilience, I have found that 1 in 2 students are impacted by childhood Trauma. These Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, addiction, and suicide to name a few, impact the students and their life as adults as they progress through their life, unless there is an intervention that takes place. The impact of ACES that I referenced above all found their origin from a CDC study done that looked at the effects of childhood Trauma and its adverse effect on their health as an adult. What the study showed is that there was a direct correlation between the number of ACES of a student and the health risks they experience as an adult. As additional research has become available since the original study, there is now an understanding that the higher your ACE score is, the brain development of students and their capacity to learn is negatively impacted.

With this as background to the topic of Trauma and Resilience, the following is how I envision this topic taking shape for possible SIG meetings and workshops as I continue my research and share with the Park faculty.

First, we would introduce the faculty to the original ACE study and help them gain an understanding of how to calculate their own ACE score. I would then provide an opportunity for the faculty to calculate their own ACE score and help them interpret their results as they relate to the original ACE study.

Second, I would help the faculty see the impact of ACES on health risks, brain development, and learning of students. This information would be done through various methods such as videos, articles, and learning activities to illustrate the impact as well as other resources found to be effective.

Third, we would focus on the concept of Empathy vs. Sympathy. The way in which teachers and adults approach students and their peers has a profound impact on whether they are building resilience in their students or adding to their problem. We would focus on the difference of these two questions as they relate to the approach of teachers towards students: “What is Wrong With You?” vs. “What Happened to You?” If a teacher can understand the difference of these two questions, it can make a profound impact on all of the relationships in their life, in particular how they view and respond to the behavior and actions of students.

Fourth, I would incorporate the key concept of self-care, both for students and for teachers. This has a profound impact on building resilience in students as well as the health benefits attached to it. This would be done both in a modeling of examples of self-care as well as encouraging faculty to create their own self care plan. The positive impact of just doing this one task can make a world of difference for all parties involved.

Last, we would speak about Resilience and how building up the Resilience in students can help them overcome their Adverse Childhood Experiences as well as lead them to a greater sense of who they are and how much value they have to the world. The research shows that the number one determining factor in the building of Resilience and overcoming childhood Trauma is having a positive relationship with a mentor or teacher who loves them and believes in them.

In summary, this is a topic that has changed how I view working with students and in my relationships with others. It is the belief of those that have studied and conducted the research, that the topic of Trauma is one of the most important but overlooked health and learning concerns in the world today. It is my hope that I can be a part of bringing this to the attention of those in education and make a small difference in the lives of students.

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