Resources and Readings
As we prepare for Realizing Student Potential/ITeach 2007: The First Year Student in the 21st Century, we invite attendees to read the following articles and investigate resources on the conference sub-topics:
- Conference Book Fair!
- The First Year Student
- Teaching and Learning
- Teaching with Technology
Conference Book Fair!
The MCTC bookstore has ordered copies of the following books to have on hand for your professional library. Each of these titles apply to our themes of the conference.
Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education),
by Betsy O. Barefoot, John N. Gardner, Marc Cutright, Libby V. Morris, Charles C. Schroeder, Stephen W. Schwartz, Michael J. Siegel, Randy L. Swing, ISBN: 978-0-7879-7151-9, Hardcover,
480 pages, March 2005, $45
Annual Editions: Computers in Education, 12/e, 12th Edition,
by John Hirschbuhl, John Kelley, with contributions by Mark Taylor, Marc Prensky and others, ISBN: 13 9780073397276, Softcover, 224 pages, 2007, Order form for free desk copy.
Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student: A Handbook for Improving the First Year of College, M. Lee Upcraft (Editor), John N. Gardner (Editor), Betsy O. Barefoot (Editor)
ISBN: 978-0-7879-5968-5, Hardcover, 640 pages, October 2004, $55
Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter, George D. Kuh, Jillian Kinzie, John H. Schuh, Elizabeth J. Whitt, and Associates, ISBN: 978-0-7879-7914-0, Hardcover, 400 pages, March 2005, $38
Teaching First-Year College Students, Revised and Expanded
Edition of Teaching College Freshmen, Bette LaSere Erickson, Calvin B. Peters, Diane Weltner Strommer, ISBN: 978-0-7879-6439-9, Paperback, 304 pages, May 2006, $38
The First Year Student
Generation NeXt: Speak Up and Be Heard
Generation Next is a massively diverse, exceedingly tolerant and extraordinarily informed group of people. In this one-hour documentary, acclaimed journalist Judy Woodruff travels across the U.S. and speaks with young adults 16-25-year-olds to gauge their beliefs on today's most pressing issues -- such as terrorism, immigration, environment and health care. What she found will surprise you.
How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics: A Portrait of "Generation Next"
Want to know the outlook and world view held by Generation NeXters? In coordination with Generation Next, an initiative aimed at studying the lives and opinions of young people, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducted a special survey in September and October 2006. This report portrays a new generation shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad.
Postmodern Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning With Generation NeXt is a special feature written by Mark Taylor, Ed.D, one of our keynote speakers at the RSP Conference. Dr. Taylor presents an academic model appropriate for today's students in postmodern times. He notes that some changes will require the recognition of the consumer-based realities of higher education in the third millennium, the realization of the fundamental differences in Generation NeXt from previous generations of students, and the absolute necessity to shift from a teaching to a learning-centered environment.
Teaching First-Year College Students
This link is a summary by Merritt Moseley, UNC Asheville, of the following book: Erickson, Bette LaSere; Peters, Calvin B; Strommer, Diane Weltner (2006) Teaching First-Year College Students: Revised and Expanded Edition of Teaching College Freshmen. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. The book's authors acknowledge that millions of students have entered the first year of college, and only about half of them have graduated within six years. Thus, it's self-explanatory why there is emphasis on first-year students.
The Importance of First-Year Students' Parents
Today's first-year college students grew up in an environment of supervision, development and safety. And there is little, if any, evidence that this parent/child partnering changes when the child becomes a college student. Mark Taylor's (2006) article of "Helicopters, Snowplows, and Bulldozers: Managing Students’ Parents" highlights ways to manage the role of parents during the students' growth in college.
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition has as its mission to support and advance efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education. We achieve this mission by providing opportunities for the exchange of practical, theory-based information and ideas through the convening of conferences, teleconferences, institutes, and workshops; publishing monographs, a peer-reviewed journal, a newsletter, guides, and books; generating and supporting research and scholarship; hosting visiting scholars; and administering a web site and electronic listservs.
Barefoot, B, Gardner, J, Cutright M, Morris L, Schroeder, C, Schwartz S, Siegel M, & Swing R. (2005) Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
In this book, the authors provide concrete, evidence-based examples of how diverse colleges and universities are redesigning first-year experiences to meet the needs of students and promote their success. They state that leadership matters and that data drives improvement. They refer to learning communities to first-year experience courses to common reading programs, orientation, and more, as descriptions of best practices.
Kirst, Michael W. & Venezia, Andrea (Eds) (2004) From High School to College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education. San Francisco :
Jossey-Bass
This book reports on research findings that are changing the national policy conversation about higher education accessibility and quality. This study offers a critical examination of current policies and practices and a challenging but achievable agenda for change.
Nathan, Rebekah (2005) My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Ithica , NY : Cornell University Press
This book offers a different view of college life. The author, Rebekah Nathan, taught for more than 15 years as a professor of anthropology at a state university. She realized that she no longer understood the behavior and attitudes of her students. Fewer and fewer participated in class discussion, tackled the assigned reading, or came to discuss problems during office hours. She realized from conversations with her colleagues that they, too, were concerned about why the students of today were different from years past and that they presented different and difficult challenges in the classroom. She decided to close the gap of what she knew and what students wanted by enrolling as a freshman. This book offers her insight into contemporary higher education with thoughts on the ways in which the system has not kept up with the ever-changing needs of its students.
Feinstein, Sheryl. (2004). Secrets of the Teenage Brain. San Diego, CA : The Brain Store.
The information about how adolescents’ brains are developing may help college instructors practice methods that result in better interactions with younger students. Particularly the chapter on Teen Cognition and Learning offers both information and suggestions that will make our classes more accessible to the young adult.
Teaching and Learning
Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education & Learning Communities National Resource Center
In 1996, the Washington Center broadened learning community work beyond the Washington State Network in response to requests from campuses across the country. Washington Center's national learning community work includes a residential summer institute for campus teams, national directory of campus programs, bank of resources on implementation and assessment, publications on implementation and assessment, workshops developed by Washington Center for campus use, and a guide to regional networks and their activities
America's Community Colleges
A conversation with Kay McClenney, a veteran educator and director of The Community College Survey of Student Engagement. 28:36 10/6/2005
Available at the John Merrow podcast site, this is an interview with Kay McClenney. She speaks on the importance of community colleges, where 45% of all college students are enrolled, in enabling the development of successful American citizens. McClenney was featured in Merrow's 2005 PBS program, Declining by Degrees. The podcast (MP3 audio) can be listened to online, downloaded to an MP3 player, or recorded to audio CD. A transcript is also available.
Braskamp, Larry A., Calian Trautvetter, Lois, and Ward, Kelly. (2005) Putting Students First: How Colleges Develop Students Purposefully . Bolton , MA : Anker Publishing
This book encourages colleges and universities to provide an intentionally holistic education that helps students develop a sense of meaning and purpose. Though based on a study of ten church-related colleges (including Hamline University ), the examples, questions, and recommendations are useful to all types of campuses. The table of contents, foreword, and introduction are available online.
Banks, James A., & McGee Banks, Cherry A. (2003) Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (2 ed) San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
This book contains many perspectives related to multicultural education. The authors present several theories and much ‘food for thought’ that can facilitate the development of new ideas and approaches to multicultural education.
Gay, Geneva (2000), Culturally Responsive Teaching : Theory, Research, and Practice, New York : Teachers College Press
The author asks: “Why is it that students of color who are so successful in so many contexts outside school are so unsuccessful at school?” She then provides five assertions which answer the question and suggest ways to deal with what she calls the "achievement dilemma." The assertions are: culture counts, conventional reform is inadequate, intention without action is insufficient, strength and vitality reside in cultural diversity, and test scores and grades are symptoms, not causes, of the achievement dilemma.
Howell, Annie and Tuitt, Frank (Eds.). (2003). Race and Higher Education. Cambridge , MA : Harvard Educational Review.
The last chapter in this book, “Afterword: Realizing a More Inclusive Pedagogy” includes a section on instructional design which describes a student centered learning environment which is more collaborative than our traditional approaches and which designs instruction that accounts for cultural differences and their impact on the learning environment .
Jones, Lee (ed) (2002) Making it on Broken Promises, Virginia: Stylus Publishing 106-131.
"The application of existing theories of learning and instruction has not improved the academic performance of presently underserved populations, most especially African American learners". The author presents characteristics of African American cognitive style and compares African and European philosophical assumptions, educational paradigms, and discusses how to move from theory to practice.
Perry, Theresa, Steele, Claude, & Hilliard III, Asa. (2002). Young, Gifted and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African American Students. Boston : Beacon Press.
The authors all discuss how the unique social and cultural position Black students occupy fundamentally shapes students' experience of school and sets up unique obstacles. They assert that a proper understanding of the forces at work can lead to practical, powerful methods for promoting high achievement at all levels.
Timson, W., Yang, R., Borrayo, E., & Canetto, S. (2005) 147 Practical Tips for Teaching Diversity. Madison , WI : Atwood.
This is another of the “Tips” books put out by Atwood. The tips are short and quite easy to implement.
Vogel, Susan A. (1993) Success for College Students with Learning Disabilities, Virginia: Springer.
This book provides an in-depth look as such topics as the transition to college, assistive technology, and curricula for the learning disabled. It is of interest to a wide range of service providers, researchers, and teachers.
Brophy, Jere, (2004) Motivating Students to Learn ( 2nd ed), Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates;
This book offers teachers principles and strategies to use in motivating their students to learn. It focuses on strategies teachers can use to optimize those orientations and direct them toward the academic learning goals of the school.
Fink, L.Dee, (2003)Creating Significant Learning Experiences : An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses . (1 st ed), San Francisco : Jossey-Bass
The author provides several conceptual and procedural tools that will be invaluable for all teachers when designing instruction. He takes important existing ideas in the literature on college teaching, adds some new ideas, and shows how to combine these in a way that results in a powerful learning experience for students.
Kuh, George D, Kinzie, J, Schuh, J, Whitt, E. and associates (2005) Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter San Francisco : Jossey-Bass
This book shows the benefits of student learning and educational effectiveness that can be realized when certain conditions are present. Based on the Documenting Effective Educational Practice (DEEP) project from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University , this book provides examples to help create a success-oriented campus culture and learning environment.
Richardson, Steve, Let’s help college kids finish what they started, Winona Daily News, Jan. 2, 2007
The percentage of high school graduates going on to college
increased dramatically a half-century ago and has been growing
steadily ever since. [Higher education] opens the door to skilled
careers for greater numbers of students every year, contributing not only to their individual success but also to a broad growth of the economy. However, these general trends mask several troubling statistics. Among these is the percentage of college freshmen who never complete a degree program.
Silberman, Mel, (1996) Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject, (1 st ed), Boston , MA : Allyn & Bacon
This is a sourcebook of hundreds of instructional strategies to engage students in learning for any subject. Specific, practical strategies include ways to get students active from the start through activities that build teamwork and immediately get them thinking about the subject matter.
Wlodkowski, Raymond(1988) Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
This resource is for teachers, trainers, and anyone who wants learning to be a motivating experience for all adults.
After the initial broadcast, the program will be streamed for a week.
The show will highlight several instructional programs whose longitudinal research has shown them to be very successful: Supplemental Instruction, Bridge Partnerships, and P-16 Collaboratives. Also included will be some teaching tips from Hunter Boylan, Director of the National Center for Developmental Education.
Bess, James L. (2000) Teaching Alone/Teaching Together: Transforming the Structure of Teams for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Looking at team teaching as a partnership, the author suggests a team-based approach to helping students learn. This approach combines the talents of two or more instructors as they not only work together in planning, etc. but also support each other, and build on each other’s strengths.
Cox, Milton D, & Richlin, Laurie (Eds). (2004) Building Faculty Learning Communities: New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 97 (1 st ed) San Francisco :Jossey Bass
Changing our colleges and universities into learning institutions has become increasingly important at the same time it has become more difficult. Faculty learning communities have proven to be effective for addressing institutional challenges, from preparing the faculty of the future and reinvigorating senior faculty, to implementing new courses, curricula, and campus initiatives on diversity and technology. The chapters in this issue of New Directions for Teaching and Learning describe from a practitioner's perspective the history, development, implementation, and results of faculty learning communities across a wide range of institutions and purposes.
Chadwick-Blossey (ed) Robertson, Douglas Reimondo (ed) (2006) To Improve the Academy Bolton , MA : Anker Publishing
In this book, section one reflects on higher education today and presents some new ideas, such as the concept of authenticity, an integrative model for learning, motivation, and strategic planning using chaos theory and metaphors. Section two contains a range of best practices in research and programs for faculty development, including activities designed for sequential career stages, promoting intellectual community and professional growth through networks and partnerships, and a web-facilitated approach for scheduling faculty sessions.
Lyons , Richard E. (2004) Success Strategies for Adjunct Faculty. Boston : Pearson
Success Strategies for Adjunct Faculty provides the busy part-timer a perfect combination of insights into today's higher education environment and practical recommendations for improving teaching effectiveness. The content focused on today's college students, launching a course successfully, retaining students throughout the term, integrating technology and building a teaching career especially valuable. Although, there is an array of good books on college teaching, this is the best one available for helping part-timers "take their teaching to the next level."
Bok, D. (2005) Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More. New Jersey: Princeton University Press
In this text, institutional practice is aligned with research on how students learn best. This book looks at American undergraduate education. The author states that despite our vastly increased resources in our schools, more powerful technology, and hundreds of new courses, colleges cannot be confident that students are learning more. He also draws on research to advance useful and usable prescriptions for colleges that, while not doing badly, could do much better.
Seymour, E. & Hewitt, N. (2000) Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences, Westview Press
This books examines at the results of a three-year, multi-campus survey about the reasons why undergraduate students switch from science, mathematics, and engineering majors to non-science majors. There are chapters on preparation, careers and lifestyles, and gender and race issues along with first-hand accounts of student experiences.
Teaching with Technology
Education with New Technologies: Networked Learning Community
This networked community is designed to help educators develop powerful learning experiences for students through the effective integration of new technologies.
Richardson, Will (2006). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
This book brings teachers a bold vision and on-the-ground Monday morning practicality. It will move educators to think differently about technology's potential for strengthening students' critical thinking, writing, reflection, and interactive learning. Will Richardson demystifies words like "blog," "wiki," and "aggregator" making classroom technology an easily accessible component of classroom research, writing, and learning.
Online Student Services for Online Success, February 8, 2007--1:30-2:30 PM CT
After the initial broadcast, the program will be streamed for a week.
This teleconference will help higher education institutions develop effective online approaches to delivering student support services. Needs of online and distance learners will be explored, as well as tips for effective design. Examples of institutions that use the Internet to offer students opportunities for self-help and customized services will be featured.
Creating the Hybrid Class, April 12, 2007--1:30-2:30 PM CT
After the initial broadcast, the program will be streamed for a week.
Hybrid courses (also known as blended or mixed mode courses) have portions of the learning activities online and time traditionally spent in the classroom may be reduced. The goal of the hybrid course is to pair the best features of face-to-face teaching with the best options of online learning to promote active and independent learning. In this workshop benefits for the student, faculty member, and the institution will be explored.
Technology and Learning Magazine
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