One Example

Not all initiatives originating outside our institution are hostile takeovers peddled by  the professional educational initiative industry. Often, MiraCosta College faculty discover great approaches to teaching and learning through their independent research and participation in discipline related conferences and networks. Then, working through their departments and in partnership with their deans, faculty initiate curricular and/or pedagogy change.

What we are now  calling Highly Supported English is an illuminating example of this dynamic. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Letters faculty members Kelly Hagen and Luke Lambert became interested in the California Acceleration Project (CAP). They brought the idea to the department, which asked lots of questions but ultimately signed on (change is rarely easy!), and then Kelly and Luke began the process of training and curriculum adjustments designed to provide students with a stronger support system for their work in English 100.

In its current form, this initiative is now led by Jacob Strona and centers around English 52, a one unit class paired with English 100 to provide intensive support to English 100 students.

About a month ago, a small group of HSE faculty gathered together to develop an in-house training program for their fellow instructions. Meeting on a Friday from 7 AM to 11 AM (yes, 7 AM!), this Faculty Community of Practice (yee hoo! another cool acronym!) began by reviewing student success data and listening to recorded interviews with students. From there, the group worked through a series of conversations / workshops  about technology in the classroom, teaching reading, teaching writing, and exploring the role of affective issues and approaches in the Highly Supported English classroom.

Highlights included the following:

• Tyrone Nagai sharing some of his approaches to teaching reading 
• Katharine Prescott working the group through useful approaches to the affective side of teaching and learning, and
• Jade Hidle talking about teaching writing and sharing one of her cool assignments

If this effort interests you — either on the larger level of faculty led teaching and learning initiatives — or on one of many possible specific levels like teaching reading and writing or developing affective skills in your classroom — you can find all of the HSE goodies and resources  on PDP’s Project Joy page inside our PDP Canvas site.

To enjoy our Project Joy resources, you need to enroll in our Canvas page as if you were enrolling in a canvas course. Once you have that out of the way, you can dive in and enjoy the goodies.

To share your thoughts and reactions to this post or any of the ideas it stirs up in your own thinking, please add a comment below.

Thanks!

Prepostero
PDP Coordinator