ARG Affinity Research Groups SPIRE-EIT 2015 Facilitator: Stephen Gilbert 1

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset 2

Brain Plasticity 3

The Brain Changes with Learning It’s like a muscle. 4

Professor Grad U-grad Power Distance Does it have to feel hierarchical? Problem #1 5

Problem #2 What if life experience has taught you that your voice isn’t important? 6

Diversity “Problem” #3 7

Stereotype Threat When you’re about to do something where your performance might demonstrate a negative stereotype. Just the worry makes you choke. 8

Stereotype Threat Choose either: women or under-represented minorities who have high math SAT scores. Give them the same math exam. Remind half of race or gender before taking the exam. Tell half the exam has no gender or racial bias. Perform significantly worse than white males. Perform the same as white males. 9

Stereotype Threat When you’re about to do something where your performance might demonstrate a negative stereotype. Just the worry makes you choke. 10

What might you see in a group when these problems are present? 1.High power distance 2.Voice not valued 3.Diversity of backgrounds and personalities Some people get overpowered. Stereotype Threat Challenges to confidence Diffusion of responsibility 11

Signs on the Wall Activity Vote with your feet… 12

Warm Up: Values Important to You Write down 2-3 values that are most important to you (e.g., family, friendships, music ability, faith, etc.). Then write down a brief paragraph about why those values are important to you; could include a story or example. No one will read this but you, later in the summer. You have 15 minutes. 13

Affinity Research Groups ARGs try to address these problems 14

ARG Model Integration of diverse students Cooperative group interaction Deliberate development of skills Support structure Best practices 15

Teams have: & Team work Task work An ARG thinks about both. 16

Role Assignments Recorder Time keeper Facilitator 17

Brainstorming Go around. Each member contributes or passes. The recorder writes it down. Brainstorming ends when everyone passes or time is up. Generate as many ideas as possible. No discussion. No criticism. Being inspired by others’ ideas is good. 18

Questions (4 minutes each) 1.What activities are involved in doing research? 2.What your concerns / fears about doing research? 1.Assign roles. 2.Brainstorm each question for 4 minutes 3.Report out. 4.Thank your teammates. 19

Qualities of an Affinity Research Group 20

PIG’S Face Positive Interdependence Individual Accountability Group Processing Social Skills Face-to-Face Promotive Interaction 21

Positive Interdependence Understand that your work benefits the team. Understand that other members’ work benefits you. Your success depends on the team’s success. 22

Individual Accountability Social loafing/free riding happens when: It’s difficult to identify member contributions Member contributions are redundant Members are not responsible for final outcome Therefore: Regular questioning, status checks Assign a role of checker? 23

Group Processing Make time for it. “list three things your group is doing well today and one thing you could improve” Be specific not general Get everyone involved in processing 24

Social Skills Incidental conversation (Nardi) How was your weekend? Eye contact Respect for background. 25

F2F Promotive Interaction Help each other be right, not wrong. Look for ways to make new ideas work, not for reasons they won’t. If in doubt, check it out. Don’t make assumptions. Help each other win and take pride in each other’s victories. Speak positively about each other and your organization at every opportunity. Maintain a positive mental attitude. Act with initiative and courage as if it all depends on you. Do everything with enthusiasm. Don’t lose faith. Have fun! 26

How to Plan 1/2 SMART goals Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Time-bound 27

How to Plan2/2 Define mission & overall goal Map tasks to goals WHAT: For tasks, what are the deliverables? HOW: For tasks, what are the activities? WHEN: Create timeline WHO: Roles How will you know if you reached your goal? 28

Calendar Milestones on SPIRE website June 17 – Week 3: Problem Area Paragraph Due June 24 – Week 4: IRB Application Drafted July 1 – Week 5: Research Question Due July 1 – Week 5: Literature Review Paragraph Due July 1 – Week 5: Methods Paragraph Due July 6 – Week 7: Mid-Project Oral Presentations July 8 – Week 8: Poster Draft Due July 15 – Week 9: Research Paper Draft Due July 22 – Week 10: Final Poster Due July 29 – Week 11: Final Research Paper Due (Be sure to include NSF required text). 29