Pedagogy Workshop: Working with Student Veterans Wednesday, 4/2/14

Service Members and the American Public Active duty percentages:.5% of the population were active duty during the post- 9/11 wars 9% served actively during World War II

Yet, we should be facilitators and mentors. More and more veterans and their dependents returning to school 44% of post-9/11 veterans say that re-entry is difficult 84% of veterans say that public doesn’t understand 9% of post-9/11 veterans are unemployed ~800 student-veterans at UofL

Common Concerns and Useful Information Different GI Bills Post-9/11 GI Bill offers 36 months of support Earned versus Unearned Failures Delays: Initial, Veterans’ Affairs, and Student

Student-Veteran Resources Office of Military and Veteran Student Services VA Benefits Reps visit 3 rd and 4 th Thursdays Veteran Student Organization (Google Group) UofL Student Veterans of America (SAC 310/Facebook) Career Transition Services

Instructor Resources SVA/Kognito online training modules SVA Million Records Project From Combat to KY – oral histories/narratives PEW Research Center – Military and Veterans topic

Awareness Responsivity Responsibility Recommendations for a pedagogy of:

Avoid making assumptions… About who in your classes might be a veteran or be the spouse or dependent of one About the experiences student veterans and their families might have had or how they feel about their military service

In the classroom… Foster class discussions that are respectful and sensitive to the presence of student veterans Be conscious of assignment design and possible resistance to certain types of activities Avoid tokenizing student veterans because of their experiences

Keep in mind… The strengths that student veterans often bring to the classroom Leadership skills Self-discipline and determination Military literacy training/sponsorship

Beyond the classroom… Consider placing a statement in your syllabus for student veterans Be prepared!

Questions for our guest speakers Could you give an example of a kind of feedback or classroom activity that you found especially helpful, engaging, etc.? Could you talk about an experience that was frustrating and why it was frustrating? What is the most important thing that you want your instructor to know about your position in the classroom? What would you like your role to be in the classroom and on campus?