1. Fostering STEM Retention & Completion Through Key Instructional Strategies Jodi Long, Ph.D. Rhonda Felheim, D.C. Santa Fe College STEMtech Conference 2011

2. Session Goals Identify importance of completion. Address challenges of teaching Today’s Student. Discuss and practice techniques to reach Today’s Student.

3. Think/ Pair/ Share How do you define completion? Why is completion important?

4. More educated – more likely to be employed National Average = 9.1% Source: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm

5. Why is completion important? More educated – better earning power Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). The Condition of Education 2011 (NCES 2011– 033), Table A-17-1.; http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77Table A-17-1http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77

6. Why is completion important? Less educated – more likely to be below poverty line Source: http://factfinder.census.gov

7. Characteristics of Many of Today’s Students Working more hours More ADD/ADHD Interested in obtaining credentials Feel entitled to an A or B if they consistently attend class Few time management skills Few learning skills Very social

8. Think/Pair/Share What is the difference, if any, between studying and learning? Which, if either, is more enjoyable?

9. Desired Outcomes Address why students don’t study, or seldom get significant results from their study time Consider some basic principles of cognitive science and learning theory that can be used to improve teaching and learning – Student motivation Discuss concrete strategies that we can teach students to increase critical thinking – Immediate results in student performance and self- perception

10. Or, go from this To this

11. Why don’t students know how to learn? It wasn’t necessary in high school - 66% of 2003 entering first year students spent less than six hours per week doing homework in 12 th grade. -More than 46% of these students said they graduated from high school with an “A”average. Students’ confidence level is high - 70% believe their academic ability is above average or in the highest 10 percent among people their age Higher Education Research Institute Study: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/03_press_release.pdf

12. How do faculty add to the problem? By assigning homework and giving tests that require little, if any, higher order thinking By assessing learning too infrequently By not requiring students to be responsible for their own learning By having little ability to teach students concrete learning strategies By rewarding passive learning

13. How does the college exacerbate the problem? Orientation programs that stress fun, recreation, and campus organization involvement Counselors who assist students in scheduling courses “back to back” with no breaks between Faculty who discourage students from buying the course textbook

14. What is Metacognition? The ability to: think about thinking be consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver monitor and control one’s mental processing accurately assess what one understands

15. Rote Learning v. Meaningful Learning Rote Learning involves: – verbatim memorization – Cannot be manipulated or applied to novel situations Meaningful Learning involves: – Relating to previous knowledge – Can be manipulated, applied to novel situations, and used in problem solving tasks

16. Motivating Students Bases of Intrinsic Motivation Autonomy (Control Their Own Destiny) Competence (Do Things that Help Them Feel Successful) Belonging (To Feel Part of a Group Effort) Self-Esteem (To Feel Good About Who They Are) Involvement and Enjoyment (To Find Pleasure in What They Do) Relevance and Value (To See Why They Need to Know It) James Raffini, Allyn and Bacon, 1996

17. Strategies Learning Styles/ Teaching Styles Portable Skills Student-directed activities Instructor-directed activities

18. Learning Styles Auditory Visual Kinesthetic Interactive

19. Teaching Styles Formal Authority Demonstrator Facilitator Delegator

20. Portable Skills Time Management Schedule Daily Schedule Study Cycle

21. Time Management Schedule

22. The Study Cycle Phase One: Preview chapters to be covered in class… before class (Create chapter maps) Phase Two: Go to Class. Listen actively, take notes, participate in class Phase Three:Review and process class notes as soon as possible after class Phase Four: Incorporate Intense Study Sessions Repeat

23. Intense Study Sessions n 2 - 5 minutes: Set goals for next 40 min. n 30 - 40 minutes: Accomplish the goals Read text more selectively/highlight Make doodles/notes in margins Create mnemonics, work examples Create concept maps n 10 minutes Review what you have just studied n 10 minutes Take a break n Repeat

24. Student-Directed Activities Chapter Preview Bold-print & Picture method of reading Note-taking skills Networking within the class Big Idea Summaries

25. Metacognition “Metacognition is an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct comprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the ability to make correct inferences about how to apply one’s strategic knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably.” Taylor, 1999

26. Instructor-Directed Activities Think/ Pair/ Share One-minute papers Learning Strategies Boot Camp Group Exam iClicker

27. What techniques can you implement in your class when you arrive home? A.One-minute Papers B.Think/ Pair/ Share C.Time Management Schedules D.Note-taking E.All of the Above

28. 100% Student Success

29. Questions? What are you thinking about right now?

30. Contact Us Rhonda Felheim Rhonda.felheim@sfcollege.edu Jodi Long Jodi.long@sfcollege.edu

31. Sources Willingham, DT. (2009). Why Don’t Students Like School? : A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what is means for the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint http://www.cas.lsu.edu