Fostering STEM Retention & Completion Through Key Instructional Strategies

Jodi Long, Ph.D.Rhonda Felheim, D.C.

Santa Fe CollegeSTEMtech Conference 2011

Session Goals

• Identify importance of completion.• Address challenges of teaching Today’s

Student.• Discuss and practice techniques to reach

Today’s Student.

Think/ Pair/ Share

• How do you define completion?

• Why is completion important?

Why is completion important?

• More educated – more likely to be employed

048

1216

Percent Unemployed

National Average = 9.1%Source: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm

Why is completion important?• More educated – better earning power

$0 $15,000 $30,000 $45,000

Median Income (2009)

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=77

Why is completion important?• Less educated – more likely to be below poverty line

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0Percent Below Poverty Line (2010)

Source: http://factfinder.census.gov

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

Think/Pair/Share

What is the difference, if any, between studying and learning?

Which, if either, is more enjoyable?

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

Or, go from this

To this

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 12th 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

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

How does the collegeexacerbate 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

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

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

Motivating StudentsBases 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

Strategies

• Learning Styles/ Teaching Styles• Portable Skills• Student-directed activities• Instructor-directed activities

Learning Styles

• Auditory• Visual• Kinesthetic• Interactive

Teaching Styles

• Formal Authority• Demonstrator• Facilitator• Delegator

Portable Skills

• Time Management Schedule• Daily Schedule• Study Cycle

Time Management

Schedule

Study Hours Needed for BSC2085 online In order to do well in this class, you will need to allow for 10-15 hours of study each week. These are estimated hours based on feedback from previous semesters. Some weeks and chapters may be more or less demanding than others. The number of study hours that I need weekly for study in BSC2085 online is ____________.

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

MN–1 am 1 – 2 am 2 – 3 am 3 – 4 am 4 – 5 am 5 – 6 am 6 – 7 am 7 – 8 am 8 – 9 am 9 – 10 am 10-11 am 11 – Noon 12 – 1 pm 1 – 2 pm 2 – 3 pm 3 – 4 pm 4 – 5 pm 5 – 6 pm 6 – 7 pm 7 – 8 pm 8 – 9 pm 9 – 10 pm 10–11 pm 11 – MN

FIRST, place a large BSC2085 in the hours that you are in this class. For online students, you need to allot specific times that you will be available to review lectures, notes and assignments. Place the following Letters for all the hours that are occupied by these activities: You will be surprised at how busy you actually are!! W- Work SA- Social Activities T- Travel S- Sleeping E- Eating C- Taking another class R- Additional Responsibilities (family, appointments etc.) CS- Studying for another class Number all of the remaining empty boxes starting with number 1, 2, 3, etc. This is the number of hours you have available for participating in this course. What are the total number of hours available for studying for this course? ________ Is this a realistic schedule based on your other commitments? Does this number match or exceed the number of hours needed to complete this course as I have indicated at the top of this chart? Yes No (Circle One) If Yes, you have the time available to participate in this course. If No, you are strongly advised not to take this course at this time. It will be more difficult for you to successfully complete BSC 2085 online if you do not have sufficient time for preparation and study. Student Name (typed)____________________________________ Date_____________

The Study CyclePhase 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

Intense Study Sessions 2 - 5 minutes: Set goals for next 40 min.

30 - 40 minutes: Accomplish the goals

Read text more selectively/highlightMake doodles/notes in marginsCreate mnemonics, work examplesCreate concept maps

10 minutes Review what you have just studied

10 minutes Take a break

Repeat

Student-Directed Activities

• Chapter Preview• Bold-print & Picture method of reading• Note-taking skills• Networking within the class• Big Idea Summaries

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

Instructor-Directed Activities

• Think/ Pair/ Share• One-minute papers• Learning Strategies Boot Camp• Group Exam• iClicker

What techniques can you implement in your class when you arrive home?

A. One-minute PapersB. Think/ Pair/ ShareC. Time Management SchedulesD. Note-takingE. All of the Above

100% Student Success

Questions?

What are you thinking about right now?

Contact Us

Rhonda FelheimRhonda.felheim@sfcollege.edu

Jodi LongJodi.long@sfcollege.edu

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