First Year Transitions

Kim Frankwick

Questions

• What was one of the most significant transition issues you encountered during your first year in college?

Internship Overview

First Year Transitions program at Seattle University conducted Fall ’09 with a group of six students.

The program was….

•Self-constructed

•Researched

•Reviewed

•Facilitated

Constructivist Approach

Constructivist learning theories state that, though learning is subject-centered, knowledge is created through social interaction, as the individual cannot be separated from the community in which he or she learns.

(Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Duffy & Cunningham, 1996; Richardson, 2004)

Characteristics of a Constructivist Learning Environment

There are five characteristics of a constructivist learning environment:

1. embedding learning in complex and realistic environments

2. providing for social negotiation

3. supporting multiple perspectives and use of multiple modes of representation

4. encouraging ownership in learning

5. nurturing self-awareness in the knowledge construction process

(Driscoll, 2000, p. 382-383)

Benefits of a Constructivist Learning Environment

Constructivist approaches to learning have been found to be significantly beneficial in facilitating

• the construction of knowledge• the development of cognitive flexibility• an ability to engage in higher order thinking• the skill set necessary to approach ill-structured problems

(Choi & Lee, 2007; Jonassen, 1999; Wittrock, 1990; Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1994).

Constructivist Methodology in Action

• The group determines the covenants and expectations

• The facilitator does not direct conversation or flow

• Participants are able to share as much or as little as they choose

• Participants choose which weekly assignment they wanted to engage with (reading, video(s), or action).

Learning Outcomes

In the First Year Transitions program students will :

•develop a higher level of comfort expressing needs and desires

•improve their ability to listen to and hear others

•increase their ability to hear diverse experiences and perspectives

•develop a higher level of comfort reflecting on personal experiences and opinions

Transition topics

• Week one: Independence• Week two: Anxiety• Week three: Thoughtfulness• Week four: Relationships• Week five: Conflict• Week six: Compassion• Week seven: Balance• Week eight: Goals & Aspirations• Week nine: Acceptance• Week ten: Purpose

Weekly Assignments

“Developmental bibliotherapy”, a process by which literature is used as a means to encourage personal growth, has been utilized in constructivist learning environments to promote emotional intelligence (Maxwell, 2007).

•Every student was asked to choose a reading, action, or video(s) on the week’s topic

•The options were available on Angel

•Students were asked to write notes and reflections on their chosen assignment

•Types of reading included: poetry, short stories, and news articles

•Types of videos included: short documentaries, speeches, and helpful tips

•Types of actions included: interviews, attending a speaker or workshop, and exercises in balance and conflict resolution.

Program Format

• Welcome

• Read covenants

• Synopsis of reading, action, & video(s)

• Quotes

• Quiet reflection

• Open reflection

• Closing

Positive aspects

• Students built community

• Students gained confidence

• Students became better listeners

• Students became more interested in seeking out diverse perspectives

• I learned from the students

Challenges

• Start date postponed

• Attendance

• Personal reflection as facilitator

Feedback

Q: Were [the chosen topics] pertinent to your experiences during your transition to college?

A: “Yes, they were. Especially goals & aspirations, anxiety, and balance.”

Q: What aspects of First Year Transitions were meaningful for you?

A: “Being encouraged to share what I was thinking and feeling with a group that was interested in listening to what I had to say. Not being looked over because I'm shy. Being encouraged to explore and journal about topics that were important to me.”

Additional comment: “I love this program!”

Learning

• I became more familiar with program planning, implementation, and assessment.

• I became better aware of the issues and challenges facing incoming students at Seattle University.

• I became better able to put theory to practice.

References

Brown, J. S., Collins, A. & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18, 32-42.

Campbell, T. A., & Campbell, D. E. (1997) Faculty/student mentor program: Effects on academic performance and retention. Research in Higher Education, 38, 727–742.

Choi, I. & Lee, K. (2007, April). Designing and implementing a case-based learning environment for enhancing ill-structured problem solving: Classroom management problems for prospective teachers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago, IL.

Driscoll, M.P. (2000). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Duffy, T. M. & Cunningham, D. J. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. In Jonassen, D. H. (Ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. New York: Macmillan.

Ferrari, J. R. (2004) Mentors in life and at school: impact on undergraduate protégé perceptions of university mission and values. Mentoring and Tutoring, 12, 295–305.

Hunter, M. S., Skipper, T. L., & Linder, C. W. (2003). The first-year seminar: Continuing support for new student transitions. In Ward-Roof, J. A. & Hatch, C. (eds.), Designing successful transitions: A guide for orienting students to college, 2nd ed. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the Freshman Year Experience.

References

Jonassen, D. (1999). Designing constructivist learning environments. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. II, pp. 215-239). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum.

Maxwell, M. (2007). Career counseling is personal counseling: A constructivist approach to nurturing the development of gifted female adolescents. The Career Development Quarterly, 55, 206-224.

Richardson, M.S. (2004). The emergence of new intentions in subjective experience: A social/personal constructionist and relational understanding. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64, 485–498.

Thile, E. L., & Matt, G. E. (1995) The ethnic mentor undergraduate program: A brief description and preliminary findings. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 23, 116–126.

Wittrock, M.C. (1990). Generative processes of comprehension. Educational Psychologist, 27, 531-542.

Zimmerman, B.J., & Risemberg, R. (1994). Investigating self-regulatory processes and perceptions of self-efficacy in writing by college students. In Pintrich, P. R., Brown, D. R. & Weinstein, C. E. (Eds.), Student Motivation, Cognition, and Learning. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Questions?