Great Teaching Retreat Wrap-Up Spring 2019

Great Teaching Retreat April 5-7, 2019 North Texas Jellystone Park | Burleson, TX

About the Retreat The Great Teaching Retreat is based on the National Great Teaching Seminar, a movement begun in 1969. Developed by David B. Gottshall and Roger H. Garrison of the College of Du Page, the Retreat is based on the premise that teachers learn best from other teachers and that creativity is enhanced by mixing teachers of diverse teaching fields, experience levels and interests. The emphasis is on the universals of teaching and the special nature of those who are and aspire to be great teachers. If properly tapped, the collective wisdom of practicing educators surpasses that of any expert. The time spent at this retreat is like no other professional development you will encounter. Many have said it is the best professional development of their career. The Spring 2019 Great Teaching Retreat served as the capstone event for the 2018-2019 FirstYear Faculty Experience, a program designed for all new, full-time faculty at Tarrant County College. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS Facilitator and Participant Directory 3 Retreat Agenda 5 7 Celebrating Our Teaching Successes 9 Our Great Books 13 16 The Teaching Challenges We Face 17 Our Non-Astounding Teaching Devices 20 21 Breakout Session 1 25 Quotes We Shares With Our Students 27 28 Breakout Session 2 Breakout Session 3 Advice to New Teachers In Search of the Great Teacher 2

facilitators Pam Mauro Alma Martinez-Egger Lead Retreat Facilitator Director of Staff Development Center for Teaching & Learning PD Partners, LLC [email protected] [email protected] Kelly Tribble James Gills Director of Faculty Development Instructional Technology Manager Center for Teaching & Learning Center for Teaching & Learning [email protected] [email protected] William Torres Caitlin Graves Coordinator Instructional Design Specialist Center for Teaching & Learning Center for Teaching & Learning [email protected] [email protected] Lee Grimes Executive Director Center for Teaching & Learning [email protected] 3

Participant Directory Christina Acosta Sophy George Mathematics Electronics Northwest Campus South Campus [email protected] [email protected] Kathleen Ahles R. Nicole Hall Biology English Northeast Campus Northwest Campus [email protected] [email protected] Mohammad Borougerdi Byron James Economics Welding Southeast Campus [email protected] South Campus Adrian Campos [email protected] Industrial Maintenance Holly Johnson South Campus Nursing [email protected] Trinity River Campus Judith Clark [email protected] Nursing Sean Levenson Trinity River Campus English [email protected] South Campus Janae Corrado [email protected] Art Jeffrey Spicer Trinity River Campus Computer Science [email protected] Northeast Campus [email protected] Augustine Ene Ronnie Stephens Economics English Southeast Campus Southeast Campus [email protected] [email protected] Case Williamson Benjamin Faust Aviation Maintence Technology Economics Northwest Campus [email protected] South Campus [email protected] Tamara Fuenzalida Mathematics Northeast Campus [email protected] 4

Spring 2019 Great Teaching Retreat Agenda Friday, April 5 Saturday, April 6 Room Check-In and Retreat Sign-In Body Sorting Activity: Finding Commonalities Overview, Introductions, Touchstones Success Stories – Home Group Discussion Home Groups Assignments Our Great Books Social Time and Camp Fire Challenges – Home Group Discussion Building the Breakout Session Agenda Sunday, April 7 Breakout Session One Our Non-Astounding Teaching Devices Quotes We Share with Our Students Breakout Session Two Lessons from Geese Seashells – Our Unique Students Breakout Session Three Social Time and Camp Fire In Search of the Great Teacher Graduation Ceremony & Commitments Group Picture Evaluations & Adjournment 5

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Celebrating Our Greatest I start every lesson with a real-world example to help the students make meaningful connections to the course content. After the class ends I allow students to be friends with me on social media so we can stay connected. I meet one-on-one with each student to discuss certain applied skills they will learn about in my class. It takes a lot of time but it really helps students be successful. I encourage my students to experiment in the classroom to find the answers to complex problems. I use teaching stations to introduce various medical devices instead of simply passing them around the class. I am able to get a lot of students to come to my office hours which helps break down the barrier between me and my students. Infusing discipline-specific language into my class helps students use it more easily and naturally. I bring real life examples into the classroom so they can connect to the content more effectively. I utilize quizzes to get feedback from students about how well they are understanding the content. Group essay writing has really helped my students become better writers. I have a close relationship with the writing center which allows my students to readily use this valuable resource. I have found success getting to know my students on a personal level while still holding them personally accountable for completing their work. I had a lot of success implementing a scenario-based group project in my class. Students came alive in the classroom and were able to apply the material more deeply than they had before. I have had a lot of success using concept maps which help students get a sense of the “big picture” of a lesson. It also allows them to easily connect the ideas from one lesson to other course topics. I use an exit ticket where I ask them to write what they learned in class that day. I am good at getting students to come to my office hours. 7

Teaching Successes Since I teach a technical discipline, it is important for my lessons to be hands-on. I provide opportunities for real-world application of the skills learned which challenges my students to think on the spot. Students in my class complete assignments individually, then bring them to class to compare with other students in small groups. If any of the questions were answered differently, the students discuss the reasons why different conclusions were drawn. I allow students to freely take risks and make mistakes in my class. This helps them learn and become more comfortable with the material. In my nursing class I use a teaching technique called see one, do one, teach one. This allows them to watch peers teach a skill while others assess how well they did with their explanation. Students in my class connect regularly outside of class to study and review the material, which I see as a huge success for me as an instructor. In the lab setting, I allow students to make mistakes. After the mistakes are made, we discuss why they were mistakes and how to correct them. Students who finish a project or assignment early have to help someone else in the class who is still working on it. This is part of their participation grade. I use a relaxed teaching approach where I make the subject matter light hearted and not “too serious.” I use specific, real world examples to explain complex economic concepts and not just rely on abstract explanations. I have been successful in juggling the demands of full teaching load while still giving students individual attention. Not a lot of faculty are able to strike this balance. I make students feel successful and empowered by developing meaningful relationships with and personally connecting with them. A major success I am celebrating is being able to successfully teach something I haven’t taught or studied in 12 years, with very little prep time! I engage my students with college events and programs to better integrate them into the TCC community. 8

Our Great Books Tribal Leadership -Dave Logan, John King Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide -Kay Redfield Jamison Small Great Things Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor -Jodi Picoult Does to Kids’ Brains and what Schools Can Do About it Power of Followership -Eric Jensen -Robert R. Kelley How Georgia Became O’Keeffe: Lessons On The The Art of War Art Of Living -Sun Tzu -Karen Kanbo Crucial Conversations Keeping it Social: Engaging Students Online and -Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler in Class -Jennifer J. Peck The Exceptional Presenter: A Proven Formula to Open Up and Own the Room The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of -Timothy J. Koegel Japanese Culture -Ruth Benedict The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Generation for Failure Science (Even if You Flunked Algebra) -Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt -Barbara oakley 9

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Seashells You are probably wondering why you received a seashell. It is a gift to you to help you reflect on another gift you are about to receive - your students. Let’s take a few minutes to consider what the shell can tell us about them. Maybe your shell is fragile, delicate, and easily broken. So are your students. Handle them kindly and with care. Maybe your shell looks beautiful. Each student in your college has a special beauty. Discover it, and help others to notice and appreciate it. Maybe your shell is hard. Remember that the shell was a cover to protect a sea creature. Sometimes your students build a hard shell to protect themselves from harm. Open the hard outer shell to nurture a life within. Maybe you noticed that the shell was once very thin and seemed to build up one layer at a time. Your students are like that. Each one has a small core of knowledge and experience. Some will have many layers built around this core; others have only a few. Take your students as they are and add carefully to their growth. Maybe your shell looks plain and rather commonplace. Sometimes you may feel that there is nothing special about a student. Look again. You will see that each student is unique, just as each shell is unique. Help each student realize his or her importance and worth. The shell you have in your hand is unique. It was carried to shore by the ocean - just for you. What will you do with it now that it is yours? Each student in your class is unique too. Each one is in your hands now. What will you do with your students now that they are yours? 12

I struggle with tired and fatigued students, especially in classes later in the day. They are just exhausted with all that is going on in their lives. The pre-requisites for computer science don’t seem to be setup in an orderly way, which impacts the level of student preparedness in my classes. I teach at different schools, each with its own distinct culture and rules. Traveling to different teaching sites every day is exhausting. It makes for very long days. Communication and support from my department is difficult to navigate. Something as simple as ordering supplies is an arduous task. Students for my 5 and 6 p.m. classes are usually tardy because they are The coming in from work when traffic is bad. A lot of students are not very good readers, yet there is quite a bit of reading required in most classes. There is a lack of marketing for TeachinG the technical programs, welding in particular. It’s hard for me to CHallenges address student apathy. We’re ignoring the We Face human element of education. Students are generally under-prepared to do what I ask them to do. This is a major challenge I face. I have so much content that I need to cover in my course. It’s difficult for me to prioritize what to take out and what to leave in. Students have a hard time seeing concepts beyond black and white facts. I want them to be able to relate and apply the concepts to real-world situations. It’s hard for me to “un-teach” bad habits and shortcuts that have been learned by students. Students are constantly distracted by the world around them, which makes it hard for them to focus in class. I have a hard time enforcing rules in my class. I don’t want to be the policeman, but I also want the students to do what they are supposed to do. 13

A challenge I face is addressing students when they are not following the rules. Should I ignore it and keep teaching and deal with it outside of class, or address it immediately? Students in my class are afraid to speak up and use their voice. This makes it hard to engage the class as a whole. There is a lack of electives available in the arts. This contributes to the lack of student retention because students aren’t able to explore or grow. It’s frustrating when the highly active and participatory students in my class are the ones who end up failing because they don’t do the work. I receive a lot of pushback from colleagues when I try to implement a new way of introducing and teaching the content. Some of the technical programs are geared more toward working locally and do not fully prepare students for the entire industry. I want to assign more in-class writing assignments instead of using multiple-choice tests, but I can’t read their handwriting! 14

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QUICKLY PRIZES Color symbols to LEARNING help colorblind STUDENTS' students Names Games! Passing out books Our Non-Astounding Teaching Devices Ice Breaker: Small group Class buddies! Questions, workshops and EXIT What did Comments, embedded tutors Concerns, you learn Criticisms POP QUIZZES tickets today? Cell phone breaks! Students CONCEPT MAPS Teaching Students 16

Breakout Sessions Why did you choose this topic? Round 1 There is too much of a focus on technical skills and not enough on “soft skills”. I need strategies to make the content more applicable to the real world. It is imperative that faculty help cultivate the development of communication and other soft skills in their students, regardless of what they teach. I need to make my students real-world ready, but they lack confidence. Topic: Developing World-Ready Students What are some possible solutions? Assign students to give demonstrations to fully apply the skills. Hold students accountable for covering content outside of class so you have more time in class to apply the skills. Use scenario-based and problem-based learning. Have students teach other students using student presentations or teach back methods. Assign projects with guidelines, but where students have to “figure it out” for themselves. In other words, don’t tell them what to do every step of the way. This allows for true exploration and discovery. Assign creative, “the sky’s the limit” projects. Hold students accountable. Set high expectations and don’t let them get away with things. Tell them you care too much about their success to let them skate by. Be “real” with your students. Taking the mindset out of the abstract and into reality helps students connect the content to actual experiences. What is one thing you will do as a result of this discussion? Use concept maps in my class. Try a backwards design for my course next semester. Assign more group projects and presentations. Have my students complete more group work. Assign online content to be completed outside of class so the time in class can be used for application. 17

Topic: Engaging Students In and Out of the Classroom Why did you choose this topic? The language of college is difficult for a lot of students to grasp, so there is always a communication barrier for some in that regard. I teach math, so getting students interested in the subject matter is really difficult for me. I have an issue with students on their cell phones in class. This is a real distraction. I find it difficult to overcome the constant distractions that students are faced with, especially during class when they need to be focused on the content. Some students don’t want to put in the effort needed to succeed and learn. They want the teacher to give them the answers. Students feel frustrated when they don’t know how to do what I am asking them to do, so they give up. What are some possible solutions? Design ways for students to have easy wins in the class so they don’t get discouraged. It’s easy for us to focus on the negative so highlighting positives can help students stay motivated. Set high expectations, and hold students to those expectations. Show the students that you care about their success and that is why you have high standards. Walk students through problems, step by step. Make sure you have THEM do it, don’t just do it for them. Flip the classroom. Set the expectation that each student will be responsible for helping the instructor explain the content to others. Put your PowerPoint slides online before class so students can review them. Use role playing and problem-based learning to simulate real-world applications of the content. Offer an incentive for students to visit the instructor outside of class. Have students assist in generating test and quiz questions. Encourage them to “stump the instructor” with these questions. Have students write a one minute summary of what they have learned at the end of class. What is one thing you will do as a result of this discussion? 18 Set up expectations in the syllabus that students need to be engaged in the course. Be more intentionally encouraging to students who are struggling. Add in more “grace time” into each class to allow for students to work independently and ask questions to me and their classmates. Be more active and transparent with the expectations that I have of my students. Help build a growth mindset in my students.

Breakout Sessions Why did you choose this topic? Round 1 I want to know what I can do in the classroom besides lecture. I want to know how I can not only improve my program but how to navigate through the bureaucracy to effect meaningful change. I see a need for me to lead from the middle, serving as a champion between the students and administration. I want to know how to take advantage of the support resources at TCC. I want to learn more about my role in the classroom and what kind of flexibility I have. Since there is a lack of feedback from my supervisors, I need some guidance and direction as to what it is I should be doing as a faculty member at this institution. Topic: My Role as a Faculty Member What are some possible solutions? Give students formative evaluations throughout the class so they can provide you with feedback on teaching methods, lesson content, etc. Focus on the aspects that you can change and influence and don’t stress over the factors that are outside of your control. Get involved and make your voice heard in groups that provide feedback to the larger organization, such as departmental and divisional groups. Take potential curriculum or program solutions to your boss. The worst they can say is “no.” Provide written, dated proposals for changes that you want to see implemented. This helps document a history of the communication. Use the best of what others are doing and enjoy the academic freedom you have in the classroom. What is one thing you will do as a result of this discussion? I will seek student feedback to identify needed changes in the class. After implementing something new with students, I will debrief with them quickly to see how they thought it went. Recommend having regularly scheduled department meetings. Communicate with my department chair and dean as much as possible to strengthen the relationship and keep the line of communication open. 19

“Failure is a feeling long before it’s an actual result.”“Everyone has a story to tell, a “ -Michelle Obamalesson to teach, and wisdom to “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its entire life believing it is stupid.”share.” -Albert Einstein-Melanie Moushigian Koulouris “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” -Maria Robinson “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safe, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” -Cecil Beaton “Even on your worst day, you can be a student’s best hope.” -Manny Scott “Just because you graduate and get a degree does not mean you are entitled to a job. You must remain competitive to stand out among your peers…the competition.” -Unknown “In the long run we are all dead.” Quotes we share-JohnMaynardKeynes “Prepare the child for the road, not “with our Studentstheroadforthechild.” -Kari Kompaki “Be someone you look up to.” -Unknown “I never paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.” -Frida Kahlo “A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject as a doctor believes in health.” -Gilbert Highet “One of the plainest truths about both towns and individuals is that they usually don’t turn into what we tell them to be, but what they are told they are.” -Fredrick Backman “Don’t believe everything your teacher tells you.” -Dr. Bob Martin “Today is the beginning of ANYTHING you want.” -Unknown “If the truth has already transformed the teacher, then the truth has a far greater chance of transforming the students.” -Dr. Bruce Wilkenson “Writing becomes choosing, not guessing” 20 -Amy Deuitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Mary So Reiff

Why did you choose this topic? There is a lot of apathy that I have noticed in my Breakout Sessions students, especially dual credit. Dual credit students operate in a world where they Round 2 are not being held accountable for completing their work. I find it difficult for students to engage in thoughtful textual analysis because this process is not black and white. They want to know what the “right answer” is but in my discipline there often isn’t one. When teaching math, I find that younger students today prefer digitally presented information. However, it is best to write math out on pen and paper. How can I overcome this challenge? Today’s students have so much going on that time management is a major concern. Topic: The 21st Century Learner How can we more effectively engage 21st Century learners? Games are a good way to help engage today’s students. The competition motivates them. Using Kahoot is a good way to incorporate a little friendly competition into the classroom. Offer incentives for students to do their best, such as extra credit. Help students with time management. Have them make a pie chart that represents a full day so they can prioritize and plan. Have students track the time they spend doing certain activities, such as engaging in social media, so they can get a better sense of how their time is allocated. Intentionally incorporate more technology in the classroom. Utilize full network simulations in my computer science class. Use more videos to introduce and explain content to cut down on the amount of reading that is required of students. Utilize more digital art programs to introduce students to different technologies relates to the discipline. 21

Topic: Program Marketing Why did you choose this topic? There’s an industry need, so I want to make sure TCC remains a competitor in the market. I want to do more outreach at high schools, but need some help finding out how to do that. There isn’t enough information online as compared to some of our competitor schools. There isn’t enough marketing for our technical programs. The classes in our technical programs aren’t filling. We have to constantly shift adjunct and full-time faculty schedules because of it. We are missing opportunities to engage community members in learning about these valuable and high-paying careers. I enjoy program development and writing proposals for new programs. What are some possible solutions? Go into the high schools and promote our technical programs. Involve the faculty more heavily in these efforts. Have promotional materials to readily distribute, both online and on campus. Create promotional videos and post them on our social media accounts. Talk to the academic leadership about program marketing efforts. If nothing is happening, help to start these conversations. Hold a recruitment event specifically for the technical programs. Get pop-up banners for a technical programs so they are more visible to our students who are already on campus but who might be undecided. What is one thing you will do as a result of this discussion? Be patient and don’t get discouraged with the process! Develop a proposal for increasing and expanding marketing efforts. Find influential people in the department and lean on them to help me lead the charge to improve program marketing. Help identify and develop the need with student and industry data. 22

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Lessons from Geese Fact: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a “V” forma- tion, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if the bird flew alone. Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the trust of one another. Fact: Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird im- mediately in front. Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go (and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to the others). Fact: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership with people. As with geese, we are interdependent on each other. Fact: The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Lesson: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not something else. Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again or dies, and then, they launch out on their own with another formation, or catch up with the flock. Lesson: Much like the geese, we must stay with each other in difficult times, as well as when we are strong. 24

Why did you choose this topic? Cell phones are addictive! Even adults have a hard Breakout Sessions time putting them down. How can we overcome this distraction in the classroom? Round 3 Students think they can multi-task and fully engage in the class while still doing something else on their device. Society has establish distracted engagement as a normal behavior. The immediacy expected and required of us makes us think we have to stay connected to our devices at all times. I sense that many of our students have misplaced priorities, and with many competing interests it is very easy to become distracted. Topic: Student Distractions What are some possible solutions? Provide opportunities for students to be up and moving around while learning. Have students use their phones for learning, such as Kahoot or Poll Everywhere. Give assignments that will keep them busy so they don’t have as much time to distract themselves with their devices. Provide a few “cell phone breaks” in your class to encourage students to put them away for the majority of class. Have students engage in peer review to get them involved with the process of providing critical feedback. Have students develop questions that will be on a quiz or exam. This will provide incentive for them to focus on the task at hand. 25

Topic: Unprepared Students Why did you choose this topic? Students lack the fundamental skills to handle the content in my class, so I end up having to teach them rudimentary skills instead of what I should be teaching them. Many of my students lack materials (tools, clothing, etc.) to be safe and successful in my welding class. Students lack time management skills to juggle the various responsibilities they have. I want tools to help students with this challenge. Most of my students don’t know how to study, so how can I help them? There are so many resources available to help students, but they don’t use them! How can we change this? Students lack the basic life skills they need to make it in society. Without these skills, how can they realistically focus on learning the content in my class? Students are just struggling to “get it” in my class. I don’t know how to help them. What are some possible solutions? Providing videos and resources on how to study and engage in better time management practices. Require that struggling students visit the academic learning labs, and/or give them extra credit. Establish relationships with the tutors in the academic labs so they can better understand how they can help your students. Request an embedded tutor to be in your classroom during your class time. Have students give each other peer feedback on completed work. Vary the modes of instruction to reach students with different learning preferences. Allow students to redo work they have completed for extra credit. Have students teach different parts of the content to help ensure mastery, with the instructor filling in the gaps of knowledge. Use peer reviews more often so students can learn from one another. Use assignments as opportunities to fail, but then allow students to rework it for a higher grade. What is one thing you will do as a result of this discussion? Connect more personally and emotionally with my students. Provide my class notes in electronic format on Blackboard. Make assignments hard, but allow students to redo them if they don’t get a good grade the first time. Provide resources for students to learn better study habits. Make students aware of all academic resources available. Use a difficult quiz to set a bar high before major exams, so the exams seem less daunting and more achievable. 26

Advice to New Teachers We offer the following advice to those who are new to teaching... Listen to my students and colleagues more. Remember that there are people here to help you – everyone wants to see you succeed! Don’t be afraid to let your personality show. Keep learning. Learning never stops for you. Engage with your faculty colleagues and support each other. It’s okay to be creative. Do it your way! Try new things in search of what works best for you and your students. It’s okay to make mistakes. Let your students see you fail…well. It’s how you handle the failure that defines you. Be patient and keep your cool. You can’t cram knowledge into your students’ brains. Lead them to it. Don’t neglect your health and wellness – take care of YOU first! Be confident in the classroom and don’t be afraid of a little improvisation. Set healthy boundaries. It’s okay to say “no” sometimes. Ask lots of questions, not only with your students but also with your colleagues. Challenge your students to reframe their thinking. Don’t hesitate to connect with your students on a personal level. Put your students to work. Their contributions create ownership of their learning. No two classes are the same – adapt your instructional approach accordingly to each class. Learn your students’ names. Find colleagues who inspire you and stick with them. 27

In Search of the Great Teacher 28

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Celebrating 30 327 Years of combined teaching experience! Wow!