Contextualized Course Workshop: Enhancing Learning and Retention

1. Planning a Contextualized Course Workshop Charlyn E. Cassady, Associate Professor The Community College of Baltimore County The 4th Annual Conference on Acceleration June 6, 2012

2. Reality Check The challenge of understanding complex expository material and the lack of skills for organizing and retaining the information presents an often overwhelming challenge to the novice learner.

3. Students who place into a developmental reading course have difficulty reading dense, expository material at a level of proficiency necessary for comprehending and integrating information from their textbooks (Martino et al., 2001).

4. Translation, please! What does those statements mean to YOU??

5. Research and practice indicate that contextualization can motivate students and ease the transition into higher-level academic courses. Contextualization can address two issues in the developmental learner: - the “academic-skill gap” - the “barrier of time”

6. When you think of contextualization….. What comes to mind?

7. Ways to think of contextualization… • Bringing basic skills and subject-area instruction together. • Using authentic materials for teaching college-level skills. • Creating connections between reading skill instruction and instruction in a content area. • Linking ideas and concepts across courses.

8. Goal of Contextualization: To create conditions for more effective learning, demonstrated by student achievement of higher grades, course retention, and through progression in the student’s selected academic program (Perrin, 2011).

9. Anecdotal evidence suggests that lower-skilled learners benefit from contextualization because it: Increases their mastery of basic skills. Increases the likelihood of transfer of basic skills to content courses.

10. AKA - “Contextualized instruction” is also known as: • contextual teaching and learning • functional context learning • real-world education • learner-centered instruction

11. Concepts Inherent in Contextualization • ‘Constructivism’ - The learner is a “constructor of meaning.” • “Constructivism” asserts that learners create meaning in relationship to experience and the motivation for learning is the responsibility of the learner.

12. Self-Regulated Learning Zimmerman (1989) points to three features inherent in self-regulated learning: • Students are aware of the potential usefulness of self-regulation processes in their college learning. • Self-regulation involves a “feedback loop” in which students monitor the effectiveness of their learning strategies and respond by making effective changes. • Self-regulation is influenced by a wide variety of motivating factors, such as external reward, achievement success, self-judgment and self- esteem.

13. Students can be described as self-regulated to the degree that they are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process.

14. What ClassesAre You Thinking of Contextualizing? Hmmm?

15. Describe Your Rationale for Contextualizing These Courses….

16. What “guiding principles” will you use in developing this course?

17. Assumptions Guiding Course Development… • Students should be encouraged to try new methods for learning, such as drawing graphic representations of concepts and to display how information is related. • Students should learn and practice a variety of learning strategies and develop an individualized repertoire of tools. • Self-evaluation of learning and course performance is a critical component of successful learning in college.

18. Assumptions Guiding Course Development… • A systematic method for expository reading is essential for effective college reading. • Students should be encouraged to write as a strategy for comprehension, clarification and study. • Students should be taught metacognition and how to self-regulate their learning.

19. What skills will you include in your course? How will you match assignments (for reinforcement and practice)to the skills? Be specific!

20. The Itinerary (Curriculum Topics and Activities) • What IS Learning? “Educational Autobiography.” PowerPoint on the learning process. Class discussion about “school- learning” and memory.

21. The Itinerary (Curriculum Topics and Activities) • Establishing Goals and Modifying Mind-sets YouTube video of Carol Dweck discussing her research on the power of positive and negative mind-sets. Handout on mind-sets.

22. The Itinerary (Curriculum Topics and Activities) • Making the Textbook Work for You! • Predicting Questions and Developing Effective Notes “Walk-through” of chapter in Health textbook to identify features to use for effective reading and study (chapter objectives; end-of-chapter material; charts and other visuals). Assignments: Developing test/study questions and answers in Cornell note format.

23. The Itinerary (Curriculum Topics and Activities) • Metacognition Small group played “Tumbling Towers” with a “twist” – player had to say everything that they were thinking! Discussion of the skill – “Talking to the text” Being aware of your thinking processes as you read!

24. The Itinerary (Curriculum Topics and Activities) • Critical Thinking PowerPoint presentation on Critical Thinking. Discussion of critical analysis of print media. Assignment: Critical analyses of articles on cell-phone addiction.

25. Weekly Journal Writings Purpose: To encourage students to be metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process.

26. Reflection Questions/Tasks for Weekly Journal • Complete Cornell notes for a lecture this week – You will turn them in as a graded assignment. BUT!! Before I grade them, YOU grade them – Will these notes help you to be successful in your Health class? • Your little brother/sister asks you for help in reading a textbook chapter and preparing for a test on this material. What will you tell him/her? • What have you discovered about your personal strengths and abilities? Describe how you use these? We all have areas/habits/strategies that we need to improve upon – describe one area that you feel you need to “focus” on.

27. Reflection Questions/Tasks for Weekly Journal • It is now around the middle of the semester. Describe where you are at” in your college life right now. Have you experienced success? How did it feel? Was there something you were not pleased about? What actions did you take? • What strategy/tactic that we have learned or discussed has been the most useful for you in college so far? Why? • What actions have you taken to get ready for next semester? Have you registered for classes? Why or why not?

28. What Methods Will You Use for Assessment?

29. What Methods Will You Use for Assessment? • Ideas: • Formative Assessment? • “Five-Minute Questions”? • Mid-Semester “Check-Up”? • Quizzes/”Practicals” • Other ideas?

30. End-of-Semester Assessment or “Capstone” Product? • Ideas: • Portfolio? • Group Project?

31. Portfolio Project Objective:This project would be designed for students to display their “best work.” Materials submitted during the semester could be included. Improved materials would also be included to demonstrate learning and skill development..

32. Portfolio Project Learning strategies/techniques: You may select from the following learning strategies/techniques: • Two-column (Cornell) notes (use lecture or textbook – 2 complete pages of notes) • Summary (minimum 2 pages of textbook – indicate pages from Health book) • Text annotation (Make copy of 2 pages of textbook and include annotations – highlighting, margin notes, etc.) • One question for each of four lower Bloom’s levels (include page numbers of Health book) • Analysis of a health claim article from a popular magazine. (Handout for analysis will be provided) • Graphic Organizer, such as Cause and Effect; Process/Sequence/Steps; Compare and Contrast. Another tool (Please have your idea approved by me!) • Another tool (Please have your idea approved by me!) • REQUIRED : Reflective statement about how this class assisted your learning in Health or another college course) For five (5) of your products, type a short paragraph of how this strategy was useful in your Health or other college class.

33. Samples of Student Portfolios

34. Lifespan of the Two Classes… Class A Students registered for Reading for Health: 18 (Students registered for Health 101: 12) No Shows/dropped after 2 classes: 5 Students not interested/rarely seen: 6 Student with major medical problem: 1 Remaining students: 6 Students successfully passing: 6 (5 of 6 were enrolled in Health 101)

35. Lifespan of the Two Classes… Class B Students registered for Reading for Health: 18 (Students registered for Health 101: 9) No Shows/dropped after several classes: 6 Students not interested/rarely seen: 2 Student with major medical/family issues: 2 Remaining students: 8 Students successfully passing: 8 (7 of the 8 were enrolled in Health 101)

36. Student Barriers During the Semester • Child custody court dates • Relationship break-ups • Colds • Wisdom teeth extraction • Conflicting work schedules • Sick children • Reproductive problems • “Academic non-responsiveness”

37. 4 versus 2! • The course may have attracted students because of the reduced number of classroom hours, NOT because of the wonderful opportunity to learn and apply college skills to a credit class.

38. Customer Satisfaction – Assessment!

39. Customer Satisfaction? – Reading Skills • Because of this reading class, I now feel more confident about my ability to do well with college-level reading. No way! – 0 Not really – 0 Not sure (n=2) Yes! (n=7) Absolutely! (n=5)

40. Customer Satisfaction? - Journals • Writing the journals weekly helped me to think about my college performance. No way! – 0 Not really (n=3) Not sure (n=1) Yes! (n=6) Absolutely! (n=4)

41. Customer Satisfaction? – Portfolio • Preparing the portfolio as a final project was a good way to display the skills I have learned. No way! – 0 Not really (n=1) Not sure (n=1) Yes! (n=6) Absolutely! (n=5)

42. Customer Satisfaction – Favorite Readings • History of tattoos (5) • Fugu (3) • Pleasure on the Brain (3) • Energy drinks • Bloom’s Taxonomy • Cell-phone addiction

43. Would you recommend this course to other students who need RDNG 052 and Health 101? Why or why not? • “I would – gets it over faster and you learn a lot.” • Yes, because it gets you out of going to class 3 times a week with 2 hours of lab work. • “Yes, I would recommend this course to other students because it can get the student more ready for what Health 101 will be like by having Reading 052 and Health combined.”

44. Would you recommend this course to other students who need RDNG 052 and Health 101? Why or why not? • “I will recommend to a lot of new students because you can learn different ways of studying and also will revise their knowledge from high school.” • “Yes, I would recommend this course to other students. This course teaches students how to prepare for other college courses. Read actively, study effectively, comprehension skills, note-taking and reading skills.” ( 4 similar comments)

45. Would you recommend this course to other students who need RDNG 052 and Health 101? Why or why not? • “I would – gets it over faster and you learn a lot.” • “Yes, because it gets you out of going to class 3 times a week with 2 hours of lab work.” • “Yes, I would recommend this course to other students because it can get the student more ready for what Health 101 will be like by having Reading 052 and Health combined.”

46. Do you think that taking this 2-hour contextualized course was more effective than taking developmental reading and Health 101 as completely separate courses? Why or Why not? • “Yes, gives you skills you need to perform in harder classes.” • “Yes, cause the Health 101 and this class connected.” • “Yes, because the curriculum for this course was guided by the Health 101 textbook.” • “Yes, way too much effective than taking Health. This course was to the point and we had time to study. But in Health too much going on, also every class there was new things to study.”

47. Do you think that taking this 2-hour contextualized course was more effective than taking developmental reading and Health 101 as completely separate courses? Why or Why not? • “Yes, I think taking these courses together has really helped me out because I wasn’t lost as I would have been if I was just in Health.” • “Yes, because this course tackles important points you need in your day-to-day life.” • “Yes, because it’s like learning information twice.”

48. Do you think that taking this 2-hour contextualized course was more effective than taking developmental reading and Health 101 as completely separate courses? • “I found that this class, Reading and Health together, was not beneficial. I wished I took the classes separately/No, because each course goes into more detail.” (2 similar comments) • “No, I do not think so. She showed the students how to apply her teaching to other courses. The information she taught is helpful for day to day activities and school.” • “No, because we only focused on the Health book for about the first 3 weeks.”

49. What reading skills did you gain from taking this course? • “I gained college reading skills. I know how to read a story. I know how to dissect and make it my own/Breaking down harder readings. (2 similar comments)” • “Cornell notes, I refreshed my mind on them and know how to do them the right way.”

50. What reading skills did you gain from taking this course? • “The skills I learned and gained was note-taking and reading.” • “Comprehending while reading. Being able to understand exactly what it is I (am) reading the first time instead of re-reading.” • “On how to be a critical thinker and analyze things better.”