1. Helping Students to Understand Why Your Course Is Important to their Growth

    Many of Skyline College’s students are the first in their families to attend college, and as such, aren’t clear on why they’re taking a class beyond fulfilling a requirement or prerequisite. Our task as educators is to convey our courses’ relevance to students’ lives and to expand their understanding of the world through the disciplinary lenses that we provide. In this workshop, learn how you can clarify for students the aim and relevance of your courses via embedding SLOs and quick and easy classroom assessment techniques.

    When: Thursday, September 3, 1-2 pm
    Presenter: Karen Wong

  2. Fostering Students’ Self Awareness as Learners

    As a college student, do you remember feeling rushed from one project to the next, barely keeping your head above water? All too often students have no time to reflect on their learning, yet that may be one of the most important steps in learning, as they reconceive of themselves as scholars. Looking back and recounting the struggles, risks, failures and successes of learning enables students to better understand themselves as learners continually engaged in improving their skills, understanding the relevance of what they’re learning to their lives, and problem-solving when they encounter similar problems in the future. Learn how to integrate strategies to prompt self- reflection in your students.

    When: Spring 2016
    Presenters: Kent Gomez, Jennifer Mair, Sarita Santos

  3. Empowering Students to Persist Beyond their Struggles

    Frustrated and bummed out when students fail, we teachers may find it especially hard to witness students not even trying because they see themselves as incapable. How can we counter students’ negative self-concept? Much research is emerging that points to the affective domain of learning, how it’s not just a matter of having the skills, but believing that you can succeed, and learning how to navigate disappointment and failure. In this workshop, learn some strategies to foster the growth mindset/ grit in your students, to enable them to persevere through their struggles.

    When: Spring 2016
    Presenters: Chris Gibson, Rick Hough

  4. “I hate data!” — Qualitative Strategies to Assess Student Learning

    Rubrics and surveys are effective means to assess student learning, but what if you feel that the numbers don’t yield any insights about student learning? Learn some alternative strategies to assess student learning that aren’t centered on numbers but help you to understand what they know and what they don’t — enough information to shape action plans.

    When: Spring 2016
    Presenters: Greg Christensen, Amber Steele, Jesse Raskin