Focused Discussions III
For work that is best discussed or debated, rather than reported on through a formal presentation, these sessions provide a forum for an extended “roundtable” conversation between an author and a small group of interested colleagues. Summaries of the author’s key ideas, or points of discussion, are used to stimulate and guide the discourse.
Self-Efficacy, Subjective Wellbeing, and Academic Performance of Students Who "Think" They Are Gifted
Focused Discussion Maureen Drysdale, Sarah Callaghan
This study examined the academic self-efficacy, subjective wellbeing, and academic achievement of three groups of university students from a large top tier research intensive university where admission standards are very high and competitive. The groups included: students who self-reported giftedness without a formal diagnosis, students who self-reported giftedness with a formal diagnosis, and, students who did not self-report giftedness. Results showed that the students who self-reported giftedness had significantly higher academic self-efficacy and GPAs compared to students who were not gifted. Students who reported being gifted but had no formal diagnosis, reported significantly higher levels of happiness, self-esteem, and mental balance than students who had received a formal gifted diagnosis. The outcomes of the research will be addressed as well as implications such as: what it means to be gifted; if a formal diagnosis is necessary to gain benefits (e.g., greater academic achievement and academic self-efficacy); and the disadvantages of receiving a formal diagnosis.
Empowering Activist Students: Giving Young People Agency to Change Their School, Their Community and Their World
Focused Discussion Katharine Ross
Schools rarely give room for authentic student voice, student agency and tangible opportunities for them to become effective change agents. Three years ago, an Ethiopian refugee student stood up in my class and voiced her pain at the empathy and shock expressed when a terror attack hit Paris, when her home town was hit by terrorism and civil war almost daily with no interest or care shown by her fellow students. Her bravery in expressing this openly in class led to a strong and somewhat angry reaction by her classmates. A few students however came together and approached me asking for an opportunity to try and change perceptions and behaviour and from this the Human Rights Group was born. Since this time students have led changes to the school uniform to embrace gender diversity, have created legacy experiences that are embedded into the school calendar such as, student panels discussing homophobia, sexism, racism and their impacts. They have partnered with local community groups to grow awareness around the dangers of giving birth in the third world and fundraising and packing birthing kits for these women. Currently the group is using footage of student interviews where they discuss their roles as perpetrators, bystanders or victims to run workshops with year 8 students. While there were many obstacles, these were used as opportunities to practice protest and advocacy. In sharing this journey a model for student engagement and activism will be presented that leads to civic engagement that transforms the school itself.
Bringing Design to Class: Divergent Thinking for Social Change
Focused Discussion Alison Reynolds
Twenty-first century learners want to do something to solve social problems, and design thinking can provide students with the opportunity to learn about problems and, in teams, discover innovative ways to solve them. Initially created for business and product makers, design thinking embraces divergent thinking and the tenets of empathy, definition, ideation, and prototyping to create ways to solve problems that are both innovative and meet the users’ needs. Tim Brown, of IDEO, writes, “Design thinking requires bridging the ‘knowing-doing gap.’ The tools of the design thinker—getting out into the world to be inspired by people, using prototyping to learn with our hands, creating stories to share our ideas, joining forces with people from other disciplines—are ways of deepening what we know and widening the impact of what we do.” Therefore, I have developed and will share a design thinking syllabus and assignments for college students who worked with non-profit agencies. In these highly interactive classes, students visited sites such as Ronald McDonald House and Hope Lodge to find problems. Following their visits, they brainstormed and developed prototypes to share with the agencies. Although certain difficulties, such as finding non-profits to host the students, initially made the program seem untenable, I will share a few final projects that are now are being implemented at the agencies. Through these highly immersive courses, ones that can be adapted for learners from an early age through graduate school, students learn the power of empathy, divergent thinking, and team-work.
Corequisite Support Mathematics Courses in Higher Education
Focused Discussion Alison Reddy
University students come from many geographic locations and types of secondary and postsecondary schools (including public, private, and preparatory schools) with very different mathematical backgrounds. This results in a diversity of mathematical knowledge, and students and institutions have disparate expectations of sufficient preparation for higher-educational institutions. At the University of Illinois, both College Algebra and Integral Calculus are offered in a corequisite model for entering first semester freshman. The challenge, and goal, was to implement a corequisite support model to maximize student outcomes within the context of a single course. Corequisite support strengthens students’ mathematical backgrounds while they simultaneously learn the new course material. Students remain on track for their areas on study without having to repeat coursework and matriculate on schedule with their peers into advancing courses. Evaluating corequisite support requires ongoing research on pedagogical approaches and best practices. The primary metric is student performance in subsequent coursework to measure the impact of corequisite support on the subpopulation of students that were or were not deemed fully College Algebra or Integral Calculus ready. Initial data indicates that both implementations have been very successful in meeting the individual needs of all students evident through improved success rates, and increased student satisfaction and retention rates.
