Newsletter Spring 2021

Although many of the students in this course are not familiar with special education, at least they have educational experiences in the U.S., so they have something to refer to. As a sibling of a sister with intellectual disability, I have personal experiences with disability, which have been my reference point and helped me understand topics covered in class ever since I started my college career in the U.S.
 

When this student raised the question, I was instantly pulled back to my international student identity and thinking about how to answer her question. This is the opportunity to spread positive impressions of students with disabilities! Now, I know that there is an English learner with limited knowledge about special education in the course, I have to rethink how to present information and provide supports for all students to navigate their coursework. I assume it would take a lot of time for this particular student, being unfamiliar and also having two small children at home. But I am sure whatever supports and accommodations that I provide to everyone will benefit them all. I will continue to check in with my international student identity to make sure that students are getting meaningful educational experiences and inspirations without feeling unnecessarily overworked.

I know that students are facing more challenges now - balancing limited wifi with big families in crowded living situations.

One assignment I gave at the start of the semester was to have students imagine their ideal workspace. I didn't want to ask them to show where they're working as it could be an invasion of privacy and a demonstration of unequal resources they might not want to share. The space they present could be real or fantastic or even a conceptual realm in which they want to work. Most students share drawings of beautiful spaces that reflect a desire for both personal space and community (an art studio where the community could also work or a pull out bed for people who might need a place to crash or furniture on wheels that could be pushed aside for a dance party). There were pink churches in the woods and warehouses full of windows. One student described her space as pure luxury and totally unrealistic - her drawing showed a small desk by a window with a small bookshelf for her imagined library - not even a whole room. She said her imagined space would be in the city so her family could be close by. She's currently sharing a room with her siblings and grandmother and working on her bed.

I'm missing the ability for students to show up together and work together in a common space on campus. Working virtually, students are getting a better sense of the very different experiences and privileges they have. Time to work for many is harder to carve out virtually. My flipped classroom and balanced workload is a work in progress. 

I have not revisited this ratio much since then. The change to online asynchronicity made me wonder how accurate this was.

The calculator put me at 8.57 (5 contact + 3.57 Independent) — so if this is right, I am still in the workload ballpark.

I found this exercise timely and important. Intellectual work has changed, and I am not always sure how to calibrate digital learning for time spent and learning efficacy.

The workload calculator cannot consider how familiar the individual is with the skill or discourse language. Struggling with a new language will increase the workload ratio. It also does not allow for cognitive variances among individuals, which may require further accommodations. Nor does it make allowances for the emotional labor assignments stir up in each student, nor the impact of the social, political, or environmental contexts.

Listening to our students can correct this deficiency. For instance, I changed my class text based on feedback from upper-division philosophy students who told me the readings were too hard.

There’s more I need to consider. For example, studies show that screen time strains the eyes and the psyche.

Instead, I encourage students to think deeply about what they want to contribute to and what they want to get out of the course, then realistically consider what is possible given their life circumstances. I then suggest that they try to plan strategically. If that means missing a couple of low-stakes assignments, so be it. I build in a couple of optional assignments if students want to "make-up" work.

I also make clear my own values and priorities. In my view, family is more important than coursework in the context of this pandemic, economic crisis, racial reckoning, trying to help children with online learning and so on. I let students know that as much as possible, I will work with them to complete the course. However, I also tell students that my mantra is "desperate times, desperate measures." These are desperate times for many of us. In this context, it is fine to submit an assignment that may not be the strongest work ever...but it is "good enough." I often am dismayed to realize that students hold themselves to a much higher bar and have much harsher evaluations of themselves and their work than I do.

She shared with me that she had recently moved and didn't have access to a computer like she typically does. This made me realize that even though I had given an introductory survey to students asking them to disclose any technical limitations/access issues they had for class, many students are still facing dynamic situations in their life. Their situations are continuing to shift and change: their living situations, work schedules, time for family care, and access to technology and resources.

After this experience, I changed my strategy to regularly ask students at the end of class for feedback on what was and wasn't working with the class (e.g., assignment, format, time spent in class). In addition to this, I posted an anonymous feedback survey which is open to students every three weeks. This allows students to anonymously share their greatest likes and challenges with the course.

My goal with these additional opportunities for students to share Feedback with me is that I will learn more about what obstacles they are facing and how I can help make the content more accessible to them.

For students taking on these new art materials and processes on their own at home, it can be very intimidating. That hesitancy is something that I didn’t have to contend with, but many of my students do.

My video demonstrations are thorough and given in short segments, but it is also a lot of information. Many students have to watch the videos and look through the guidelines several times before they are confident enough to begin their projects, which adds to their workload.  

As educators, it is our responsibility to see each student for who they are. We do this by acknowledging student’s individuality and providing equitable opportunities for them to learn, grow and have a voice.  Every new school year, we are given new groups of students and families to get to know and work with. The process of developing respectful, caring and meaningful relationships begins on day one and continues throughout the year. Yes, this is a difficult task when you have such diverse personalities and needs to address. However, it is necessary if you want to be an effective educator.

Some advice I give my student-teachers is to focus on the most important things at any given moment. The most important things almost always include human connections, developing meaningful relationships with your students, having authentic conversations, showing students their worth, giving them hope, empowering them with knowledge, igniting a love for themselves and others, developing compassion, resilience, fellowship and friendship, the value of pride and deeper understanding of our beautifully tainted world, and how they fit perfectly into it.

Less importance ought to be placed on lesson planning, creating elaborate presentations, completing worksheets and assessments. Higher test scores do not equate better schools, smarter students or more effective educators.

In education, and I am sure in many other fields, the most important things are often done unconsciously and organically, but felt deeply and remembered always.

Zoom fatigue is a significant issue for my students. Consequently, for the last three semesters, I have taught my classes bichronously. We meet on Zoom synchronously for discussion and activities (e.g. learning how to administer assessments; examine IEPs; jigsaw reading discussions) for about 90 minutes. Then, they are required to access my lecture asynchronously.  I record my lecture and slide deck on Zoom so that they can watch the lecture at a time when they are more well-rested and ready to engage in the content. 

Additionally, I try to make my assignments meaningful by embedding new teaching technologies that encourage them to explore the instructional tools they can use in their distance learning environments (e.g., Flipgrid, Edpuzzle).  The students seem to appreciate this system and, in an informal survey, have shared that they would like to continue this format in the coming semester.

I am acutely aware of the time (and the energy) required for the projects I assign. I have done professional projects in media for 50 years, so I know the considerable effort required. The key for our students is to offer rigor paired with flexibility, and access to help in a variety of ways, from time with a mentor to peer teaching. Demand excellence, but offer alternate pathways, and let them know you are always there as a guide, a resource, and a mentor. Get in the boat with your students. Pull the oars with them. I don't know why I am using boat metaphors now, but you get the idea.

Try, all the time, to understand what each individual student is experiencing. It’s OK to ask them about how things are going. Ask about the work you assign: Did they enjoy it? What did they get out of it? Push them, and then help them. Students, just like all of us, want to feel supported, and valued as part of our community. The instructor can, indeed must, create that environment, and that learning community.

The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) met with campus partners with Associated Students, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management such as the Division of Equity and Community Inclusion, Career Services and Leadership development, AVP of Faculty Affairs, faculty from Ethnic Studies, and CFA Counselors Committee/ Black Counselor Faculty Subcommittee.  We looked at our campus climate survey, the outcomes from Black Student Forums, and statistics from Institutional Research and HR.

The purpose of this resolution is to address the significant equity gap between the demographics of our students and our employees, and we created this resolution in support of our wider University efforts toward anti-racism. The resolution encourages SFSU to do the following: 

• Apply an equity-minded, social justice framework to address historic and contemporary issues for our diverse student population.
• Commit to removing institutional barriers to recruitment, retention and advancement.
• Hiring of lecturer faculty handled by department hiring committees and be guided by anti-racism and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) best practice principles
• Increase diversity in hiring committees.
• Collect and report disaggregated data to uncover patterns of inequities in hiring practices.
• Create an Academic Senate Committee on Diversity and Equity.
• Evaluate the racial and ethnic diversity of its membership and leadership of Academic Senate to reflect to our diverse student population.
• To institutionalize education and training that move us toward our goal to being an anti-racist University.

Much of this wisdom is passed from CEETL's amazing faculty development spaces that I've participated in over the past year, shaping all of our transitions to online teaching and learning, and directly influencing what ExCo teachers share in the CAT Newsletter from their perspective as student teachers.

The results have been far broader than making the program more visible, and in less than two semesters have already created spaces across campus for connection and collaborations with CEETL and others, in new projects to help all SF State students in our community learn best and feel invested in their learning and teaching environments. I am so grateful for CEETL, our extended faculty networks and community and the ongoing spirit of collaboration at SF State — and by extension so are the student teachers of ExCo! 

Please note, we encourage faculty to let their students know that our Fall 2021 ExCo Application period closes on Friday, April 9, and we are looking for students from every major, every department to teach a class on a topic of their choice! Apply at exco.sfsu.edu!   

TIPS will cover topics such as how trauma affects the brain, how to accommodate survivors in our classrooms, how to navigate the reporting process and how to develop practices that reduce harm and increase wellness in the classroom. TIPS includes facilitators and speakers from CAPS, The SAFE Place, DPRC, Title IX, and more.

This is a six-hour workshop held via Zoom across two consecutive Fridays: April 16th & 23rd 2021, from 1-4 p.m.

To register, please visit: http://bit.ly/SAAM21TIPS. Based on demand, the Sexual Violence Prevention Collaboration anticipates offering TIPS again in Fall 2021. Contact Bridget Gelms at bgelms@sfsu.edu with questions or for a full agenda. 

We’ve organized the activities into four categories:

• Topics and Research Questions
• Finding and Evaluating Sources
• Reading Sources
• Using Sources

We also have resources to support you in planning, scheduling, and scaffolding your research assignments.

Each activity has a cover page with the learning outcomes, estimated time, an overview of how to conduct the activity and some suggestions for modifications you can make to adjust it for your discipline, or specific class. Currently, we are working to update and revise the Teaching Research Toolkit through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens. Our goal is to improve the accessibility of each activity and provide a wider variety of options and modifications for diverse learners.

We welcome collaboration with faculty from all departments and appreciate users’ input to make this toolkit relevant and useful for teaching across the university.