Group 3 Syllabus Design: Relationships in Learning
Gina Cosby, Matthew Conolly, Jennifer Webb-Dudley, Deanna Zimmer
Ball State University
EDAC 635: Strategies for Teaching Adults
Dr. Bo Chang
October 24, 2021
Introduction
Relationships in Learning: A Professional Development Seminar for Educators is a seminar to introduce the participant to the many different factors, and ways to help build relationships with individuals. The main participants are for Corporate Trainers, Leadership, and Educational Administrators. The purpose of the seminar is to train educators to make their workplace an environment of trust and respect between those that are within their given setting. Relationships in learning is one of the key factors for individuals to be able to perform and learn to the best of their ability. The topics that will be discussed in the seminar are mitigating bias to create a safer learning environment for all, discussing what can impact team dynamics on learning relationships, the impact of the instructor/presenters attitude and behavior on learning relationships, discussing different types of activities, programs, and even learning activities that can help build positive relationships, and the importance on the ways of knowing as they relate to relationships in learning.
Rationale
“Adults learn best when their experience and sense of self are validated in the learning process” (Mackeracher, 2004, p. 170). Relationships factor into the learning process as individuals draw upon knowledge that has been obtained through past experiences and makes a connection with the current learning activity. This is especially true in adult learners as many “adults need to integrate past experience with new material” (Lawson, 2015, p. 28). It is imperative that the facilitator take into consideration the mere fact that personal experiences differ for each learner based on circumstances and cultural differences. “The more culturally intelligent you are, the more effective you will be in connecting with your audiences” (Lawson, 2015, p. 255).
A necessary part of establishing a positive relationship between the facilitator and learner occurs when the facilitator creates a sense of trust. This reiterates the facilitator’s commitment to fostering a healthy and safe learning environment which encourages the learners to lean into the discussions and actively engage in the process. According to Mackeracher (2004):
A positive relationship contributes to an environment in which the learner may feel secure enough to take risks; a negative relationship contributes to the learner’s stress level and an environment in which motives for learning may be redirected into self-protection (p.152).
Another way to incorporate positive relationships is to create a cooperative learning environment that allows students to openly share and compare their personal experiences in a small group setting.“Cooperative learning is the ‘instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each others’ learning (Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991)” (Lawson, 2016, p.118). This seminar has integrated several different cooperative learning activities which will add value to learning as each participant has the ability to expand his/her perceptions and knowledge based upon what has been shared in the small group. These activities also generate the opportunity to enhance peer to peer relationships, another vital component of relationships in the learning process.
This seminar is designed to focus on the various manners which relationships factor into the overall learning process. It stresses the importance of the relationship between the learner and facilitator in achieving a successful experience for the learner. The activities have been carefully considered with the intention that each will have the ability to generate an environment where the participants are encouraged to share their experiences, are involved in their learning process, and are free to engage in dialogue with the facilitator as well as their peers. When individuals are not comfortable or feel threatened by their surroundings, they do not actively participate in the learning activities.
By the end of the seminar participants should have a stronger idea of how relationships in learning can impact not only their environment, but the individuals that are participating in the environment at any given time. The participants will be guided in a reflection during a post-seminar check in session. This reflection will allow them to evaluate the usefulness of the strategies provided in the seminar and share learnings about implementation of the methods discussed.
Syllabus
Relationships in Learning: A Professional Development Seminar for Educators
This seminar will take place virtually over two full days, with a follow-up session three months after the seminar. Pre-work will be sent to participants two weeks before the seminar. Participants will join the seminar live but pre and follow-up work may be completed asynchronously.
Moderator
Deanna Zimmer
Instructor
Gina Cosby
Instructor
Matthew Conolly
Zoom Q&A, Polling, Technical Assistance
Jennifer Webb-Dudley
Schedule
Day 1- Friday, November 19, 2021
Zoom Link
https://bsu.zoom.us/j/93370804590?pwd=VnUwZkZ3KzlVUk1uaEFYc00wUjZoQT09
Meeting ID: 933 7080 4590
Passcode: dB0a5G
Day 2: Saturday, November 20, 2021
Zoom Link
https://bsu.zoom.us/j/95655575475?pwd=ek9oVk0xNk54SlBBeitONlFhR3RJQT09
Meeting ID: 956 5557 5475
Passcode: nCmQ9D
3 Month Follow Up – Friday, February 25, 2022
Zoom Link
https://bsu.zoom.us/j/99948201170?pwd=b2lrMjRBVCtROWplaUlxM1pLV2NLZz09
Meeting ID: 999 4820 1170
Passcode: 5PBE7V
Course Objectives
To build trust and respect between the educator and learners and among all learners through knowledge of how learning relationships are affected by:
Naming the behaviors and attitudes of an instructor that contribute to building positive learning relationships.
Describing the aspects of learner identity that can affect the development of peer to peer and peer to instructor relationships in a learning environment.
Designing learning activities that foster communication and a sense of belonging in the learning environment
Identifying team dynamics which could inhibit the growth of healthy learning relationships.
Course Materials
*For links to learning materials, please see Table 1.
Videos: All that We Share, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, FISH! For Schools at North Little Rock
Reading: The 4 Pillars of Belonging, FIRs (Faculty-in-Residence Program), Attitudes Toward Thinking and Learning Survey
Icebreakers: Three Invisible Similarities / Differences, Names Matter
Group Discussions
Journaling
Group Discussions
Activity: Kolb Inventory
Assignments and Due Dates
Learners will keep a journal for the three months between the seminar and the follow-up guided reflection meeting.
Grading Criteria and Standards
There will be no formal assessment tools used.
Learners will participate in guided reflection during the three month post-seminar check in session. This reflection will allow them to evaluate the usefulness of the strategies provided in the seminar and share learnings about implementation of the methods discussed.
Learners will receive a certificate of completion after successful completion of the seminar.
Attendance policies
Learners will attend the seminar and the follow up session live, with cameras on whenever possible.
Reflection
Highlights
We all appreciated the consistency of our communications. We drew upon each other's strengths and supported one another this semester. The division of labor was equitable. Through this group project, we shared strategies for teaching adults that we could apply in our lives. We have built relationships that will continue to enrich our learning journeys.
Process
Our group elected to schedule weekly check-in meetings over Zoom. Each member was not able to attend each meeting due to schedule conflicts but we did have some members at each meeting. The weekly meetings were used for brainstorming and collaboratively writing certain portions of the project. We also used the meetings to assign tasks for follow up. Although having weekly sessions did not entirely align with the intended asynchronous design of the online class, we felt it was the best way to stay connected and on track. We used GroupMe to send each other messages throughout the week. Not only was this useful for working on our project, but we were able to help each other with individual work. For example, we all had a really difficult time with formatting on the Blogger page when submitting our Theory Reviews. We used GroupMe to ask each other for help and to make suggestions.
Summary Table
Table 1
Summary of Syllabus Design
References
“11-Circle-Games-and-Ice-Breakers.Pdf.” Accessed October 21, 2021. https://thelinkingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/11-Circle-Games-and-Ice-breakers.pdf.
“A New Way of Assessing Ways of Knowing: The Attitudes Toward Thinking and Learning Survey (ATTLS),” n.d., 22.
“Appendix 19 U472 Community Facilitator Kolb Questionnaire Final.Pdf.” Accessed October 21, 2021. http://www.bunbury.wa.gov.au/pdf/environment/u472/Appendix%2019%20U472%20Community%20Facilitator%20Kolb%20Questionnaire%20Final.pdf.
“CoqualPowerOfBelongingKeyFindings090720.Pdf.” Accessed October 21, 2021. https://coqual.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CoqualPowerOfBelongingKeyFindings090720.pdf.
“Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni - YouTube.” Accessed October 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCxct4CR-To.
Hughes, Andrew, and Jordan Fullam. “‘Bridging the Gap’: Relationships and Learning Beyond the Classroom in a Faculty-in-Residence Program” 47 (December 10, 2020): 44–60.
Lawson, K. (2016). The trainer’s handbook (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning (2nd ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
“Names-Matter.Pdf.” Accessed October 21, 2021. https://www.mines.edu/diversity/wp-content/uploads/sites/278/2019/11/Names-Matter.pdf.
The FISH! Philosophy. FISH! For Schools at North Little Rock, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkWE5iqFKM.
TV 2 PLAY. TV 2 | All That We Share, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8tjhVO1Tc.
Great syllabus! I particularly enjoyed reading about the Faculty in Residence programs and their benefits. Building a sense of safety and trust is so important in the learning environment; anyone attempting to learn something new puts themselves in an inherently vulnerable state and your course seems to cover a wide variety of ways to help learners (and facilitators) navigate that situation. Your summary table at the end does a great job of providing concrete, actionable ways to implement the main theories presented in the syllabus. This sounds like a seminar I would very much like to attend!
ReplyDeleteGroup 3,
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed reviewing your syllabus design project. I felt that the syllabus was very well designed and it included clear instruction about your program of interest and the flow of the syllabus. I really like the topic about relationships in learning as I feel that this greatly impacts our learning as adults. I felt that your summary was very descriptive and truly did a great job of providing your readers with an explanation of what is to come. Great job everyone! This is a wonderful syllabus design. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Group 3,
ReplyDeleteWonderfully designed syllabus. I really like that you started your course with pre-work, I know some people might not like this but for me it feels like its a easy progression into the class. I think you really did a great job adapting the course to include relationships in learning, in your rational you write “Adults learn best when their experience and sense of self are validated in the learning process” (Mackeracher, 2004, p. 170), I think you were definitely able to accomplish this.
I also really liked your inclusion of the process section, it is great that you had weekly check-ins, I could tell by reading your project that it was cohesive and well planned.
~Roxanne