The growth of any craft depends on shared practice and honest dialogue among the people who do it. We grow by private trial and error, to be sure — but our willingness to try, and fail, as individuals is severely limited when we are not supported by a community that encourages such risks. (1998, p. 144)

Shared practice.

Honest dialogue.

Encouraging risk.

Support.

Here is a picture of Mac’s toddler learning community.  (Mac is smack dab in the middle, of course. He clearly values surrounding himself with other learners. Or – he likes to be the center of attention…)

Mac's Learning Community

Mac is reminding me that it often is better to learn with others.  Though Mac is a natural risk taker, I think that having other kids to learn from and with is already key to his development. He and his co-learners may not have “honest dialogue” (yet) in the way that we do as adult learners, but they do have shared practice and they learn from watching each other and supporting each other. Just yesterday Mac’s friend Jack was helping Mac learn how to best hold the shovel so he could get the dirt from the flower bed to the bucket without it spilling. Now THAT’S helpful!

Here is another picture of all of them in active learning mode. Mac is the kid with the dark red shirt on, right side. The kids are learning Itsy Bitsy Spider — Out comes the sun! This particular skill has been transferable to drying his arm pits after bath time, getting arrested for throwing a toy across the room, and semaphore (should he ever need it).

Mac's Learning Community In Action

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS OF “WHAT MY TODDLER HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT ADULT LEARNING” CAN BE FOUND HERE:

#1 – Learning Can Happen When We Challenge our Perspectives

#2 – Learning is Developmental

#3 – We Learn by Direct Experience

#4 – We Learn by Observing Others, Even If Others Are Not Experts

#5 – The Importance Of Books In Learning

#6 – Selecting the Right Learning Tools

#7 – Ask For Help

Thanks to Tony George on Flickr for making this image available.

Today, in my yoga class, the instructor talked about setting our intentions for the class — what did we intend to do, to focus on, in the next 90 minutes? And I was thinking about how the word “intentions ” is such a better way to think about “things I want to achieve” instead of the word goals. It implies process, it implies practice, and it does not imply this ubiquitous concept of perfection.

I have goals that I want to achieve in yoga — for example, someday I really would like to be strong and flexible enough to do a back bend — but for each class I like the idea of thinking of my intention for that time, on that day, given everything else that’s happening (sore knee, a bit tired, etc.).

A goal implies an end point — something fixed that we are aiming for. It also implies that it’s possibly external to us. An intention, on the other hand, is all about us — what we intend to do to move toward something. If you state your intention, it’s YOUR intention — YOU have to do something. It requires action on your part. If you state a goal, you may be relying on external forces to help you achieve it.

So how does this apply to adult learners in higher education? Well, I propose that we start thinking more about intentions; doing so will serve us as learners better in the long run because we will be in charge, and we will have to act.

Example Goals: I want to learn about X. OR – I want to be a better writer. OR – I want a new job as a Muckity Muck.

Example Intentions: I intend, in this class, to learn what I can about X. OR – I intend, in this term, to  improve my academic writing skills. OR – I intend to interview a person who is a Muckity Muck so I can learn about what it will take to be a Muckity Muck.

I am not proposing that we do away with goals entirely — identifying an end point can be helpful to measure our progress and to feel like we’ve accomplished something once we get there. I am proposing, however, that we also consider intentions — what can I do now to help me move along the continuum toward that goal? To help with my practice of being a learner?

I encourage you to think about what your intentions are for this coming class / week / term / assignment. The goal may be to get an A or to learn about Project Management or for goodness sake to graduate — but what do you intend to learn? What actions will you take? What will you do?

"Made, not born." From Indexed.

This is from one of my newest favorite blogs called Indexed. Every weekday the author posts a picture of an index card with a graph or chart that represents a way that she makes sense of things. Some are quite funny, and some, like this one, are simply right. If you have time to kill (really? you have time to kill? who are you?) take a look around.

Thanks, Indexed, for the quick sprinkle of morning sanity on my Cheerios each day.

Bell Tower, Marylhurst University

CAEL, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, published a study last week about PLA — Prior Learning Assessment. What is PLA? Here’s a nifty synopsis of it from the Introduction to the study:

Prior Learning Assessment, or PLA, is another important and often overlooked strategy for helping adults progress towards a degree. PLA is the process by which many colleges evaluate for academic credit the college-level knowledge and skills an individual has gained outside of the classroom (or from non-college instructional programs), including employment, military training/service, travel, hobbies, civic activities and volunteer service. PLA recognizes and legitimizes the often significant learning in which adults have engaged in many parts of their lives.

The summarized results of the study speak to some of the tangible benefits for students:

The data from 62,475 students at the 48 postsecondary institutions in our study show that PLA students
had better academic outcomes, particularly in terms of graduation rates and persistence, than other
adult students. Many PLA students also shortened the time required to earn a degree, depending on the
number of PLA credits earned.

For more information about the study, you can read the article in Inside Higher Ed titled The ‘Prior Learning’ Edge. In the comments section of the article, Tom Flint (formerly from CAEL) references one of my favorite studies about PLA:

…the Fall 2002 article in the Journal of Continuing Higher Education by Maryanne LeGrow, Barry Sheckley, and Marijke Kehrhahn, “Comparison of Problem-Solving Performance Between Adults Receiving Credit via Assessment of Prior Learning and Adults Completing Classroom Courses.” The findings of this study point to enhanced meta-cognitive skills of PLA completers, in that they were found to be able to develop more complex solutions in problem-solving situations than their classroom-educated peers.

Marylhurst University first awarded PLA credit in 1976 — that’s almost 35 years ago! What we’ve found is that while the time and cost savings are certainly appreciated by our PLA students, earning PLA credit is about so much more.

Here are links to Marylhurst’s PLA students talking about their experiences — as you will hear from them, the credit is quite often the icing on the cake:

• Chrissi Antonopoulos – 45 credits through PLA
• Chip Brinks – 33 credits through PLA
• Barbara Eckroad – 45 credits through PLA
• Julie Fleming – 17 credits through PLA
• Debra Giannini – 15 credits through PLA
• Loretta Rowe – 21 credits through PLA
• Ty Wells – 27 credits through PLA
• Stephanie Lillegard’s (a current PLA student) comments about her experience of getting credit.

Thanks to Christine's (TM) on Flickr for allowing this image to be shared!

Time management and the need for constant prioritization and re-prioritization seem to be perennial challenges for adult learners and instructors alike!

In another nifty post, my colleague and friend Harriet Schwartz from The Encouragement Lounge shares some fabulous  strategies for what you can do when you’re so overwhelmed you don’t even know where to begin:

Time Management – The Constant Challenge

I think I can add one:

#6:  Is there a way to combine tasks? For example, can you take the bus to work (or carpool) instead of driving so you can read that chapter for class this week?

Here is one strategy I use a lot, accordingly:  I practice a speech or workshop I need to give while walking my dog. He doesn’t seem to mind, and though he doesn’t always provide the most helpful feedback for improvement, he is generally a good listener.

What tips can you add?

The Didactic Pirate

The Six Steps of Plagiarism

I say “somewhat facetious” because the reality is, for many of us instructors, we get totally ticked when our students plagiarize. We take it personally because we abhor plagiarism, and many of us have worked hard to prevent it! So when a student does it, we’re ready to declare war.

My own philosophy about plagiarism is based on the “teachable moment.” I do what I can to teach students what it is and how to prevent it, and if they slip up, it’s a teachable moment and I re-teach how and why not to do it. This doesn’t mean there are not consequences; it does mean that I believe that my students can learn from their mistakes. (If there is anything that PLA has taught me, it’s that learning from our mistakes is often the best kind of learning we have available to us!)

[An aside as I see an opportunity for a teachable moment right here: The word "plagiarism" comes from the same root word that means "kidnapping." When you borrow someone else's words or ideas and you don't attribute them to the author, you are, in effect, kidnapping them -- taking them as your own. And that's not ok because it is academically dishonest. Period.]

But if it happens again, I find myself like the teacher in the Bargaining stage that the Pirate describes: totally unwilling to discuss alternatives. I also usually get my feelings hurt. I have invested a lot of my time and effort in teaching why and how not to plagiarize, and my best teaching energies were dismissed and blown off. Why? Who knows – there are often myriad reasons, including deadline pressure, pressure for a good grade, continued ignorance, or, in many cases I believe, arrogance and disrespect for others.

I will say, though, that  there are LOTS of great resources for students who genuinely do respect others’ ideas and who want to make sure they don’t inadvertently plagiarize. Here are  a few:

• Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) : Avoiding Plagiarism
• Plagiarism.Org: Educational Tips
• Diana Hacker: Research and Documentation online

As for the rest of you who do it on purpose and think you will get away with it, I’m with the Pirate: Walk the plank! Oh – and good luck with those sharks; they’re usually not as interested in teachable moments as I am. In fact, they’ll swallow you up whole.

Adult learners balance precariously on very thin beams. Our attentions are divided among our professional obligations, our kids, our parents, our bills, our pets, our partners, our lawns that need mowing and our laundry that needs washing. And oh, did I mention that essay to write, that study group to attend, that book to read, that research to do? Yeah – all that LEARNING that needs to happen?

Oh, and what about sleep?

And darnnit — as hard as it is to admit — sometimes we need help! As Mac has told me very clearly these days, when he is in the midst of striving for independence and perfection (hmmm – sound familiar?), help is the last thing he wants from me. He wants to do it (whatever “it” is) himself; he wants to be a super-hero; get it all done and done well; and get credit for it all.  He wants to be self-sufficient and strong, just like we do.

I'm glad dad is here to hang on to!

But indeed, sometimes we just need help. So when you need it, ask for it!

• Ask your partner to make dinner a few nights a week.
• Ask a co-worker to let you sit and read quietly on your lunch break 3 days a week.
• Ask your boss for a day off.
• Ask your instructor for help interpreting an assignment.
• Ask a trusted study partner to proofread your paper for you.
• Ask your kids to clean the bathroom (and thank them gloriously when they do).
• Ask a librarian to help you with a literature search.
• ASK!

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS OF “WHAT MY TODDLER HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT ADULT LEARNING” CAN BE FOUND HERE:

#1 – Learning Can Happen When We Challenge our Perspectives

#2 – Learning is Developmental

#3 – We Learn by Direct Experience

#4 – We Learn by Observing Others, Even If Others Are Not Experts

#5 – The Importance Of Books In Learning

#6 – Selecting the Right Learning Tools

Thanks to ebby on Flickr for making this image available.

I had just finished creating yet another to-do list with a million and one items on it (all to be done by yesterday), and then a colleague shared this quote in a meeting today:

Time is the only thing that is preventing us from getting everything done right away.

I have no idea who originally said it, but WOW — it hits the nail on the head!

Montgomery Improvement Association Booklet, ca. 1960

Looking forward. That’s what I am doing, like the Montgomery Improvement Association. I think, in effect, an “Improvement Association”  is what our Assessment Committee has defined in our creation of the Marylhurst Assessment Program.

A few weeks back, I read a white paper written by Peter Ewell (aka “The Assessment God”) titled Assessment, Accountability, and Improvement: Revisiting the Tension, which was commissioned by the The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. In this article, Ewell articulates two paradigms that exist around assessment in higher education: 1) assessment to be accountable to others, such as funders or accreditors, and 2) assessment to be focused more internally, on improvement. The distinction he describes in this way:

Accountability requires the entity be held accountable to demonstrate, with evidence, conformity with an established standard of process or outcome. The associated incentive for that entitity is to look as good as possible, regardless of the underlying performance. Improvement, in turn, entails an opposite set of incentives. Deficiencies in performance must be faithfully detected and reported so they can be acted upon.  (p. 7)

In addition to articulating the tensions that exist around, within, and across these two paradigms, Ewell commented upon the aspects and importance of culture in thinking about and navigating these tensions. As I’ve gradually been moving into my new role here (Dean for Learning & Program Assessment), I’ve been giving a lot of thought to our “assessment culture” — what it is, is becoming, and might need to be to make student learning and program assessment as meaningful as possible.

As my position description was being circulated among faculty, questions such as “Does this person have authority over programs?” and “Will programs be accountable to this person?” arose. The answer was always “No,” and after reading this article, I am grateful for that. The dichotomy that Ewell presents is also present in institutional roles — in my role, should I be seeking departments to be accountable to me, or seeking ways to build capacity in order to support improvement?

The latter, thank you.

But that returns me to the question of our assessment culture, which implies a shared set of understandings, meanings, and maybe even goals. I would like to believe that my colleagues and I share a passion for teaching and learning (and not just for our subject areas or our students as individuals), and that we value assessment as the key mechanism that helps us understand what we do as teachers, its effects, and how we might continue to improve them — individually and programmatically.  I would like to believe that we share an understanding of what I keep calling the “balanced stool” of teaching, learning, and assessment (it has three legs and if you cut one short, the stool wobbles).  I would also like to believe that pleasing accreditors or funders isn’t our purpose (or at least our primary purpose) in pursuing assessment of student learning and, ultimately, programs. I’m not so sure this is true. I am not sure we all share much of any particular approach when it comes to assessment. Diverse perspectives are healthy in an organization, but so are shared values and purposes.

What I do know is that one idea has kept echoing in my head since reading this article:  Ewell’s notion of the importance of the collective.  Ewell writes this (my own inserts in brackets):

…we must emphasize a commitment to a collective responsibility for teaching and learning and their results. Instead of seeing assessment as an aspect of higher education’s responsibility to its funders [or accreditors], both faculty and academic leaders need to see it as part of our accountability to ourselves [and our students] (p. 15).

Indeed, it is becoming more clear to me that I want to — very intentionally — take the improvement paradigm to heart and to practice in my role.  I want to support continuing to create a culture that takes collective responsibility to make sure that 3-legged stool stands up and doesn’t wobble; that it provides good support to us and to our students; that it’s focused on improvement.

Necessary to a true collective, though, is also an open system — a way for feedback (critical and positive) to inform and change practice as needed. So I seek that from my colleagues; I seek open communication about assessment challenges, departments’ needs, and how the Assessment Program (and me at its helm) is doing.

Yep – like the Montgomery Improvement Association, I am looking forward.

(Thanks to the US National Archives for making the Montgomery Improvement Association picture publically available on Flickr.)