Learning Community Policies and Procedures: A Faculty Orientation

1
Learning Community Policies and Procedures A
Faculty Orientation
2
Presentation Outline

• Planning the LC before the semester begins
  Adrienne Peek
• Innovative pedagogies which add zest to LCs
  Nita Rajagopal (service learning, problem-based
  learning, experiential learning, supplemental
  instruction)
• The first days of a semester and LC activities
• Verifying LC course lists and adding the same
  students Annaliese Hausler-Akpovi
• Uniform LC policies Barbara Jensen
• 4. LC considerations throughout the semester
• Meeting with the LC faculty team regularly Rose
  Engstrom
• Trouble-shooting LC classroom issues Janelle
  Gray
• 5. Fall 2005 Faculty LC course Carol Pinckney

3
What to do to plan a great LC? (Planning the LC
before the semester begins)

• Meet with the LC team regularly to plan
• Compare syllabi and identify common course goals
• Develop a list of desired student learning
  outcomes
• Decide on the student learning outcomes to
  assess, and choose appropriate assessment methods

4
(Planning the LC before the semester begins -
continued)

• Pick some readings (novels, articles, texts,
  etc.) to share in the LC courses
• Develop joint LC assignments or class projects
• Consider some team teaching
• Be creative innovative
• Have fun!

5
Innovative Pedagogies

• -gt Innovative pedagogies are the art we can
  create (or is being created) on the canvas of
  Learning Communities.
• -gt Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian-English
  novelist, once said, Creativity is a type of
  learning process where the teacher and pupil are
  located in the same individual.
• -gt In the process of formulating, adapting, and
  integrating innovative pedagogies in the learning
  communities, the guru becomes the shishya or
  pupil, and the pupils become gurus not only to
  their fellow students but to themselves.

6
Lets look at a few innovative pedagogical
approaches

• Experiential Learning This helps support
  students in-class learning with hands-on
  experience in the world outside the classroom.
  We can sketch several activities, which help our
  students experience the course content in a way
  where theory and reality merge.

7

• Service Learning Here, the highlight is on the
  critical reflection of the service learning
  project that students participate in, so as to
  meet the needs of the community.

8

• Problem-based Learning
• This is a student-centered approach, which
  teaches students how to apply ideas to problem
  situations. Here the group-learning process is
  brought to its full potential, and the emphasis
  is more on the process (the intellectual growth
  that takes place in the process) than the
  solution.

9
Innovative pedagogies in LCs

• Innovative pedagogies subsumed within Learning
  Communities offer faculty the opportunity to
  create engaging learning processes where our
  students learn, share, and experience knowledge
  in a manner which allows the pupil and the
  teacher within the student to be one--perhaps
  forever."

10
The First Day(s) of a Semester

• Verifying that the same students are on all of
  the LC course lists
• Make sure to add the same students to all of the
  LC courses

11

• Uniform LC faculty team policies and procedures

12
Essential

• Harmony, unity, and consistency of classroom
  policies

13
When participating in a learning community team,
teacher team members need to coordinate the
following

• Tardies
• Leaving class early
• Absences

14
Team members should also coordinate policies
concerning

• Late papers
• Plagiarism

15
Other policies should also work in harmony.
These can include the following
Consequences for inappropriate behavior and
inappropriate language
Eating in the classroom
Cell phone usage
16
When policies are harmonious,unified, and
consistent, everyone in the learning community
benefits.
Together Each Accomplishes More
17
LC Considerations Throughout the Semester
18
Regularly scheduled LC Faculty Team meetings
throughout the semester
19

• Work in solidarity.
• Be one unit.

20

• Theres nothing worse than an empty meeting
  table.

• Show up for all meetings!

21

• Brainstorm your ideas and
• see how materials from all the classes overlap.

22

• When the classes are integrated, the students
  see the power of more than one mind.

23
Trouble shooting LC classroom issues
24
These policies have been developed by a professor
team. They are designed to help the students be
more successful in a basic skills learning
community.
Policy Example

• Procedures for addressing
• disruptive behavior
•  
• If students do not follow these class policies
  they will be asked to leave the class for the
  day.
• If a student is asked to leave a class more than
  once, he or she will need to meet with the
  professor team before being allowed to return to
  that class.
•  
• If the disruptive behavior continues, the
  student may be dropped from all of the learning
  community courses.

• -gt Sit in the assigned seats according to the
  seating chart
• -gt Focus on the coursework
• -gt No eating in class
• -gt No classroom disruptions or side
  conversations
• -gt No cell phones turned on (unless it is an
  emergency and you get instructor approval in
  advance)
• -gt No inappropriate body language or comments

25
Fall 2005 Faculty LC courses
A great opportunity to participate in a
friendly faculty learning community

• Beginning course meets
• Fridays from 830 1000
• Advanced course meets
• Fridays from 12 130

26
Why do MJC faculty take the Learning Community
course? Would you consider taking the Learning
Community course for faculty?
27
Want to learn more about MJCs Learning Community
courses for faculty?Want to enroll?(Talk to
Annaliese)