Development of Volunteer SI Leaders Tom Klubi, Learning - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Making SI Work for Senior Students: Supporting the Professional Development of Volunteer SI Leaders

Tom Klubi, Learning Strategist, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre

Challenge confronting Program

• Transition from funded to non-funded model has

meant dependence on volunteer SI leaders (Facilitators):

• How much to ask of volunteer Facilitators:

– How much involvement per week? – Team (2-3 Facilitators per team) approach – how many teams?

• How to give back to volunteer Facilitators:

– provide these senior students with an experiential learning

• pportunity, through which they can acquire skills and

experiences that contribute to their professional development.

FSG Aggregates 2005 - 2014

*Note 1: Change over to 12 week term – September 2009 Note 2: Composition of facilitator cadre for 2008/09 – 30 paid/ 28 volunteer

Funded by GE Grant Not funded

509 834 878 650 292 338 524 567 933 5196 7942 7186 5072 2725 3919 4732 5044 7225 1279 2159 2166 1487 1255 1475 1989 1866 2328 762 1163 1147 893 512 644 770 824 1110

17 24 29 26 21 20 33 29 29 26 30 37 58 85 91 134 141 165

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 8000

20055-20061 20065-20071 20075-20081 20085-20091 20095-20101 20105-20111 20115-20121 20125-20131 20135-20141

Total FSG Sessions Total Attendances Total Unique Students Total Unique Students 2+ Sessions Total of FSG courses Facilitator Cadre (Paid/Volunteer)

Facilitator and Session Totals: Winter Term 2014

Course Facilitators by Course Weekly Sessions Notes BIO 153 13 5 BIO 207 11 5 BIO 210 15 6 CHM 120 17 7 CHM 243 24 10 ENV 100 10 4 FRE 272 1 1 FRE 373 1 1 FRE 382 1 2 FSL 406 1 1 LIN 100 4 2 MAT 102 9 5 MAT 133 14 5 MAT 134 12 5 MAT 135 13 7 MGT 120 16 7 PHY 137 6 3 PSY 100 10 4 SPA 100 4 2 STA 107 4 2 French (CTEP) 7 3 Totals 193 87

Three key program mechanisms that contribute to Facilitator development

• Portfolio building.
• Program Assistants mapping

sessions.

• Active Instructor involvement in

supporting Facilitator teams.

Practical Definition of “Professional Development”

• Is the portfolio enough for “professional development”?
• Portfolio shows variety of experiences, uses the “facilitating

philosophy” to structure and align reflective pieces, and interfaces with the resume (and CCR) concepts of tailoring, work in progress, and transferrable skills and competencies.

• Program Assistants entirely dedicated to the production of

professional-quality dossier-like supporting records and documents.

• Direct support from course Instructors – who better to help

Facilitators construct a professional paradigm that establishes meaning from their experiences than a teaching professional? The Facilitators in essence become junior colleagues, being mentored from the professional perspective.

• 1. Features of Portfolio Approach
• A portfolio features material that would

showcase the variety of the Facilitator's experiences, as well as linking the portfolio material to transferrable skills and competencies featured in resumes.

• The portfolio also encourages the development
• f a reflective process within each Facilitator (a

“facilitating philosophy”) that would give focus and shape to the portfolio.

Portfolio Approach: Variety of Facilitator Experiences

• Showcases Variety:

– in session types and objectives – in types and number of courses supported – in session materials (session plans, handouts, feedback from Learning Strategist, Program Assistants and Instructors) – in Facilitator experiences (facilitating sessions, meetings with Instructors, assisting with Facilitator training)

Portfolio Approach: Reflection on the Facilitator Experience

• Emphasis on reflective thinking and writing:

– Training module conducted by our Centre’s Writing Specialist devoted to critical thinking and reflective writing skills. – Goal is for each Facilitator to build a “Facilitating Philosophy” as a core around which a number of reflection pieces on various experiences (assessment of a session, impressions of training, reactions to feedback from program assistants and instructors) can be built into the portfolio.

The Portfolio as Resume

• Involvement of the Career Centre and the Co-

Curricular Record program in helping Facilitators visualize their portfolios as an organic part of their resume.

– Concept of “tailoring” – using portfolio materials as a Master Reserve to configure a variety of resumes. – Using the facilitating philosophy as a context for experiential learning as a co-curricular activity. – Portfolio as a “work in progress” to chronicle personal growth and the acquisition of a skills set inventory.

The Portfolio as a Resume – Linking Transferrable Skills and Competencies

• Co-Curricular Record connects Facilitator

experiences with Inventory of Competencies:

– Communication – Teamwork – Leadership – Self-awareness – Reflective thinking – Knowledge application to daily life

A facilitated study group differs from regular classroom in that it provides a comfortable environment for students to share their thoughts and work

• collaboratively. The aim is not to teach but to help students initiate their own

learning - a process that facilitates undoing their learned helplessness. As a facilitator, the goal is not to teach course material but rather to guide students in accessing information from the best possible sources. Since facilitators have already taken the class and achieved top grades, they possess knowledge on how to target the information for maximal output. Sessions focus on the best study techniques tailored to the specific course, developing study strategies, discussing and clarifying concepts, and comparing study notes. I can personally attest to the importance and effectiveness of facilitated study

• groups. Since facilitating study sessions, I have begun forming my own study

groups to obtain the same support and collaborative learning environment that is the keystone of well organized FSG groups. Demonstrating the importance of taking initiative in one's own learning in a supportive and collaborative environment is the goal of every facilitated study group.

My Facilitating Philosophy

As a facilitator I strive to create a positive learning space for students: a space to engage students, encourage questions, and promote discussion. My goal as a facilitator is to share study strategies and study approaches that assist students in becoming effective and efficient learners. Facilitated Study Groups are a dynamic, symbiotic process. A facilitator's role is to connect with students, understand students' problems, and guide students' navigation towards a solution. Through the guiding process, facilitators fortify their understanding for the course material and reinforce their skills to communicate clearly, logically and creatively. From my experience, motivation is a key factor in a students' success. When I facilitate study sessions, I aim to feed the students' motivation through short term goals, such that students are constantly rewarded by their hard work and good study habits. A high level of motivation drives persistence and practice, and ultimately, students gain skills that will help them become independent, self-directed learners.

My Facilitating Philosophy

Sample Outline

Sample Outline Cont’d

Sample Outline

Sample Outline Cont’d

• 2. Program Assistants Creating Visual

Records of Sessions

• Main role for the Program Assistants – to produce

visual records (schematic diagrams accompanied by photos – about 7 of each per session).

– Feedback – enables Program Assistant to give each Facilitator team immediate feedback so that adjustments can be made for future sessions. – Session Record – documents the Facilitator’s session and complements the other materials (session

• utline, reflection pieces) to provide a more complete

representation of the study group session for the Facilitator’s portfolio.

Visual Mapping Sample

Visual Mapping Sample

Visual Mapping Sample

Visual Mapping Sample

• 3. Instructor Involvement in

Supporting Facilitator Teams

• The direct and active involvement of the course

Instructors is essential, as the guidance, feedback and insight that they provide to the volunteer Facilitator teams comes from a professional perspective.

• The course Instructors maintain regular contact

with their Facilitator teams to compare notes and discuss best practice, to structure and coordinate session planning, and to anticipate student concerns.

Instructor Approaches to Facilitator Support Meetings

• 2nd Year CHM: face-to-face meetings every week, usually in

small groups; each Facilitator presents issues from previous week for discussion, and the entire group, including Instructor, provides feedback and suggestions. Result: meeting structure sets conditions and expectations for Facilitators and facilitates the emergence of “best practice”.

• 2nd Year French: face-to-face meetings every second week

– a reading is assigned before each meeting. Instructor feedback usually focuses on introducing variety of activities to increase the collaborative aspect of sessions. Result: readings provide structure and criteria for meetings, and session plans become more organic and focused.

Instructor Approaches to Facilitator Support Meetings

• 1st Year Linguistics: face-to-face meetings every week;

session plans are discussed and reflection notes

• encouraged. Instructor feedback focusses on session

goals (scaffolding) and what to anticipate. Result: Facilitator teams share best practice and coordinate their session plans.

• 2nd Year CHM: face-to-face meetings every 2-3 weeks,

usually by team. Instructor sends out a PowerPoint every week with topics, discussion questions and concerns to help guide session preparation. Result: Facilitators understand the importance placed by Instructor on engaging students and developing activities to address instructor concerns.

Instructor Approaches to Facilitator Support Meetings

• 1st Year Math: meetings are via bi-weekly email;

the focus for each session plan in the sequence of sessions is given by the Instructor – sample exercises are accompanied with strategies and suggested outcomes. Facilitator feedback on session outcomes is required within a couple of days of each session. Result: each Facilitator team understands its role and the importance of providing feedback to the instructor so that adjustments can be made to the scaffolding of sessions.

Improving the Program

• Increase the number of Program Assistants (currently three) to a

level at which a sufficient number of sessions are mapped per term and at different parts of the term. The ideal would be to assign one Program Assistant per “discipline cluster” and map 3 - 4 sessions per team per term.

• Distribute a “best practices” document to the Instructors, with

ideas for interactions in their meetings with Facilitators. For those Instructors with multiple teaching and research commitments, a Program Assistant could act as a liaison with the Facilitator teams.

• Establish “Portfolio Windows” for one-to-one meetings (with me) as

each term winds down (Nov.-Dec., and April-May) to help the Facilitators start organizing materials for their portfolios, then shifting to an “e-Portfolio” mode for ongoing support and feedback from Program Assistants, Instructors and me.