“Joy is of the will which labours, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph.” -- William Butler Yeats

photo © 2007 Brandon Fick | more info (via: Wylio)


Congratulations on a successful completion of the first semester!

Take time over the break to relax, reflect, and rejuvenate.

Take stock of all your growth and accomplishments, and make a plan to push yourself even further next semester. This semester is just the start of something much bigger.

Watch the videos that are (and will be) posted -- they are all unique and impressive, and I think we learn something from watching each one.

Thanks to Lee and Kaitlyn for making videos to share with us; I continue to be inspired by our SCSU peer mentors (especially Kaitlyn's leadership, dedication, perserverance, and intensity and Lee's energy, profundity, honesty, and intensity)!

Come find me next semester if you need me...but also go and do your own thing -- you're ready for what comes next!

Creative Inspiration

In another post, I referenced creativity guru Keri Smith who always inspires me. She has a great post on her blog that everyone should read; it's called "Secrets of the Self Employed (or How to be an Amazing [insert profession here])" and it lays out some basic guidelines that are applicable to many professions and pursuits. Some of my favorites from this post are:

-- You are always working for yourself, even when you work for others.

-- There are no actual rules for how to become a successful [insert profession here]. Make your own path.

-- What you think becomes your reality.

-- Take some small risks on a regular basis.

-- Always come back to work that excites you. Even if you get off track for a while.

-- You can reinvent yourself at any time.

Sometimes in the midst of stress (like finals week), it's hard to see these truths, but I believe they are truths that can help us focus on the bigger picture. Read the rest of her post -- there's a lot of food for thought there.

photo © 2010 Ganesha Balunsat | more info (via: Wylio)

INQ Experiments and Results

photo © 2006 Anna | more info (via: Wylio)


Each INQ class is an experiment: how can we aid the transition from high school? how can we prepare students for the academic challenges that await them beyond the first semester? how can we not just teach them the tools of success but let them experience success? This last one is so important to me. For example, I can tell students how to manage time or ask them to read articles on it or have them fill out worksheets on it, but until they truly experience juggling lots of tasks for a specific deadline, then they don't know how they personally react or how best to manage it themselves. And all students are different and have to figure out what works on their own. INQ is all about whatever the student puts into the experiment and whatever the student gets out of the experiment.

Here, at the end of the semester, I am proud of my students' many accomplishments, but I know that I can't take credit for them. They are not my accomplishments; like everything else in INQ, they belong to the students.

But I do want to acknowledge those accomplishments:

I have seen students gain confidence in blogging, writing entries that were fluid, fun to read, and creative, not just fulfilling assignments. I have seen students come up with creative titles, themes that carry through the semester of blogging, and openers and closers that make the writing professional.

I have also seen students master lots of technology, from embedding videos in blogs to using iMovie and Windows Movie Maker to converting files into various formats. In the videos, I have also seen creativity, humor, professionality, engaging openers and thoughtful closers.

I have seen students become engaged in classroom discussion, even some who didn't want to talk or felt shy in the beginning of the semester. I saw students go from not understanding what "college level thinking" was to becoming the questioners, the ones who pushed the envelope in class discussion.

I have seen students distinguish themselves, capitalize on their strengths and present their work and ideas with pride and confidence. But this skill didn't come at the expense of others, since I saw much support and camaraderie among students instead of competition. I saw students give feedback because they knew what they were talking about but gave it in constructive, helpful ways.

The first semester is not an easy semester, and INQ is not an easy class (in some ways), but at the end of it all, I see many students showing me that they're prepared for the coming semesters, that they know what to expect and how to achieve their goals. All I can say is, "Good for you. You worked hard at this experiment and deserve all the positive results that have come out of it."

The Ongoing Process of Becoming a College Student; Cultivating Habits of Mind

As the semester winds down, I've asked everyone to do some reflecting over what has been achieved, and I want to add a few thoughts. Transitioning from high school to college is a long process, one that takes more than just one semester to completely achieve. However, I have seen much transition already. Many of my students have made significant progress in replacing college-level habits of mind with high school habits. Let me clarify:

High School Habits

Lack of Confidence and Independence
Complaining
Panicking when faced with something new, difficult, confusing
Not Doing an Assignment if it's hard
Slacking
Waiting for the teacher to tell you what to do
Procrastination
Completing the Minimum Requirements and Expecting an A
Thinking that the Teacher is in charge of the Learning Experience
Memorization

College-Level Habits

Confidence, Independence
Buckling Down to do the Hard Work
Relishing a Challenge
Starting an Assignment as soon as you get it
Making a Plan for finishing assignments in a timely manner
Taking Responsibility to Figure Things out
Taking Risks
Going Beyond the Minimum Requirements
Knowing that the Student is in charge of the Learning Experience
Critical and Creative Thinking

This all doesn't happen in the first semester; it is a process that is ongoing throughout college, but does happen gradually with continuous commitment and reflection. The gains you have made so far will hopefully continue throughout your college career. By the time you graduate, the university expects that you will acquire a basic level of general education, specific tools and training for your major, and these intangible skills and habits that prepare you in important ways for the careers that await you after college.

photo © 2007 Beverly | more info (via: Wylio)


**Update: Congratulations to Shekira who exemplified College Habits of Mind by finishing all of her blog posts and her final self-assessment two weeks early! (Kudos also to Lyndsay who completed her self-assessment already!)

Wrapping Up the Semester's Work

A few students asked about events on campus that could help finish their Campus Safari Assignment. This week, the University Choir has its concert today, the Creative Music Orchestra has a concert tomorrow, there are a couple of small ensemble performances Wednesday, and the University Concert Band has their semester-end performance Thursday. There are also a number of other events happening as always. See the university's Events Calendar for more details.

Our "Blogging the University" Assignment is also coming to an end. Here is what the last few weeks look like:

This week: 1) Write a post that describes what your ideal life after college would be like (this idea was inspired by Creativity Guru Keri Smith who has a similar prompt here.) 2) Reflect on your experience in a learning community (the same group of students placed in two classes) and tell us what you'll miss most about this group next semester.

Next week: 1) Discuss your greatest successes and failures/weaknesses from this first semester. 2) Discuss your personal, social, and academic goals for next semester.

Finals week: Post your Final Self-Assessment.

photo © 2009 Jeff Golden | more info (via: Wylio)

Final Self-Assessment Assignment

All semester we have talked about how necessary it is to be able to know how to assess college-level work and to be able to self-critique. The tools for improvement and assessment should not be a secret held by the professor, but instead a regular part of the learning process for students. A self-assessment assignment is a common way for professors to see not just what students have learned but how well students understand where they are in the learning process and where they need to improve.

Today in class I asked students to go one step further and design the self-assessment assignment, literally defining the criteria for assessment. The students did an excellent job of crafting the assignment, noting the specific requirements and grading criteria, while also leaving a lot of room for personal interpretation within the assignment so that each final product would not need to be a cookie cutter piece of writing. These self-assessments will be the last blog posts for the semester, and, in my opinion, provide a perfect closure to our collective blogging.

As always, I can't wait to read them! (If you are an INQ student, check email for the assignment created by today's class members.)

Drafts of Final Video Projects are due!

Check out these four video drafts which have been posted already:

1) Victoria's video on studying abroad in Hungary to find out more about her roots

2) Alexis' video on her dream to become a singer in NYC

3) Lyndsay's video on what inspires her

4) Kristen's video detailing her plan to become a nurse

Update: A few more have been uploaded since I posted this, and I reconfigured my list of blogs on the sidebar so it shows most recently updated first. Also, just about everyone who posted drafts is asking for feedback, so leave a comment or question to help them think about where to go with their projects.