Post 1 - Group 3: Clark, GSU Perimeter, Houston, Lane, Suffolk

Briefly describe one thing you do OR want to do in your work in diversity, inclusion, and equity


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Post 1 - Group 3: Clark, GSU Perimeter, Houston, Lane, Suffolk  

Post 1: What I do already in my classes. I reviewed quite a few pages and made check marks on items that I do already and things I need to work harder at so...
Mitigating Stereotype Threat and Solo Status: I always tell my story at the right time which was just this week in my classes-- I felt the need to give students an opportunity to pick their path (because there was two schools of thought with a portion of the course)-- I let them decide but before then, I told MY story to let them know I'm trying to give them tasks that i know they will be successful in because I've been through XYZ myself. A few students reached out to me thanking me for sharing. Our team has also been trying to show images in our courses that represent students we ACTUALLY SEE at GSA-- we incorporated students and their posters at GSA showing the ethnic and gender diversity of students that are currently in the geosciences doing real research. We have also incorporated scientist spotlights (black woman scientist during February) and Polly found a neat article about a war hero that had a physical disability and was actually told by his father he can't be a geologist because of his disability!
Supporting the Whole Student: As I said earlier, there was an issue with an assignment i had given so i actually gave them a choice-- do this or that and you pick what you think is best for YOU. They took a vote and I recorded their responses and will grade them accordingly. I think it worked out well because for one, they know I'm pulling for them to be successful and if they want to do it one way or the other, who cares as long as they do the work.
Instructional Scaffolding: Online labs are very painful so the new design is this scaffolding approach. Traditionally students would either do the lab or not (all or nothing) whereas here with smaller bite sized tiers, they can get work done bit by bit, and they can be corrected before moving on. If life gets in the way, they still have some work turned in and can get partial credit.
Proactive: My syllabus and instructions are extraordinarily explicit... so when a student (rarely) comes to me citing confusion, I am perplexed. Students will know everything that they need to know and how it will count for the entire semester. I do provide a variety of content (video lectures, written notes, study guides, interactive assignments) to cover all learning styles.

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This post was edited by Scott Mandia on Mar, 2020
I am very aware of the gender bias in science. As I posted in Post 2, scientists may think they are less bias due to their training to be objective but I do see it. I recall a 2014 AGU talk on the cryosphere. Every presenter was speaking about Arctic sea ice loss. After two males had spoken, there were a few very cordial questions from their male peers in the audience. Then, Dr. Jennifer Francis (Rutgers) spoke on the same topic. Afterward, two males asked very aggressive questions and spoke to her like she was not worthy to be there. I was stunned and ashamed. I tell my students this story and I also explain to them that they will see many female scientists in my images and videos because I think it is very important for women in my class to know that there are other women in climate science. I also want them to be aware that there is gender bias so that they may be more on guard when it happens. Although, I am confident most women are so used to it the guard is already there.

BTW, in case you do not know, Dr. Jennifer Francis is now one of the top sea ice experts in the world and her sea ice loss - jet stream changes hypothesis is now accepted by many researchers. Take that male hecklers!

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One topic that stood out to me in the first readings was teaching urban geology for urban students. I have often tried to get students into natural settings as I thought exposure to a new location would benefit them. However, making the topic as relevant to their own experience as possible has merit. It is something they will think about more often after they leave the course and something they can share with others more easily.

I have also wanted to develop an environmental justice class for several years. I believe there are many relevant case studies we can explore here in the Pacific Northwest. To start, I plan to begin my environmental science course with a local case study next term. It will help put the ecology we focus on during the first few weeks into a context that will have more meaning for the students. At Clark, we just expanded our spring break by two more weeks due to the virus, so I will have a month to prepare for that. Here is a link to some indigenous case studies that Evergreen State College has compiled http://nativecases.evergreen.edu/ I noticed the InTeGrate module on this topic as well. Thank you!

Our SAGE team recently received some of our demographic data on student success. We have some analysis to complete and I am looking forward to those next steps in our work.

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What I already do to foster a sense of inclusion is to build community. I run a native plant center on campus which can at times feel like a meditation space, crisis center, party central area, plant therapy group, music central, you name it - it's all happening at the Clark College Native Plant Center. Most of all it's a place that students who may not feel like they belong at college, feel like they can be themselves. We have a lot of laughs and some tears depending on the day but at the end of the day, it's a wonderful community of people who love plants, and love the way they feel when they are working on "plant time," which is a tremendous departure from our fast paced world. We serve over 60 volunteers each quarter for a period of 8 hours in a service learning mode, host up to 4 student workers and up to 4 interns each quarter. I notice that students feel they can be themselves in this space and sometimes it's hard to get them to leave at the end of the day when we want to close up shop. I love hearing them talk about their family traditions around plants, gardening and food. The written reflections we get back from students in the service learning program are inspiring as they often talk about how therapeutic a space it is, how friendly the staff and volunteers are and how empowered they feel when they see that they can propagate a native plant. They often express a sense of ownership towards the NPC and a sense of belonging to this community which inspires me to continue to volunteer my time to co-direct the project.

One thing I hope to play a role in incorporating is an environmental justice class (Rebecca Martin beat me to the punch in her post!). It's really been Rebecca's idea to implement this but when she approached our department with this idea we were all solidly behind it. I really enjoyed reading through the environmental justice and freshwater resources module which has very good material that we could adapt to use in our class. I can't get over all the good resources that are presented in this class. I spend soooo much of my time reading over them and getting ideas. At times, I actually feel overwhelmed. So I am bookmarking some to go back to and taking notes so I don't forget about them. I also really want to share them with my colleagues who are not participating in this project so I want to figure out a way to cross train our other faculty in our department. Anyway these are just thoughts bubbling up as I go through the resources that are linked for our perusal. Lots of good stuff here!

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Hello all-
One thing that I already do to foster inclusion is to make a clear structure for my course and to have a variety of ways that students can interact with the material (reading, watching videos, taking online quizzes, working in groups, etc.). I hadn't initially realized that these practices were ways to make sure that all students feel included, but my exposure to the principles of Universal Design in Learning, through a workshop, has helped me to realize how important these things are.

One thing I would like to do to is to include more images of and activities about scientists in my content material, particularly those of women and people of color. I hope that more of my students will be able to identify with scientists.

I look forward to reading your ideas!
-Michelle

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I am happy to recognize that in our department, we work on the engagement component of diversity and inclusion. In our classes, we mentor students in undergraduate research projects, so students can feel/imagine themselves as successful scientists, independent of their background, gender, and ethnicity. Regarding the continuity component to support diversity and inclusion, I have been naturally working on this, while acting as a role model for students of color because I recognize myself as a representative of this type of minority. Recently, I have been trying to engage minority students to be part of a Community College Innovation Challenge team, and fortunately, I have created a team where two women, one of them from a minority group, are team members.

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The thing that got my attention the most in the readings was the recognition of implicit biases. It's easy to see some of the challenges when I look at a classroom of 20 or more students and see one African-American or female student. But they've overcome the most blatant and explicit biases just by showing up. It's the not-so-obvious biases that I need to focus my attention on as a teacher. I guess the first thing I can do is show confidence in students who may feel underrepresented in the classroom. But I need to dig more deeply.

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So sorry to be late to the party, but I have actually been reading through these resources over the past couple of weeks. I am particularly interested in the section on teaching urban geology. I have browsed these resources, but I want to be able to take more time to really look at some of the teaching examples.

I do believe that the way to bringing in more diversity is to make our material relevant to everyone. Of course, we know it IS relevant to all people because we do all live on the same planet, but to our students that isn't obvious. There are so many teaching resources available through SERC and SAGE that it is almost overwhelming. I am making a concerted effort to point out diversity among the scientific community. Just last week I sent out a little blurb about Jack Horner having dyslexia.

One thing that I know I do well already is to create community in my face to face classroom. Several times per semester I bring in a coffee pot (and tea and hot chocolate) and/or granola bars (purchased buy one get one free at Publix) and tell them to help themselves. I have small classes so this is easy to do. When people are snacking or standing by the coffee pot, they start to talk to each other and to ME. I am trying to figure out how to do something similar in my online classes - like invite them to a WebEX hangout to have coffee together and talk about how things are going.

In my online classes, I have been using automated emails triggered by my LMS. Students reply often telling me how much they appreciate me checking on them or reminding them that something is due. Anything I can do to show that I care is good for their mindset.

I would like to learn more about biases, because I believe that I am not biased at all, but as we all know, most of us are in some way. I know that is also true of my students, and the subject matter in some ways. One thing that I strive to do is to make the terminology in the introductory courses as straight-forward as possible. I have discovered over the years that vocabulary usage leaves some students behind, so now I try to make a point to DEFINE things. And I am not just talking about geology terms - words that I thought were common English are not understood by many of our students. I have been shocked to find how many do not know words like COMPOSITION until I start using it. My assumption is that they know it, and that is not always the case.

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Sorry to be late in posting. This virus thing has complicated everything.
What I already do in my classes is to bridge course content to current topics in the news. I try to watch the evening news and read at least some of the front page articles in the newspaper every day before class. Then while driving into work, I think of some way to start the class off by asking who has heard about a certain thing that is happening, and I relate it to Geology or Environmental Science. There is always something going on. An earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a movie being filmed at a nearby quarry, rivers (pollution? flooding?)and our local drinking water sources, sewage spills (all too common), gasoline prices, pipelines, emissions by a local industry, etc. There is always something in the news related to class. I try to show then how the course is relevant in their every day lives.

I also work on infusing sustainability into the course with things like a recycling project. Collect recyclables for a week, and find three places in their area where they can recycle them. And take a selfie, or have someone take their picture while putting their recyclables into the bin.

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And regarding diversity, ALL of my classes are diverse. Out of four courses this semester, with about 20 students in each, I only have one white student. Most are African American with many students from other countries, including Asia, India, Hispanic-speaking countries, Caribbean islands, US Virgin Islands, countries in Africa, etc. Everything I do is related to diversity, and I like to bring in examples from various places around the world.

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Late to the party! This activity took me hours - so many of the resources were very rich and deep, and I admit I got into some YouTube rabbit holes. Add finals week + COVID and - you get it.

What I do already:
- Diversity statement in syllabus, and also during first week of class set the stage for who I am, why I care about astronomy / physics, recognize that my learners have varying interests and priorities.
- I survey students before class to try and understand the profiles of my learners. This term I also had them post on my LMS forum, and I think I'll continue that next term, because then everyone can identify peers who are "like them."
- Micro-validations: welcoming ALL questions (even off-topic ones) and answers (right and wrong answers, and I validate strange ideas / creative thinking)
- Provide project choice - I had my students do a VERY low-stakes project (1% of final grade) in any format and on any topic related to class. Surprising to me for the low-stakes, they took it quite seriously and I got some AWESOME results including two podcasts and quite a few presentations and articles about women in astronomy!

What I can do better:
- Connect to local data and real-world situations more. Perhaps by targeting astronomy in the news.
- Connect what we are learning to career skills - many of my students still think they are taking astronomy for the science credit but also because it's just interesting. But I don't see many of them thinking that the skills we are building are relevant to their future! So I'm hoping to ask them more questions about how what they are learning could be relevant to their career goals (which I'll ask in my start-of-term survey / forum post).
- Use the idea of a cultural “lens” and identify my own cultural perspective/bias - I only know how content connects to my life in my cultural context, and have no idea how content may connect to student’s lives in other ways. When I ask reflection questions like “How does this connect to what you already know?” I often get "this is all new to me, it connects to nothing I know about"… I may need to shift to asking about the meaning of the content instead of just the content itself, and sharing my own answer each week to “prime the pump” and get students in a discussion mode (responding as in a conversation instead of having to dredge up an answer out of nowhere).

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Hi Rebecca,
I think it's awesome you are interested in teaching a course in environmental justice. I just taught a brand new environmental justice course for the first time. Here is my syllabus, which relied on some of the Integrate modules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DEHAR6nSEPgl24jFNkWg8dnkXdZO9e9RcEqiLX2UN...

Let me know if you have any questions about it and happy to help with any planning.

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Hi Kathleen,
It is great to hear about the native plant garden. I'm finding myself finding lots of solace in my garden right now. What a great resource that space must be.

I just read your post after Rebecca's. I just developed and taught an EJ course and my syllabus is linked above. Happy to chat and share my experience! carterd@linnbenton.edu if that is easier.

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Hey Michelle,
I really like your point about class structure, and how it is not just good for one group of students but ALL students. About highlighting diverse scientists--have you heard of scientist spotlights? Can't remember if they were highlighted yet, but I have used them all this past quarter to do this. Here's a paper about them: https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.16-01-0002 Here;s one I created: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14f-A3Aci73CRcS0067nv7gzqWZ4HKBtkhEWjJCW3S... and happy to share more, just drop me a line.

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Hi Everyone - I am also late to the party, my apologies!

I was so happy to find the Phillips article, How Diversity Makes Us Smarter (in Scientific American). I read it years ago (maybe when it first came out, or perhaps when it got renewed attention in 2017) and I remembered the ideas but not the title or the author and could never seem to track it down again. I actually clapped out loud when I realized I had found the article that I had been thinking about for so long! Anyway, I was so happy to read it again with a more informed perspective.

I have shared the conclusions of the article - that diverse groups are better at creative thinking and problem solving - with my students in the past, primarily as a justification for forcing them to do group work, ha! I find the article such an inspiring read, and I decided that I am going to share the actual article with my students as well. I plan to have the students read the article and then share their perspective on the conclusion (maybe with a guided discussion post - how does what you read map on to your personal experiences? Does this seem relevant to you personally or professionally? How will this change your approach to this class?). Then I plan on emphasizing that the skills that they describe as being improved by diversity (creativity, understanding novel information and perspectives, problem solving) are all key aspects of thinking scientifically. In general, I think this is a great activity for the first week of the semester, but I plan on doing it now, too. I think it is actually an important moment to have now, in the new online environment that we are all transitioning into. It will be so much easier for students to be thinking and problem solving in an independent way now, and maybe a reminder of the value of others' ideas will be helpful.

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Deniz and Michelle (and others) - I am really focusing now on this idea of offering students different paths or options for assignments that you both mention. Considering all of the new changes, obstacles, and stresses that we are all so unexpectedly facing, I think that giving students options is such a compassionate thing to do! I plan on creating modules by topic; each module would contain a reading assignment and "lecture" to watch, plus a variety of supplementary materials (you tubes, article links, etc) and then three or four tasks from which students will pick one or two to complete for credit. I am thinking article summaries, create an infographic or podcast, complete a worksheet/graphic organizer, etc. This should give students flexibility to complete what they want when they can, and I hope it helps them have a sense of control over things.

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Edgar,
So great to read about all the cool things you are doing to promote diversity and inclusion. I've heard Lane biology engages students in CURES--course undergraduate research experiences. Are you involved in these (ie is this what you are referring to in your post)? Love to hear more about this!

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Andrea,
Thanks for sharing! I really like your discussion about being explicit in why you teach astronomy. I also think the survey is such a great activity to get to know students. Do you ask them a specific question about their specific learning styles?

Your discussion about cultural context really got me to stop and think. I've always thought there is so much there, in terms of how other cultures (past and present) connect with celestial objects, and I've always thought it would be such a great way to start an astronomy course with a survey about these. I've never pulled this off, but it might set a great tone and be a hook for a wide variety of students from different cultural backgrounds.

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I am so so sorry for being sooooooo late to this post. I thought I had everything under control (of course I can migrate my courses online - I've been teaching online for years!). These past two weeks have been such a BIG wake up call for me, and I have truly felt swamped. Then when I actually started to take the time to review all the material for the tasks for this Activity, I felt swamped all over again - there is so much material available! And I did find many of the articles would not upload correctly for me without requiring a purchase - maybe I am doing it wrong ?

Anyway, my thoughts on What I am currently doing - I do try to make every effort to get to know every student I have on a personal level. The effort is more concerted in my F2F classes, but even in my online courses I begin each semester with a discussion board asking students to introduce themselves, and tell something fun and interesting about themselves, as well as why they are taking the course. I am often very surprised at how much "discussion" does take place in this board as the students respond to each other, exclaiming how they had thought they were the only one who _____ (fill in the blank). And in all my lecture slide presentations, I make the most effort I can to include images of a wide array of diversities in the images. I have become very conscious in recent years how "white" many of the publishers' images in their slide banks are. So I do a lot of modification of these.

As far as what I would like to be doing more ..... there are so many things I want to try! But I think I would like to start with something simple, such as making the concept of Inclusion much more explicit in both my Syllabus and in the classroom atmosphere. I think the idea of the posting in visible places a department statement of inclusion and acceptance would be a great thing at each of our campuses. And in the realm of increasing diversity in geosciences, I am (and have been for a long time) intrigued by fostering collaboration with our sister 4YC's in the area. I have followed the progression of the program at UTEP. I would love to get something like that set up with our students, and with a couple of recent Transfer agreements we have set up, I think we may actually be able to move forward on this.

And at this time, I am finding that just being a listening post for my students by email as they check in and report on their status, has a positive effect. So many of my students are emailing me, thanking me for checking in with them, showing interest in their situations, and expressing my sympathies with the difficulties they are going through. Many have thanked me for not holding synchronous class meetings - most are overwhelmed with technology issues and internet access at this time, along with whatever family issues they are having, that having the extra stress of having to log in to the course at a specific time is positively frightening.

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Originally Posted by Lorraine Carey


I am so so sorry for being sooooooo late to this post. I thought I had everything under control (of course I can migrate my courses online - I've been teaching online for years!). These past two weeks have been such a BIG wake up call for me, and I have truly felt swamped. Then when I actually started to take the time to review all the material for the tasks for this Activity, I felt swamped all over again - there is so much material available! And I did find many of the articles would not upload correctly for me without requiring a purchase - maybe I am doing it wrong ?

Anyway, my thoughts on What I am currently doing - I do try to make every effort to get to know every student I have on a personal level. The effort is more concerted in my F2F classes, but even in my online courses I begin each semester with a discussion board asking students to introduce themselves, and tell something fun and interesting about themselves, as well as why they are taking the course. I am often very surprised at how much "discussion" does take place in this board as the students respond to each other, exclaiming how they had thought they were the only one who _____ (fill in the blank). And in all my lecture slide presentations, I make the most effort I can to include images of a wide array of diversities in the images. I have become very conscious in recent years how "white" many of the publishers' images in their slide banks are. So I do a lot of modification of these.

As far as what I would like to be doing more ..... there are so many things I want to try! But I think I would like to start with something simple, such as making the concept of Inclusion much more explicit in both my Syllabus and in the classroom atmosphere. I think the idea of the posting in visible places a department statement of inclusion and acceptance would be a great thing at each of our campuses. And in the realm of increasing diversity in geosciences, I am (and have been for a long time) intrigued by fostering collaboration with our sister 4YC's in the area. I have followed the progression of the program at UTEP. I would love to get something like that set up with our students, and with a couple of recent Transfer agreements we have set up, I think we may actually be able to move forward on this.

And at this time, I am finding that just being a listening post for my students by email as they check in and report on their status, has a positive effect. So many of my students are emailing me, thanking me for checking in with them, showing interest in their situations, and expressing my sympathies with the difficulties they are going through. Many have thanked me for not holding synchronous class meetings - most are overwhelmed with technology issues and internet access at this time, along with whatever family issues they are having, that having the extra stress of having to log in to the course at a specific time is positively frightening.





I guess I can add that now I know how my students feel with everything going on!!

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Originally Posted by Robin Nagy


Hi Everyone - I am also late to the party, my apologies!

I have shared the conclusions of the article - that diverse groups are better at creative thinking and problem solving - with my students in the past, primarily as a justification for forcing them to do group work, ha! I find the article such an inspiring read, and I decided that I am going to share the actual article with my students as well. I plan to have the students read the article and then share their perspective on the conclusion (maybe with a guided discussion post - how does what you read map on to your personal experiences? Does this seem relevant to you personally or professionally? How will this change your approach to this class?). Then I plan on emphasizing that the skills that they describe as being improved by diversity (creativity, understanding novel information and perspectives, problem solving) are all key aspects of thinking scientifically. In general, I think this is a great activity for the first week of the semester, but I plan on doing it now, too. I think it is actually an important moment to have now, in the new online environment that we are all transitioning into. It will be so much easier for students to be thinking and problem solving in an independent way now, and maybe a reminder of the value of others' ideas will be helpful.



Robin -
I like the idea of having them read it and then posing those questions. I would add another prompt to have them provide an example of a time that they worked in a group for a class project/lab and how someone in the group made their project better or improved their own learning from someone else's input. Just a thought.

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Originally Posted by Lorraine Carey


I am so so sorry for being sooooooo late to this post. I thought I had everything under control (of course I can migrate my courses online - I've been teaching online for years!). These past two weeks have been such a BIG wake up call for me, and I have truly felt swamped. Then when I actually started to take the time to review all the material for the tasks for this Activity, I felt swamped all over again - there is so much material available! And I did find many of the articles would not upload correctly for me without requiring a purchase - maybe I am doing it wrong ?

Anyway, my thoughts on What I am currently doing - I do try to make every effort to get to know every student I have on a personal level. The effort is more concerted in my F2F classes, but even in my online courses I begin each semester with a discussion board asking students to introduce themselves, and tell something fun and interesting about themselves, as well as why they are taking the course. I am often very surprised at how much "discussion" does take place in this board as the students respond to each other, exclaiming how they had thought they were the only one who _____ (fill in the blank). And in all my lecture slide presentations, I make the most effort I can to include images of a wide array of diversities in the images. I have become very conscious in recent years how "white" many of the publishers' images in their slide banks are. So I do a lot of modification of these.

As far as what I would like to be doing more ..... there are so many things I want to try! But I think I would like to start with something simple, such as making the concept of Inclusion much more explicit in both my Syllabus and in the classroom atmosphere. I think the idea of the posting in visible places a department statement of inclusion and acceptance would be a great thing at each of our campuses. And in the realm of increasing diversity in geosciences, I am (and have been for a long time) intrigued by fostering collaboration with our sister 4YC's in the area. I have followed the progression of the program at UTEP. I would love to get something like that set up with our students, and with a couple of recent Transfer agreements we have set up, I think we may actually be able to move forward on this.

And at this time, I am finding that just being a listening post for my students by email as they check in and report on their status, has a positive effect. So many of my students are emailing me, thanking me for checking in with them, showing interest in their situations, and expressing my sympathies with the difficulties they are going through. Many have thanked me for not holding synchronous class meetings - most are overwhelmed with technology issues and internet access at this time, along with whatever family issues they are having, that having the extra stress of having to log in to the course at a specific time is positively frightening.



Lorraine,
I can really identify with your post as far as balancing everything out right now. The contact with students seems really important right now, and like you, I'm seeing that they need it to be asynchronous. I did have a synchronous meeting that I recorded for those that couldn't be there, and I was surprised that students actually watched it later. Also, I'm trying to help my daughter with her online learning for second grade, and I've been messaging her teacher a lot because I'm having so many issues with uploading her work and other things. I feel like an idiot, but I know that this is part of online learning. I just worry about other parents (and their children), as well as our current students that are being met with these barriers and feeling like they do not belong. I've been trying to share my struggles with them, so they aren't afraid to ask. I don't want anyone feeling like they are on the outside and don't belong now that we've moved online.

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Originally Posted by Polly Bouker


So sorry to be late to the party, but I have actually been reading through these resources over the past couple of weeks. I am particularly interested in the section on teaching urban geology. I have browsed these resources, but I want to be able to take more time to really look at some of the teaching examples.

I do believe that the way to bringing in more diversity is to make our material relevant to everyone. Of course, we know it IS relevant to all people because we do all live on the same planet, but to our students that isn't obvious. There are so many teaching resources available through SERC and SAGE that it is almost overwhelming. I am making a concerted effort to point out diversity among the scientific community. Just last week I sent out a little blurb about Jack Horner having dyslexia.

One thing that I know I do well already is to create community in my face to face classroom. Several times per semester I bring in a coffee pot (and tea and hot chocolate) and/or granola bars (purchased buy one get one free at Publix) and tell them to help themselves. I have small classes so this is easy to do. When people are snacking or standing by the coffee pot, they start to talk to each other and to ME. I am trying to figure out how to do something similar in my online classes - like invite them to a WebEX hangout to have coffee together and talk about how things are going.

In my online classes, I have been using automated emails triggered by my LMS. Students reply often telling me how much they appreciate me checking on them or reminding them that something is due. Anything I can do to show that I care is good for their mindset.

I would like to learn more about biases, because I believe that I am not biased at all, but as we all know, most of us are in some way. I know that is also true of my students, and the subject matter in some ways. One thing that I strive to do is to make the terminology in the introductory courses as straight-forward as possible. I have discovered over the years that vocabulary usage leaves some students behind, so now I try to make a point to DEFINE things. And I am not just talking about geology terms - words that I thought were common English are not understood by many of our students. I have been shocked to find how many do not know words like COMPOSITION until I start using it. My assumption is that they know it, and that is not always the case.



Polly,
I love your coffee and snack idea. How many students do you have? One of my classes this spring was small (only 9). It was an 8 AM class, and they were always late. They told me it was because they were always trying to find a place to get breakfast. I started bringing breakfast for them on some days, and we would sit and eat before we started. We still didn't really start exactly on time, but I was okay with that because we were using that time to sit and actually talk to each other before diving into the 3-hour lab. I wonder how you could do your coffee and snack online. I wonder if you could just watch a minute or two clip together (for any student that could meet synchronously) and just have a casual conversation about it.

And I agree with you about the terms and definitions. I'm finding more and more that I focus less on the actual term and more about the description. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I've got to the point that if they can explain the process in their own words, then I'm good with it. I know what you mean about certain words they do not know, like "composition".

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This post was edited by Bryn Benford on Apr, 2020
Originally Posted by Scott Gianelli


The thing that got my attention the most in the readings was the recognition of implicit biases. It's easy to see some of the challenges when I look at a classroom of 20 or more students and see one African-American or female student. But they've overcome the most blatant and explicit biases just by showing up. It's the not-so-obvious biases that I need to focus my attention on as a teacher. I guess the first thing I can do is show confidence in students who may feel underrepresented in the classroom. But I need to dig more deeply.



Scott,
I think you bring up a great point about the not-so-obvious implicit biases. It's easy to work on things you are already aware of, but it's the ones you aren't aware of that are tricky. There are some quizzes out there ( https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ ) that can enlighten you about your own implicit biases, which would be worth doing.

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Originally Posted by Deniz Ballero


Post 1: What I do already in my classes. I reviewed quite a few pages and made check marks on items that I do already and things I need to work harder at so...
Mitigating Stereotype Threat and Solo Status: I always tell my story at the right time which was just this week in my classes-- I felt the need to give students an opportunity to pick their path (because there was two schools of thought with a portion of the course)-- I let them decide but before then, I told MY story to let them know I'm trying to give them tasks that i know they will be successful in because I've been through XYZ myself. A few students reached out to me thanking me for sharing. Our team has also been trying to show images in our courses that represent students we ACTUALLY SEE at GSA-- we incorporated students and their posters at GSA showing the ethnic and gender diversity of students that are currently in the geosciences doing real research. We have also incorporated scientist spotlights (black woman scientist during February) and Polly found a neat article about a war hero that had a physical disability and was actually told by his father he can't be a geologist because of his disability!
Supporting the Whole Student: As I said earlier, there was an issue with an assignment i had given so i actually gave them a choice-- do this or that and you pick what you think is best for YOU. They took a vote and I recorded their responses and will grade them accordingly. I think it worked out well because for one, they know I'm pulling for them to be successful and if they want to do it one way or the other, who cares as long as they do the work.
Instructional Scaffolding: Online labs are very painful so the new design is this scaffolding approach. Traditionally students would either do the lab or not (all or nothing) whereas here with smaller bite sized tiers, they can get work done bit by bit, and they can be corrected before moving on. If life gets in the way, they still have some work turned in and can get partial credit.
Proactive: My syllabus and instructions are extraordinarily explicit... so when a student (rarely) comes to me citing confusion, I am perplexed. Students will know everything that they need to know and how it will count for the entire semester. I do provide a variety of content (video lectures, written notes, study guides, interactive assignments) to cover all learning styles.



Hi Deniz,
Sharing personal stories is always a great way for students to see that you "get it!" I do the same thing in my classes. Such an approach works especially well when you pair that with an approach they can see is designed to support even if it challenges them. Having an instructor who believes in their students is an absolute necessity. What a student believes about themselves can make or break their college career. Excellent work on supporting them!

Showing a diverse population of geoscientists and geo students is definitely a plus. Scientist spotlights are also fabulous. Do you pair those spotlights with an assignment? If you don't include an assignment with the spotlights, I invite you to read Jeff Schinske's paper on the subject: Scientist Spotlight Homework Assignments Shift Students’ Stereotypes of Scientists and Enhance Science Identity (link to paper is here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5008894/pdf/ar47.pdf). I participated in the SAGE 2YC workshop "Inclusive and Effective College Science Classrooms: Engaging Students, Designing Lessons, and Integrating Diversity into Curriculum" at GSA this year where Kimberly Tanner and Jeff Schinske were facilitators. If you were at that workshop, you can skip to the next paragraph! Jeff's presentation really hit me! I am working to develop assignments to start using next semester as a result. Kimberly Tanner was also a presenter and her work on creating equitable classrooms was fantastic! Kimberly Tanner has authored several papers on the topic that are excellent and really impacted the way I think about activities in the classroom.

I really like your offer of a different way to complete an assignment when there is an issue. Being flexible about the way an assignment is accomplished while still providing a rigorous learning experience is the mark of an excellent instructor. I also believe that students will work harder when they feel an instructor has their back and really wants to see them succeed.

Giving students a means of doing an assignment in pieces is a fantastic idea! I may borrow that plan now that I am forced to move online. Your approach is kind of like the way video games are created now. When your character "dies" you don't go back to the beginning of the game like we did in the early days! There are catch points that prevent you from losing everything. Having a schaffold of assignmentments means they cannot easily get a zero for the lab or chapter or however you are breaking it down. That is especially helpful for students who are the "perfect student." The single mom managing a job and kids, the first generation student with no guidance at home, the student who isn't really sure they belong in college. you are giving them a way to climb their way to success. I like it!

Your last point is something I will now have to get really good at. I will no longer have the opportunity to "discuss in class." I will need to use your approach and be very explicit. Keep up the good work!

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Originally Posted by Scott Mandia


I am very aware of the gender bias in science. As I posted in Post 2, scientists may think they are less bias due to their training to be objective but I do see it. I recall a 2014 AGU talk on the cryosphere. Every presenter was speaking about Arctic sea ice loss. After two males had spoken, there were a few very cordial questions from their male peers in the audience. Then, Dr. Jennifer Francis (Rutgers) spoke on the same topic. Afterward, two males asked very aggressive questions and spoke to her like she was not worthy to be there. I was stunned and ashamed. I tell my students this story and I also explain to them that they will see many female scientists in my images and videos because I think it is very important for women in my class to know that there are other women in climate science. I also want them to be aware that there is gender bias so that they may be more on guard when it happens. Although, I am confident most women are so used to it the guard is already there.

BTW, in case you do not know, Dr. Jennifer Francis is now one of the top sea ice experts in the world and her sea ice loss - jet stream changes hypothesis is now accepted by many researchers. Take that male hecklers!



Hi Scott,
Yes, there is unconscious gender bias. Well, sometimes there is even CONSCIOUS bias, unfortunately. It can really grate on one's nerves! In addition, it can and does erode confidence and silence people. Cudos to Dr. Francis for not letting it stop her! I don't follow the cryosphere research so I did not know about her. Now I have to go look her up! Thanks for that!

Have you considered including scientist spotlight assignments to support your efforts agains bias? I attended the SAGE 2YC workshop at GSA this year (they also held it at AGU) entitled "Inclusive and Effective College Science Classrooms: Engaging Students, Designing Lessons, and Integrating Diversity into Curriculum." Kimberly Tanner and Jeff Schinske were facilitators. Both presented excellent information but I want to highlight Jeff's research. Stop here if you already know this. Jeff presented his work on scientist spotlight assignments and the work was astonishing. You can find his paper, "Scientist Spotlight Homework Assignments Shift Students’ Stereotypes of Scientists and Enhance Science Identity in a Diverse Introductory Science Class," here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5008894/pdf/ar47.pdf. It had such a great impact on me that I am working to develop and incorporate such assignments into my classes in the fall.

Keep up the good work. Also, do you include Dr. Francis's (or anyone's) in your classes? I am always looking for ways to bring "real" science into the classroom to give the students a view of science as alive and well rather than something that happened years ago.

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This post was edited by Kristie Bradford on Apr, 2020
Originally Posted by Pamela Gore


Sorry to be late in posting. This virus thing has complicated everything.
What I already do in my classes is to bridge course content to current topics in the news. I try to watch the evening news and read at least some of the front page articles in the newspaper every day before class. Then while driving into work, I think of some way to start the class off by asking who has heard about a certain thing that is happening, and I relate it to Geology or Environmental Science. There is always something going on. An earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a movie being filmed at a nearby quarry, rivers (pollution? flooding?)and our local drinking water sources, sewage spills (all too common), gasoline prices, pipelines, emissions by a local industry, etc. There is always something in the news related to class. I try to show then how the course is relevant in their every day lives.

I also work on infusing sustainability into the course with things like a recycling project. Collect recyclables for a week, and find three places in their area where they can recycle them. And take a selfie, or have someone take their picture while putting their recyclables into the bin.



Hi Pamela!
Wow! You are amazing! I sometimes include current events; but, I don't do it every day. It is good to start off a class with something relevant that ties to the work they are doing. Students certainly learn better when they see a connection between what they are learning and their everyday lives. It is at about this time of the year that I start the "Water Talk" with my students. Here in Houston, flooding, groundwater issues, and storm surge are important topics relevant to them. Many have experience flooding in some fashion. Either a road they need floods often, their house/neighborhood was flooded, their work was flooded, or, in the case of two of our campuses, their college was flooded. They have seen the destruction flooding causes. They see the connection between urbanization and flooding caused by poor planning and increasingly more frequent "rain bombs." They know how much water large hurricanes can push onto land. For many, it is the part of the class that has the most impact on them.

I like your work with sustainability as well. Teaching students what they can do to be more sustainable is both helpful to the community and makes their learning more impactful. Keep up the great work!

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Originally Posted by Pamela Gore


And regarding diversity, ALL of my classes are diverse. Out of four courses this semester, with about 20 students in each, I only have one white student. Most are African American with many students from other countries, including Asia, India, Hispanic-speaking countries, Caribbean islands, US Virgin Islands, countries in Africa, etc. Everything I do is related to diversity, and I like to bring in examples from various places around the world.



You certainly have a very large share of people from underrepresented groups in your classes! Do you have any decide to become geoscience or environmental studies majors? If so, what work do you do to support them? If not, have you tried anything to entice them to consider majoring in geoscience or environmental science? I remember that you were at the SAGE 2YC workshop at GSA this year on "Inclusive and Effective College Science Classrooms: Engaging Students, Designing Lessons, and Integrating Diversity into Curriculum." Have you included any of their work into your classes? I am still working on it. If you have, I would love to hear what you have done!

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