1. Teaching students who ARE challenging
Review description for the workshop… consider how all who teach deserve empathy around desire to have ALL students succeed. Before we begin, let’s set a ground rule… This workshop permits all to share successes and challenges…all will leave with ideas for improvement… teaching is a human relationship… that said, it will never equal perfection.
Teaching students who ARE challenging
Dr. Christine Helfrich
Student Engagement

2. Describe Your Student Populations
Those who are easy to REACH and TEACH
Those who are CHALLENGING
Let’s start by taking 5 minutes to react and describe our students! Using Post Its use words or phrases to describe EASY to TEACH and CHALLENGING students. Have Labeled white boards to display + and Challenging students. (These boards will be use as references during the presentation.)

3. EASY to REACH and TEACH ?
Have participants introduce themselves, give a brief “story” of a challenge, and answer WHY they are attending. Compare participants’ descriptions of those who can be reached/successful with this WORDLE… Does the goal become “ How do we get student’s to move from one white board to another? … How does research shed light on reaching the students with challenges? Let’s review the purpose and outcomes for this workshop?

4. WORKSHOP OUTCOMES By the end of this session, the participants can:
Describe student behavioral and learning characteristics that challenge teaching .
Discuss, revise and select discipline-appropriate teaching strategies to enhance learning of students with challenges while maintaining high- quality instruction for all.
Identify the role of HCC’s Offices of Disability Support Services, and Teaching and Learning Services in supporting faculty and students.
Use IDEA feedback for solutions for teaching all HCC students.

5. DEFINING COLLEGE TEACHING
“The best educators thought of teaching as anything they might DO to help and encourage students to LEARN.” Ken Bain (2004, p.49)
So as we consider the challenges and the goal to move students to become “reachable”… Let’s consider the research on what to DO! Let’s also note that the best teachers trust in students and usually believe students want to succeed and LEARN… However Bain also notes that the best teachers talk to students about what to DO not about what to LEARN…

6. Research Suggests
“Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum but in a course and classroom context where intellectual pursuits interface with socioemotional issues…..classroom climate encourages student development.”
(Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro & Norman, 2010, p. 180)

7. STRATEGIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Create Opportunities (early and often) for Students to Share Their Unique Learning-Related Story
1. First class collection: Create surveys, 3x5 card Q .. What should I know about you as a learner? Include syllabus statements on individual conferences and the philosophy that ALL students can succeed.
2. Test/Assessment student reflections: Include time for self-assessment of study
behaviors, attitudes towards course
methods and materials, and suggestions for
improving.
3. Mid-semester feedback: Collect and share specific ideas for improvement. Team students strategically to promote success.
These tools not only provide direction for teaching methods and materials, the effectiveness of the pace of learning and ideas for lesson planning, they provide students with a reflective opportunity on their learning. This metacognitive experience is critical for college success of students. Some feedback can lead to effective pairing and teaming of students. Students who struggle with readings could pair with those who finding reading to learn helpful to share the behaviors that lead to feelings of success.

8. 7th Research-Based Principle for SMART TEACHING
“To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.” (Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro & Norman, 2010, p. 6)

9. Promote a Positive and Productive CLASS CLIMATE
Approachable & Inclusive Efforts: Invite and vary ways for students to communicate with you and each other. Position yourself physically to teach and reach ALL.
Community of Learners: Describe the class population (the universe) to the class. Learn and use names. Provide opportunities for students to meet & collaborate. Strive to reduce anonymity.
Behavioral Class Contracts: Create a student-driven, class-composed document. Use it as a reference guide. Involve, integrate and share diverse perspectives. Establish ground rules for interactions.
Process and Product: Use class time to practice the discipline required learning process. Read, write, observe, revise, question and anticipate.
According to research in Universal Design, class climate should be a priority, be inclusive, and is based in reaching and teaching all students.

10. Use Multiple Delivery Methods and Student Learning Activities
Multiple Examples: Appeal to the diversity of the class population (age, gender, race, religion, language, interests, goals, culture etc.). Check prior knowledge.
Choices: Consider teacher & student-created choices in materials, methods and assessments. Link learning to student goals. Select a variety of reading levels and languages to enhance student success.
Variety in Experiences: Consider styles, modalities, classroom arrangements as opportunities to CHANGE to meet the needs of students and your discipline. Support oral presentation with printed and visual and accessible electronic representations.
Assumptions on behaviors…

11. Provide Effective and Strategic Feedback
Clear Expectations: Provide and reference lists of student behaviors, assignments, deadlines, time on task. “Measure in the same manner in which you teach.” (S. Burgstahler, 2016, p )
Frequent Opportunities: Check understanding before, during and after class and assignments. Create more and shorter feedback. Provide sample test questions. Practice, monitor & adjust what both you and your student DO.
Variety of Formats: Use group work, presentations, tests, projects to demonstrate learning. When appropriate, provide choice. “Incorporate evidence into performance and grading criteria.” (Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro & Norman, 2010, p. 181)

12. Given a type of CHALLENGING STUDENT. What could you do?
Your Turn
Given a type of CHALLENGING STUDENT. What could you do?
Stop and have groups take a TYPE (loud, attendance, late, defiant….etc.) and review ideas and PLAN>

13. Manage Difficult Situations & Dialogue
Develop a
“Pedagogical Parachute”(Ouellett)
Say… Can you tell me more? How did you come to believe this? Are there other point of views that should be considered?
BREAK and Write… or create small GROUPS… What do we need to do to continue?
(M. Bart, more-inclusive-classroom )

14. Provide and Suggest Support
Promote Study Groups: Practice before, DURING and after class.
Use College Support Systems: Discuss, find and invite appropriate persons, places and eResources.

15. Find and Utilize Resources
Office of Disability Support Services
Kathy McSweeney, Director
Teaching and Learning Services
– Dr. Christine Helfrich
Amy Chase Martin, Director
Discuss HCC’s labels and resources. Motivate using and not solving CHALLENGES alone.

16. Group Activity
Using strategies and suggestions shared, select one or two priorities for motivating success of a given student who is a challenge. Tell WHAT, WHY, WHEN.
Working in groups (cross-discipline or discipline specific), provide each group with one or two examples of challenges students typically present in college.

17. IDEA POTENTIAL FOR HCC TEACHING AND LEARNING
End by suggesting a review of class evaluation data…

18. Your Turn IDEA data: What areas could be influenced
by teaching students who are a challenge?
IDEA measures several domains of teaching behaviors. They are listed here. In your groups, take a moment to discuss what impact generational differences might have on each of these areas. How might a student’s generational characteristics influence what they perceive as necessary for successful learning of course content? Share IDEA paper on DIFFERENCES… Invite others to consider beyond this paper to include generational differences.

19. CAN YOU????
Describe student behavioral and learning characteristics that challenge teaching .
Discuss, revise and select discipline-appropriate teaching strategies to enhance learning of students with challenges while maintaining high-quality instruction for all.
Identify the role of HCC’s Offices of Disabilities Services, and Teaching and Learning Services in supporting faculty and students.
Use IDEA feedback to continuously improve teaching and learning.
Relate to frequent feedback ideas… ask for NEW idea from each…

20. Thank you! Next Steps… Future Workshop Offerings
to collaborate on integrating instructional strategies or reference workshop resources and ideas.
Invite participants to future “hands-on” training and the journey for teaching to promote student learning. 3 workshops ready to be offered include READING, GROUPING and ACTIVE LECTURE
Thank you!