Inclusive learning environments promote student retention and improve success rates, and educators are tasked with building such environments. However, creating venues that promote inclusivity can be a challenge, so a framework to achieve this goal is necessary.
Dr. Andy Saltarelli, Senior Director of Evaluation and Research for the Office of Learning Technologies and Spaces at Stanford University, speaks to us today about his framework called CARE. This framework offers a model of inclusive practices.
Fall in love with teaching again at the 2023 Love of Teaching Conference as we discuss our role in creating classrooms conducive to learning and building a sense of belonging for our students. Come and connect with your peers and recharge your own sense of belonging.
ELITE and The Institute for Part-Time Faculty Engagement and Support are proud to offer all faculty the Love of Teaching Half-Day Conference.
Visit our website for more information.
Sign up for YuJa Video Advanced: Adding Captions, Editing Video, and Viewing Analytics
We hope you will join us for the YuJa training to learn about this tool and the impact it can have on teaching and learning in digital spaces.
He currently works full time as an associate principal data scientist at AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Data science involves math, statistics and computer science. He first became fascinated by data science in 2014 when he had to analyze an Excel spreadsheet with more than one million data points. Zheng's current job is challenging and intriguing. He is working with Artificial Intelligence at the moment and is applying AI techniques to identify data-analytics problems.
While Zheng has a busy full time job, he also loves to teach. Some of his previous instructors motivated him.
"The best teacher I ever had was my algebra teacher in high school. She was always taking her time and patiently explaining to struggling students a different way to approach the problem. She was inspirational to me and was one of the major reasons I pursued a teaching career," Zheng said.
He said math is a lifetime skill that is important for students to learn. Zheng tries to motivate and engage his students when he is teaching.
"I tell my students that applying what they learned in their classes is much more important than focusing on grades because it can become part of your life experience and knowledge. Although students might not use the knowledge right away, they will encounter problems later that will require these skills to help them find solutions," Zheng said.
He believes the key to effective teaching is being inspirational. He said it is extremely important that teachers bring their enthusiasm and passion every time they enter the classroom.
"Our attitudes can play an important factor in how students will learn and engage in class. One of my teaching methods is to make connections to real life. Students seem to be really interested and engaged when I make connections between a math concept and a real-life example," Zheng said.
"I think that every student needs attention from their teacher. When I return homework to my students, I praise each of them for doing an excellent job and I tell them to continue to keep up the good work," Zheng added.
He said it is important for teachers to show they care for their students as individuals.
"Students come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and expectations. The intelligence, aptitude, social background, and individual values of students further confirms my belief that each student is unique, and needs to be approached differently," Zheng said.
Students appreciate the time and energy Zheng devotes to teaching. He said some of his students have told him they use to think of math as a dry and boring subject, but Zheng was able to make math come alive for them.
Zheng enjoys participating in sports when he is not teaching or working at his full time job. He loves badminton, skiing, and swimming. He also loves traveling and spending time with his wife and two daughters. He has visited Bali in Indonesia, the Bahamas, and is planning a trip to Europe this spring.
Keynote Speaker: Andy Saltarelli, Sr. Director, Evaluation & Research
Educational research shows that creating inclusive and equitable learning environments promotes learning for all students, especially for those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education. Contextual cues, social interactions, and learning activities all help determine whether students feel welcome and like they belong in both face-to-face and online learning environments. This has a direct effect on important learning processes such as knowledge retention, persistence, and motivation. The CARE framework identifies five areas key to designing inclusive and equitable learning environments: community, agency, representation, equal access, and pedagogies of care. This talk with review the research foundations of CARE as well as explore ways to implement the framework in face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning environments.
Dr. Andy Saltarelli helps to establish and maintain campus-wide initiatives that evaluate the appropriate use of learning technologies, spur innovative methods of assessment and feedback, and leverage learning analytics for student success. Andy's disciplinary background is in educational psychology and his research new windowcenters on how instructional technologies affect important social psychological processes (e.g., belongingness, motivation, cooperation) underlying teaching and learning, especially for traditionally marginalized students.
WD&CE Council Meeting - April 18, 2023 - 8:30-10:00 am (Zoom)
The MC Community is invited to attend the next WDCE Council meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 from 8:30-10 a.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom. Please email the WDCE Council for the Zoom link if you would like to attend.
Email: wdcecouncil@montgomerycollege.edu
WD&CE Council Leadership
Rabbee Awan, Chair
Natasha Sacks, Vice Chair
Anna Donohoe, Secretary
Register now for Early Bird pricing here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/mccac/6907
Checkout our conference website: https://dst2023.org
Direct your conference questions and inquiries to: dst-2023@UMBC.edu
Sign up for email updates about the conference: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7171692/DST-2023-Sign-up
The Webinar is on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. ET. Join on Microsoft Teams with:
Meeting ID: 275 087 048 420
Password: 2maAkb
Session Topics:
This event is a fantastic way for your students to learn about our various career paths and engage with NLRB professionals! They look forward to engaging with students and educators at this event. You may visit them to learn more at www.nlrb.gov/careers or contact them directly at careers@nlrb.gov.
Career Advisors and Students can register in advance using the following LINK.
After registeringfor the2023 Find Your Career Path Informational Webinar, you will receive a confirmation emailwith pertinent information.
A Day in the Life of an HVAC Technician
Friday, April 28
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
IN PERSON
MC Rockville Campus - Gudelsky (GU) Room 224
Registration: bit.ly/in-person-hvac-mc-2023
VIRTUAL
Attend Virtually via Zoom
Registration: bit.ly/zoom-hvac-mc-2023
For questions or accommodations, contact hvac@montgomerycollege.edu.
For more information about USG and the Open House on May 6, visit shadygrove.umd.edu and register online to attend.
Germantown: Wednesday, April 12, Bioscience Education Center (BE) Rooms 151 & 152
Rockville: Friday, April 21, Physical Education (PE) Large Gym
Takoma Park/Silver Spring: Thursday April 27, Student Services Building (ST), Atrium
These are large, general fairs with employers in a wide variety of fields including biotechnology, engineering, computer science, early childhood education, media, healthcare, construction, real estate, public safety, and more.
Students, alumni, and community members are all welcome to attend as job seekers (so share with everyone you know who could benefit). Free parking is available on all three campuses in student spaces. See a frequently updated list of employers here and a flyer for the event here.
Students and alumni are encouraged to reach out to their campus Student Employment Specialist for help preparing for the fair - those folks are listed below.
At Rockville: Dr. Lucy Vitaliti - 240.567.2352 lucy.vitaliti@montgomerycollege.edu
At Germantown: Ms. Pat McGlone - 240.567.1970 pat.mcglone@montgomerycollege.edu
At TP/SS: Joseph O'Hare - 240.567.1630 joseph.o'hare@montgomerycollege.edu
Students and alumni can register for a jobseeker account on the Montgomery College Online Job board at www.collegecentral.com/montgomerycollege to see/apply for job postings, get updated event information, and more!