October . . . Already?
October is a symphony of permanence and change. Bonaro W. Overstreet
Fall is the season of transition. We return to the teaching world kicking up newly fallen leaves and breathing in the sobering cool air. September is a collective state of "Back to School" frenzy that is swirling and chaotic. But by October, we have settled into a routine. While it's busy, and time-crunched, activities quickly become predictable and entrenched.
Students can be quite vulnerable at the start of the school year as they settle into their own routines. Many detrimental habits can form - avoidance, letting work slide due to being overwhelmed -- a number of things. In many cases, a little bit of outreach early on can mean the difference between success and failure and in some cases, staying in school or dropping out.
The October edition of the Learning and Teaching newsletter is focused on identifying and supporting students at risk.
Feature Article
Helping Students Make the Cut :
This month's feature article focuses on supporting students with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However, many of the principles discussed relate to a broader issue of accessibility: making learning accessible to meet the varying needs of the College's student population. Accessibility includes being sensitive to cultural issues, age differences (i.e. mature individuals pursuing a new career versus students who are 16 year high school graduates), differing learning styles, levels of student stress (i.e. from juggling home life, finances, part-time work and home work studies) and level of computer literacy among other issues.
Professor of the 21st Century
Each issue of the Learning and Teaching Newsletter will take as its theme one competency from the Professor of the 21st Century document, endorsed by the College Academic Council in April, 2004.
The Professor of the 21st Century creates engaging learning environments for individuals and groups and supports learners at risk.
The Professor
- Establishes rapport with a variety of learners.
- Establishes and maintains learning environments that help students learn.
- Promotes and sustains learner motivation.
- Identifies and supports learners “at risk”.
