Community Service through Podcasting

On this MLK Day, a day dedicated to community service, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on why I do what I do (and how I can do it better).

I am lucky enough to have the job of my dreams, one that is a service to the community any day of the year. One that is as rewarding as it is challenging. As a Community College Instructor, I get to wear many hats: helper, discussion-moderator, teacher, learning-facilitator, counselor, advocate, demonstrator, supporter, model builder, editor, public-speaker, role model, among many others...

But as I see it, the most important job I have is to help my students build their confidence and their competence as learners and communicators. The most challenging aspect of this is that every semester I get a new batch of students, all entering their learning journey at different points with different strengths and abilities. And every semester, I learn a little bit more about how to better serve my community with its diverse needs. It is the students themselves who teach me this.

I am fond of remarking to my students that I learn at least as much from them as they do from me. And it's true.

This past semester, I had the pleasure of having over 140 students distributed between six different classes. I would love to be able to say that I learned something from each and everyone of them. And while it's true of them collectively, I'm not sure it's true of them each individually. Anyway, learning from them collectively is specific to that particular time and place because, just as the student population changes from semester to semester, so too do group dynamics. Some of the lessons I take from one collective group of students can be applied generally to future classes, BUT, if my students are to benefit from what they have taught me then  I must absorb and apply these lessons in the very same semester (sometimes in the very same week) in which I learned them. That's why daily reflection and self-evaluation are essential. That's why I ask for frequent and honest feedback from my students. If I am to engage in a continual process of self-improvement then I must do these things regularly and often.

Recently, it has become apparent to me that I must make my own learning process more visible to my students.  (It's not always appropriate for me to share some of my insights.) To this end, I have been integrating some pedagogical approaches from the "Reading Apprenticeship" model.  This approach gives catchy names to metacognitive routines, practices that encourage students to think about their thinking, things like: Read Aloud (a good practice whenever anyone gets slogged down in a reading - like this blog), Talk-to-the-Text (making annotations), and a variety of metacognitive logs (like Evidence-Interpretation  Logs, a writing exercise that invites readers to reflect on what they've read). The idea is that by looking "under the hood" so to speak, by getting inside the brain to see how we learn, we can tinker and re-tool and become better learners. By practicing what I preach, I can help encourage my students to adopt more of a Growth Mindset, popularized by Dr. Carol Dweck in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. I must admit: a growth mindset is something, that I am still working to develop in myself.

Anyway, last semester I had one student who stood out from the rest because of the way he was able to share some of his struggles  - struggles shared by many of my students. These had to do with study habits and test-taking worries. This student pushed me out of my comfort zone to find a novel way to help students with these struggles.

He convinced me to start a Podcast with the GCC's student radio cluc - Mountin Cloud Radio. And so it was that "Science Study Tips" was born.

Last semester I recorded my first 3.5-minute "episode" to help students beat test stress. It is based on the latest scientific findings and includes practices like journaling and deep-breathing. As a yogi who has trained in pranayama (breathing techniques) and someone who has overcome past trauma (in part through journaling), I can personally attest to the effectiveness of these strategies. And it occurs to me, as I write this reflection, that including such personal details might be worthwhile in future podcasts (and more are coming). This is the "humanizing" aspect of learning, which becomes all the more important in on-line learning environments - something I just learned more about from a webinar with Michelle Bacansky-Brock from @ONE. It is with deep gratitude to her and to all of my teachers - most of all my students - that, little by little, I become the person I am meant to be.

I have quite a few ideas for new podcasts to record in the Spring. I look forward to reconnecting with my fellow travelers along the road to wisdom and to welcoming a new company of pilgrims on our shared quest for knowledge. Thank you for reading this, my first blog (and the first entry in said blog). I hope it has been worth your time and attention.

If you have ideas for new Podcasts, I'd love to hear 'em! (Please comment below) =)