Teaching Journal: Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges - Section D

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Authors and summary: Prepared by The Center for Student Success (CSS), Research JULY 2007 (second edition)and Planning (RP) Group for California Community Colleges. Effective instructional practices are the key to achieving desired student outcomes for developmental programs.

• self-directed learners assert control over learning environment and actions while workings toward a goal
• critical thinking and writing go hand in hand
• learning is unique to the individual
• direct reading instruction stops in third grade
• reading/writing should develop analytical and reasoning abilities
• poor readers/writers lack meta-cognitive skills
• Reciprocal Teaching has the teacher modeling effective strategies for students
• Reading Apprenticeship focuses on modeling meta-cognitive processes
• predominant causes of math anxiety are environmental factors created by teachers
• "remedial" implies a deficit, whereas "developmental" implies both strengths and weaknesses for the "whole student"
• A key finding of this study stated, “Students who find something or someone worthwhile to connect with in the postsecondary environment are more likely to engage in educationally purposeful activities during college, persist, and achieve their educational objectives.” (3) (p. 51)
• active engagement is more student-centered 
• Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) has been termed "cognitive apprenticeships" where instructors model, scaffold and coach
• best practice institutions share teaching strategies regularly
• consistent feedback increases achievement
• Generally, tutor training helps to emphasize the students’ need to learn to learn rather than improvement of specific assignments. Additionally, training helps alert peer tutors to their own metacognitive strategies so that they can more effectively assist students in their own engagement and learning. Ashwin’s (2003) study on peer support asserts that peer support has the potential to change the way students study by improving their metacognitive skills, therefore improving the quality of their learning. (p. 63)
• "Supplemental Instruction (SI) integrates what to learn with how to learn" (p. 65)

Thoughts: This had a ton of very dense information. My take away points are that student-centered apprenticeship based teaching or "coaching" is the preferred approach by the group of writers for this document. I agree with this and have constantly stated that I would prefer to have a mentor instead of a teacher. I simply want things modeled for me and then I can take what I like and modify it. I don't really need a lecture on anything, just a model of my questions whether through physical actions or a piece of writing.