Embedded Files
Community Building in ALP
Community Building in ALP
This interview with the current ALP team focuses on the importance of community building for our developing writers. We specify our favorite ways to foster an inclusive classroom environment and how--when it works--ALP students organically form their own community apart from the instructor.
The "4 Connections" consists of four key practices: learning and using students' names, regular check-ins, scheduling one-on-one meetings, and practicing paradox. The adoption of these practices has been proven to increase in-class retention rates. This webpage for COD's iteration of the project provides instructions for getting involved!
Instructor Melanie Dusseau writes about her innovative approach to ALP community. By integrating elements from Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic," she fosters a collaborative workshop atmosphere while addressing non-cognitive needs. Overall, she aims to empower students to embrace their creativity as they connect.
COD’s own Nicole Matos published this Chronicle of Higher Education article in collaboration with her developmental writers to explore what struggling students want us, as educators, to understand about their learning journey. The resulting piece emphasizes the importance of acknowledging students’ emotional struggles and offering multiple opportunities for success.
The Online Teaching Toolkit for Faculty is a comprehensive resource designed to support educators in navigating the challenges of online teaching. It might be especially useful to instructors teaching ALP in a hybrid format, but its advice on improving engagement is easily adaptable to any modality.
The Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon offers 14 concrete strategies for building community. For each strategy, a brief description is given, along with suggested time of implementation, advantages, and possible tools needed.
In this short opinion piece from Inside Higher Ed, Sean Gerrity's discussion of community building is very much aligned with what we try to do in ALP programming: create active and socially-aware learners and connect them to enhanced opportunities for campus involvement.
Columbia’s Center for Teaching and Learning breaks down the importance of both fostering connections among students and between students and instructors. The webpage offers social icebreakers, team-building activities, collaborative projects, meta-cognitive activities, and content-based activities.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse