Significant Learning

"...our students' cultural displays of learning and meaning making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in relationship and having a social-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning." - Zaretta Hammond

An equity-minded syllabus promotes significant learning by asking the following questions:

    • Does the course design include affordable books and materials?
    • Does the course material invite students to engage in the material in ways that are personal and meaningful in their everyday lives?
    • Does the syllabus send a message of high expectations and that support will be provided to help them meet your expectations?
    • Do the course assignments and readings help students of various backgrounds connect to the academic topics?
    • Does the course enable dependent thinkers to become independent thinkers?

If we use CRTL, we have the capacity to activate our students' cognitive growth, for it is rooted in learning theory and cognitive science. A majority of our students are from communities that are caught in the cycle of poverty. They were not provided with classroom opportunities to develop cognitive skills. That is the achievement gap in action (Hammond, 2015). The reasons they are not offered more opportuniites for rigor are rooted in the education system's legacy of "separate and unequal (Hammond 2015). It is not just a matter of grit or mindset (p. 15). As educators, we have to recognize that we help maintain the achievement gap when we don't teach advance cognitive skills to students we lable as "disadvantaged" because of their language, gender, race, or socio-economic status (p. 14). It creates a gap between the dependent learner and the independent learner.

Characteristics Between an Dependent and Independent Learner

The Dependent Learner

  • Is reliant on the teacher to carry most of the cognitive load of a task
  • Is unsure of how to tackle a new task
  • Cannot complete a task without scaffolds
  • Will sit passively and wait if stuck until teacher intervenes
  • Doesn't retain information well or doesn't retain information well or "doesn't get it."

The Independent Learner

  • Relies on the teacher to carry some of the cognitive load temporarily
  • Utilizes strategies and processes for tackling a new task
  • Regularly attempts new tasks without scaffolds
  • Has cognitive strategies for getting unstuck
  • Has learned how to retrieve information from long-term memory

Success Factors

In order to provide a learning environment that will nurture an independent learner, we must understand the success factors students desire. The Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) asked students from different California Community Colleges what supports their educational success. The study paid special attention to the factors African Americans and Latinos cite as important to their achievement. The goal was to understand how community colleges can feasibly deliver support both inside and outside the classroom to improve success for all students.

The RP Group identified six success factors that contribute to students’ achievement.

Six Success Factors

  • Directed — students have a goal and know how to achieve it
  • Focused — students stay on track, keeping their eyes on the prize
  • Nurtured — students feel somebody wants and helps them to succeed
  • Engaged — students actively participate in class and extracurriculars
  • Connected — students feel like they are part of the college community
  • Valued — students’ skills, talents, abilities and experiences are recognized; they have opportunities to contribute on campus and feel their contributions are appreciated