Teaching Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education by Kathleen F. Gabriel
What happened in the Fall 2009 book group
We started with some questions:
- Do you believe that students now are far less well prepared for college work than they used to be?
- Or perhaps you would suggest that students have always been unprepared for college, by definition? (After all, which of us was ready--really ready--for freshman year?)
Ready or not, Kathleen Gabriel's book offered plenty of food for thought. Mary Riggs (CHS and UNIV 100) led the spring 2009 book group; her very useful discussion questions appear under "Additional information" below.
From Teaching Unprepared Students:
"The purpose of this book is to provide professors with teaching strategies and methods that will promote student engagement and improve performance for all the students in their classes, but especially for those who are at risk or unprepared, without sacrificing high standards or expectations." (5)
Resources:
- Adelman, Clifford. The Toolbox Revisited. 2006. Online at http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/toolboxrevisit/index.html
- Alford, Kenneth L., and Griffin, Tyler J. "Teaching Unprepared Students: The Importance of Increasing Relevance." Faculty Focus. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Accessed 23 Feb. 2014.
- College-readiness Checklist from the AAUP publication Academe (Jan.-Feb. 2009)
- Leamnson, Robert. Thinking about Teaching and Learning: Developing Habits of Learning with First Year College and University Students. Sterling, WV: Stylus, 1999.
- Metamath.com Learning Styles Inventory
- "Proficiency Reports of Students Entering the CSU System." Offers systemwide statistics and campus-specific statistics. Online at http://www.asd.calstate.edu/performance/proficiency.shtml
- Riggs, Mary. "Some Discussion Topics for chapters 1-3" (.doc file)
- ---, "Some Discussion Topics for chapters 4-6" (.doc or .pdf)
- ---, "Discussion Topics for chapters 7-Epilogue" (.doc or .pdf)
- Romack, Jennifer. "Enhancing Students' Readiness to Learn." The Teaching Professor. Oct. 1, 2006. Abstract available online; full article available in CIELO.
- Stylus Publishing's website has additional information about Gabriel and this book
- The Teaching Goals Inventory (see note 1 on p. 30 of Teaching Unprepared Students)
- Villalobos, Lideth Ortega. "Understanding and Supporting the Learning Process for First Generation College Students at CSUN." Resource list from her 5/5/09 presentation inthe Freshman Faculty Series at CSUN.
Learning Styles Inventories Mentioned in the Book
- p. 60 Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire by Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman
- p. 61 The Learning Style Assessment by R. Mencke and S. Hartman
- p. 62 VARK Questionnaire by Neil Fleming