CONTEXTUALIZATION FOR COMPLETION Presented by:

Deborah Bird, DirectorDesign Tech Pathway, Pasadena Community College

Dr. Laurie ScolariCalifornia Community College Linked Learning Initiative DirectorCareer Ladders Project

GOALS FOR TODAY’S SESSION+ To create a space for a peer-sharing discussion on:

• Contextualization strategies at your sites • What are the “right” levels of contextualization?

+ To share our experience implementing contextualization strategies - early wins and challenges

+ To discuss strategies for faculty buy-in

+ To discuss how to bring promising practices to scale

PEER-to-PEER ICEBREAKER

+ What contextualization strategies are you currently implementing at your site?- Rationale, Transformation, Multiple scales (2) 5 minutes

+ Which aspects of the student experience are you contextualizing? In addition to academic content, what other elements of the college’s interaction with the student could and should be contextualized? (2x2) 5 minutes + How are you identifying the appropriate levels of specificity for contextualized curricula? (2x2x2) 5 minutes

+ Share out 5 minutes

Context for Contextualization

5,000 Incoming Students – 1600 graduate / transfer60% test into Developmental math and English

First Year Experience Pathway – 1200 in Fall 2013College Readiness

Guaranteed Blocked ClassesStudent Support

Cohort + Learning Communities

OVERVIEW OF CTL ATPASADENA CITY COLLEGE

STRATEGIES:

Design Technology + Media Hybrid

CTE/Academic Pathways

+ Transformational Concept - Continuum- Student Centered Whole Experience /

Whole Person- Stronger Transferable Skills for life long

learning- Academic and Career Tech integrated- Greater Certificate, Degree, Transfer

Completion

+ Developmental Process - Dynamic- Accelerating Technological Change- Design Thinking to solve multiple problems- Faculty Driven – flexible, collaborative

approaches- Simultaneous with Pathway Development

Design Technology Pathway Model

community of practice

CONTEXTUALIZATION AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

+ The ‘right’ level of contextualization?– Depends on process + evolution – Site Specific– Individual Assignments– Regular modular integration– Fully immersive student experience

• Problem Based Learning• Internships / Externships• Community based learning

+ How to organize contextualized coursework?– Depends on the goals and pathways – Site Specific– Across Meta Majors / Industry Groups - AME– Skills – Reading, Writing, Math– Individual Course Relationships

• English/History - interdependent• Philosophy/Computer Hacking - disruptive• Anthropology/Intermediate Algebra - opportunistic

pre-contextualization:fragmentation, dispersed, modularized

thematic – conceptual‘hey, isn’t that what Ms K was talking about?’

echoing, eg humanism, sustainability

content – knowledge base‘it’s the greatest idea ever, that all our courses are integrated’

anchoring, abstraction, application

process – transferable skills‘why do you spend so much time at school?’

seamless continuum – school to career to life

design tech pathway

DESIGN TECH 100ENGLISH 100 MATH 402 COLLEGE 1

DESIGN TECH 101ENGLISH 1A MATH 125 SPEECH 10

MATH 135 ANTHRO 10

FALL ‘12

SPRING ‘13

SUMMER ‘13

MATHENGLISH 1B DESIGN MAJORBUSINESSFALL ‘13

College Readiness Certificate

media pathway

MEDIA100ENGLISH PC MATH PC COLLEGE 1

MEDIA101ENGLISH MATH PC ELECTIVE

FALL ‘13

SPRING ‘14

ANIMATIONGAMING SOUNDIMAGE

FALL ‘13

College Readiness Certificate

content

community

time support

Contextualization Constraints and Opportunities:

TACTICS FOR FACULTY BUY-IN

+ Small Group Discussion 10 min• How can we demonstrate the

benefits of contextualization to faculty?

• How can we identify and cultivate faculty champions to deepen and extend the work across our colleges?

+ Report out and large group discussion 10 minutes

Tactics for Faculty Buy-InTACTICS FOR FACULTY BUY-IN+ Demonstrate Success

– Student Presentations, Video, Focus Groups, Student Panels– Faculty Presentations, Professional Development

+ Create Collaborative Environments– Edtech – Low Risk Professional Development– Constant Contact – Facebook, Classroom Visits, Adjacencies, Retreats– Salon – Anthropology/Math, appeal to intellectual interests– Student Clubs - Social Events around shared interests - Astronomy

TAKING PROMISING PRACTICES TO SCALE

- STUDENT VOICE - VIDEO- GO AROUND THE OBSTACLE AND GET TO THE STUDENT

- USE OF DATA • Shock them with data• Create a sense of urgency• Find your champions• Pilot new ideas• Present data (over and over again).

- SOCIAL JUSTICE/ EQUITY AGENDA

How can we utilize promising practices as a key lever for moving the institutional agenda forward to improve student success?

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Deborah Birddabird@pasadena.edu626 585 7901

Laurie ScolariEmail: lscolari@careerladdersproject.orgTwitter: @lauriescolari

www.CareerLaddersProject.orgwww.ConnectEd.orgwww.Irvine.org www.Linkedlearning.org