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Contact person: Lynne Boele, Bulding 1, Ocala Campus, Ext. 1438 |
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Faculty Evaluations Under Way by Dr. Sharon Cooper
The Shortest Way with Incentive Pay by John Simpson, Communications
God Created the First Teacher by Anonymous
Queen Vashti by Debra Vazquez
The 1999 Darwin Awards
HEC Meeting by Mary Holton
Conference Summaries
BEBOC (Big EyeBall On Campus) Strikes Again by Dave Hartley
12th Annual International Conference On Technology In Collegiate Mathematics by June Jones
Heartfelt Teaching by Charles Sanders Peirce
Developing Cultural Competence: National Multicultural Institute by Jana Bernhardt
by Dr. Sharon Cooper, Office for Instruction
While faculty evaluation does not inspire a great deal of enthusiasm among faculty, it is that time of year and the times "they are a-changin'." This is due in large part to the work of your peers on the Faculty Roles and Responsibility Task Force and the Faculty Evalution Task Force. The goal is for an evaluation system that supports learning, encourages constructive change in departments, and brings a culture of collaboration and support.
Prior to the holiday break, I began classroom visitations in the Communications Department. Now that classes have started anew, I am back on the evaluation trail (which actually is observation, feedback, and learning on my part). The process is to visit each Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty member during the last week of January nd the first week of February. I am already off my schedule! However, the goal is to complete the evaluation process prior to March 1, 2000. Unless otherwise prearranged, all visits are unannounced. Faculties in each department within Liberal Arts and Sciences have the option to select the currently used Faculty Appraisal Instrument and the Instructor Self-evaluation formor the Professional Development Plan (PDP) and the Instructor Self-evaluation form. Chuck Hiatt and Nancy Abshier have graciously shared their 1999-2000 PDPs as examples. These were mailed with a memo to faculty within the appropriate areas. The PDP categories have been changed to exhibit those roles and responsibilities as identified and approved by faculty this past fall. Since several faculty departments outside of Liberal Arts and Sciences have begun using some form of a professional development plan, I thought it only appropriate the faculty in Liberal Arts and Sciences have the same opportunity. The choice is left to the faculty member.
Deans Fante, Siplon, and Dickson will provide their faculty with the same opportunity as outlined above or continue their currently identified faculty evaluation process. Dr. Harvey, Dr. hunt, and Mr. Tweedy will also follow their currently identified practice.
The evaluation for faculty, librarians, and counselors on annual contract will be completed by February 25th with submission to Human Resources and the President for recommendation to the March Board of Trustees meeting. Recommendations for faculty, librarians, and counselors on continuing contract will be made to Human Resources and the President and then to the April Board of Trustees meeting.
Obviously, this is a year of transition. Once the Faculty Evaluation Task Force has made recommendations regarding their work this past year, the college will be on the road to a unified faculty evaluation system. Currently, there is a task force making recommendations for the evaluation process for counselors and librarians. Projected completion dates for both task forces will be the end of spring term 2000.
I have enjoyed attending each class. The topics presented are interesting and certainly bring back memories of my days as a teacher, teacher educator, and student. I am finding it very difficult to leave in the middle of a class! Please have patience as I persevere and reluctantly move to the next class. Learning is fun, and, yes, I take notes on the topic for the day!
The Shortest Way with Incentive Pay
by John Simpson, Communications
Merit pay, incentive pay, salaried promotions—it all boils down to the same thing: faculty members who work hard should enjoy a monetary reward for doing so. Currently one of the “rumors” circulating with the force of a class 5 hurricane is that CFCC is seriously considering faculty incentive pay for the future. Hitherto reliable but as of yet unconfirmed sources inform us that the process will be voluntary and its purpose will be the improvement of instruction; in short, it will not be a punitive process. If the college has enough funds in a given year to offer faculty a 4% across-the-board raise, 2% will be extended to faculty at large, and the remainder will constitute an award to those faculty who are willing to undergo a rigorous and fair assessment in order to gain the extra bucks.
Already the clamor has begun! Various faculty have pronounced doom and gloom concerning this proposal. What are the most serious criticisms?
First, the process cannot be fair. These plans always result in inequities at best and outright favoritism at worst. This charge is partially true. Nothing can be made fair to everyone. But it is strange that so many careers can reward good work. Financial institutions do it, so do production facilities, high tech companies, service businesses; even the military and paramilitary bureaucracies such as law enforcement and criminal justice can do it. How? They agree on what their function is, define what constitutes success in their profession, choose a visible and measurable outcome of that success, and reward the people who achieve the outcomes. Does everyone in these careers gain direct reward for their services? No. Financial Specialists in a bank receive more reward than tellers. They produce more of that special outcome the bank loves – money. Do financial specialists all enjoy the same reward? No. Some get more money for the bank than others do because they bring in more. Is this really fair to the tellers or some of the loan officers? No, but strangely enough, no one seems to get upset about it. Also, bonuses are distributed to tellers and officers alike, although not the same amounts. However, under the present educational system, nothing is fair either. We don’t pay staff assistants the same as faculty or faculty the same as administrators. Let’s face it: saying we shouldn’t do incentive pay because of unfairness is a denial of reality—our worlds are already unfair. Also, if the process can be worked out by and for the faculty, which means making it as equitable as possible, the fairness issue can be resolved.
Second, incentive pay will cause division and discord among faculty. It certainly can... if it is imposed or not agreed to by a majority of the instructors. However, if the reverse is true, if faculty have agreed to the process and it is voluntary, what then would be the basis of the discord?
If the instructor is willing to do the work necessary for the evaluation, how will he be jealous of those who do not? With the workload we all currently carry, it is also doubtful that such an instructor would think him or herself superior to anyone. He or she in fact may find that not doing the extra work is the smarter decision. How will the faculty who forego the process be jealous of those who do not? Even given human nature, it seems too petty a reaction for most of our instructors. If someone else wants to work harder to get more money, let them!
Third, the process will eventually be used against us. This criticism is in the same vein as “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” Our history has taught us how suppressive an institution can be. We are all capable of reading the characteristics of such an administration, and our current administration is devoid of those traits. If the administration begins to develop repressive traits, we will be the first to recognize them.
So... it would seem that incentive pay lives or dies according to the plan by which it will be administered. We began with the Roles & Responsibilities Committee, whose job was to define faculty roles. That sounds like agreeing with what success means in our instructional activities. I believe the second phase is an implementation committee, also made up of faculty, to decide on methods of measuring that success. In the first phase, not all faculty agreed with the result; neither will we all agree with the second step or others to come. However, every effort is being made to seek faculty input all the way through. We really are in the midst of a work in progress guided by faculty. We can work together to achieve a plan that a majority will not only tolerate, but also honor. The rewards of such a course can be greater than just a few bucks more for some faculty, but that is a focus for another article. So, shall we try? Or settle for the status quo? Which, if we face facts, means lowest common denominator generates the success level for all of us. Well, we have been there, done that; let’s try for some change.
by Anonymous
On the 6th day, God created men and women. On the 7th day, he rested. Not so much to recuperate, but rather to prepare himself for the work he was going to do on the next day. For it was on that day, the 8th day, that God created the FIRST TEACHER.
This TEACHER, though taken from among men and women, had several significant modifications. In general, God made the TEACHER more durable than other men and women. The TEACHER was made to arise at a very early hour and to go to bed no earlier than 11:30 p.m. with no rest in between. The TEACHER had to be able to withstand being locked up in an air-tight classroom for six hours with thirty-five “monsters” on a rainy Monday. And the TEACHER had to be fit to correct 103 papers over Easter vacation.
Yes, God made the TEACHER tough...but gentle too.
The TEACHER was equipped with soft hands to wipe away the tears of the neglected and lonely student... of those, of the sixteen year old girl who was not asked to the prom. And into the TEACHER God poured a generous amount of patience. Patience when a student asks to repeat the directions the TEACHER has just repeated for someone else. Patience when the kids forget their lunch money for the fourth day in a row. Patience when one-third of the class fails the test. Patience when the text books haven’t arrived yet and the semester starts tomorrow.
And God gave the TEACHER a heart slightly bigger than the average human heart. For the TEACHER’s heart had to be big enough to love the kid who screams, “I hate this class-it’s boring!” and to love the kid who runs out of the classroom at the end of the period without so much as a “goodbye”, let alone a “thank you”.
And lastly, God gave the TEACHER an abundant supply of HOPE. For God knew that the TEACHER would always be hoping. Hoping that the kids would someday learn how to spell... hoping not to have lunchroom duty... hoping that Friday would come... hoping for a free day.... hoping for deliverance.
When God finished creating the TEACHER, he stepped back and admired the work of his hands. And God saw that the TEACHER was good. Very Good! And God smiled, for when he looked at the TEACHER, he saw into the future. He knew that the future is in the hands of the TEACHERS.
And because God loves Teachers so much, on the 9th day God created “Hurricane Days.”
by Debra Vazquez, Communications
“King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.” Esther 1:17
If only she could have seen it coming.
If only a scraggly haired prophet,
his blood-shot eyes damned with seeing
what only the gods should see,
had come to her by palace gates
or by dream as to kings and other men—If only she had not refused
to show off her fair beauty—
pale legs, soft belly, ample breasts,
strong little shoulders under the long
heavy glory of henna hair—
to thousands of strange and drunken eyes—If only she could have held up
her brave head crowned with gold and stones,
one alone worth more than many men’s lives,
herself a real jewel, thing of beauty,
beauty big enough to house the imagination
each part of her a room for men to wander in—Instead she closed the door, drew dark
the drapes, let down her roof,
withdrew into a tiny corner of Esther’s book
where, banished to her corner of history,
her feet are always leaving the king’s threshold,
henna hair hiding a half-smile on her way out.To appear in MIDSTREAM: A JEWISH JOURNAL
The long awaited 1999 Darwin “Natural Selection” Awards have been released! These awards are given each year to bestow upon (the remains of) that individual, who through single-minded self-sacrifice, has done the most to remove undesirable elements from the human gene pool.
Ladies and Gentlemen... (drumroll... and envelope) proudly present the 1999 “Natural Selection” awards:...
5th runner-up: Goes to a San Anselmo, California man who died when he hit a lift tower at the Mammoth Mountain ski area while riding down the slope on a foam pad. Twenty-twoyear old David Hubal was pronounced dead at Central Mammoth Hospital. The accident occurred about 3 a.m., the Mono County Sheriff’s Department said. Hubal and his friends apparently had hiked up a ski run called Stump Alley and removed some yellow foam protectors from lift towers, said Lt. Mike Donnelly of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department. The pads are used to protect skiers who might hit towers. The group apparently used the pads to slide down the ski slope and Hubal crashed into a tower. It has since been investigated and determined the tower he hit was the one with its pad removed.
4th Runner-up: Goes to Robert Puelo, 32, was apparently being disorderly in a St.Louis market. When the clerk threatened to call the police, Puelo grabbed a hot dog, shoved it into his mouth and walked out without paying. Police found him unconscious in front of the store. Paramedics removed the six-inch wiener from his throat where it had choked him to death.
3rd Runner-up: Goes to poacher Marino Malerba of Spain, who shot a stag standing above him on an overhanging rock and was killed instantly when it fell on him.
2nd Runner-up: “Man loses face at party”. A man at a West Virginia party (probably related to the man in Arkansas who used the 22 bullet to replace the fuse in his pick-up truck) popped a blasting cap into his mouth and bit down, triggering an explosion that blew off his lips, teeth, and tongue. Jerry Stromyer, 24, of Kincaid, bit the blasting cap as a prank during the party late Tuesday night, said Cpl. M.D. Payne. “Another man had it in an aquarium hooked to a battery and was trying to explode it”, said Payne. “It wouldn’t go off and this guy said I’ll show you how to set it off.” “He put it into his mouth and bit down. It blew all his teeth out and his lips and tongue off”, Payne said. Stromyer was listed in guarded condition Wednesday with extensive facial injuries, according to a spokesperson at Charleston Area Medical Division.
1st Runner-up: Doctors at Portland University Hospital said an Oregon man shot through the skull by a hunting arrow is lucky to be alive and will be released soon from the hospital. Tony Roberts, 25, lost his right eye last weekend during an initiation into a men’s rafting club, Mountain Men Anonymous (probably known now as Stupid Mountain Men Anonymous) in Grant’s Pass, Oregon. A friend tried to shoot a beer can off his head, but the arrow entered Roberts’ right eye. Doctors said that had the arrow gone 1 millimeter to the left, a major blood vessel would have been cut and Roberts would have died instantly. Neurosurgeon Doctor Johnny Delashaw at the University Hospital in Portland said the arrow went through 8 to 10 inches of brain with the tip protruding at the rear of his skull, yet somehow managed to miss all major blood vessels. Delashaw also said that had Roberts tried to pull the arrow out on his own he surely would have killed himself. Roberts admitted afterwards he and his friends had been drinking that afternoon. Said Roberts, “I feel so dumb about this”.
Now this year’s winners: (The late) John Pernicky and his friend, (the late) Sal Hawkins, of the great state of Washington, decided to attend a local Metallica concert at the George Washington Amphitheater. Having no tickets (but having had 18 beers between them), they thought it would be easy to “hop” over the nine foot fence and sneak into the show. They pulled their pick-up truck over to the fence and the plan was for (the late) Mr. Pernicky, who was 100-pounds heavier than Mr. Hawkins) to hop the fence and then assist his friend over. Unfortunately for (the late) Mr. Pernicky, there was a 30-foot drop on the other side of the fence. Having heaved himself over, he found himself crashing through a tree. His fall was abruptly halted (and broken, along with his arm, as it were) by a large branch that snagged him by his shorts. Dangling from the tree with a broken arm, he looked down and saw some bushes below him. (Possibly) figuring the bushes would break his fall, he removed his pocketknife and proceeded to cut away his shorts to free himself from the tree. Finally free, (did I mention that he is THE LATE) Mr. Pernicky crashed into Holly bushes. The sharp leaves scratched his ENTIRE body and now, without the protection of his shorts, a holly branch penetrated his rectum. To make matters worse (?!), on landing, his pocketknife penetrated his thigh 3 inches. (The late) Mr. Hawkins, on seeing his friend in considerable pain and agony, decided to throw him a rope and pull him to by tying the rope to the pick-up truck and slowly driving away. However, in his drunken haste/state, he put the truck into reverse and crashed through the fence landing on his friend and killing him. Police arrived to find the crashed pick-up with its driver thrown 100 feet from the truck and dead at the scene from massive internal injuries. Upon moving the truck, they found John under it, half-naked scratches on his body, a holly stick in his rectum, a knife in his thigh, and his shorts dangling from a tree branch 25-feet in the air. Congratulations, gentlemen, you win.
by Mary Holton, Mathematics
I attended the Higher Education Consortium for Mathematics and Science State Meeting November 11, 12, and 13, 1999 in Orlando.
This organization always provides a great opportunity for information exchange and networking with colleagues. This meeting was no exception. In addition, two of the highlights were keynote speakers whose theme was preparation of students for the workplace – and what today’s workplace is like.
First, Dr. Patricia Rowell, Legislative and Economic Development Liaison at Seminole Community College did a nice keynote on workforce issues. She gave the following information from the State:
16% of Florida jobs now require a high school diploma or less 34% of Florida jobs now require at least a high school diploma but less than a 2 year degree 23% of Florida jobs now require 2-3 years of post-secondary training 13% of Florida jobs require a Bachelor’s Degree or more 7% of the managerial jobs are not education dependent (people have often come up through the ranks) 7% of Florida jobs have “other” requirements (not defined) “High school drop-outs” will not have any jobs available to them soon. The point was that there needs to be a much better way of keeping people in school…which means the educational system needs to focus on making education meaningful…and does NOT mean lowering standards.
High-tech careers are everywhere and that the competencies needed are:
* Communication skills – the #1 priority among employers
* Basic Skills – reading, math and language
* Problem solvingThe industries that are begging for workers are electronics, information technology, automotive technology and the construction industry.
The salaries that these people are commanding are amazing.
Depending on the industry, people with no experience and no post secondary education are beginning in the $7.50-$10.00 per hour range and after 1 year are at the $12.00 per hour rate or more. In addition, these people are offered many benefits such as child care, wellness facilities, finders fees. A Microsoft Technician is
beginning at $50,000 and once an AS Degree is earned people are commanding $75,000 per year and more.The employers are in a real bind because countries overseas (India for one) are preparing thousands of people to do these jobs, but immigration quotas are not allowing all prepared people to come to the US and work.
In the automotive industry beginning salaries are in the $25,000 to $30,000 range but after 10 years many are commanding $70,000 to $100,000 – the average salary in this field is about $48,000.
Dr. Rowell’s quote was: “We cannot let even one student quit…and we cannot be the REASON anyone does quit.”
Owen Wentworth, former Director of Data Processing at AT&T gave another keynote address, and echoed the words of Dr. Rowell. He had some awesome credentials – such as his department was responsible for $50 BILLION in billing EACH month…and he was responsible for a 2700 person department while at AT&T. He worked with many other very large corporations during his career. He is now working with the Chamber of Commerce in the Orlando/Lake Mary area and is very involved in business development in that area. He is active in working with the educational entities in the area to help guarantee the availability of the educational opportunities which are needed by the businesses and industries. He said that without a great educational system, business and industry will not consider locating in an area.
In addition to much of the same information that Dr. Rowell spoke about, Owen Wentworth mentioned the Semiconductor Manufacturing industry as one that is growing and expected to grow by leaps and bounds. He said it is anticipated that there will be 105 new (additional) plants to manufacture the semiconductors in the next few (very few, he said) years. Each plant has $1½ Billion to $2 Billion capital investment before they open their doors. Each plant is expected to provide about 1600 high-paying jobs. He mentioned that “clustering” is a concept that can make an industry much more economical…where needed services for an industry is available locally…which means many more jobs in these cases. The Semiconductor industry uses “blue suits” for workers- which cost $75 each to clean, and at the present time have to be sent to Texas to be cleaned because no one in Florida does this. He was saying that means the companies have to have more suits because it takes longer to send them out of state and receive them back. All of this makes a much more expensive operation. He mentioned Silicon Valley as a wonderful example of the “clustering” concept.
Orlando area is the largest manufacturer/exporter of fiber optics lasers in the world. That area also has significant biomedical industry, and he again mentioned the Information Technology industry.
Some of the information technicians are the people that you would call at the “help desk” for both software and hardware. (Jokingly it was said these are the people that are trained to “put you on hold when you have a question…and they start at $9.50 per hour.”)
Tourism is the largest industry in the area (127,000 jobs) and that there are 63,000 information technology jobs…but the payroll for the information technology industry is more than double that of the tourism industry. In other words, the salaries in this high tech industry are approximately four times the salaries in the tourist industry.
Information Technology has several subcategories: Networking (moving data regardless of whether it is internet, cable or telephone); Data Processing; and Software Development (which is only about 25% of the industry.)
Workforce Issues are: Workforce Availability, Workforce Development, and Workforce Development!! In other words, having qualified workforce is THE issue!
It is an employee’s market right now. Companies have been known to recruit in competitors’ parking lots. Companies have even been known to ask law
enforcement officers to escort competitor company recruiters from the parking lots. He emphasized that students MUST know what the job market and working
conditions are like.He said that many, many times, educators do not know and therefore have no way of preparing students for the work environment they will be facing. He mentioned the Dilbert office cube as the standard work space…often not much more than 6’ X 6’ and that they will find themselves interacting almost exclusively with a computer screen.
He said students must be told that they have to be continuous learners because 18 months from now, much of a person’s current knowledge will be of no use to him or her.
Continuing education is a $7½ Billion annual cost to Florida industries. He asked what the education system could do with an additional $7½ billion. He said
education can not even begin to capture these dollars because they think in:
- Semesters vs. days
- Traditional classes vs. midnight to 8 AM
- Classroom vs. online
- Taking 3 months to make decisions vs. yesterday or tomorrow at the latest.
The bottom line is that the emerging workforce is NOT prepared. Industry wants skilled workers…is willing to pay for them…but is not just looking for university degrees.Graduates are getting older…often people do not get college degrees right after high school. The employees in his department at AT&T were an average of 40+ when they received their baccalaureate degrees.
Educators, in general, really do lack the knowledge of what industry needs.
Industry has a “ready, aim, fire” mentality if they are to be competitive. If something seems okay intuitively, they do it and fix what doesn’t work. They do not plan and plan and have committees work on things and more committees work on things. They will not survive if they work in that mode. He says there is a real culture clash between industry and the suppliers of the workers.
Business MUST be engaged in education.
At the ultra high end of high tech, there are more than 300 vacancies in the Orlando area – with starting salaries more than $65,000 per year. What is really of concern is that more than 65% of the applicants cannot pass an entrance test.
George Mezo of the Oracle Corporation had information as well. Employees need inquisitiveness and process thinking. In the age range of 8 –14 these things are learned. Why do people not have these skills later? What happens within the educational system?
Also, they said they could not state strongly enough: ENTHUSIASTIC teachers DO make a difference!
We MUST share with students the following facts and information:
The 3 R’s must not squeeze out the science curriculum.
- that 75% of the information you will use in your job, you learned in the last 36 months.
- a person brings 20% of what you use with you to your job, and
- 5% you learned in kindergarten.
We must relate math and science so students see the value of the information for the future.
We must know and let students envision what the future workplace will look like. There is much telecommuting happening…which has its good points and its problems. There are not a lot of new buildings being built because people working at home part of the time allows others to share space. The companies like this because it means less overhead. This also allows people to be housed in the small cubicles without the office
environment becoming such a big issue. By the same token, there is a loss of contact with fellow workers unless great effort is made to keep people in touch. The effort must be made by the individual and certainly by the company as well.We must refocus efforts to recruit women and minorities into Information Technology industry.
We need to be sure that industry does not “steal” the great teachers. This has to be done by paying competitively.
Beyond technical skills – the ability to put things into “written word” is of utmost importance.
He tried to give a flavor of where business and industry would be in 10 years. He said “futurists” have missed with their predictions. They thought it would take much longer for changes than it has. He said even the head of Intel Corp. missed with his prediction of how things will change. Things have changed much faster than even he thought possible.
There were other valuable sessions, but I wanted to give considerable detail to things that I felt would be of interest to CFCC. This is a mind-boggling world! It is also a time of opportunity and an exciting time to be in the workforce.
I have not tried to put this into wonderful form…but wanted to share the ideas in this report. THANKS so much for funding my attendance. It was a very good experience.
Professional Training Program
Orlando, Florida
Mary Holton, MathematicsOn December 10, 1999, I attended the Professional Training Program in Orlando, Florida, sponsored by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT). The title of the program was Leadership Coaching: Strategies for Unleashing Type Development for Effectiveness.
The instructor for the program was Roger Pearman who has written the books I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just Not You and Hard-Wired Leadership, among others.
The program was most enjoyable and informative – and certainly “jam-packed” with information that I am still trying to sort into understandable pieces and into
applications that I can use in the corporate training area. The emphasis of the workshop was more one-on-one coaching even though group coaching was also covered to a small degree. The participants were from a variety of environments. We had some people from other community colleges, people from other governmental agencies and quite a few of the participants were from private business and industry. That added a nice flavor to the workshop because we had many perspectives working to incorporate the instructor’s ideas and concepts.I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend such a valuable workshop and certainly thank the Teaching and Learning Institute for the financial support that allowed me to take advantage of additional training in the MBTI and related areas – something I definitely feel I need as I move forward in my new “career.”
22nd Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology
St. Petersburg, Florida
Jim Wetz, Humanities/Social ScienceWith the current interest in technology in the classroom, a poster presented at the National Institute on Teaching of Psychology should be of interest.
Thirty volunteer students in a 10:00 a.m. and thirty-seven in an 11:00 a.m. psychology class were given a pretest and after the course, the same test as a post test. Both classes were taught by the same instructor using the same requirements, tests, methods and slides. In the second class, PowerPoint was the method of presentation and in the earlier class, conventional acetates on an overhead projector were used.
“Although overall course grades did not significantly differ between the two sections... students in the control group performed significantly better than the PowerPoint group on the post test once pretest scores were factored out...”
The conclusion?
Quoted materials is from PowerPoint in Introductory Psychology: Does it make a difference? by Janette Muhlig & Kurt A. DeBord, Lincoln University, Jefferson City Missouri.
- The use of PowerPoint slides in Introductory Psychology made no difference in overall course grades.
- The use of PowerPoint slides had a negative effect on post-semester test scores. This was true when the pre-semester test scores were used as a covariate.
- One third of the Introductory Psychology students who were exposed to PowerPoint indicated a preference for overhead presentations instead of PowerPoint.
- Of the Introductory Psychology students who were not exposed to PowerPoint, none stated a preference for it as a means of presentation.
American Historical Association Annual Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
John Mathews, Humanities/Social ScienceMonastic forgeries, Brancusi’s Sleeping Muse, floor plans of ancient Greek households, a modern urban landscape of glass and steel, mummified rodents from ancient Egypt, the distressing state of history teaching in America’s high schools, impassioned calls from an “early” (i.e., 1860s to 1960s) or a “short” (i.e., 1914 to 1989) twentieth century, Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte, the historian Thucydides as a case study for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, a Marc Chagall stained glass, Andy Warhol’s silk-screen of Chairman Mao, canopic jars, a millennia old Mesopotamian wall relief, Monet’s haystacks, Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Robie House, recent scholarly contributions of gender historians, medieval armor and weaponry, a “virtual tour” of the National Archives web site, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, a Giacometti statue, the Gothic architecture of the University of Chicago, a reasoned critique of Afrocentrism, keynote addresses, roundtable discussions, scholarly papers, books, books, and more books--what do all of these have in common? Together, they form a collective of impressions I brought back from the American Historical Association’s 114th Annual Meeting in Chicago. This multitude of images and experiences, sights, sounds, and ideas serves me well as one who, in the most literal of senses, “professes” for his living. Like a legion of Dante’s demons, these myriad sensations tantalize, possess, and often torment me. Forbidding me from succumbing to the enchanting sleep of reason, they challenge my static notions of what is and what is not, they encourage me to expand my vision and understanding of humanity’s conscious past, they force me, by embracing them, to become more than that which I once was. A mosaic of recollections both immediate and personal, these impressions of the real provoke me to think and contemplate, they enlarge the repertoire of facts, exempla, descriptions, metaphors, illustrations, illuminations, and vignettes I turn to again and again in the classroom, they, in short, make me a better teacher of history and the humanities, and that is precisely what we all want of me.
Mastering Today’s AutoCAD, Orlando, Florida
Sharilynn Horhota, Business and TechnologyMy intentions for taking the Mastering Today’s AutoCAD course were to learn more efficient ways to use AutoCAD and to aid in the development of a similar course for local AutoCAD professionals. The seminar was all I had hoped for and then some! Had I left after the morning break, I still would have left as a very satisfied customer.
The seminar focused on the fundamentals of drawing set up with tips and tricks to further automate the set up process. Rarely used as well as rarely understood suboptions were highlighted and explained paving the way for greater drawing efficiency. One of the hardest concepts in AutoCAD is explaining the final layout process before plotting; the explanation and analogy used at the seminar was much clearer than what I used. Finally, programming AutoCAD was introduced with some one-line programs that a user just can’t live without. (I have planned to add programming with AutoCAD to the course curriculum.)
I certainly got what I had hoped for from the seminar and look forward to implementing new things into my curriculum.
Criminal Justice Wellness Instructor Certificate Course,
Orlando/Kissimmee, Florida
Chris Scaglione, WellnessThis certificate was greatly needed to understand the new 38 additional hours that has been given to the Criminal Justice Academy. It showed how to properly stretch the students to prevent injuries during the defensive tactics phase. Also taught was how to put each individual on a cardio-strength-flexibility program.
There was also great information on fitness testing, nutrition and sports nutrition as well as learning about the heart rate and how to find your target heart rate for exercise.
Most of this information can be passed on to the other defensive tactics instructors and all of us will be able to teach this in the Criminal Justice Program.
ACTE National Convention and Trade Show
Orlando, Florida
Bill Schaeffer, Workforce DevelopmentWhat a treat. The difference between a state and a national conference is enormous and exhilarating. The trade show became my singular focus, thus saving 50% of the expected registration fee. Technology provided all participants with an electronic info card to present to exhibitors for on-site scanning of future mail-outs. There is no telling what I’ll be getting in the mail, since it seemed that every one of the 350 booths had something to offer. I collected materials about: Florida Registered Apprenticeship Program, Industrial Certification Training, Honda Automotive Partnership Programs, Construction Industry Career Paths, Legislative Updates, Underwater Welding and more.
I encourage everyone to participate in a national conference and trade show for the discipline, especially if it is held within commuting distance.
Apprenticeship Summit Meeting,
Orlando, Florida
David Coonfield & Glenn Heflin, Workforce DevelopmentThis meeting was to address the needs of people in the workforce, in all phases of construction, in the State of Florida. Several speakers were available to provide statistics and to present their solutions to the problems at hand.
This program was aimed too much toward the apprenticeship, and not the real problem, the lack of workforce.
We also broke out into work groups and discussed problems, and then reconvened to recap.
45th Annual Conference of the Florida
Philosophical Association, Coral Gables, Florida
Ron Cooper, HumanitiesThe Florida Philosophical Association has a membership of over 300, most of whom are college professors. As President for 98-99, my duties included presiding at the business meeting, delivering the Presidential address, and chairing the student competition session.
This was one of the best attended conferences of the FPA in years. The papers were of exceptionally high quality. (Some of those that I thought were especially good were “Indexicality of Perceptual Beliefs and the Foundation of Knowledge,” and “Is there a Problem about Vagueness?” Attending conferences of this sort, in which colleagues in your discipline discuss and contribute to developments in the field, is one of the most important things that a college professor can do.
65th Annual Florida State Music Teachers
Conference Association, Tallahassee, Florida
SarahMarie Schmidt, Fine ArtsThe weekend of November 4 -7 came upon me quickly. So much to do. So little time. How can I afford to leave my classes for two days now?!? They just learned about tonic, five-six-five, tonic progressions! These can be “dangerous” tools in the hands of novices!
I was off on an adventure to the 65th Annual Florida State Music Teachers Association Conference in Tallahassee. This year’s stated them was “Music for a New Millennium.” Okay, so how is Y2K going to destroy all music as we know it?
The seminars began on Friday morning. The first one I attended, entitled “Get Off The Bench,” was an inspiring practical discussion of some teacher made materials used with ADD and ADHD students in private piano lessons. From this program, I will develop some manipulative activities to provide an additional link for my class piano students with a more kinesthetic learning style. Perhaps it will help them to place an “A” on the A-keys etc. A Jeopardy-type activity could review terminology, sight-reading practice as well as aural memory and training.
In HMU126, a music publisher gave away $50.00 packages of music to familiarize teachers with the scope of literature covered in their “Celebration Series.” This series gives attention to repertoire, technique, theory, ear training, and sight-reading in a clear, easy to us and enjoyable format. I hope to use some of these materials in the near future.
I also attended the “Independent and College Teachers’ Recital” featuring pianist Mary Lou Wesley Krosnick and Sarah Baird Fouse, performing on bass flute.
Saturday, I chose to attend a presentation by Keiko Ohnuki Andrews who is a piano instructor at Rollins College. She spoke of how she had to learn to deal with American students who are not afraid of their teachers. American students are not afraid to ask questions, including the question, why? American parents in general “side” with the student while when she was growing up in Japan, parents backed the teacher without question. If the student had a problem or question, the usual answer would be “You’re not practicing enough.” Is this a teacher’s dream or what? There may be something to be said for the Oriental concept of shame. Not that embarrassment over a mistake is irreparable but that maybe our preparation should be such that we don’t embarrass ourselves.
Overall, it was a wonderful conference, extremely informative, edifying and even inspiring. Because of the conference title, I had hoped for more information on music being composed in this century. I had hoped for some instruction regarding computer programs for teaching and/or composing music. I would have liked to have heard presentations on what is happening in the field of music research. What new careers are available for musicians? What’s new in Music Therapy? How can proponents of the “acoustic” piano “keep up” with all the new digital and synthesizing instruments?
National Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers
Kissimmee, Florida
Susan Cable, ScienceThe daylong workshop on Sunday entitled “Problem Solving Using Interactive Web-Based Technologies” was the most useful of the workshops attended. Participants were taught how to create PHYSLETS. A physlet is a very simple Java applet (a moving picture on the web) that is used to help solve physics problems.
Participants were also given free uncopyrighted access to over 300 already created physlets that they can use on the web. Instructors can then create physics problems that they wish their students to solve and the students will have the visual physlets to help them imagine the motion involved in the physics problem.Another extremely useful session involved 12 cheap physics demonstrations. I had seen some of them before, but the most intriguing demonstration was called “Palm Pipes.” White PVC pipe (usually used for plumbing) is cut into specific lengths with individual pipes corresponding to various notes on a musical scale. The pipes are then banged against the palm to create that specific musical note. With each person in the room having a pipe for a different note songs can be “sung” by the pipes. I can’t wait to try it out on my students. I know they will love it!
Probably the most stimulating session for me was a lecture by one of the Key Note invited speakers. Brian Greene spoke about the newest theory in physics string theory. This may well be the ultimate theory of everything for which physicists have been waiting hundreds of years. I purchased his text and had it signed by the author. I will be introducing this theory to my students immediately. It is the cutting edge of physics.
Some workshops/sessions were not as good as others and some were even slightly disappointing, but the overall benefit was immense and far outweighed any downside. I consider this to have been a terrifically successful trip.
BEBOC
(Big EyeBall On Campus)
Strikes Againby Dave Hartley, Fine Arts
Pre-and Post Holiday Observations
We have definitely reached a higher plane in Civilization here in Ocala. Over the holidays, I was a victim of “Mart a Vous” a condition in which you don’t know whether you are in Target, Wal-mart, or K-mart. This is similar to a condition called
“Depot-Duplicity Syndrome” in which you cannot say “Office,” or “Home” before Depot in the right social situation.PLEASE...read the changing billboard on 200 which switches back and forth between ads for SONNY’S BARBEQUE (YUMMY) and FLORIDA CREMATION
SOCIETY. Join me in the hope that advertising is the only connection here...Many people have commented on the classy CFCC CHRISTMAS DECORATION we received during the Christmas reception at the Webber Center. It’s the only
Christmas decoration on my tree that comes with a mission statement on the back.Is it true that Bob DuMond’s poinsettias are so in demand during the holiday season that only Mafia bosses can get them? Marie Conroy has an uncle somewhere who can help...or so I hear.
Urgent messages are NOT always about hurricanes. My top pick for favorite urgent message (following Dave Lanzilla’s internet alerts) is the announcement of new Beanie-Babies in the bookstore.
There will be a drawing for the person who can correctly guess the number of new parking spaces for the handicapped. You need only be within 100...
The people who built a parking lot almost entirely over Christmas need to be put to work on the CFCC Pyramids...I mean, elevators. It is appropriate that the little roof structures are shaped the way they are. I was really young when they started the project.
CFCC’s answer to WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? would probably be called something like WHICH FORM IS IT THIS TIME? or maybe, WHO WORKS IN PAYROLL NOW? You can come up with some more on your own.
Apparently the local ROCK group is against evolution, but what about GEOLOGY?
Ask Ron Cooper about his contribution to our Christmas decorations in the TLC. Now we really know why doctorates are so valuable...
I have heard rumors of safety inspections denoting “cluttered offices.” If true, this college could be on the verge of total shutdown.
Did you hear about the local resident seriously injured by an avalanche of icicle lights? Seems like a likely rumor, given the number of those things hanging around.
My favorite comment on Y2K was from TIME MAGAZINE. They called it “Apocalypse Not.”
Speaking of Y2K, I did hear that someone dropped a case of bottled water ON their computer.
12th Annual International Conference On
Technology In Collegiate Mathematics
Burlingame, Californiaby June Jones, Mathematics
I am convinced that this conference is indeed one of the best conferences for teachers of mathematics. While sessions and workshops concentrate on the use of technology in the classroom, other teaching techniques are discussed and modeled in the sessions. If one wants to become “better” at teaching mathematical concepts in a fun and interesting way, then this conference is a must.
There were eleven sessions every hour from 8 am until 6 pm. Imagine the dilemma when trying to choose just one session to attend during a particular time frame. Sessions ranged from use of the graphing calculators and computer software in college
preparatory courses through differential equations. My favorite sessions were:
“TI 83 Calculator Quirks” The presenter of this session discussed how student errors when entering data into the calculator can turn into teachable moments to discuss things like order of operations, use of parentheses, window settings, use of tables, etc. The presenter gave examples of how the grapher can be used at all levels of mathematics including the developmental level.
“Using Models and Technology in Precalculus Mathematics” This presenter provided several examples that could be used to teach precalculus concepts but that are also interesting for the students. Problem scenarios included
modeling storage requirements for recording music, modeling train curves, finding the optimum projection angle for a shot-putter, modeling a piano string, and modeling daylight hours.
“How to Grab Students’ Attention with Compelling Modeling This presenter gave practical suggestions of how to get students to start thinking valuable resource for finding data and ideas to explore. This presenter suggested trying in the professor’s hobby if possible. For example, he plays the guitar and often uses music to explain certain mathematical concepts.
Problems and Concise, Powerful, Classroom Explorations”In addition to attending wonderful sessions that were inspiring and gave great “hints” of ways to teach specific topics, I was pleased to present a session with a colleague, Stephen Kelly. We shared with others how one could introduce the topic of exponential and logarithmic functions using an application, moving to something visual, and then the theoretical basis. Responses from the 25-30 attending were very positive.
Again, this conference is especially useful now when mathematics instructors all over the country are trying to teach concepts well with the use of technology without foregoing the content. Trying to do this in an effective way can be difficult. So, for those trying to integrate use for graphing calculators and software into their teaching this conference is a must.
Charles Sanders Peirce,
Harvard Lecture Series,
1897-98 (Lecture #4)In order that a man’s whole heart be in teaching he must be thoroughly imbued with the vital importance and absolute truth of what he has to teach; while in order that he may have any measure of success in learning he must be penetrated with a sense of the unsatisfactoriness of his present condition knowledge. The two attitudes are almost
irreconcilable. But just as it is not the self-righteous man who brings multitudes to a sense of sin, but the man who is most deeply conscious that he is himself a sinner, and it is only by a sense of sin that men can escape its thralldom; so it is not the man, who thinks he knows it all, that can bring other men to feel their need of learning, and it is only a deep sense that one is miserably ignorant that can spur one on it the toilsome path of learning. That is why, to my very humble apprehension, it cannot but seem that those admirable pedagogical methods, for which the American teacher is distinguished, are of little more consequence than the cut of his coat, that they surely are as nothing compared with that fever for learning that must consume the soul of the man who is to infect others with the same apparent malady.
Congratulations to John Matthews
and the CFCC Brain Bowl Team
for their outstanding performance with a record of 7 wins and 3 losses in the Sword Bowl 2000 Academic Tournament at the University of Tennessee.Developing Cultural Competence:
National Multicultural Instituteby Jana Bernhardt, Counseling
Many higher education institutions strive to develop cultural competence among their employees, constituents and students. Cultural competence is a demonstration of the value of cultural diversity and the accompanying behavior which creates an environment that encourages and values this diversity. The first step in developing cultural competence is to assess the current state of cultural assumptions which exist at an institution. This requires an air of trust, openness and risk taking by all who are involved.
One common developmental model of cultural competence is the Bennett model which was developed by sociologist Milton Bennett. This model consists of a continuum of six stages moving from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism. Ethnocentrism is viewing the world from a single ethnic, racial, religious or gender perspective and ethnorelativism is viewing the world from a variety of ethnic, racial, religious and gender perspectives.
The ethnocentric stages are denial, defense and minimization. The ethnorelative stages are acceptance, adaptation and integration.
Stage 1: Denial
This stage occurs when an individual denies that cultural differences exist. This belief may reflect either physical or social isolation from people of different cultural backgrounds.Stage 2: Defense
In the second stage of defense, an individual acknowledges the existence of certain cultural differences, but because those differences are threatening to his/her own reality and sense of self, the individual constructs defenses against those differences. Bennett offers three commonly used defense mechanisms:Stage 3: Minimization
- Denigration or negative stereotyping of another group
- Superiority – when an individual places his/her own group above another
- Reversal – this mechanism is less common. It involves the denigration of one’s own culture and the idealizing of another
Minimization occurs when an individual acknowledges cultural differences, but trivializes them, believing that human similarities far outweigh any differences. The danger of this stage is that similarity is assumed rather than known. As Bennett writes, “In general, that similarity is assumed rather than known”. “People who have experienced cultural oppression are wary of the ‘liberal’ assumption of common humanity. Too often, the assumption has meant ‘be like me.’Stage 4: Acceptance
In the fourth stage of acceptance, an individual recognizes and values cultural differences without evaluating those differences as positive or negative. This stage moves an individual from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism. First comes a respect for cultural differences in behavior, and then a deeper respect for cultural differences in values.Stage 5: Adaptation
In this stage, individuals develop and improve skills for interacting and communicating with people of other cultures. The key skill at this stage is perspective-shifting, the ability to look at the world “through different eyes.”Stage 6: Integration
The final stage of Bennett’s model is integration. Individuals in this stage not only value a variety of cultures, but are constantly defining their own identity and evaluating behavior and values in contrast to and in concert with a multitude of cultures. Rising above the limitations of living in one cultural context, these individuals integrate aspects of their own original cultural perspectives with those other cultures. These individuals truly achieve cultural competence.This model of cultural competence provides a continuum of behaviors and evaluation tools. It is important for all constituents involved to stop and take a thoughtful look at where we are individually and collectively on this continuum.
As faculty, staff and administrators at CFCC, we should ask several questions concerning the issue of cultural competence.
As an individual, where am I on this continuum? Am I in the stage I would like to be? Do I feel comfortable in this stage? As an institution, where do I see CFCC on this
continuum? In what stage would I like to see CFCC as an institution? Where do I think my colleagues are on this continuum? Where do I think our students are on this continuum? How does the issue of cultural competence affect the teaching/learning environment? How can improving cultural competence of students and faculty improve the learning environment?These questions are for consideration and should be assessed without any kind of negative judgment or defensiveness.
Bennett, M.J. (1993). Towards Ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R.M. Paige (Ed.). Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.
