Ed in ETEC

Reactions on Chickering and Gamson 7 Principles

After completing this week’s reading, I can say I can see myself agreeing with many aspects of the 7 Principles, as well as Bates and Poole’s Sections framework. Having said that, since I have written in another course about the Sections Framework, I want to reflect on the 7 Principles instead.

As a new counsellor and a former classroom teacher, I feel that the 7 Principles have taken a different interpretation. As a front-line teacher, my focus would probably falls for the second and the third principle. As a counsellor, however, principles 1 and 7 would take a much more prominent role.

#2 Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students – as many public school educators would attest, our typical classroom is filled with students of diverse talents. A cliché often used in sports suggests that a team is only as good as its weakest player, and I feel the same can be said about a class – a student who is lagging behind the entire class can become disruptive, and the amount of time and energy needed by an educator to provide remedial support can be extremely draining. A more proactive approach would be to help this student remain “on pace.” This is not to suggest that this student is inferior, but that he/she requires support that the most traditional method of knowledge transmission cannot do. Cooperative learning, multiple intelligence, etc., are all ways to help the students foster a sense of success, and allows student groups to utilize individual strengths to create a more positive learning environment.

#3 Active learning techniques – As mentioned, the traditional method of knowledge transmission only works for some students. As a former science teacher, I can attest to the joy I see when students, through hands-on activities, discover the otherwise irrelevant scientific principles they see in a textbook. Tapping into multiple intelligence, students can use other creative means (e.g. drama, film, art, etc.) to present their learning as well. This would also foster that sense of success, not to mention that it creates a sense of ownership to the knowledge that students are a part of in its creation.

#1 Contacts between students and faculty – as a school counsellor now, this is a task that I often have to do. Some teachers, unfortunately, are very entrenched in curriculum delivery, that they forget their “clients” are but very young students. Sometimes, when these students are faced with personal and family adversities, school is really not relevant to them, or at least is not one of great priority. My role as a counsellor is to bridge the two sides, to plead with teachers to be flexible and understanding, to individual students’ needs. As Chickering and Gamson suggest, “faculty concern helps students get through rough times and keep on working.” By showing concerns to the students’ needs, and communicating that need to the teachers, students have a better chance to succeed.

#7 Respect diverse talents and ways of learning – as a counsellor, I have to work extensively with students with special needs, including learning disability. A common misconception from some teachers is that students with special needs are lazy and/or intellectually inferior. Almost always, that misconception is not true at all. Content delivery and assessment often need to be adapted/modified to accurately measure how much these students know. As a counsellor, it is my job to support both the students and the teachers do so in a harmonious learning environment.