The field test from physics

Pete and I are attempting to trial our collaboration of next quarter in this quarter. The first week was rocky. This is what we learned:

1. Prior to the quarter, we need to have students test our on-line materials to ensure that they are functioning as we had expected;
2. We need a clear structure in place prior to the start so that students can figure out how to navigate through the material.

I have to say that it has truly been a beautiful thing to work with Pete.  About a year ago, it would have been disastrous for both of us.  But since that time, both of us have gained some facility with seeing into our own assumptions and suspeding our viewpoints.  From my assessment, Pete is far better than I at noticing his feelings and articulating them. This is an area where I really need to grow. 

We sort of tripped on the starting line by not being ready with the students and they were angry by day 4, in my view. The primary problem was that the tool to help them learn physics was not showing them the answers, so it was an exercise in pure frustration.   :O!

I am also working with three honors students on pulling together content for posting: learning objectives, video tutorials, homework problem sets for practice (not graded).  It is remarkable what letting go of control will do to open up new possibilities.  I have been thinking this was all my task and I am so amazed by how quick the students are.  They can work circles around me!

Volatility...can we ride it out?

I am tempted to only track the positive experiences in this journey. But I have to say that I experience a great deal of volatility, cycling between excitement and despair.  I don't know that we're actually going to do this until it starts.

Roger suggests that we are likely to increasingly encounter repeated roadblocks to the actual start of our small little experiment.  We are genuinetly intervening in a collapsing system.

The Project fair...a ray of hope

Today's project fair felt like a success.  It was really largely organized and advertised by AmeriCorp member Evan Razor.  We had about eight groups show up as potential SUSTAIN partners. There were about eight additional groups representing agencies either looking for volunteers or looking for volunteering opportunities, as in the case of Alpha Phi Omega.

We spent three hours talking to students who were walking by.  We also talked to many honors students who were sent our way by Tom Trice.

As the crowd filled up, I had great difficulty taking pictures of anything but peoples' backs.

I was pleased to learn that although many students knew nothing about SUSTAIN, they were interested in volunteer opportunities with the agencies. This was a win-win situation for some of the groups who really wanted student help to advance their activities.

In the morning, the faculty were milling about, looking for potential projects to adopt for their classes.

Again, this seemed to be a positive outcome.

It was very inspiring to learn of the students' interest and their experience!  Many of these young people are coming to us, having already accomplished a number of things, including things like designing and building energy capture systems.

The students always remind me of the value in what we are doing.

The pinata has burst!

I often don't care for pinatas...for me, there is a strange message about the rewards of violence...small children blindly beating an animal effigy--or perhaps worse...a human effigy--until they successfully destroy it and are rewarded with the gifts that burst forth, competitively scrambing to amass the most for themselves.

I have to admit that what we have done over the past year with SUSTAIN has not been a whole lot different from the process of breaking a pinata!

Recruiting (not quite the right word - maybe Inviting)

Linda and I had the pleasure to talk to 700 Freshman Orientation Leaders today. It was great fun! We are hoping these leaders will talk to at least a few freshman who could be potential SUSTAIN-SLO participants. It is one of the many ways we are trying to get the word out about the initiative. We are trying both mass distribution (fliers) and concentrated events that we hope will demonstrate SUSTAIN.

We are participating in a Project Fair in a week and a half. As part of this we met with some community members to help them formulate their projects. One women asked me how the project fairs were run in the past. I told her this was the first time we have done this....that we are making it up as we go. I am not sure that engendered confidence in her! But, this is sure how I feel.

Back to the Orientation today. I forgot how much I like out students. I think I have been suffering this summer not interfacing with enough young people. I want to remember how much I like teaching as I am cramming to get ready for classes this week.

onward!...

Liz, Roger and I met with the Provost this morning. Well, I don't want to keep anyone hanging.

the calm before the storm...and confessions of the squall-ble

I'm not proud of this, but I know that I can store only so much frustration before it bursts forth in all its self-righteous fury.

Liz was entirely too politic (my assertion) in her last entry. I was violent during Liz's half-hour meeting with the Associate Vice Provost and we now have a meeting tomorrow morning with the Provost to essentially "call the question" of whether the "university" is going to direct its institutional divisions to support the SUSTAIN learning initiative or whether we need to send the money back to the National Science Foundation.

systemic and interpersonal

I have resisted writing this blog entry, trying to think of a good reason for keeping the difficulties private. I can think of none except my own ego. So here is a summary of what I learned this last week. This has a bit to do with others on campus but I am doing my best to see that this is my experience, not anyone else's.

Our office

SUSTAIN-SLO has an office! I use "office" very loosely. It is a 10 by 8 foot room on the fourth floor of the library. Linda had the very bright idea of it not looking like an office at all...which it does not. Imagine this: white boards on two walls (floor to ceiling), butcher paper and large post-its on one wall and a window on the last. A small table with five small stools (think pre-school) and a thrift store orange naugahyde chair. I hope to post a picture here too.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions....

I used to think this saying was a commentary on how one often doesn't act on their good intentions, that in a scenario where "good works" gets one in to heaven, the chronic "not doing" good works would lead you to hell.

Now, the saying occurs to me more as a statement of reality...that by actually acting with good intentions, your journey will be hellacious!  This is a perfect description of what we seem to be encountering at Cal Poly as we attempt to "do good."