College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
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A Brief Taxonomy of Inclusive Pedagogies: What Faculty Can Do Differently to Teach More Inclusively
Get PDFAt the All-Campus Forum in August 2016, President Mary Dana Hinton called for us to create an “ecosystem of inclusion” at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSB/SJU). Faculty members’ work with students is central to creating such an ecosystem, but what do we mean by “inclusion?” In this essay, we provide an overview of our evolving understanding of “inclusive pedagogy,” as informed by our work administering and participating in multiple faculty development workshops funded by twin grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.1 “Faculty Formation to Support Liberal Learning for All” was awarded to CSB under principal investigator President Mary Dana Hinton. It is administered by Jean Keller and includes a cohort of humanities faculty members. “Faculty Development to Engage Increasingly Diverse Students” was awarded to SJU under principal investigator President Michael Hemesath. It is administered by Kyhl Lyndgaard and includes a cohort of First-Year Seminar faculty members. Both grants run throughout the 2015-2017 academic years
“Cup of Humanity”—an Experiment in Equitable Group Dynamics
Get PDF“Cup of Humanity” is a format for group discussion in which assigned groups of four students (rotating every time) practice the host/guest relationship of the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu) so that everyone gets the chance to speak, listen, and be heard by each classmate. This involves literally serving tea to each other. I devised this format through an integration of techniques learned from workshops and conferences on inclusive pedagogy, on one hand, and a rather loose interpretation of the principle of the Japanese tea ceremony, on the other. This report details the pedagogical principles that inspired the format as well as the implementation of “Cup of Humanity” discussions during my Fall 2016 course, Transnational Japan
Tips for Conducting Difficult Classroom Discussions
Get PDFDiscussing difficult issues in the classroom is necessary preparation for engaged citizenship. A number of pedagogical practices used by the authors have produced open and constructive conversation. These practices, combined with modeling and encouragement by the professor and trust among classmates, give students opportunities to practice effective interpersonal conflict management, civility, and expand their understanding of the topic at hand
Discussing Difficult Topics—Drawing on Circles (and the Philosophy of Circles)
Get PDFOne key concern of Mellon faculty is how to facilitate discussions on difficult topics, such as racism and other forms of oppression. The Circles training in fall semester 2016 was one initiative Mellon funds have sponsored to provide faculty with tools to address this concern. Circle work was already a part of our campuses. Circles of Understanding hosted by International and Intercultural Student Services and courses in mediation and restorative justice taught through Communication and Peace Studies are two examples. The fall training sought to build on this foundation (as well as to respond to faculty interest in circles). Our project comes out of this ongoing conversation and seeks further inroads to transformative practices. The portion of our project included here defines what Circles are and shares two perspectives about the use of Circles as a means of practicing inclusive discussion with students, particularly about more fraught or challenging subject matters. Our project aims specifically to reflect on ways in which Circles, and the philosophy of Circles, might provide new approaches to learning, as well as to restorative work in our campus community. Accordingly, our introduction addresses the question: what are Circles and how do they work? The subsequent contributions from Julie Lynch, Brandyn Woodard, and Jessica Harkins begin to explore how circles can relate to inclusivity in the classroom and in our community
Cotidie ante oculos: On the Cornerstones of Saint John’s Churches, Old and New
Get PDFDrawing from the Bible and the Rule of Saint Benedict, campus inscriptions on the Saint John’s campus were set in place at times when all Roman Catholic worship and art was in Latin. Because we pass them every day often without appreciating their significance and potential inspiration, Cotidie ante oculos takes two of the most unseen articles of campus art—the cornerstones of the former and current abbey churches, unrejected by builders and set in place in 1879 and 1958— and places them in the cultures, societies, and beliefs of Christian and Benedictine life in those years. The essay aims to help us who see the cornerstones day by day appreciate their petrified significance
Impact of Nutrition Knowledge and Body Image on BMI Assessment in College-Aged Men and Women
Get PDFBackground A majority of the population struggles with body image everyday. However, college students/young adults seem to struggle the most. In a recent Psychology Today Body Image Survey, 56% of college-aged women and 43% of college-aged men were dissatisfied with their overall appearance. Objective To assess how accurate college-aged males and females are in estimating own body images by measuring perceived vs. actual BMI and to analyze if a participant’s nutritional background knowledge affects the accuracy of BMI prediction. Methods One time data collection was used. Participants (n=23 female, n=17 male) estimated BMI via silhouette choice. After BMI estimation, participant height and weight were collected to determine actual BMI and compare to perceived BMI to determine accuracy. Participants also completed two body image assessment surveys and a nutrition knowledge questionnaire. Results of survey and questionnaire were used to investigate influences on BMI estimation accuracy. Results Females were more accurate in predicting actual BMI (-0.7+2.6) than males (1.6 + 3.6) (p=0.014). A total of 12 females underestimated BMI, while 11 female overestimated BMI (n=23). A total of 12 males underestimated BMI, while 5 overestimated BMI (n=16). Males had significantly higher average actual BMI (25.5 + 5.1 kg/m2) than females (22.4 + 2.8 kg/m2) (p=0.018). Fourth years significantly underestimated BMI (-0.71 + 2.1) while third years (1.9 + 4.8), second years (0.6 +2.6), and first years (1.9 + 3.4) significantly overestimated BMI (p=0.047). Body Shape Questionnaire scores and Body Appreciation Scale scores did not differ by General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire performance. Conclusions Some recognized themes from the data suggest that undergraduate females were more accurate in predicting their BMI than undergraduate males. Fourth years significantly underestimated BMI while third years, second years, and first years significantly overestimated BMI. BSQ scores and BAS scores did not differ by GNKQ performance. These results provide an opportunity of awareness to enforce positive body image in young adults
Investigating CSA Member Engagement with Recipe Demonstration Videos
Get PDFVideo-based food education and demonstration is increasingly popular as a method of reaching audiences. Meanwhile, members of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs often seek help with utilizing the produce in their shares and could potentially benefit from visual food demonstration. The goal of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness and utilization of visual food demonstrations by CSA members in St. Joseph, Minnesota. An initial online survey gauged participant interest in demonstration videos. Initial interest by participants (n=29) was high, as 97% of participants responded yes or maybe when asked how likely they were to view recipe demonstration videos accompanying CSA shares. However, only 34% of participants indicated they would be more likely to make the recipe. Three recipe demonstration videos (featuring Chinese cabbage, beets, and collard greens) were made and uploaded to YouTube during the CSA season, and participants were asked 2-3 questions related to the videos on online surveys. At the time of each survey, only about 20% of study participants had watched the video corresponding to that share. Participants viewing the videos at the time of the survey reported the videos to be somewhat or very helpful. Although participants who watched found the videos helpful, for the majority it did not translate into making the recipe or referring more to the newsletter recipes. Demographics, prior confidence of participants, and timing of surveys could also be contributing factors to video demonstration engagement, and future research should involve more investigation into these factors and other barriers to video engagement and implementation
Sienten mientras andan
Get PDFThis article examines the journey of Central American and Mexican undocumented immigrants and the realities they had to face through written poetry. By examining this phenomenon, I explain the historical context of what caused the wave of Central American and Mexican immigration to the United States from the 1980s to 2000s. In addition, I focus on the experience of the undocumented immigrant through poetry that was made by both migrants and poets. By focusing on this theme we can understand the root of this migration and its social and economic consequences such as Femicide (violence against women), poverty, and an existential crisis in the lives of undocumented immigrants. Data had been collected from anthologies, published documents from refuge shelters, historical research, and anthropological studies. This article challenges the socio-political rhetoric and misconceptions of undocumented immigrant by hearing the stories of undocumented migrants while they are in movement
Sugar Concentration in the tree sap of five species of Minnesota trees
Get PDFTree sap can be collected from a variety of species in Minnesota, including sugar maple (Acer saccharum), box elder (Acer negundo), red maple (Acer rubrum), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), and ironwood (Ostrya virginiana). The sap of different species contain varying concentrations of sugar, important for determining the amount of sap needed to boil down into a volume of syrup. In general, previous literature has shown that sugar maples have the highest concentration of sugar, followed by red maple, birch, and box elder. The sugar concentration of ironwood is as of yet unknown. The purpose of this study was to confirm the concentration of sugar in the sap of these five tree species and record the variation in sugar concentration over the tapping season (generally from early March to late April). Two trees of each species were tapped with 5/16 spiles starting on March 21 using standard procedures and the sap collected daily. The volume was measured and the sugar concentration measured using a digital refractometer. Results will be presented
The Paled Guest
No full textIn The Paled Guest, Jessica Harkins gives painterly attention to moments and people lost. These poems move between the death of a brother, the estrangement of navigating foreign places, and a natural world which fails memory by being, constantly, made and unmade. These poems craft elegies as spaces for reclaiming presence—however brief, however painful—and for asking of their paled guests (earth, brother, body): how have we failed you? It is a generous and vital question and these poems resist everything, but the most startling and moving of answers. By crossing myth and wilderness, Oregon and Italy, The Paled Guest sweeps through time and space, bringing voice to the voiceless; bringing song to the silenced.
—Christopher Bolin, author of Ascension Theoryhttps://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/english_books/1009/thumbnail.jp