Engagement with the Mission of the University

Founded on the values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and rooted in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame de Namur University is committed to addressing the constantly changing educational needs of our diverse society and to providing strong liberal arts programs and professional studies. We encourage our students to develop their potential in a supportive environment and challenge them to share what they have learned through service and the promotion of social justice and global peace. We are a center for values-based learning where students are enabled to build character, competence and confidence for life and work.

- NDNU Faculty Handbook

I am convinced that my personal philosophy must be built on the arms of passion and modeling. Without a doubt, I must be invested in my beliefs and I must be practicing what I teach. A student should leave my class and say “I did brainstorming, told stories, used manipulatives, practiced critical thinking, learned new strategies, saw video clips, listened to music, utilized consequential thinking, set goals, made friends and therefore, I need to do the same in my own classroom." Modeling research indicates that students do 30% of what we say and 70% of what we do. We must be "doers."

My philosophy base is built upon the humanistic model with substrata from the cognitive strategies stirred within for the storage and retrieval of data. I want students to build their self-efficacy, to help drive the curriculum, to be appropriately challenged, to receive feedback that stimulates and encourages growth, and above all to experience the power of choice.

In addition, I believe the process is more important than the content and that the students' cognitive skills must be enhanced with a complement of emotional intelligence. It is the “how” and the “why” that imprint the “what.” I want students to recognize that emotions cannot be left at the door and that memory/achievement improves when emotion is encouraged and becomes a part of the lesson plan. I want students to recognize that the teaching of EQ will reduce high risk-taking behaviors, while increasing motivation and improving citizenship. Learning needs to be active, not passive, which means students should be involved in discussion, in cooperative games, and in peer teaching. While I would not relegate all traditional approaches to the attic, I work to stay abreast of the latest data and research, employing new techniques and strategies as information becomes available, and encourage my students to do the same.

The brain-based movement has provided the education field with a myriad of data that suggests approaches for stimulating the mind and involving students in hands-on vs. didactic procedures. I utilize the following set of 10 brain-based learning principles to solidify achievement within my classroom:

1. Age plus 2 minutes equals limit of focused activity with the maximum at 20-25 minutes (Jacobs, Schall, Scheibel, 93);
2. Brains thrive on enriched environments ( e.g., pictures, quotes, color, sounds, smell, etc.) (Diamond, 98; Greenaugh, 91);
3. Brains need constant hydration (Howard, 00);
4. Learning must be reinforced in three different ways: use of primary modality (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile); frequency (i.e., novel repetition); and duration (i.e., longer than short-term memory) (Jensen, 00):
5. Hunks within a whole (e.g., theme followed by visuals, videos, graphic organizers, cooperative activities, pair-sharing, etc.) (Allen,02);
6. Connecting to prior knowledge builds a bridge to new learning (Lozanov, 91);
7. Goal setting improves performance and achievement (Locke, Latham, 90);
8. Our personal belief system (PAB) affects our learning (e.g., intuitive-emotional; critical-logical; ethical-moral; biological-medical; cultural-social; institutional-physical) (Jensen, 01);
9. Competing for the brain's attention requires contrast, emotion, and novelty; keep downshifting from occurring by low stress and high enjoyment. (Sylwester, 05);
10. Learning occurs when we are forced to abandon stored patterns (i.e., dilemmas, impasse, etc.) (Stepien and Gallagher, 93).

I also recognize that education is abounding with dilemmas - what is the best right of two rights? And what is the least offensive of two wrongs? So I struggle to help my students recognize that they must develop a set of guiding principles to follow when they face tough decisions with parents, students, or the district. I share with them my three principles for decision-making, which are:

1. Consider the need. Which choice will do the most good for the most people?
2. Consider the rule. What would be the end result if everyone in the world violated this standard?
3. Consider the hurt. What would you want done if this were you?

And then, when making a decision or solving a problem, I use one more filter - my noble goal: to use my voice to encourage the balancing of accountability with compassion so that integrity floods the globe. Finally, I ask them in light of the university's promotion of social justice and global peace to establish their own set of guiding principles.

In addition to my involvement with the university, I am President of Six Seconds, a non-profit organization. Six Seconds' vision is: to co-create an emotionally intelligent world. We strive to do that by promoting and teaching a series of workshops/seminars that help support people to know themselves, choose themselves, and give themselves. We have devised a variety of teaching tools, testing instruments, and curricula in order for the personnel of businesses, health organizations, and schools to become more emotionally literate, more intrinsically motivated, more optimistic, and more empathic in order to improve their personal lives and strengthen their professional/family/play relationships.

Update as of 10/06

One of the major thrusts of the NDNU mission is to promote social justice and to ensure equity for all. One way to do this, as teachers and educators, is to celebrate diversity - cultural, economic, and gender.

An “aha” moment - an epiphany - occurred to me many years ago when I was serving as Executive Director of Nueva School in Hillsborough California. One of the parents, whom I admired and respected, and I were having dinner together. She was extraordinarily beautiful, smart (with a degree from Harvard), and articulate. She was married to a dot comer who was exceedingly successful. She appeared to have it all - beauty, brains, and wealth. And as we were trading perceptions, challenges, etc. she said to me, “You know, Anabel, my hardest moment is early in the morning. I look into the mirror and say to myself, “You're black. Deal with it.” I was shocked. I tried to put myself into a similar situation. “Anabel, you are white. Deal with it.” It was at that moment that I recognized that the apparent random order of birth can have an unbelievable impact on some. It was then that I began to recognize the power position of “whiteness.” Since then I have worked to help future educators understand the importance of building community through celebration of all races, cultures, and denominations.

I believe this can only be done when students examine how their history, background, and experiences have created their personal reality. Despite the cherished belief that all are entitled to “pursuit of happiness,” the path to that end has been strewn with the boulders of sexism and racism. To me, this means that K-12 teachers must work to:

1) eliminate the inequities that exist between schools and districts;
2) look for alternative assessment procedures vs. standardized tests;
3) stop unfair student tracking procedures;
4) provide stimulating mentors for children requiring constructive attention;
5) incorporate into the curriculum contributions from minority cultures; and
6) encourage minorities to accommodate but not to disappear within the larger community.

I work to make this happen by encouraging my students to read Kozol's Savage Inequalities or Gladwell's Blink; by sharing excerpts from movies such as The Color of Fear or Mirrors of Priviledge: Making Whiteness Visible; and by facilitating thoughtful and reflective discussion of the ideas/insights presented. I, as well as other NDNU colleagues, work within the diversity committee to change the status quo.

In addition, I carry the NDNU mission out into the larger community through extensive work teaching emotional intelligence. This work closely aligns with NDNU's mission and values. For example, see this letter from school principal Susan Charles about how I am working with Ohlone School and modeling this portion of the NDNU mission: "We encourage our students to develop their potential in a supportive environment and challenge them to share what they have learned through service and the promotion of social justice and global peace."

Evidence:

Article: Building a Role Model

Article: Reflections on the Application of the Self-Science Program

Letter from Joan Rossi

Example of student Kris Govanni's mission/philosophy created in my class.

Evidence Added 10/06

I was the graduation speaker for the Community Schools for the San Mateo County Probation Department - extending the NDNU values to young people in grave risk.

Letter from school principal Susan Charles about how I am working with Ohlone School and modeling the NDNU mission and values.

This photo of a student project shows how in my classes I ask students not just to learn content, but also to consider their identity, vision, and values.

Here is a note from someone I trained - it shows how I am spreading the NDNU mission beyond campus. Here is a second note from another trainee.

I am involved in planning the 2007 NexusEQ Conference for South Africa, promoting sustainable future -- an event highly consonant with the NDNU mission.