This article from the Greater Good Science Center discusses the impact of academic mentoring, engagement and community building on first-generation college students. Research now shows that it’s the social emotional aspects of college life that can be challenging for these students, who don’t have a model of academic success to draw on once they are away at school.
How to Help First-Generation College Students Succeed.
image from greatergood.berkeley.edu/
This week, I’m posting some favorite quotes and images in honor of all the amazing educators out there who teach, inspire, mentor and encourage our nation’s youth to keep moving forward. Happy teachers are a positive force for change. One kind word can impact the entire direction of a student’s life, and one lesson can light the spark that produces a lifelong learner.
Remember to #ThankATeacher this week!
Image via CommonSense Media.
As we get to the end of the semester and school year, we are expecting our students to demonstrate higher order thinking skills, or Critical Thinking. I like this infographic from Learning Commons at the University of British Columbia.
Thanks to its simple flow chart style, students can use it to clearly reflect on their own thinking. Students need to constantly question their own process, and those of others. They need to ask questions about the text they read, test possibilities, and allow for new discoveries.
Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) push our students beyond simple responses and elevate them to scholars and critics in their own right. Part of what’s vital in education is for students to learn to trust their own voice, while still questioning their thinking. What strategies do you use in your classroom to encourage critical thinking?
85% of college-educated professionals say creative thinking is critical for problem solving in their career.
Here’s what else they had to say on why creativity is such an important factor in our classrooms, in our careers, and in our everyday lives, as well:
The study interviewed 1000 college-educated professionals who were employed full-time, 25+ years of age. See source “Creativity and Education: Why it Matters,” by Adobe.
Add some SWAG to your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Easy Steps.
Here’s why:
LinkedIn is THE most popular social media site used by recruiters in all professions. That’s right. A recent survey from “Jobvite found that 93 percent of job recruiters tap into LinkedIn to find qualified candidates,” according to CNET.
Make sure you are making the most of your profile page. You want to be Irresistible…don’t you? Of course you do! So, start with these 5 simple steps to getting found!
I am so #Happy. To celebrate, I’m having a party…
Ok, it’s a virtual party but consider yourself invited. This milestone is a big one: over 1000 of you have stopped by College Ready, making it the “Little Blog that Could.”
THANK YOU! I am so thrilled with the support that you have given me over the past 2.5 months. I wish I had something profound and meaningful to say to mark this occasion. Instead, I’ll just say THANK YOU. For reading, for visiting, for “liking,” for following, for sharing, for commenting and again, for reading what I had to say. I hope that something in what I call my “Ed Soup” has been useful in your professional or personal life, or just to warm your soul.
I also want to thank all of you for inspiring me. The blogging community is sassy, smart, and full of ideas that launch conversations. And so many of you do it so well! While making it look easy. Anyone who writes knows that push and pull of fear, and risk, the anticipation of audience reaction. And the writer’s block, and the deadlines that you missed hours before the clock read 2 am. Far from easy, but you all write on.
WRITING ADVICE: At my last milestone (500 visitors on 9/30), I posted some writing advice from Hemingway. I’ll continue that tradition with one of his better-known quotes on the writing process:
Here’s what Philip Roth said of the writing process: “You build a book out of sentences. And the sentences are built up out of details. So you’re working brick by brick. And the bricks are heavy.”
And finally, here’s a post, courtesy of the amazing Brain Pickings where Jack Kerouac cites his 30 Beliefs and Techniques for Prose and Life.
As I continue this journey, I look forward to working & writing alongside so many inspirational colleagues, who happen to be damn fine writers, creative thinkers and bleeding edge thought leaders. I am so lucky to know you all, whether F2F, or just here… In the Soup.
GOING FORWARD: College Ready Coach is a resource for parents and students who are navigating the college admissions process. We work together to evaluate what the student needs to be prepared. Academic coaches serve as mentors, and have been found to be the key ingredient in a successful college “launch.”
MY PART: In addition to working with a small number of clients each semester, College Ready Coach–hey, that’s me :)–commits to mentoring one student from a traditionally under-served population each semester, free of charge. We simply have to provide educational equality to students, and this is one small way for me to give back and “walk the walk.” Please do contact with me if you wish to nominate a highly-motivated high school student for this mentoring opportunity.
AND THEN, THERE’S YOU: You can be part of the journey by following the blog here, or liking the College Ready facebook page, and learning more about helping your students or your own children be “college ready.”
Together, let’s turn the crazy maze of college admissions into a road map to success.
xo, Lisa
Wise Words on Things to Give Up–
Understanding transfer students’ attitudes, receptivity, motivations, and level of satisfaction with services is important in supporting their needs. The key is to tailor student success programs to these needs. Below are ideas to consider.
Does your institution offer:
1. Orientation programs tailored specifically for transfer students, including segments that address concerns such as transfer of credit, finances, major-related internships, and meaningful work experiences?
2. Programs beyond the usual classroom and advising services that connect transfer students to faculty, staff, and native students within academic or co-curricular interest areas?
3. Peer mentors for transfer students?
4. Assignment of students to an advisor within the student’s major/area of interest with an early focus on confirming or further refining a written academic plan?
5. An advising center devoted to transfer students?
6. Career fairs for students who are undecided about a major?
7. Academic support services based on areas of student need and receptivity?
All of these areas are solid ways to support transfer students and increase transfer student retention.
Video: “5 Ways Ed Pays.” A college degree means a richer life-not just in terms of money earned, but in quality of life! Get inspired. Be inspirational. Every student deserves a teacher who inspires! Just be open to good things, and be yourself…that will do!
Do you agree that a college degree means a richer life? Post a comment and join the discussion! We’d love to hear from you!
The quick answer: it’s about the ROI. At least according to this article in The Week, which is trending at the moment.
![college[1]](https://collegereadycoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/college1.jpg)
So, it seems the trend continues. Students and parents are spending more time digging around the financials and thinking ROI when it comes time to select a college. That’s a smart move in my opinion. Like the article points out, often it is more about the student’s major, than it is about the institution, when it comes time to getting a job and the salary that job pays.
A good rule of thumb: don’t acquire more college debt than a profession’s first year salary. College is still more than worth it when it comes to lifetime annual salary. A degree has also been an effective buffer during a weak economy. Those with degrees had roughly half of the level of unemployment than those with only a high school diploma.
So, yes. Think ROI. Plan, investigate, calculate. When it comes time to select a college, make sure those numbers add up.
College Ready 