Learning and Teaching Center (Old)

Summary of
"WAYS OF LEARNING OFF-CAMPUS"
LTC/OCS Lunch and Learn on January 20,1999 Present: John Ramsay, Susan Jaret McKinstry, Ivana Fertziger '99, Chris Martin '00, Ginny Anderson '99, Melissa Carlson '99, Katie Craine'00, Andrea Iseminger, Nancy Soth, Mark Hansell, Patricia Martin, Cathy Yandell, Julie Klassen, Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Bob Tisdale, Christine Lac, Mike Hemesath, Gary Wagenbach, Margit Johnson.
The four student panelists represented a variety of Carleton and non-Carleton programs:

Ivana Fertziger: Carleton in Morelia, Hamilton College in Madrid
Chris Martin: Sea Education Association, Carleton in London
Ginny Anderson: Carleton in Pau, Carleton in London
Melissa Carlson: SIT Madagascar Ecology and Conservation

Susan Jaret McKinstry served as the panel facilitator, having just returned as program director of the Carleton English seminar in London fall term 1998.
A wide-ranging discussion among the panelists, faculty facilitator and participants covered the following topics:

Relationship between learning and living
Students discussed the seamlessness of the academic content of the program and the out-of- class experience. "There is no shift between when you're learning and when you're not." Theoretical subjects in class become three-dimensional and "real" after class when students live with families, talk to people on the street, visit museums filled with the original art works, and observe people on public transit. "Courses become your daily experience."

Learning CommunityThe panelists described how they depend on one another to learn in a different setting. SEA provides an extreme example of how interdependent students are, as they navigate the ship and maintain one another's research projects during each 4-6 hour watch. In London students share resources, hot tips and their own insights which enhance other students' learning experience.
Family homestays offer a unique opportunity to experience living in the local community, learning about cultural norms, values and behaviors through observation and conversation. Pooling observations about homestays and families with other program participants creates new insights and knowledge learned both in and out of class.

Process and productThere was strong agreement among panelists that the learning process becomes much more important that the end product or the final grade. Research projects or independent studies are motivated by personal interests more than the course syllabus. A sense of freedom engenders creativity and strong motivation, because the choice is so personal. "Your research becomes part of your life." As examples, Chris wrote poetry, but he also went to and participated in poetry readings. Ginny was particularly enthusiastic about the process of researching Oscar Wilde, because she could walk the same streets, talk to people knowledgeable about him, attend his plays, etc.
Bob Tisdale cited his experience in '82 as program director of the London seminar. While he was doing his own research about Vietnam, he instructed the students to do "projects" of their own. They demonstrated that they could work on their own with considerably less direction than he had thought possible.

Resources for learning off-campusAgain, there was concurrence that people are a major resource during off-campus studies, including program directors, other students, homestay families, and local people encountered on the street, in class and on excursions.
Melissa mentioned the dearth of print resources available in Madagascar. Yet there was a wealth of knowledge and information shared by the Malagasy which she used during her independent study project.
Susan described library resources in London as extremely limited to Carleton students; they complained bitterly for the first two weeks. The absence of easy library access forced them to look for other sources of information in the streets, theaters, clubs and countryside around London.
Adding an internship to her semester in Madrid, Ivana learned more about the culture and increased her language proficiency significantly through that "extracurricular' effort.

Sense of place off-campus and back on campusOne concern expressed by students heading off-campus was the fear of finding oneself on the "periphery of the culture," feeling like a true outsider. Only after learning more about the location and culture through combined instruction and experience did that feeling recede. Homestays, "being open to everything," traveling independently and maintaining a sense of discovery all contributed to the students' understanding of place and sense of belonging. "It's an exciting moment when you realize you have a place in the culture or country."
Conversely, one of the adjustments students make when they return to campus is the feeling of being "out of place," that is, they have changed and no longer fit into familiar surroundings in the same way. "You have to be open to a new relationship with the college community." Interestingly, some of their off-campus attitudes helped them find another, different place at Carleton. Professors often "dare" students to challenge themselves, and OCS returnees hear and understand that opportunity for what it is - being open to discovery, trying new things, doing something the student is personally interested in, "putting the effort in for myself," and learning in ways that suit the student and not being as motivated by grades per se. The panelists spoke of continuing to "put yourself out there!", hanging on to the importance of the process of learning, and "remembering the experience" which offered more balance between the theoretical, the applied and the personal.
They also cited examples of seeking new opportunities on campus and nearby - directing plays, continuing creative writing, doing service projects, and seeking out cultural resources in the Cities more often. "Experiential learning becomes part of you."

Collaborative learningStudents expressed deep satisfaction when they felt that learning was a collaborative effort among themselves and the faculty. Susan described the faculty-student relationship, while strong on campus, can be tenfold during a seminar. London seminar students appreciated Susan's willingness to learn about London along with them.
Ivana referred to the sense of feeling valued when a professor responds to a student's idea with "I hadn't thought of that before." Cathy Yandell added that she continues to learn about Paris and the French language during Carleton seminars there; the sense of discovery and experimentation is contagious.
Ginny enjoyed learning about London through the eyes of Susan's children. Looking at an impressionist painting in a museum, Susan's 6-year old stated in no uncertain terms to Ginny, "That is the painting of my dreams!"

AdviceFor faculty: Think about ways to foster a sense of discovery and the process of learning in the classroom. Structure courses to create greater interdependence among students, particularly in the humanities where individual work is often the norm. Introduce the application of the theory as additional food for thought, prompting students to think beyond the classroom. Continue to challenge students to push their own boundaries and move beyond what is comfortable or expected.
For students: Recognize that you have changed, even if the college and other students have not. Be prepared to make a "concerted effort" to try new directions and take the initiative back on campus. Draw on the skills developed off-campus to find those new directions and outlets on campus. Remember the range of resources available for learning, the balance of learning and
living, and the "I can do this!" feeling.