Volume 7.1 (2014)
TOUCHSTONE
The Journal of the Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning TOUCHSTONE Volume 7.1 (Spring 2014) Published annually by the Professor Magda Vasillov Center forTeaching and learning, the Division of Academic Affairs, Eugenio Marfa de Hostos Community College ofThe City University of New York. Editors Carl James Grindley, Ph.D. English Department Kim Sanabria, Ph D. language and Cognition Department Editorial Review Board Jason Buchanan, Ph.D. English Department William Casari library Robert F. Cohen, Ph.D. Language and Cognition Department Sherese Mitchell, Ed.D. Education Department Jennifer Tang, M.L.S., M.F.A. Library The Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College 500 Grand Concourse, The Bronx, NY 10451 The views expressed in rouchstone are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College or The City University of New York. Cover image: Hostos students entering the 475 Grand Concourse building on the firstday of classes, September 14, 1970. CUNY signed a ten year lease for the for- mer ARCS Industries Building and renovated it for Hostos. Magda Vasillov, photog- rapher. Magda Vasillov Collection, Hostos Community College Archives. Copyright© 2014 by the authors. All nghts reserved.
2 Touchstone
C. Coballes-Vega
Fringe Theater Festival, che Cuba Study Abroad Tour, the NASA internship at chc NASA Huncsville Space Flight Cemer, the Bronx STEM Scholars Program, che Louis $cokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM; clinical rotations ar Bronx Lebanon, Momefiore, and Lincoln Hospicals, the Hosros Design Lab wich Massachuscm Museum of Contemporary Arc (MASS MoCA), Narional Science Foundation game-framed math and science projecrs, and ochers. All of chese activi ties require additional planning as well as our of class time for faculty. In a cime when we are very focused nationally on persisrence, retention, and graduation, it is extremely critical char our Hoscos faculty know the merits of chese learning oppor rnnities. They parricipace because chey know rhese experiences are assecs for Hoscos srudenrs and can provide rransformational change in their lives. A recem artick "How Caring Professors Can Change Lives," in the Chronicle ofHigher Education (May, 2014), reponed on a survey of 30,000 American gradu ates undertaken by (he Gallup-Purdue Index Report. The survey asked questions abour cmploymenr, job engagement, :rnd well-being. The resulrs indicared chat graduates ''had double rhe chances of being engaged in their work and were chree rimes as likely to be thriving if they had connecred wich a profession on campus who scimulaced chem, cared about chem, and encouraged their hopes and dreams." The scudy also indicated char chese results were found in both privare and public uni versity graduates. This evidence is consistent with other studies char have pointed to "caring faculty" as a ddinire comribucor of why srndents remember faculry rhey have come in comact with during their undergraduate experience. We enhanced the rheme of "caring" in rhe spring of 2014 when we launched rhc Hostos Teaching Institute, an opporrnniry for experienced reaching faculty ro share their expcrrise wirh ocher faculty wirhin the college. The faculry who were participants commented on the quality of rhe ideas that were shared and the positive exchange among rhe fuculry. We are appreciative of those who volunteered to sup pon our new and continuing faculty and expecr to continue chis initiative in years to come or on an ongoing basis as part of rhe professional development program. As we cdebrare HOSTOS 175, we are reminded of che philosophy of Hosros' educational philosophy in the following srarernenr: "In one of his journal entries, in Madrid, during rhe lace 1860s, he wrote: "Si logro aprender, lograreser." "If I can learn, I can become." Hoscos was che perpetual learner, an individual who defined himself in terms of learning" (Hernandez, p. 11-12). For our srudents, rhe legacy of EL1gcnio Marfa de Hoscos is ever present in our faculty and their commitment to teaching and learning. The educational opportunity char our scudems experience here ac Hoscos Community College is a true rescamenc ro the groundbreaking work of Hoscos rhe man, author, reformer, liberator, and human rights advocate. The achievements of rhe graduates of 2014 provide a significant and powerful imellecru al connection to che educational philosophy and work of Eugenio Maria de Hoscos.
WORKS CITED How caring professors can change lives. (2014, May 16). Chronicle ofHigher Edu.cation, pp. A3-6.
6 Touchstone
C.J. Grindley and K. Sanabria
deparcmenr and led rhe college in forward.chinking initiatives such as the General Education competencies. The Center forTeaching and Learningwas named for chis beloved colleague, and rhe journalho nors her memory. Since chat first day when scudencs are picw red emeri ng class for the very first time, rhe process of learning has evolved in ways char were unimaginable at char rime, and pedagogy is incorporating che new possibilities of rhe online world. We next include three pieces dedicated to che ways in which technology is shap• ing che educarional experience for us all. Professor Aragona, from rhe Education department, gives an insightful overview of e•learning, and explains how andra gogy, che learning behavior of adults, has acquired new meaning in a world where studying can take place in the self.directed environmem rhar technology creates. Simultaneously, che role of the instrucror has undergone a perceptible change, and as educacors, we arc now poised ro redefine and reshape rhe learning experience of our srudenrs. Such is rhe thrusr of the next piece, a collaboracive reporr by Professors Seixas and Wolfe from Behavioral and Social Sciences, which describes ways in which che iPad enhances scudencs' motivation and their ability co access resources. Finally, Sherese Mitchell, in her words a former "hesicanc educator who ran from change in the area of technology," cells Blackboard the way she has come co feel abour its impact on her life. Touchstone was speci Ficall y designed as a forum for presenting personal reAec rions, scholarly articles, new initiatives in reaching and learning, and reports on classroom innovations. And, as in previous edicions of rhe journal, we are now proud to include an original piece of liceracure, "Bronx Larin," an enigmatic tale leading to an encounter in the East Academic Complex. English Professor Hubner screeches a veil across the American cominenr, co disclose characters whose despair and determination, temptations and successes eerily echo emotions and sicuarions that we all recognize. l11e role and power of words are compelling copies ro all language inscmcrors, and parricularly so co Professor Wander, from rhe Humanities Department's Unit of Modern Languages (French and lralian). In "Mussolini's Rhetoric," he argues char abstract oratory underpinned Musso! in i's cransformarion from journalistro dicraror ro world conqueror. II Duce may have used words co forge fascisc choughr, bur the thread of the next piece, "Adamanria," is chat words also make conversarions, convey dreams, and preserve legacies. Here, Professor Lara·Bonilla assembles a colleccion of micro stories ro delineare her journey co Hosros, from the time during her childhood when she would plead wich her grandfacher to cell her stories of rhe Spanish Civil War. Returning to the present day, we next present four perspectives from mache macics, English, science and engineering. The first rwo, by Professors Cunningham/ Doyle and Steinhoff, respectively, consider the inrricacics of assessing the emerging abiliries of students who score under rhe cucoffpoims of rhe CUNY Assessment Tests. Recent revision of marhcmacics assessmenr inscrumenrs has complicated ef forcs ro measure all aspects of scudencs' performance, but available data do pro vide the opportunity co make the mosr advisable modifications co class syllabi and practices. In "Assessment of Our Assessment," the make-or-break exam model is brought under scrutiny and a pica is made co reevaluate the ways in which we allow
8 Touchstone Introduction
srudems a say in chci r education. These are quescions rhar cerrainly demand our urgent accention. Yee, rhe promise ofcrearive pedagogy is on our side. Business Professor Ridley bas found that promoting critical chinking, exercising greater focus on whar re searcher Carol Dweck has called a growth mindser, and experimenring with mod els such as che flipped classrnom all lead to better outcomes among our srudenrs. And in a three-way collaboration between professors from the Natural Sciences Department and a represemative from Information Technology, we learn about rhe ways in which quamicative reasoning skills can be: enhanced in an e-porrfolio environment when scudems are prompred to include personal reactions cogecher wich cheir reports on chemical formulae,separacion of rnixrures, and cirraition. Self reAecrion appears noc only to bolster scudems'self-confidence, bur ro make far more accurate judgmems roo. Seeking a similar level of srudenr engagement, English Professor Zucker scrucrured her Exposimry \Xlriring class to include a service learning component. She reports on the experience, describing ir as her most significant achicv<.:mem of the academic year, in the following piece. Seemingly, her srudems were similarly de lighred wich rhe experience of participating in rhe Hosros Garden Marker, because their journals revealed char chey had learnednor only how co research and documem a topic. buc also how to besr apply critical information about agriculcural methods, food disrribudon, health bendirs of local produce, and food jusrice. Furchermore, rheir collaboracion with Professor Figueroa's Business Communications studems was tangible proof of rhe benefits of working as a ream. Given rhe recurring symbolism of rhe number seven, for Nachmanides the number of rhe natural world, for rhe Iroquois seven generations of sustainability, and for rhe Chinese irs association wich the similar-sounding words "arise" and "life," ic seems only firring chat our lase piece in this sevench volume of Touchstone should focus once again on our incerconnecred existence. Arguing vehemenrly for more responsible ways of chinking abouc our planet and our place in ic, Professor Trachman would doubcless agree with Hosros's argumcnc in Moral Social: ''the firsc cruth co be learned .... and applied throughour is rhac individuals are a part of humanicy and that rhe nacural source and sustenance of each man is society as a whole." \' Corl James Grindley Kim Sanabria 7.1 (Spring 2014) 9 MAESTRO HOSTOS TURNS 175: A CELEBRATION OF MANY STRANDS AND COLORS OrlandoJose Hernandez Escribo para ser rJtil; por Lo tamo, utilicen ustedes mis reftexiorres, haciendoLas objetos de las suyas. I write to be usefitl; therefore use my reflections, making them the object ofyours. Eugenio Maria de Hosros lr has been said char celebrations cell us more about the people who celebrate rhan abour the subjecr rhey celebrate. l11e Hostos 175th Anniversary Celebracion may nor be an exc(:ption, and we welcome rhar. Don Eugenio rurned 175 rhis year and this celebration gives us a fine oppor runicy for us to study and disseminare Eugenio Maria de Hosms's work, co admire his accomplishmenrs, and to promoce a better understanding of his exemplary life. As we srudy rhis extraordinary figure, we should be aware chat rhere are several strands in the larger-than-Ii fe picture of Hostos char we regard and revere: rhe sci entist and the ucopian, the intimate and rhe public man, rhe legendary and the historical figure, che analytical inrelleccual and the revolucionary accivisr. We should explore and bring all of these different strands co rhc cable, so char our celebration can be as diverse as his vision, his chinking, and his endeavors. In 1873, che 34-year old Hoscos spoke in his leccures in Chile on "La ed11- caci611 cientifica de la mujer" (The Scientific Education of Women], of basing civi lizacion on three major factors: work, science and moraliry. The natural sciences informed his sense of morality; he was an early reader of Darwin's seminal book "The Origin of Species." While in Paris in 1868, rrying co avoid the repression of che Spanish monarchical regime, rhe young Hostos read Giambatisra Vico's "New Science" and concemplated wriring a treatise on whar he called "an arirhmetic of hiscory." There is no indication as co whecher he ever attempted it, bur those were the signs of a highly inquisitive mind committed co inrellecrual inquiry. ll1roughout his life he also promoted "reAexive chinking,'' whar we now call critical thinking. The analycical Hoscos char scands as a major inrelleccual should also be an important part of our yearlong celebrarions. He was a rationalise rhinker who spoke of "la raz6n imaginanre" or "the imagining reason," a suggestive concepr yer ro be fully explored. In one of his journal enrries, in Madrid, during chelate 1860s, he wrote: 7.1 (Spring 2014) 11 0. Hernandez "Si logro aprender, Lograre ser." "If I can learn, I can become." Therefore, Hosros was the perpetual learner, an individual who defined hi1melfin terms of learning. Hostos was also an activist who devoted countless hours and efforcs w bring ing about profound political and social change. While we have made quite a bit of progress, some of rhe big issues of his rimes were nor altogether different from ours: economic opportunity, access ro education, gender and racial equaliry, politi cal representation, the plight of the Nacive people, colonialism and the territorial expansion of the big powers or imperialism. Throughout his life, he was involved in addressing all of these. Journalism, education, and citizens' actions were the means used by rhis generous Caribbean man to pursue his ideals. There is plenty tO celebrate about Hoscos. He was a 19rh-cencury human ise and author who made significant comriburions to education in the Dominican Republic and Chile. He saw the concept of rights-equal rights for everyone-as rhe basis for our social order. Consequencly, he fought for human, civil, and national rights ar a rime when they had not yet been recognized as fundamenral values of our civilization. Hosros was a committed abolirionisr and a staunch advocare for the rights of women, of people of African descenr, of Chinese people, of Native Americans, and of mesrizos, all of which made him a champion of inclusiveness. Indeed, he seems co have been (he mosc inclusive thinker in 19th-century Larin America. Moreover, Hostos vigorously supported self-determination for colonial peo ples, particularly in Cuba and his native Puerto Rico. He opposed rhe expansionist, imperial ambitions of powerful coumries, including rhe United Scares-a country he deeply admired. He wrote against "the European oligarchy of narions" that had divided Africa and Asia amongst chem, and he denounced che United Scares' rer ricorial grab against Mexico in 1847, its ill-fated accempr ro annex Santo Domingo and Haiti in 1869-71, and irs takeover of Puerro Rico in 1898. His unAinching commirmenr ro democracy led him co promote citizen participation in public affairs in ways thar we now call the civil society, a term coined by Amonio Gramsci several decades lacer. Hosros conceived of a non-parrisan, participatory citizens' role as "el poder social" or "rhe social power." The League of Puerco Rican Parriors (1898) and the League of Citizens in Samo Domingo were examples of rhis type of visionary, non-panisan work. Hoscos's work on education is well known. The creation of escuelas normales (reacher schools) in Samo Domingo was not originally his idea. President Ulises Espaillat and rhe Liberals had singled ir our as necessary for nation building. It was Hoscos, though, who not only brought it m fruition in the 1880s, but who infused ic with such a mystique char Normalismo, the educational movement char he promoted wich rhe new graduates, became an imporram instrument for change. He also empowered Salome Urena by making her co-direcror of the women's school. Jn Chile, during che 1890s, as recror of the Insciruru Amunaregui, he explored new pedagogy and singlehandedly wrote rexes in a slew of disciplines. His knowledge by then had become encyclopedic. fn 1899 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, he founded a school for children in which he used globes, manipulables, direct observations from nacure, and advanced methods of teaching. Hosros's thinking about civic education is a relevanr and important part of his legacy, and includes his support for popular education and his crearion of evening 12 Touchstone Maestro Hostos Turns 175 schools for workers in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. 1l1is makes him a forerunner of Paulo Freire, the contemporary Brazilian educator who proposed a "pedagogy of rhe oppressed." Larin American uniry and an Amillean confederation of independent srares were ideas dear ro him as well. For these important comriburions, rhe Eighth Pan American Conference in Lima, Peru in 1938 named Hosros "Eminenr Cirizen of America" on rhe wake of his cemennial celebration. Hostos earned his living earlier as a journalise and translator, and lacer on as an educator. His mulcifarious passion for knowledge led him co become a novelist, philosopher, sociologist, jurist, and ethicist. He had a gifred intellect and wrote extensively about issues and subjects of the most diverse namre. In 1838, rhe gov ernmenr of Puerto Rico commissioned the young Dominican writer Juan Bosch co compile Hosros's writings, and published his Obras cornplettts. These complete works, alchough incomplete, fill up cwenry volumes. While cranslacions of his writ ings inro English are sparse, there is a growing interest in Hosros, which will likely produce more versions of his work. The significant facr is that Hoscos was an author. His work persists largely through his wricings. We cannot celebrate his accomplishments and explore his ideas without reading his work. le is up co us, teachers, to make sure that our sru dencs have the opporruniry to read Hoscos-cricically, as he would have liked. Early on, chis faculty-led initiative ser rhe integration ofHosros's wrirings into our courses as one of ics important goals. We are doing chis by providing resources for teach ing and for sharing classroom exp eriences, along with whacever other options will enhance learning. We have called it "Teaching Hosros al Hosros." During che 2014 spring semester, no less than 25 different courses had sru denrs reading, studying, and discussing works by Hosrns. We hope the number will increase in Fall 2014. For several months, a group of devoted Hoscos Community College faculty from various disciplines and deparrmems mer as an advisory comminee, to put cogecher a celebration worthy of our mission. Prof. Ernest Ialongo is co-coordinator with me in rhis endeavor. From the outset, we were committed to the idea of a cel ebration rhac sought to engage both our academic comrnuniry and rhe larger com munity, both by offering opporrunities for studencs and faculty co parricipace and ro pl�y an active role, and by inviting community leaders and educarional inscicurions ro be pare of ic. The resulr is HOSTOS 175, a year-long series of evems and activiries chat include a lecture series, forums, cheater and musical performances, an essay comest, readings of his work, several publications, and an inrernacionalscholarl}' conference rhat will cake place in November of chis year. Hoscos's ideas and legacy have clear implications for our rhinking on contem porary issut::s. among rhem: the universal recognirion of rights-as Hosros would have seen it, based on science and on the fundamencal equality of all people, of all ethnic origins and gender preferences; full acknowledgement of women's social and economic contributions, which should lead co equal pay for equal work; quality education, including pre-kindergarcen, for everyone; a humane, rescornrive penal system-an issue char he discussed; Latin American and Caribbean inregration which he strongly advocated; self-determination for his native Puerro Rico-for 7.1 (Spring 2014) 13 0. Hernandez which he foughr cl1roughour his lifetime. If chis reads like a progressive agenda, indeed Hosros was a progressive social rhinkcr and educator. His legacy is abom empowering and enfranchising people. So ler the Hostos 175th Anniversary Celebration �peak for what Hostos Communiry College srands for. Let it speak eloqucncly, cnrhusiascically, and beau rifully for who we arc. We invite everyone to be part of it. 14 Touchstone COMMUNITY ARCHIVES AND AUTONOMY: MEETING THE CHALLENGE TO PRESERVE VITAL RECORDS OF THE COLLEGE AND THE COMMUNITY William (asari Hosros began life in 1968 as Communir y College Number Eight, fought for and demanded by Puerto Rican community members and local elected officials who felt che higher education needs of che South Bronx community were noc being addressed by mainstream colleges and in essence, the whole of the City University of New York. Ac its founding, Hoscos served primarily a Pueno Rican and African American student body. Classe� began in fall 1970 and were held in a renovaced tire faccory on che Grand Concourse. The decade of rhe 1970s proved to be a ch,dlenging rime for che college and for rhc Bronx itself. It is a srory of survival and resurgence and one rhac muse be preserved and cold again and ag..iinfor future gcnerarions. In 1his arcicle I would like ro Resh out a discussion srarccd ac an Archivists Round Table of Mcrropolican New York meeting while hringing in finer points spe cificro Hosros char have been di�cussed a1 che Hostos Archives Advisory Commirtee. 1 will argue char Hoscos muse take a broad and in-depth view coward collccring records chat document nor only the college bur che Sourh Bronx community that created and foughr for ic. Hostos must plan a broad-ba�ed documentation strategy char incorporates rhc diversiry of che local area and one chat meets the changing demographics of the college dS rcAecced in the community. 1l1is efforr align� wirh the Hosro� Scracegic Plan and requires a deep commitment from the college. While Hosros srill serves a large immigranr and minority communit}', the mix of cthnici cies and rhc neighborhood h,1ve changed markedly since 1970. In 2004 rh<.: college receh·ed a New York Stace Archives Documentary Hcricage Program Grant co documenr rhe first ten years of rh<.: college's existence, which in rurn sparked a more formal conversation abour documenting rhc college and rhe community. While addirional grnnrs were secured co process and provide access ro specific collections like rhe Museum of Comemporary Hispanic A re and che Magda Vasillov Collection, many questions were raised about how thoroughly records wc::re being kept of chc.: community, disparate college departmencs retiring faculty members, and staff. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 15 W. Casari Is Hostos and che surrounding community thac crcaccd ir being thoroughly documenced? Though Hosrns has a small and viral archival collection, arc we mccr ing che challenge of preserving permanent records of rhc college and che surround ing neighborhood? What is che responsibility ro document and preserve rhe history of this unique South Bronx community college that defied chc odds co scay open in che 1970s and, like che Bronx itself, has made a huge resurgence coday� Wirh rhese issues in mind, what are the options going forward for rhe furnre growth of the collections housed at Hoscos? These questions reveal ic's cimc to rake a look at che bigger picture of non-mainsrrcam archival collections, sec against the backdrop of 1he community rhar created them, co thoroughly chart a broader collcccing strategy 1hat repre�enrs our diverse community and college. With rcpos irories like rhe Center for Pucrco Rican Smdies ac Hunrer College, The Dominican Studies fnscicure (1£ City College and some emphasis on archival collecting a1 most CUNY schools, i1 may seem that chc r 16 Touchstone Community Archives and Autonomy a commu11i1y �urvey of important local records in 2006. While several imporranc local collections were identified, Hosros lacked the space ro house dny new materi als. Made clear during rhe process was the fact rhar donors wanced their records �cored in a secure place, accessible co chose in the neighborhood-in essence-by the communiry and for rhc community. In chis way the collections n:main a pare of rhc community and can function as a community resource. For instance. research as may visir the collecriom withour leaving their local area or cravelling far away to visit a governmencal repository like the Narional Archives. Often times if records are separated from the community of origin they are nor as widely consulted or are seen through rhe fil1cr of a mainsrream organization. Digitization and online access may help mitigate required travel but evencually most serious researchers or writers need ro physically visit the collections rhey arc studying and consult wirh rhe archivist. Addirionally, many collecrions are only partially digitilc:d and may nor have been made available Lhrough a content managcmem system or onlinc archiv.il onding aid. Shaunna Moore and Susan Pell present a convincing argumenr rhar rcpo� irories should be located in chc community char created rhc records; in essence, they should be housed in the place chc records came from. In ocher words, Hoscos Community College muse control irs records and be able co rcll irs own �tory, rather rhan having the records stored "downtown" in a mainstream insrirurion. In "Auconomous Archives·• the aurhors present conceptual frameworks fur archival collections: The preservation of archives is a highly polirical work of memory. In provid ing proof of actions, words and deeds carried our by governments, poliricians, social righrs advocates, concerned citizens and communily groups, archives are crucial to the struggle co define social comexrs and hold chose in positions of power account able (255). Nor only do archival collections help establish public opinion while preserv ing a record or what happened, through their constirurive and relational capahilirics archives act as spaces for public formations... as they bridge how people may con srrucr rhc paM and imaginations for rhc furure (256). This interaction line of chinking becomes very imporranr as rime passes. Retirt:menrs and changes in adminisrrarion force us to ask "who and whar is lcfr to tell the story or provide documencacion?" While the hiscory or Hosros is really quire rccenr, only beginning in 1968, do our archival collections represenr rhc �cory of che lasr 46 years or only pare of ir? And whose voices are included in che collec tion for a future researcher who may wane ro reconstrucc whac happened? [11 some cases collecrions represenr those who actually kepr documenrs as events happened the: chus preserved char parr of rhe story. A prime example is che Gerald J. Meyer Colleccion at Hosros which heavily documem5 rhe 1970s and 1980� at rhc college including phorographs, Ayers, and the heavily used "Save Hoscos" materials which preserve rhe records of demonsrracions waged co keep the college open. In chis sense the collection was crcarcd by, abour and for rhe community and b preserved in rhe location where che events transpired. Mose srudencs were Bronx residenrs ar char rime. Howcvc:r, collections of ocher faculty members and communicy rcsidenrs from chat rime period at nor part of che repository, perhaps because rhey don't exisr or per haps a more thorough community documenrarion survey need.� robe undertaken 7.1 (Spring 2014) 79 Communny Archives and Autonomy immediarely. Hosros cannoc afford ro lose the collective memory of the recem past. \V/emuse acr colleccively now! Moore and Pell asscrc char many groups have taken a stronger role in form� of grassroocs archival practice aimed at documenring chc hericagc of chose on che ptripherics of sociecy, largely wirhour che incervemion of oucsidc enricies (257). Practices typically associared wich ''communicy archives" have gained more impor• tance and visibility in reccnc years. Particularly rhosc include archives rhroughout che world documenring rhc hisrories of particular ethnic groups, and gay and les bian organi:wcions. "Some view chese pr:iccices as methods of political conresrncion and resistance againsc dominanr social :rnd culcural narrarivcs. Ochers l()oking at archives char arise from groups with a common interest or within a parcicular geo graphical region, presenr chem ia a mon: neucral light'' (257). \Xlirhin chis conversation is the importance of place in the community. Ir can be argued that by locaring Hosrnsat the prominent corner of 149ch and The Grand Concourse in the South Bronx, rhe Puerto Rican community members and local officials were sending a strong mCl>,age about the imporranct of place. Located direcrly above three subway lines and across the srrcet from rhe �ew Deal era Bronx General Po�t Office, chis was a locarion rhac spoke co the imporrancc of rhc.: col lege's mission and of place within the communicy. And chat the college's namesake, Eugenio Maria de Hoscos, was a 19rh Cemury Puerto Rican scholar, educator and author further underscorc.:d che imporcance of this undertaking, and its roots ouc �ide rhe mainstream CUI\Y college experience in the 1960s. "By connecring stories of pasr experiences co present localities, public hisrories give places meaning. ·n1is connection to place affects the relationships between community rm:mbcrs, their sense of responsibility for their environment and, ultimately, collective memory'' (Moore, Pell 260). Readers may ask themselves how a nearly abandoned corner rein\'enrs itself and creares lilt: anew. Across from rhe rehabbed rire wan::house where Hoscos rented classroom and adminisrr:11ivc space srood che abandoned Sccu rir y Murual lnsura nee headquarrcrs building ar 500 Grand Concourse. Built only a few years before 1 losros·s founding. it was vacated by the company when it moved LO Connecticut in the larc 1960�. On this changing cornerwhere rcsraurants, bars, the post office and a gas scacion sciII <.:xisred, what �cnse of communiry cohesion bcg:in co rake over when Hosros moved in and established a foorhold? The dcvclopmenr of a collective sense of place many rime� involves scruggles berween (and wichin) various groups and perspecrivc� wich different understandings of che same place, (Glassbcrg 1996). These shared percepriom perform a crucial function in community cohesiveness and idenriry. 1l1is was clearly true at Hostos during the tumulcuous 1970s when Hostos was facedwirh closure via a merger with Bronx Community College, then saved with a lase minute act of the New York Sme Legislature. \V/ho •·saved" Hoscos and che involvement of multifarious groups wirh different ag1:nclas is still a discussion point coday as rhe college approaches irs 50ch anniversaryin 2018. \V/hcn chinking about diversity wirhin the community and possible political implicacions coupled wirh changing demographics, gentrification, new businesses and non-profitsall sec against the backdrop of a college with a rich hbtoryof protest, it's besr co stracegize how these disparare facrions might be documented. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 21 W. Casari "Documenrnrion of such underscandings in rexes often forms rhc basis for rhc escablishmem of archives. The archive is then cemral to rhe relationship between place and discourse, and tl1e ways in which these coalesce as resources for rhe forma tion of emcrgem publics" (Moore, Pell 260). Crcaring a centralized place to keep the college history and its neighboring community records rhus becomes paramount in preserving what occurred and gives the public a place to research it. Some would argue chat the Hostos Archives are in fact already part of a main scream institution, CU'.'JY, and by accepting government funding for processing and surveying collections makes ic nor really a "community cone rolled·• archival emcrprise. What voice do neighborhood rcsidenrs have in telling their scory or guar anteeing irs preservacion? How independent is the identity of cht: archive from the concrolling hand of rhe adminisrrarion? While chese arc: compelling qucs1ions the very cxisrence and Mrugglc of Hoscos challenged the main�tream icself and che face rhat I losros still operates is a victory against the scarus quo! In rhar st:nsc Hosros very much belongs ro the community rhar created and fought for it. To ltave some one else in anocher place cell or preserve che story is unacccpr.ible. In "Who�c Memories, \'<'hose Archives? lndependenr Community Archives, Amonomy and che Mainstream," rhe auchors describe gras)>roocs projects and initia tives rh,H have been creared co record and preserve the memories and hbrories oi differcm communities char arc ofren under-voiced and under-represented within the main�tream herirage. The authors state: Mose community archives offer an imporcanr and empowering asserrion or community resiMance to otherwise exclusionary and (often) marginalizing domi nant narratives. They offer mainstream heritage inseicutions nor only a reminder of their obligarion co diversify and transform collections and narratives buc also perhaps the opportunity rhrough equirable and murnally beneficial partnership co achieve �ome of rhat transformation (Flinn, Srcvens and Shepherd 83). Stewardship of archival collections within che community is imporranc and partnering wich ocher organizations may be necessary or crucial for chc continued existence of smaller archives. \'(/hile this may not be a pressing case for rhose col lections supported by CUNY-affiliared colleges,smaller colleccions that still remain with their parent organizacions, like churches or non-profits, arc at ri�k of being lust completely. One example is the Melrose-based Nos Quedamos {\' 22 Touchstone W. Casari numbers. The acriviry, campus and social life happening around these communi ties muse be documenced along wirh college life. Hosros has the responsibility co document rhe diverse communities it draws from as memioned in irs original mis sion and founding. Also, the local communiry is mentioned prominendy in recenr college publications. The "grounding elements" of rhe 201 l-20l6 Hostos Strategic Plan scare the following: Hosws Community College is determined ro be a resource co the South Bronx and orher communities served by the College by providing cominuing edu cation, culrnral evems, and expertise for the further dcvelopmenr of rhe community ir serves. (Hosros Scraregic Plan I). The goals of che scraregic plan can be enhanced by engaged, community fo cused archival initiatives char could include a survey, oucreach events where the various community groups feelincluded and are made aware ofhow preserving viral documenrs can create historical memory. These activiries can be implemented co direedy suppon the strategic goals of che college. Hostos values are further elaborated in rhe plan under Community Building icem #6: We believe our college's primary strengths are embedded in our diverse, mul ticultural, and historic community roots. We are inspired by our community origins and our mission, and seek co embrace ics spirit each day. (Hostos Srracegic Plan I). Goal Area 2 of the document specifically addresses campus and community leadership in that Hoscos will nurture the leadership capacities ofirs employees and Bronx Community Organizations so they can better engage as acrive members of their neighborhoods and communities. (Hosros Strategic Plan 37). Since the importance of the local community is so strongly expressed in rh<.: college strategic plan, rhe college is poised ro strengthen the archives going forward. Jdentifying storage space for collections so rhac college and community-based re• cords can be accessioned and processed is necessary. \X'orking with other Bronx CUNY colleges and the community co provide full-rime access ro our valuable re sources and developing a strong program of integrating primary sources on college history and the hiscory of Eugenio Maria de Hosros imo che curriculum would help promote rhe archives and library's rich collection ofmarerials. As a public instirution, Hostos has chc resources-both technical and person nel-to support a highly diverse archival program thac embraces and reflects the community chat is so importanr ro ics development. Lastly, as a public insrirucion with such a hiscory of communiry relations and supporr, the development of an extensive archives repository is essenrial for maintaining a hisrorical memory of how the college came into being through popular policical srruggle that demanded a public institution perform its democratic obligation co be accountable ro all-no matter rheir race or class-and noc just a few. This speaks co rhe heart of Hoscos Community College and co the ideals ofour namesake Eugenio Maria de Hoscos. WORKSCITED Flinn, A., Scevens, M., & Shepherd, E. (2009). Whose memories, whose archives? Independent community archives, autonomy and rbe mainstream. Archival Science, 9(1-2), 71-86. 24 Touchstone Community Archives and Autonomy Gibbs, R. (2012). The heart of the matter: che developmencal hiscory of African American archives. TheAmerican A1·chivist, 75, 204. Glassberg, D. (1996). Public hisrory and the scudy of memory. 1he Public Hiscori1111, 19(2), 7-12. Grimm, T. B., & Noreiga, C. A. (2013). Documcming regional Laci no arcs and culrure: case studies for a collaborative, cornmunicy-orienred approach. The Arnericnn Archivist, 76, 95-112. Hosrns Strategic Plan. (2011). Hoscos strategic plan: rooted in our mission, our compass co rhc fururc 2011-2016. Hoscos Communiry Col legc of rhe Ciry University of New York. Bronx, NY. Moore, S., & Pell,$. (2010). Autonomous archives. fnternationnl Jou ma! of HerirageSrudies, 16(4-5), 255-68. Paschild, C. N. (2013). Community archives and the limicarions ofidencicy: considering discursive impact on macerial needs. 1he American Archivist, 75. 125-142. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 25 M. Flaherty recommended three commissions ro cclcbrare rhe opening of rhe Ea�t Academic Complex, including a wall-hanging for the Allied Health complex atrium, panels in the E:m Academic Complex pla1A-i gares, and a large mc.:tal sculprurc on che souch facade of rhe 500 building. Yasillov was also a lively scholar. She participated in various lcctu res and exhibits; mosr norably, she was Guest Curaror of a show cncicled, "Photographs Collected by Charles Darwin for His Study of rhe Expression of rhc Emocion5," at Cambridge Universiry in England. She published several scholarly articles and delivered a conference lecrnre based on the project at Soprincendenia al Museo National Prehistoric Ethnographic "L. Pigorini," in Rome, Italy. Vasillov abo cook time from her busy schedule co volunteer at Memorial Sloan Kcrrering Cancer Center. As a Chaplaincy Yolunceer, Vasillov helped AIDS in-patiems aHend religious services at the hospital's chapel. According ro Vasillov's Curriculum Vitae, her volunm:r service at Memorial, " ...derives directly from her commitmenc co Ho:,ros and its deep concernfor Al DS and its devascating effeccs on our community." Throughout her long and fruitfulcareer, Magda Vasillov never stopped idenci fying as a photographer. In fact, she wok on numerous phorography jobs with vari• ous organizations as a freelancer and consulrnnr rhroughnur the years. Her passion for photography is cvidenr in the rhought, care, and perspective chat wenr inro each image she capcurcd. Her Hosto� phorograph and negative: collection, on deposir ar HoslOS Archives. exemplifies her life-long passion for the medium. Ac Hoscos Community College, Vasillov was respected and beloved by ha colleagues and the college community. In 2006, the college Senate voced to nam1; rhe Ccnrer for Teaching and Learning, "The Magda Yasillov Cenrer forTeaching and Learning," in memory of Vasillov's long �uccessful career at Hosros. The center was dedicated in January of 2007, two months after her passing. 28 Touchstone THE EVOLUTION OF E-LEARNING Tonina Aragona The advancement of e-leaming has made a huge impacr on education. le has given many scudenrs an opporcuniry ro access educacion despite disrance and busy lifestyles. However, ic is still imporcam for online insrrucrors co understand how adulr learners acquire knowledge. lnsrruccors should set high standards rhar ensure a great qualiry education and academic success for all learners. One way co achieve rhese goals is ro understand the learning theories chat best target the learningneeds of the online learner. LEARNING THEORIES For centuries, psychologists and cducacors have re searched learning behaviors in animals and in children co improve learning. Many learning theories have evolved rhroughout rime by continuing ro improve and transform rhe learning process. 1 n rhe 1970s, the focus moved from srndying the learning behaviors of children co chose of adults when Malcolm Knowles inrroduced his theory of andragogy (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2012). The principles set by andragogy rarge.r rhe adulr learm:r (Knowles, Holrnn & Swanson, 2012). Today, many adult learners are enrolled in online learning rhrough distance education programs (Maeroff, 2003). lrmruccion in e-learning programs is primarily a combination of srudenr-led ins£rucrion and mulrimedia insrrucrion (Simson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacck, 2012). £-learners work independently but also have opporcunities co inreracc and collaborate wirh fellow classmares. Andragogy supports che idea rhac successful adulr learners learn besc when chey are self-directed, actively collaborating, and sharing personal experi ences (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). In adult learning, rhe roles of rhc insrrucror and scudenr change significantly. The role of rhe insrruccor should become one of a faciliraror and a mentor rarhcr chan a reacher or authoritarian figure. The role of rhe scudem should be of an independent and collaborative learner who inceracrively en gages wirhin a community of e-learners co idenrify and resolve problems (Burkle & 7.1 (Spring 2014) 29 T. Aragona Cleveland-Innes, 2013; Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). Instructors should be knowl edgeable, and guide and engage e-learners in achieving higher-order thinking skills. Most importandy, learning for adulr online learning programs must be purposeful and relacable to personal life experiences (Aderinco, 2006; Wang, 2012). Andragogy can .issisc instructors and adult learnersin achieving e-leaming success. ANDRAGOGY Knowles' theory of andragogy consists of" six main adulc learningprinciples: (1) learner's need co know; (2) self-concept of rhe learner; (3) prior experience of rhe learner; (4) readiness to learn; (5) orientation to learning; and (6) morivacion to learn"(Knowles er al., 2012, p. 3). Adult learnersuccess can be achieved if instruc cors and learnersare able ro apply and embrace rhese principles imo daily practices. Basically, adulr learners muse be self-morivared, eager ro rake on challenges, and capiraliie upon first-hand experiences co overcome new obstacles. Adule learners are asked co begin a new way of thinking. Perhaps chc theory of andragogy alone cannoc satisfy the Formula for rhe success of adult online learning. Andragogy may be scrucrurcd upon the foundations of pasc theories and principles such as construc tivism and conneccivism (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). Online learning should require a community of learners to create "interaccion based on three presences: (1) social presence; (2) cognitive presence; and (3) reaching presence" (Swan, Garrison, & Richardson, 2009, p. 44). John Dewey (1959) developed an educacional philoso phy char united individuals within a community to learn and construct from each ocher's experiences. Dewey's collaborative consrructivism is che basis for borh syn chronous and asynchronous online courses (Swan, Garrison, & Richardson, 2009). Online learning is also based on the rheory of connectivism. Connectivism also suggests char a community of learners share resources ro discover information and chen expand knowledge (Kop & Hill, 2008). Constructivism and connecrivism may be rhe rheories char underlie the basis for andragogy. The three theories cogerher present a movemenr away from che rraditional instruction-led learning. Instead, che theories advocate a learning environment that helps learners transform che learning process by building the foundation for a life-long journey of problem-solving and self-discovery realization (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). Perhaps, rhe undemanding of the adult learning process is rhe key to success in the digiral era. CONSTRUCTIVISM Constructivism has had a great impact on the creation of instructional srrare gies for online adult learning. A conscrucrivisr-based online course allows e-learners to sec che pace and plan individual learning goals. In a constructivisr-based online course, e-learners will also be required co engage in inreracrive assignments by work ing collaboratively wirh fellow classmaces and lead online discussions by sharing ideas and reflecting. In a case study by Ruey (2010) chat surveyed adult e- learners, many learners admitted rhey were new lO online learning bur had positive attitudes towards the new learning syw:m. The learnershad embraced the on line inreracrion sessions and appreciated che instant responses and feedback by fellow classmates and the instructor. However, many of rhe learners felt char rhe inreraccivity was also stressful and put a lot of pressure on chem. Many learners reporred it was roo 30 Touchstone The Evolution of E-learning difficulc for chem co chink and type quickly and simultaneously. However, learners did appreciate managing their own time and learning needs. 1he benefits of rhe conscruccivisr-bascd course included the relationships and support systems builc as a community of learners, and the transformations incurred from passive learners co more responsible independent learners. More imporcancly, che insrruccor's role from teacher to rnencor created an e-learning culture char engaged, guided, and promoted higher-order thinking in e-leamers (Ruey, 2010). An e-learning culture can be beneficial in establishing a conducive learning environmem char instills rhe proper values for life-long learning. CONNECTIVISM Connecrivism has also had a great positive implic:nion on adult e-leaming. Kop and Hill (2008) scare char the "status of conneccivism is of a learning theory for the digital age" (p. 1). In connectivism, knowledge is acquired through d1e con nected ncrwork of learnerswho share and discover new informarion by inreracring. Learners must be able co find and filrer information. Learners must also be able to m,1ke decisions based on the newfound information (Kop & Hill. 2008). The theory suggests that rhe learning process is ongoing and learners muse adapt co the changes by engaging in collaborative learning (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). Connectivism requires learners ro immerse in critical chinking and reAeccion in order co make connections. Connectivism is presenc in today's online instructional strategies through che role of che instructor as a facilitator and rhe role of the student as an independem learner who finds informarion and creaces knowledge through inreractivity (Kop & Hill, 2008). Learners are engaging with a community of learn ers from around the globe who can provide each ocher wirh new knowledge and rich persona I experiences. SUMMARY Finally, andragogy has had a massive implicarion for on line adult learning. E lcarning, along with the theory of andragogy, focus on rhe learner (Knowles er al., 2012). £-learning has given many students rhe opportunity w receive an education despite distance and rime conAiccs. Online courses are being designed for the adult learner and andragogy has offered educators and instructional designers a suicable rhcorerical framework ro build course work. Similar to conscrucrivism and connec civism, andragogy views rhe learneras the principle goal and decision maker. The learneris in concrol and is directing the learning process. TI1e insrructor is present and knowledgeahle bur aces only as a menror co guide. engage, and facilitate learn ing. Asychronous and synchronous online courses are perfect examples of where rhe learning theories can he implemented. Despite rhe learners' level of online ex perience, rhe instructor can promote higher academic achievement by allowing the learner m cake control of rhe learning process. Together andragogy, constructivism. and conneccivism have created on line learning as we know it today. WORKS CITED Aderinto, J. {2006). An overview of selecced cheories of adulr learning. lnternarionaljournalof Leaming, 12, 139-143. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 31 USING IPADS AS CREATIVE TOOLS IN TEACHING PSYCHOLOGY AT AN URBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Azizi Seixas and Kate Wolfe INTRODUCTION Educators ar rhe collegiare level, parcicularly ar community colleges, are faced wirh che challenge of providing qualiry education co an increasing number of non-rraditional srudenrs in a dynamic technological landscape (El Mansour and Mupinga, 2007). To meer chis challenge, several innovative rools and strategies have been implemenced in traditional pedagogies such as che use of panially online courses called blended or hybrid courses (Gerbic, 2011; El Mansour & Mupinga, 2007). Using mobile devices, such as rhe iPad, is an excellenr step in rhe right direc tion, but it is a move rhat has advanrages such as crearing opportunities for more cre ative srudenr-inscruccor engagemenc and disadvancages such as rhe level of comfort an insrrucror has with the rechnological rool. The aurhors parridpared in rhe iPad lniciarive ar Hosros Community College in order ro update rheir reaching cools and add excicernenc, and crearivity ro psychology courses. Our morivarion ro participate in che iPad Initiative was spurred by our rec ognition that rhe currenc stare of affairs in community college educarion needs co change to meet 1he growing needs of a diverse and non-cradirional srudenc popula tion (El Mansour & Mupinga, 2007). Today's studencs are younger and technologi cally advanced and therefore learning has robe creacive, currenc and flexible. In our estimation, using innovative cools like the iPad provides a unique opportunity to satisfy chese requisites. However, any arcempr co modernize che learning experience has to be squared wirh che growing academic under-preparedness of srudenrs at che college level. As faculcy, we see srudenrs who possess varying academic challenges. Some srudencs seem co lack appetite to learnand do the bare minimum required co acquire knowledge. Other scudencs have difficulty maimaining an adequare accenrion span. Underprcpared srndenrs may also noc be able to discern berwecn surface and deep knowledge, such as being fixated on rcgurgiraring definitions as opposed co know ing how ro apply knowledge (Biggs, 1999; Enrwisde, 1988). Orhers may experience 7.1 (Spring 2014) 33 A. Se1xas and K. Wolfe problems with comcxrual learning (being able to undersrand concenr and context of knowledge) and knowledge transfer, what cognitive psychologisr call sicuared and distribuced cognitions (Borko & Purnam, 1998; Brown, 1998; Oirkx, Amey, & Haston, 1999; Imel, 2000; Putnam & Borko, 2000). Aliteracy (not having che appccile ro use reading as rhe gaLeway co exploring new knowledge but instead us• ing internee search engines to acquire and manipulate new information) may also plague some of our studems (Beer, 1996; Ramsey, 2002). Amidst these challenges, coday's �1udenr� are driven, smart, crearive, and resilient; they are read)• co meec 21sr cencury challenge�. If our scudenrs are ready to meet chesc challenges, instructors 011gh1 lO be ready ,\Swell, by augmeming our customary cc:aching roolklrs to meet coday's scudenr. COLLEGE INFORMATION AND AUTHORS' BACKGROUND Eugenio Maria de Hoscos Community College is a two-year, public, com munity college within rhe Ciry University New York (CUNY). Hoscos was founded in order to meet the community demands for an edu01cional insrimtion serving the people of rhe South Bronx, who traditionally had been excluded from higher educa rion opporrunirics. Thiswas an historic first in rhe scare, imenrionally establishing a community college in one of the coumry's pooresc congressional disuicrs (OIRSA, 2013). Hostos's mission is ro "offer access to higher educarion leading to inrelleccual growrh and socio-c:conomicmo hilicy through rhe development of lingubcic, mach ematical, technological, and cricical thinking proficienciesneeded for lifelong learn ing and for success in a variety of programs including careers, liberal ans, uansfc:r, and chose professional programs leading to liccnsure'' (Hostos Mission S1a1emem). Hostos offers degree and certificate program� which include rechnical/career train ing and cransfer programs. Studcm enrollmcnrs have grown dramacically over the past decade .ind srndcnrs at Hoscos are a diverse, multilingual group. represent• ing 120 countries and 78 languages. Students arc mostly Hispanic and Black and speak languages ocher than English at homc. Our srudencs increasingly represem generation 1.5, that is, children of non-English speaking immigrants. Many Hostos stude111� enter with a GED or a non-U.S. high school diploma (OlRSA, 2013). The author� borh reach psychology ar Eugenia Maria de Hoscos Community College, a rwo-year, public, open admissions college within the City University New York (CUNY) wMem. Both instructors are in rhc Behavioral and Social Science Dcpartmenr and reach a wide range of p�ychology class� chat require technologi cally advanced tools ro meer rhe dynamic nature of our field, psychology. We were hired two years ago and have been involved wich other technological innovations such as teaching hybrid and online courses. Prof. Wolfe b a social p�ychologisr with over a decade of experience teaching at all collegiate levels. Much of her experience has been acquitted through teaching at urban community colleges. She has taught many psychology courses over the years, most recencly focusing on General Psychology, a course geared toward fresh man scudencs, and lifespan devclopmem, a course which enrolls many nursing and pre-nursing students. Prof. Seixas is a clinical psychologist wirh over four years of teaching at the collegiare level in urban setting�. He has taught a wide variety of psychology classes 34 Touchstone Using iPads as Creative Tools over the years, and similar co Prof. Wolfe has rccencly focused on foundation psy chology courses, such as General Psychology, which anraccs studencs from differem culcural and academic backgrounds and wich diverse career pursuits. THE IPAD INITIATIVE The Hoscos iPad Piloc lniciarive was esrnblished in che Fall semescer 2012 co provide faculty with che opporcunicy ro explore rhe use ofiPads for reaching across a variety of disciples (CUNY, 2011). The authors participated in this initial pilot and arc again parcicipacing in another pilt)t currently being run co involve students using iPads in rhe classroom. Selected faculty, working in pairs, are loaned an iPad for rhe semester co use in their classroom. This arrangernem faciliraced faculty's abiliry co collaborate about ideas rhar enriched the learningexperience for scudems. 1l1e iPad served as a conduit and a resource for rhe inscruccors and scudenrs alike, as it allowed: instructors co teach cradicional and extanc concepts in creative ways and srudencsco gain a better understanding of difficult conceprs and ideas. \' 7.1 (Spring 2014) 35 A. Seixas and K. Wolfe advanced classes, based on rhe enhanced qualiry and quantity of in-class discussion and improved quality of critical thinking written assignments. CONCLUSION \Y/esrrongly believe that the iPad serves as a great buffer for che academic risk facrnrs we listed above by bringing our the protective facrors and strengths of our modern day student population, such as being mobile/always on the go, creative and cechnologically savvy. Through our brief experience using rhe iPad in our classes we have identified three important functions of the !Pad as a pedagogical rool. First, we believe that rhe iPad serves as a learningconduit by enricing students to access old and new knowledge that is usually buried in antiquated resourcc:s, such as the encyclopedia, old cextbooks and old journal arcicles. Second, we believe that the iPad is a resources providing background informarion for studenrs. Our students saw it as a reposico,·y for large cexrbooks chat would have been left at home but instead are now finger rips away of being accessed. Third, we believe thar rhe iPad extends the boundaries of che physical classroom co the boundaries of che \Y/orld Wide \X/eb, which gives students and inscrucrors more space ro play and see learning as fun and dynamic. CHALLENGES, LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE PLANS Our paper is aimed ar rwo audiences: instructors who consider themselves either rechnophol)(;:Sor rraditionaliscs. Why? Because we find char these individuals have the most fervid opposicion and apprehension about che iPad initiatives. \Xie were morivared to wrice this manuscript to dispel myths and allay fears that faculry may have regarding technology use in the classroom, First, one of the myths we are conscancly bombarded with is "do l have co change everything about my teaching style co accommodace the iPad?" Simply, no! The iPad is not a pedagogy, it is a rool. Second, one of rhe fears we ofcen bear is "do I have ro be cechy or computer savvy?" Again, no! TI1e iPad is noc a platform, insrructional delivery system or a learning environment, like Blackboard; it is a cool. And ic is our belief that it can enhance an inscructor's personal pedagogical styles and knowledge content rhrough a more dynamic medium. Even though our experience with the iPad had many highs. we encountered some challenges. First, we were challenged by the dynamism of technology and knowledge. Newer and better applications are being crearc::d daily, which can under mine che comforc we have in planning ahead of rime a semescer long curriculum. Second, we also felt thar rhe cost of rhe iPad as well as application can "break the bank" of a nominal inscrucror's budget. 11iird, we felr chat cechnical issues such as Wi-Fi access and capability could chwan the cxciremenr of an excellent in-class acriviry. Lase, being comfonable with the technological cool could be a challenge, although the minimum level of technological competency is pretty low, and instruc tors could design their classes to their proficiencies. FUTURE PLANS We acknowledge char the anecdotal style of our paper has advantages and limitations, and so we plan ro assess che effectiveness of the iPad as well as to 36 Touchstone Using iPads as Creative Tools investigare whecher che use of the iPad rranslaces imo better tesr srudenc scores and overall academic achievemenr and success. \Xie would also like ro investigace how che use of rhe iPad affects non-academic facrors such as attitude cowacd learning and mcracognitions. \'v'irh srudencs' increasing familiarity and comfort with iPads and ocher like devices we hypothesize char chere would be an increase in srudenr imercsr and motivarion co learn difficult topics like neuroscience. Ir is possible chat purring iPads in the hands of scudenrs wirh insrrucror driven presencarions would allow some feelings of greater control among students and facilirate learning of the subjecr matter by studenrs with a kinescheric learning style. The aurhors are cur rently involved in an iniriacive from Educarional Technology char provides iPads for students so stay tuned for the results from char informal trial. \Y/e acknowledge chat more empirical research needs co be done ro establish gains from using iPads for faculry and students. These future studies can help clarify whecher che gains arc in the form of bercer resr scores, greater imeresc in con cent and learning process, or greater morivarion among scudems. REFERENCES Beer, K. (1996). "No rime, no inceresr, no way! The 3 voices of aliceracy." School Libra,y journal42, 30-33. Biggs, J. (I 999). Teachingfor quality learningat university. New York, NY: Open University Press. Borko, H. and Purnam, R. T. (1998). ?he role of context in teacher Leaming and teacher education. In contextual reaching and learning: preparing teachers to enhance studem success in and beyond school. InformationSeries No. 376. Bro wn, B. L. (1998). Applyingconstrucrivism in 11oc,1tional and career edumtion. Information. Series No. 378. Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocarional Education, Center on Education and Training for Employment, College of Education, (ED 428 298). City University of New York. (2011). Edtech services farfaculty. Officeof Educational Technology, Hoscos Community College. Dirkx, J. M., Amey, M., & Hast0n, L. (1999). Context in the contextualized curriculum: Adult lift worldsas unitary or multiplistic? In Proceedings of the 18rh Annual Midwesr Research to Practice Conference in Adult, Conrinuing, and Communiry Education, edited by A. Austin, G. E. Nynes, and R. T. Miller. El Mansour, B & Mupinga, D. M. (2007). Scudems' positive and negative experiences in hybrid and on line classes. College Student joumal, 41(1), 242- 248. Encwiscle, N. (1988). Stylesof learning and w1ching. London, UK: David Fulmn Publishing. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 37 A. Seixas and K. Wolfe Gerbic, P. (2011). Teaching using a blended approach:nwhac does rhe I ireracure tell us? Educational Media International, 48(3), 221-234. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2 011.615159 Hoscos Mission Scarement. (2014). Imel, S. (2000). Contexrual learning in adult education. Practice Application, 12, 100-101. Office oflnsrirnrional Research and Scudcm Assessment (OIRSA). (2013). Continuous improveme11tmatters: lnsticutional assessment plan fi,r Hosros Comrmmity G>llege 2013-2017. Bronx, NY: Office oflnscicutional Research and Scudem Assessmenc, Office of the President, Eugenia Marfa de Hoscos Communiry College, The City University of New York. Purnam, R. T., & Borko, H. (2000). What do rn:w views of knowledge and chinking have ro say about research on reacher learning; Educarional Researcher, 29, 4-15. Ramsey, J. (2002). "Hell's bibliophiles: The fifrhway oflooking ar an alicerace." Change, 34, 50-56. 38 Touchstone LETTER TO BLACKBOARD Sherese A. Mitchell Dear Blackboard: I wanrcd co express my sinc.:rc gracicude for the countless lessons you have provided during che lase six years of my teaching career ar Hosros. \Xlirhouc you, the refined craft of my onlinc: teaching would nor have been possible. Initially, I was che hc.:siram educacorwho ran fromchange in che area of tech nolo gy. Why? I had no idea who you were. Fear of rhe unknown is all coo common in our society and I allowed rhac fearro get rhe best of me. As I look back, I realize I should have ca ken 1he rime co gee co know you sooner wirhouc passing judgmcnc. Our relationship began when I was asked co nourish you by uploading my course syllabi to your very existence. Wit hour me, you were an empty shell. So, you are welcome. Surprisingly, ic was nor a difficulr cask. In face,every �emescer rhar fol lowed, I conrinued chis pr:iccice as I helped you grow. From chere I began co upload course docunu:nrs and Power Poincs co che sire. Srudencs were able co access course documenrs ar rheir leisure. Individuals who were ,1bs<.:nr were able co keep up wirh tht: class. In addition, when document� were misplaced, chey were easily recovered. 1his empowered scudenrs to be responsible and accounrable for lheir learning. As for me, bccau�e scudems were able ro remain on cask, ic made my job much easier. I was feeling real good about chc baby sreps chac I had rakcn in our relation ship. This good feeling encouraged me ro become more ambirious incorporating technology inro my life. I even boughr an iPhone and iPad co your dismay. In pur chasing rhe iPad, I joined Hosros' iniriacive and experimenred with many ocher colleagues who too were in thdr beginning sragcs of technology education. I fclr even more empowered and supporred. Next, I experimented wirh your communicarion cools. At times rhcre were s1imulari11g classro om conversarions 1ha1 had co end, but chis instrument allowed discussion� to continue. I offered chis Optional enrichment, and found many stu dems wanced co be a part of chose conver�ations via your unique clemem-rhe dis cussion board. How clever! l11is feature even allowed shy scudcncs ro come forward 71 (Spring 2014) 39 S. Mitchell and share their views. 1 n the hybrids that 1 was ceaching, this aspect allowed me co have the besc of both worlds. Scudencs were now able co share in and out of class in larger quamicies. I was feeling very opcimiscic abouc my progress and even more hopeful for what the future had co offer. Shortly thereafter, l decided to join EdTech. I felt even more connecced be cause I had become a part of an ongoing conversation about you. Connecting to colleagues from other disciplines allowed me to realize I was not alone and there was strength in numbers. What J will disclose nexc will probably amaze you, bur J know our friendship can withsrand this information. I was never a cexc, or technology person. The Aip phone was very cornforrnble to me while everyone else was swiping and discover ing informationinscancly. I never wanced you or any form of technology in my life because I was comforrable. You know how it goes, "If it is not broken, don't fixit." But 1 can say honestly, "it" (my rcnching) was kind of mis�ing something. You have brought so m�ny srndencs cogethcr. In addition, you have helped me co inrc:racc with students who were lose in rhe cla-;.sroom. You helped chem break free from fear of showing ochers who they were. I have been introduced co so many students through you. When studems shared their choughcs on discussion boards and biogs, ic was very empowering. Ir was even more validating for chem co see their peers agree with chem. Nocr only have you helped chem break free, buc you saved me! You rescued me fom rhat one-note thinking that a routine is che way of rhe classroom. Yes, routines and struccure are good. However, going with the Aow and the times have served me much bener. J will never forget the many gifts chac you have provided. 111a11k you for your patience as I struggled ro figure you ouc andyour acceptance of me as a learner. 1 will be by your side throughout your many versions. E,·eryone goes through changes. You have caughc me change: ncan be very good. I am grateful for you Blackboard :md your father "cechnology . I know who you arc: now because I rook che rime co gee co know you. You have enriched rhc lives of my srudencs and my life as well. ln gracirudc, Dr. Sherese A. Mitchell 40 Touchstone BRONX LATIN Andrew Hubner Vete ttl 11orte con el chico si me muero. Like he knew running dope couldn't lasr. Bride Toledo walked away from the Bolivian ;irhol dd bosque, mountain warer rricklcd wee, her dark anciem fathers rockface 1000 year highland village choked of thirsr. The paper bag in place of husband boors: Boliviano pesos, Brazilian and Mexican, Yankee dollars stuck cogecher wirh dried blood. Esme washed the soiled money, dried the bills in rhe sun like fruir, or rhc ears of a dead rabbit. In festival across 1ht!border in Peru she wandered Inca lmi Raymi revels. Fires burned gutrers. Lierle bits ash danced in flames sparkled daylighr. Ac Plaza de Armas, holding her son's hand, a passing unicyclist offered whire and purple lilies. Shadow great, ancient Hall of Justicia de los Conquiscadon:s. A tall, shady willow rrees mark olden crossroads. Nauseous and bent weeds. El chico's mysterious half-smile, bcllyburron ,ruckour c-shirr. Headlighrs lurched co ii Mop. she called. iVitspor el cammo? Si. Running water sienna alima11as of the rail grass. Hawks and crows hung low over old roads, rhe ancienr migr acion roure and each driver, wherher out of respect co her husband or jusr che ancienr rices of manhood and war, passed her off as if carry ing out a sacramental ducy. Sunset� in spectacular Goya paincings: sunrises bought che red sleepy t:ye of God up over the mountains. She kept walking until she got t0 u�. She was on her way here. None of us knew char we were wairing for her and her children here at our humble college in rhe Bronx, but God did. The Leccurer heard the birds lace on a Friday. He had s1.iyed out, fim in a H:irlem barhhouse on M.idison Avenue and later in a crack horcl on Park. He lefc the srem on a window�ill and walked from the dingy room. The sun rnelced rhrough the rip in rhe curtained window, and rhc Merro Nonh train muled the wood frame of che hocel. The men .ind women the Lecrurcr had come wich were scill �moking. He had performed abominable aces rhrough the night wirh chem. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 41 A. Hubner The blinding su11 and the noise of the train shielded his exit from nocicc; our Lecturer was invisible. He feared for his life. He needed air, and rhe oxygen in that bare dingy room was 1oxic with hours or smoke, sweat and 1hc heady fumes of self-immolation. The Lcccurer walked co the #4 subway at I 25th Street and Lexingron Ave., de�cended the stairs and �cood dazed by the turnsrile. Under che helpful gaze of a uniformed policeman, he found in his pocket, a wad of crumpled, soiled dollar bills. Who can say how many hands and in what manner the bills had passed through? The Lcccurcr tried to synchronize rhe beats of his heart and his brearh with the multitudinous footsteps of rhe rush hour commucers. Thousands passed in ei ther direction. Four and d half dollars to an agent behind a bulletproof window produced a cardboard ticker. It seemed utCerly miraculous to our distinguished Leccurerthat one swipe of a compurcrized stripe through an alloy metal detection sysrem would re�ult in safe passage. The northbound train ascended from a dark pit in Manhanan bedrock to the elevated sta1 ion at Kingsbridge Avenue, where the Lecturer debarked, descended the old wooden stairway bc�idc rhe castle armory and stood r.ipr under a cacophony of starlings. Just as such birds mighc fill a scand of trees to call after the setting sun, neu a highway in Indiana or Nebraska, in rhc great American afrcrnoon, Here had rhey come and filled the old wooden r:ifters of the elevated crain station, hundreds of oil hlack birds with their beaks wide open over their starred breasts, calling co the setting of the great God Mm. The bearing of chcir wings lifted his heart. The brick fa�ade of che old Kingsbridge armory 61b an enc ire block. For every single linlc child char passes, ir rises as a casde filledwich kn ighrs, ta II horses and pretty damsels. In thc Souch Bronx redempcion is possible every day. Like a five-centplastic bottle, we are saved by strangers from trash bins and filled anew. Once his Grandfather Tremonr drilled in the great hall, hopeful, proud and rernrned from Somme, A wrecked witness of rhe carnage noc redeemed by the poetry that elevated war co myth, who 25 years later sometimes wandered outside looking for che soaring hcMt he had lose and empties ro trade in to quench rbe voices char called to him in haunccd swearing dreams. \Viearc haunced in the South Bronx. \V/e hold the instruments of the doom of our forefathers. \Y/ege1 spooked and walk away quickly co spend our dollars on bread, cheese, apples, and fiftycent ghcno cola. We cros:. the Grand Concourse, pasr Edgar Allan Poe Park in mid-summer droves by rhe new library crossing Fordham Road as the day goes dark, wirh open nre hydrants gushing into rhe sewers. 42 Touchstone Bronx Latin The Trcmom Oval near midnight found us passed out, asleep sining uprighr on a bench. 'The Trcmom section of our fair borough was named by che posrmasrer Hiram Tarbox after chree hills: Moum Hope, Claremont and Mount Eden. We can only see a piece of rhe world, che Mule told me once. To deal wich chis we give places names, and we act like we own shir. Jr helps ro remember where the hell we are. We were up on rhe Third Avenue El crain, looking around ac all the people, imagining rheir lives. Ir only cosr 50 cems in rhose days. Outside our window rcn feet away, a woman in a housedress pm up wash on the line ac ten o'clock ar nighc. What was she chinking? We were kids and we were high, hue so whac. We don't gee co choose rhe ones who mark us. So some of us gee che killers. There'sa bench up che hill in rhc park ac the end of Mc. Eden Ave. The wood slats have been replaced since our rime, when everything was burned. Even as The Lecturer slept on che bench, Esmeralda Toledo bathed her son in rhe cradle of a fallen birdbarh by a crumbling founcain in che ancient courtyard of a horel in Mexico Ciry. Five pesos privilege sleeping counyard. Morning sun climbed majescically over stately old cornices, chased night birds from eaves, they ace McDonald's our of paper packages, solemnly, silent as mice, moumed a truck cab, awakening the penitent driver, who blinked pasr long gray hair jusr as his hands came forward with aucomaron-like grace & gripped the driving wheel chat would rake our pilgrims all rhe way co the north of Mexico in the scare of Nuevo Leon, over five long days & nighrs, scopping in che highlands m cat cortillas wrapped in wax paper & purchased from a roadside bodega by a mounrainside srre:1m rhac had been ar rhe same location in some form since rhe advem of che copper coin. They spent a night in a bus shelter in the middle of the desert while the driver �lepr. Ms. Toledo was thirty seven weeks pregnanr wirh the rwins & any men char came in her way either got ouc of ir, knocking che closest like-wood surface handy, or did her bidding with rhe alacrity of circus clowns who fighc ridiculously co ger our of rhe way of the elephants. The globe of her sromach felt eight as a marcher's snare drum. They crossed the border wich a Hawkeye band of Apaches chat found her walking against the wind ch rough the rain & picked her up for good luck. They joined a line of cars char srrecched for fifteen miles. Behind them followed a red Ford Gran Torino with Michigan plares. They had sevemeen ocher people in their truck. On che side ic said Old Carolina Biscuits. Ir had been srolen four years previ ous in che mountainous green lands berween Tennessee and Norcl1 Carolina chat were once parr of the forgocren English refugee scare of Franklin. TI1e Apaches 7.1 (Spring 2014) 43 A. Hubner had bough1 che truck from a dealer in the capiral city of their Mexican province, Monterrey. The Apaches' home had al o worn out. When the blackbirds began co fall out of the sky, che drinking water turnedsulfurous, and in rhe maquilladora wars their women became rargcrs of the atavistic appetites of drug mules. They crossed as rhe wind & rain swept over rhe Rio Grande. The Aood la�ced for days as che great river swelled & overran its banks. Hidden wirh her son in a furniture box, 5hc read aloud the scory of Noah from her bible as rhey crossed over the great border into America. They were not checked, & cwemy rninures lacer rhe roads were closed. In days the twins were bornat a roadsicle park in a small town on the Alabama coast in Baldwin County off Bon Secour (Safe Harbour) Bay 35 miles east of Missis.sippi. When borh of rhe babies had been pulled softly from her by che old aunc who assisted, the:: cwo women exhaled and laughed. A warm yet refreshing gulf brectc blew in from the water.The old woman lir a cigarette and they drank from a bright blue can of cold Lipton Brisk. She called the boy Baldwin & che litrle girl Alabama. l11e Apache;:s were cigh• teen, two older women, three older men & three young couples. Theyalso had seven children. Esmeralda paicl for gas. She drank from a small stream in the park, & spent the rest of the nighr on a blanket beside rhe truck with her babies, by a vc::rdanr mid-summer field plantedwith tobacco scalb as large & languid a� lovers' laps. In che morning rhey continued north. They were on rhc �ame migratory path. They were on their way here wh en our itineranr Lecturer came out of a blackout & found the young man lying passed om & shirdes�, focc up on a bench overlooking Tremont Avenue. The Lecturer had on a pair of slacks & an Oxford cloth shirt: Brooks Brorhc:rsbuttoned ro che neck. His socks were blue & gray argyle. His jacker, a blue blazer with gold coin buccons. He had a crumpled-up page from the Brahms score in his pocket wich cwo lasr dollars. We never know how & when we will be couched by grace, & afcerwards we give ourselves che credit as if we had played a pare, as if it were not all a symphony written & arranged by the hands of God. The boy could 1101 have been more than fifcee11. How could we have known char he had come with his farhcr co work in che fruit fields in Buena Visca, California? Thac his father had died of a heart attack Thar he had no way to wriic or call his mother 44 Touchstone Bronx latin & sister & brother back home in rhe tiny moumain rnwn in Peru where he came from, rhar he had used all the money he had for a bus to New York & arrived knowing no one? He just wamed to sleep for a few minuces. His face was badly bruised & swollen. He had conrusions, clearly from fighting, on both arms & legs. Yee even in his condition, he radiared incense beamy. As he told someone later, our Lecrnrer was drawn co the young man. Ir was like he wamed to alleviace rhe boy's pain. Like whar happened ro him years ago could somehow stop whar was happen- ing to rhe beauciful young man. Thar whatever bad was in our Lecturer mighc sooche him. Like the boy's deliverance was che Lecturer's. \X'hen our Lecturer fished ouc a sweatshirt from a sidewalk Salvation Army cloching box, the young man rnok it, looking at The Lecturer warily, he scarred ro walk away. no es policia, 11erdad?he asked. ;Ud.The Leccurer shook his head. iC6mo se llama? he asked. Bodaway. 1l1e young man followe::d our Lecrurer back to the old abandoned chapel on Ekon Ave. where rhey slept in the pews, and ar dawn to rhe campus of our college just a few bloc.ks away. Meanwhile the journey of £srnerald:i Toledo's family cominucd. After arriving in our great ciry in !are July they slept in Port Aurhority, parks, abandoned lors & aparrmenrs with exrra walls & riny rooms, spared somehow chank God from rhe unspeakable fate of many women & small children, they slept in the fields, empty lots in che Bronx where rherc were once buildings, even once in rhe rusred bumper cars from an abandoned amusemenr park. When it was warm, these places were magical underneath the winking scar strung sky; in the cold rhe children shivered and wailed, their voices echoing the haunted Bronx screers like the siren calls of lose angels: Los Angeles. 1l1arday 1l1e Lecturer was scanding on the steps of our newly chrisrened Ease Acadcmic Complex smoking a cigarette, staring into space. \X'hen she came in, the wind blew che rain inside rhe revolving doors. A classical & jnz prodigy since the render age of seven, our Lecrurer was in che art gal lery working rhrough Brahms' lmermezzo, when in walked the pretry, dark-haired woman wich hnel green eyes. She pushed the rwin baby carriage up rhe srairs and into che greac hall. ln rhe gallery chere was a shrine wich a cross. \°'qirh a greac air of penitence Esme brought each of che babies rn her lips then collapsed in a heap. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 45 MUSSOLINI'S RHETORIC Phillip Wander 1he key m Mussolini's masterful manipularion of rhe lralians in rhe 1920's and '30's is his rhccoric. 1he most importanr source we have of Mussolini's writings, many of which were meanr m be spoken rather chan read, is the 35-volume edirion by Edoardo e Duilio Susmel of the Opera Omnia [Complete works]. Comprised of newspaper articles, speeches, essays, miscellaneous reflections, leners, telegrams, and even a novel, rhe Opera Omnia is the besr source we have of Mussolini's rheroric. There is a grear deal of repetition in these rexes, and reading Mussolini's works re veals some monolirhic obsessions, some of which are succinccly stated in the Fascist pany's yearly arrangement of slogans co be painted on public walls (Segala 22-23). Fascism is rife wich refrains char are obvious yet nebulous, repellenr yet seductive, ac rimes intriguing, bur ulrimacely, heavy-handed and defective. There is for instance "Non siamo gli ultimi di ieri ma I primi di tlomani [We are nor yesterday's last bur romorrow's firsr]." Ir is impossible co define, clearly, where in time rhis is locaced. Hiscory is always rreared wirh a broad brush and with remarkable Auidiry: "lo sono reazionario e rivoluzionario, 11 secondaJelle circosta11ze [I am revolurionary or reac tionary as circumscances diccare]" (Susmel XV 187).1here is no rime to examine the ultimate meaning of these slogans because (and this particular slogan is still on che church wall ac Marerrimo an island off the coast of Sicily): "Sostare e mrocedere. La mnrcia continua, altre mete attendono if segno romrmo delta nostra conquista [Sroppi ng is rerreacing. The march cominues, other objeccives await our Roman conquest]." There is no escaping rhe nationalistic and jingoisric rhemes of patria, glory, pride, domination, combat, destiny, vicrory, honor, heaven, and duty. The notion of war, of ban le, of sacrifice, of courage, of heroism and of ics supposed grandeur is a con• sistent and yet parado xical elernenc of his rhetoric. Augusto Simonini's book II Linguaggio di Mussolini explores Mussolini's lan guage. Simonini's analysis of the cadences of Mussolini's speeches are very insight• ful and helpful co rhe non-native speaker of Italian. \X'hercas rhe visual impact of Mussolini's pugnacious face and histrionics are immediarely accessible ro anyone 7.1 {Spring 2014) 47 P.Wander who sees one of rhe many videos of his speeches, a detailed scansion of his radio address regarding war on Erhiopia on Ocroher 2, 1935, requires a rrained and sensi tive ear (71-77). Simonini wrote extensively on linguistics and declares in che first line of ILLinguaggio di Mussolini chat it "is a sustainable proposal" [hac ''Mussolini was interesrcd in linguistic research and srudy" (7). For Mussolini, words were pal pable emidcs and living things, endowed with personalities and independent life, inexcricably linked to che political fabric of rhe moment. However, Mussolini was nor simply a "natural" rhetorical talenr. Thar he was a skilled speaker is irrefut able, but he groomed and developed bis natural abilities, simultaneously relining and screngrhening his delivery. 1l1is process of development is evident from even a superficial comparison of one of his earlier speeches with a larer example such as rhe "Declaration of war on Echiopia," analyzed by Simonini. Mussolini was both a wordsmirh and srudem of linguistics; char he was, in his polirical writing, a link ro some of the literary movemencs of more recent rimes merics more scudy and analysis. He used words like fetish objects at a religious ceremony, as points of departure co a spirir land of dreams shared by rhe collective consciousness of the crowd. People ralk of the evil genius ot Mussolini and Hider wirhouc insisting on the exrenr to which they were the creations of their audience. A share of the culpability resides in rbe people who could not resist cheir Aartery, hearing rhat they constitmed the best of races, thar chey were the torch carriers of civilization, and the promise and future hope ofhu maniry: "Io non ho crearo ii Fascismo: !'ho trttttodalt 'inconscio degli iraliani [J didn'c create fascism: 1 rerieved it from rhe lralian subconsciousr (Lepre 173). Mussolini read and re-read Gusrave Le Bon's Psychologieder Foules, calling it "a fundamental work, to which I srill often recurn" (Susmel XXII 156). According co Le Bon, crowds, inm:�d of being the sum total of che individuals of whom they arc comprised, constitute a single personality, srronger and more single-minded than any of its consricuenc pares, as well as more violenr and more barbaric. Mussolini understood rhat in crowds, individuality vanishes and instinct cakes over: "Mobs especially Larin mobs-become enflamed wirh enthusiasm for glory and honor, and can easily be dragged into war withour bread or arms" (Simonini 129). This quotation is peculiarly prophecic wirh regard co Mussolini's poorly armed, poorly fed, and poorly led troops. When rhe Nazi General Siegfried Westphal was asked if Italian soldiers were any good, he said: "The Italian soldier was badly equipped and carried basically rhe same arms and equipment char he had in World \Var L T n such conditions one cannot go co war. .. Mussolini had cercainly not prepared his nacion as he should have for serious combat" (Bertold i 4 3). The general was a practical man, so for him, mere rhetorical preparation was not enough. War is cot1ducted with rhe machinery of modern warfare, not with words, and slogans and ideas alone. When Le Bon wrote Psychofogie des Foules in 1895, he was no doubt chinking of the ragged armies of revolutionary France, but his words are also applicable ro che lralian armies in World War II, and much of what Le Bon has ro say about the mob constirures a blueprint for rhe transformation of Mussolini inco "II Duce." According to Le Bon, mobs, in the manner of herds and Rocks, insrinctively seek a chief or a leader, and so much the bercer if he is authoritarian and somewhat of a ryranr (23). From Le Bon, Mussolini knew char crowds respecr forceand the simplicity of force.He also learnedthat he could lead them anywhere, as long as the message promised future glory and conquest. 48 Touchstone Mussolini's Rhetoric In his orarory, Mussolini has compared himself ro an arrist many times, on one occasion placing himself in che company of Michelangelo. The German jour nalist Emil Ludwig says in one of his "Colloquia" wirh Mussolini in 1932 char r.he dicracor felt that a politician worked in a medium that was more difficult than char of an arcisr since his material is humanity. Ludwig reports char Mussolini saw humanity as material rhar is "variable, complex, subject to che influence of che dead and of women" (182-3). 1he pairing of women and che dead is indicative of one of Mussolini's secret fears and obsessions; in their submissiveness to c.hc arrisr's hand, che masses are also associated with rhe feminine: When I feelthe masses in my hands ...or when I circulare amongst them ... 1 feel myself a pare of chem. And yet a cercain aversion is pres enr, similar co whar the poet feels abom the material wich which he works. Does nor che sculpcor sometimes strike che marble with anger [a reference ro Michelangelo and his Moses) because ic refuses co conform to his vision? For chc polirician ic is scill worse as his material sometimes s1rikes ac him ... Evcryching depends on rhis: dorninareche masses as an artist his medium. (Ludwig 126-7) But dominarion is nm plenitude; ir is a constant arriving. The politician, like rhe artist, is never finished; another "capolavoro" (mascerpiece) beckons. Ir is the reverse for chc dominated. TI1e masses muse feel an iron grip and will which freezes cheir world into coherence. For them the implacable vision of che artist and its inex orable conscrainrs are che source of comfortand ease. TI1emetaphor of rhe polirician and the masses, che artist and his medium is che jusrincacion for che absolute subju gation of che bmer and the coral freedom of the former. lhese types of dichocomies and conrradictions are at work in rhe srrucrure of Mussolini's prose; cheir rherorical resolucion is purely imaginary: What is the relationship between politics and arr? Berween the polirico and che artist?... Thac polirics is an art there is no doubr. Ir is certainly nor a science. It's nor even empirical. Therefore ir is an arL An intuitive arc. Polirical, like artistic creation, is slow elaboration and improvised illumination. An artist creates with inspiration and the poli cicia n wich decision. Boch work on matrer and spirit ... And there are ocher links becween politician and arcisr; I'll cite just one: an endless, ecernal lack of sacisfaction. A tremendous bur ulrimacely salutar y dis sarisfaccion with the way chings are, never che way one hoped chem ro be. 1he smug beatitude of the accomplished is as unknown ro che anisr as ic is to che politician. (126-7) Fascism is an ideology rhac hairs che world and suspends or reverses che flowof rime. Fascism makes a pace wirh its adherents ro enter a space where rhe laws of cau sality and logic are suspended. ln this space, rhe world is clearer and simpler, which appeals co rhe mass of men, thus freed from rhc chore of chinking. To its followers, rhe fascist ideology is liberaring and comforring. TI1e tacit agreement between fas cism and the mob is a flight from reality: The world of fascism is nor rhis superficial, material world in r which the individual is separated fom everyone else and living for 7.1 (Spring 2014) 49 P.Wander himself,ruled by natural law, and insrincrivcly living for pleasures borh egoristical and fleeting.1he fascisr man is a nation and a fatherland, a moral law ...suppressing the desire for a life of pleasure in order to arcain a superior life, free of the limirs of rime and space in which the individual renounces the self, its life, and its individual inreresrs in favor of a purely spiritual life in which he findshis true value as man. (Susmel XXXJV 118) The direction of Mussolini's thought progressively shaped rhc public ma11 who became, boch in appearance and pronouncement, ever more immutable. As rhe propaganda claimed, IL Duce ha sempre ragione!'TI1eLeader is always right! MUSSOLINI'S TRANSFORMATION FROMJOURNALISTTO DICTATOR The middle stage in the evolution of Mussolini's rise to power is one of ev er-increasing purpose. Prior to his apocheosis inro II Duce, and subsequent to his long apprenticeship as a socialise, journalist, serial novel writer, drafc-dodger, anri clericalisc, bohemian and expatriate (all idenciries char he would lacer renounce) are a series of roles rhac are mostly ehe exact ancirhesis of what he will lacer become. le is a srage whose predominant characeeriscics are struggle and dialectic. !r is as if Mussolini had been srrnggling wich his own confusion and concradictions in order co resolve rhem into someching rational and coherenr. In his work, Mussolini de scribed a trajectory from ehe irracional co rhe racional, from rhe unintelligible co rhc r imelligible, f om chaos co consistency, from common language ro Ducean rhecoric. Philosopher Michel Foucault described rhe mechanics of rhe rransition very insighc fully in an interview: All human behavior is scheduled and programmed through ra tionaliry. There is a logic ofinsrirurions and in behavior and in polirical relations. In even che mosc violem ones chere is a rarionaliry. Whar is mosc dangerous in violence is ics racionality. Of course violence irself is terrible. Bur the deepest root of violence and irs permanence come our of the form of rhe rationality we use. The idea had been char, if we live in the world of reason, we can gee rid of violence. 'TI1is is quite wrong. Between violence and rationality there is no incornparibilicy. (Foucaulr and Locringer 299) Uncil 1919, Mussolini\ accivicies were journalisric. He edired and wroce for ihe Socialise newspaper Avanci! After banishment from rhe Socialise parry for his supporr of lraly's entrance imo World War J, he searted his own publicacion, [I Popolo d'lcalia. Journalism allowed him co in.reran wirh che public and gain an audience. le also permitted him co experimenr wirh che written word, in a conrcxr of constanr change, which is che domain of che news media. The usual image of Mussolini shows che dictator wich his hands on his hips, his lips puckered, his jaw squared, hi.s head haughrily tilred back, draped in one of his elaborate uniforms. However, long before chis srage persona was crafced, he worked as an inflammatory journalise. Ir is probably his experience as a combative journalise, as someone who rakes sides in a debate char taughr him chc tools of imransigence. Early in his career, he began rhinking of the world purely in broad, 50 Touchstone Mussolini's Rhetoric clear bm simple dichorornies: black vs. white, strong vs. weak, winner vs. loser, glory or dishonor. Mussolini said thac ic was: "Meglio vivere un giorno da leone, che cemo anni da pecora [Better ro liv� one day as a lion, chan one hundred years a sheep]" (Segala 22). Indeed, fascism is rife with slogms and pirhy pronouncements of this sorr. Mussolini was endlessly fecund in his production of motros and carchphrases, some of which can still be seen in faded characters on rhe walls of Italian buildings (38- 74). He believed that such sayings were essential co communicacing his message to the people, and in cheir communicaring it co ochers. Slogans resemble viruses or machines that reproduce themselves endlessly. In the Italy of the 1920s, people caught che virus. When real victory became ever more elusive, and rhen impossible with Italy's surrender in 1943. slogans did nor help. Far from a crescendo swelling the breast like a Fascist salute, the ubiquicous carchphrases scood like deflaced sentinels of rheir own empriness: from everyrhing to norhing. From che "new Rome" expanding be yond rhe borders ro rhe brief puppet state of La Repubblica Sociale occupying less than half of lraly and char half dismembered by Hitler. From independent scare to battlefield of foreign armies, from empire ro civil war. More and more, rhe dichotomies expressed in Mussolini's wrirings became nor only a means of defining che sides of a question or debate, but also a means of exclusion and contempt. To an ever grearer degree, his dualities become mutually exclusive; more than comradiccions, they assume the role of combatants. 1here is a slow rransformation from a kind of secular Manichaeism ro a dogmatic identifica tion of the Enemy. As Mussolini pur it: "O fascismo o antifascismo: chi non I:con noi e conrro di noi (Fascist or anrifascist: for us or against us]." This sentence is from the officiallist of slogans for public buildings drawn up by the Partito Nazionale Fascista in 1939. bur perhaps the most famous on chat list is: "Credere obbedire combattere [Believe, obey, fighc]." Mussolini repeacs these words on March 26, 1939 in Rome amid wild applause and cheering to the "Old Guard," and in rhis speech are re vealed all the pathos ofl-1is performances: "Grab your guns!, jump inco the crucks!" According to Mussolini, the: lcaly of 1939, which was on the verge of collapse, is disciplined. creacive, warlike, and imperial. Mussolini recognizes no obstacles and his soldiers joyfully embcace sacrifice: "La Patria si serve soprt1ttutto in silenzio, in ztmiltrt e in discipli11a [Above all the Farherland is served in silence, in humility, and in discipline)." Ir is difficulr to ascertain whar lcalians felt ar the fascist rallies of the 1920s and 1930s, but contemporary descriptions of rhe Prtlio di Siena (which cakes place every year during the months of July and August) can help recreate the atmosphere. lr is a remarkable event. Full of ceremony, speechifying, and milirary pageantry, with soldiers and rhcir captains actired in medieval armor marching in the srreers ro che sound of drums. Siena reverberates with ominous drumrolls, shouts and huglc calls. Close-packed bands in colorful costumes fill rhe narrow streets, waving huge Aags and chanring songs reAecting rhe glory of their "contmda" (ward). 1l1e climax of rhc evenr is a horse race, hut the Palio is, in fact, a kind of war char has been going on for centuries. The pride chac people invest in idemifying themselves with their faction is amazing; scarves are worn so rhere can be no mistake of idemicy and allegiance; the 7.1 (Spring 2014) 51 P.Wander color� of Heraldry are displayed in the uniforms of chc jockeys and the crappings of chc horses, brighc reds (Gules), greens (Vere), blues (Azure), purples (Purpure) sec offwith black (Sable) and gilt hang from every window turning the medieval scrcccs imo a kaleidoscopic array; rhough festive it is all nonethc.:bs exrremcly �erious and chc honor of the co1mada is no laughing marrer. The summer I saw it (July 2013), some Durch wuriMS made rhe mistake of crying ro introduce some levity into the proceedings and were assaulted and punched for their paim. During the race it�elf, one of the jockey, representing one conrrada fell off his horse in front of a rival comrada's stands and, by some srrange cwisr of wild pride, was beaten up-in spite of having broken his pelvis in falling. There arc many n:ligious aspects co the whole.: affair, nor rhe least of which is it1> dedicarion to the Virgin Mary. On chc morning of the race, each horse is blessed with great solemnity ar the altar inside che church of its cont rada. The mue-m-sdmeof each event is meticulously choreographed for max imum impact on rhe spectator, and to awaken one's naturalr impulse to cake sides in a competition. Prizes are discribuccd for everything f om costume to Aag-waving. Although, in some recess of the mind, the parcicipancs muse realize the ultimately gratuitous nature of the encerprise, one would never know it-rhe Right from reality is ics own reward. Fascism wa� a constant spectacle and circus, an escape ro licrive triumphs foughc in ersatz wars. Mussolini never failed, when addressing crowds from balconies throughout Italy, to encournge his compatriots to compete for world dominarion. By any objec tive measure, chis was pacemly non,;ensical. His armies, armed with planes, ranks, bombs and poison gas, fought again,r Ethiopian warriors who lived in grass hue� and carried spear:;. Despite the inequality, Mussolini compared victory in Ethiopia co I he great conquescs of the pa�t and che recscablishment of rhe Roman Empire proof of his militarr genius and proof char the Italian armies were indomitable. Thi� incongruous compari\on between pasc and pn:senc was indicative of how discon nected Mussolini was becoming. The final w1ge of Mussolini's devdopmcnr goes from a "merely vcrb:il" separation co a complere divorce from reality. MUSSOLIHfS TRANSFORMATION FROM DICTATOR TO WORLD CONQUEROR The solutions rhat Mussolini proffered are paradoxical: war is unifying because of its explosive energy. The trench is not a place of reruge and of dcarh, but racher a furrow bearing seeds for the fucure. Mussolini had no notion chat World War II would be substanciallr different from World War I, or char armies were no longer composed of sandal-footed men marching in close formation through rhe countryside. In his mind, he believed ir is pos�ible to win barrles on faith rather than force of arms. The army that win� is the army possessing che greater will co win: QuaLi sono Le tre parole chefom,ano ,I nosiro dogma [What a re the chree words of our creed)?'' �The crowd answers as if on cue: «C,edere.' Obbedire!Combattere r• Responds IL Duce: aEbbene, camerati, in q11este tre parole Ju, e sara iL segrero di ogni 11ittoria." Tramlarion: Well, com rades, in these three word�, was, and will be the succes� of every vicrory. {Susmel XXIX 253) Some pose Wnrld War I liccrary movements were inspired by rhe potential ter ror of words and sme rhetoric IO Ace from denotation and meaning, LO demolition 52 Touchstone Mussolini's Rhetoric and absence. Ac least parr of rhe "lineracure blanche" [blank literature] or "dcgre zero" [zero poinc) of rhe licerary word explored by Roland Barches and ocher modern semiologists was reaccing co ics menace: "Language is never innocent: words have a second memory which conrinues mysteriously amongst its newer meanings" (16). There is a whole impulse in modern literature co wirhdraw from rhe political arena or co displace itself from rhe parcisan signifier. Rarionality can also be akin ro mad ness: how can one awake from the nightma re of hisrocy (Joyce 28)? One of che reasons Mussolini was never ablt! co gee along wirh Filippo Marinerci or Gabriele D'Anum,io was rhat cheirs was a lirerary fight, motivated by a desire ro liberate society of its hackneyed and worn-out bourgeois ideals and move forward. Marinerci founded che Fuwrisr movement chat sought co embrace all che energy of che modern induscrial city; D'Annuzio aspired co be rhe superman described by Friedrich Nietzsche, beyond good and evil. What Mussolini offered was, in fact, a step backward ro a classical age, or rather a theatrical version of rhat :1ge-hence his love of costumes, hats and all the paraphernalia and crappings of an ornate past. Jr is difficult for us ro gauge how "normal" the spectacle of Fascist Italy seemed co the man in che srreer of che time. As pan of rhe huge cheering crowds unfailingly drawn by II Duce's appearances, he probably did not think about it much. ln his private momenrs though, like che inhabit:rnts of Siena during the Palio, he no doubt had misgivings. The passage of rime discorts our view of Mussolini's "New Rome," and che words of the time align wirh a real icy thac is now evanescent and blurry, bur history plays a major pan in that narracive: Much of whac was rhe immortal spirit of Rome resurfaces in Fascism: Roman is rhe Lictorio, Roman are our combat formarions, Roman are our pride and our courage.. .Today must be chc history of romorrow, rhe one we wane co consciously create. (Susmel XVIII 161) In my beginning is my end, che pasr is romorrow, a relay co rhe invisible informs my actions: "L'inizio e La fine.' Will. Purpose. Sacrifice. Glory! (Mussolini 356). lhe idencification of Fascism with ancient Rome is significant:. The further back one goes, the easier one can ignore rhe problems of the prcsenr. TI1e past, insisted Mussolini, did not make Italy great; remembering che greamess of the pasc however could inspire the cidzcns of modern Iraly co surpass it. Greatness is noc a privilege buc a duty. It was desriny rhac Rome, Fascisc Rome, once again become che epicemer of Wescern civiliz.acion: I am proud co say that if chey let us work in peace for 5 or 10 years, Italy will be able 10 direct world civilization. In Europe, coumries go up and ochers go down. We number amongst those on rhe ascem. We will rise. (Susmel XXI 444) \Y/e are far from rhe mere winning of a rerrirorial war; we are far from an im promptu 'improvised illumination;' we are sranding al che crossroads of WORLD CIVILIZATION. lcaly will rise, Italians will rise, and rising with them, II Duce. 1l1e divisions and oppositions char brought things co this scare are swept aside: ev er ything conspires to make ONE. Thar one, for Fascist lcaly, was 11 Duce. He was 7.1 (Spring 2014) 53 P.Wander "always righc." As a citizen I had only to ler myself get drunk on his soaring rheroric ro be rransporred to rhe faery lar1ds of fondesc aspiration. In che end, fascism was really nothing bur Mussolini. Moreover, Mussolini sacrificed the man to build the idol. That idol, always right, proved ro be nearly always wrong. Still, rhe course could not be changed. Mussolini was a one-way Duce: forward. Sropping is retreating. Wichour forward momenmm, rhe elaborate stagecraft collapses and the emperor has no clothes. Ir seems incredible co us, bur the Fascist government had no plan of defense. Naples, Rome and Florence were bombed and there were no air-raid shelters. The emorional energy needed ro cum co r real defense fom sham victory was nor rhere. The lase gasp was Hider's promised weapons of mass destruction that thankfully never materialized. Mussolini's rhetoric was comprised of often-repeated absuact words such as war, battle, sacrifice. courage. heroism and grandc:ur. Seemingly innocuous words sucb as rhese allowed rhe mid-rwencierh dicrarorships to turn living flesh imo dead. Dead words, dead armies, walking cadavers with dead numbers tattooed to rheir rormcnted arms, dead crowds roasted in rhc fireballs of dead cities, dead an and dead sculprure forever buried beneath rhe dead rubble of dead promises and dead hopes. Fortunately we have moved beyond those times though we can never rest assured char Fascism is dead. Wars are proof char Fascism is nor dead. POSTSCRIPT Mussolini's romb has become a place of pilgrimage for chose still devoted to him and co the "glories" of Fascism. Not long afcer their demise Fascism and II Duce engendered a cult. Moreover, one can buy rec shirrs. buses, and ocher paraphernalia on line to help finance rhe cult. There are a number of websires dcvored to rhe glories of ll Duce and the twenty years of Fascism in anticipation of their return. Some still think they were the best years ofltaly's history. REFERENCES Barthes, Roland. Le Degre Ze1'o De L'ecriture. Paris: Seuil, 1953. Prim. "Battle of rhe Piave River." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 05 Apr. 2014. Web. Berroldi, Silvio. / Tedeschi in Italia: Album Di Una Or:cupazione, 1943-1945. Milano: Rizzoli, 1994. Prine Bon, Gustave Le. "The Sencimencs and Moralicy of Crowds." Psychologie Des Foules. Paris: F. Akan, 1905. 23. Print. Foucault, Michel, and Sylvere Lorringer. "Truch ls In rhe Fucure." Foucault Li11e: {interviews, 1961-1984). 2nd ed. New York, NY: Semiocexr(e), 1996. N. pag. Print. Joyce, James. "Episode Two." Ulysses. London: Penguin, 2008. 28. Print. Lepre, Aurelio. Mussolini !'Italiano. Milano: Mondadori, 1995. Print. 54 Touchstone Mussolini's Rhetoric Ludwig, Emil, Tomaso Gnoli, and Benito Mussolini. Colloqui Con M1molini. Traduzione DiTomaso Gnoli. Milano: Mondadori, 1932. Prinr. Mussolini, Beniro. Dall'inter1Jento Al Fascismo: (15 Nov. 1914 - 23 Mnrzo 1919). Vol. XII Milano: Hoepli, 1934. Print. Mussolini, Beniro, Duilio Susmel, and Edoardo Susmel. Oper11 Omnia Di Benito Mussolini. Vol. XVIII. Firenze: Roma: La Fenice; Volpe, 1951. Prine. ---. Opera Omnia Di Benito Mussolini. Vol. XXI!. Firenze: Roma: La Fenice; Volpe, 1951. Prine. ---. Opera Omnia Di Benito Mussolini. Vol. XXIX. Firenze: Roma: La Fenice; Volpe, 1951. Print. ---. Opera Omnia Di Beniro Mussolini. Vol. XXXIV. Firenze: Roma: La Fenice; Volpe, 1951. Prine. "Palio Di Siena.'' Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 05 Apr. 2014. Web. Segala, Ariberro. "Foglio di Disposizioni." I muri de! Duce. Lavis: Arca ediiioni, 2007. 22-23. Prim. Simonini, Augusto. "Dichiarazione Di Guerra All'Eciopia." flLingwiggio Di Mussolini. Milano: V. Bompiani, 1978. 71-77, 129. Prine. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 55 ADAMANTIA, AN INTERMITTENT SEARCH FOR WORDS /nmawlada Lara-Bonilla \X!hac follows is the adapcarion of a rexr read at rhe 2013 Imagining America national conference, a gathering of scholars, anisrs, and designers from all corners of the Unired Scares under the cide ''A Call co Action: ReAeccion, Inspiration, and Change." The conference was an idyllic celebration of democracy, of reaching, of crearivicy, and of impassioned accivism. My presemacion was developed in che frame of a Aexible conference format, deviating boch from the positivist research paper using verifiable data co demonscrace a hypothesis, and che prcsencadon cart:fully showcasing rhe achievements of a socially engaged project. My piece was, in face, a small colleccion of self-referencial micro-scorics rhat were assembled as a brief nar rarive collage. I shared my choughrs and stories very much in rhe oral rr.tdirion: by celling chem around a cable (a "roundcable"), wichouc visual aids, PowerPoint, poscer boards, or any or her rhree-dim 7.1 (Spring 2014) 57 I. Lara-Bonilla me think of the roots of my imeresr in language and reaching as they connect co experience and ro the preservacion of legacy, bm also as rhey connect ro creadvicy, fiction, and the fuwre of dreams. Adamantia reminds me of the beauty and imagi nation that ofren transform moments of reaching and of writing i mo feasts. ADAMANTIA Adamanria is a region. Ir is an archipelago, to be precise. It is the archipielago and the map. A moving map, it is also the conversarion with the map. Adamancia is a delicious search for stories. Adamanria is the interrupted, believing, and adamanr search for words. MONICA Madrid. Six years old. While walking ro school with my gloomy neighbor, I come up with rhc perfect-I chink-idea to cheer her up and 1 make a joyous bur serious proposidon: "When we grow up a lirrle, we should move rogether ro an aparrmenr filled wich the little colored sheets of paper we get from rhe priming shop." A skeptical silence follows. "We'll stack chem up all che way ro the ceiling and invite our friends over," I elaborate. My child's LOngue cannot arriculate in any other way what I imagine could happen in the colorful place where we can write cogether, or draw, or dance and laugh as we wish. Monica glances over her shoulder and keeps walking by my side as the lighr cums. THE WAR AND THE TRAIN As children, my brother and I would repeatedly ask our grandfather co cell us the story of che train. We called it indistinctly the "story of the crain" or "rhe srory of the.: war," convinced chat the war was primarily a story, and chac the story of the train and the scory of rhe war were one and rhe same, our only real war story. The codifiedtale went like rhis: During the Civil War, my grandfather and his friend were raken prisoners and huddled on inco a train with dozens of others. On its way co Seville, the rrain made a stop in che woodsy mountains. The cwo friends asked chc sergeant overlooking their car if chey could srep offbrieAy to relieve rhem selves. They jumped offand hid immediately. While the train, full of soldiers and prisoners, scarred again, they too ran and ran and kepc running without a stop or a look back for hours. They saw a house and a woman by its door. She invited chem co come in and fed them and the friends stayed wich their female savior and her husband for a tew days. Then. they hid and walked forwee ks. They hid and walked more rhan cwo hundred kilometers co return home, a rrek char rook several months. Nobody in their families knew where they were. Peasams would lodge rhem over night, clothe them in peasant cloches for prorecrion, and feed chem along the way. Grandpa never said whether he was being transported ro a death squad or ro a differentfront. We sensed the murkiness in his silence and never asked. We would simply request, over and over, rhe srory of the train. Ir was better than a movie and perhaps chis cimc we would learn something new. Lacer, as a teen, I wanred co know more abouc the war and muster che cour age to gently prod my grandmothers regularly. We spoke about their youth and 58 Touchstone Adamantia adulthood before and during rhe war years. ! listened, asked questions, wrote srories, and recorded cheir voices. Today, I ask my students ro provoke similar conversations with their elders. I fear char rhc scories can be lost ar che airporrs, in che streets and stairs, under rhe rails of the subway lines. DETROIT As an undergraduate srudenr, I am invited co visir the United Srares and I see my first Norrh American city. To me, Detroic, Michigan, looks like a bombed-ouc, besieged conglomerare of highways under a curfew. All I can chink abour is chat chis is the closesr I have ever been ro a war. Bur I also feel chis is very different from my grandpa rems' war, chat the sight is asking me to understand something about the unending rawness of U.S. urban struggle, ocher missing pieces of hisrnry, thing chat I had nor learned or imagined from across rhc ocean. During the same months, 1 discover che discipline of"creacive wricing," which is taught and practiced ac my new college. I stare writing furiously undc::r r.he influ ence of cenrral Michigan's frozen air. I daydream of never stopping the practice, of sharing i1, and of some day passing on the joy of chis discovery through teaching. WOMEN WRITING MEMOIR After several years and several ocher cities, I encoumer another posc-indusrrial American landscape wirh ics own share of economic and social depression. Ir is Syracuse, New York. From rhe college on cop of che hill, the community cencers, and rhe deserted wincer srreers, I design a graduate course ro ''engage" myself and my self-segregated srndems wi1h the city rhac we live in, bur are far from. I wane us ro ]jscen, ro learn, and ro record, inspire, and understand srories by women who had migrated from Larin America, the inverred mirror. I invice women living in rhe West Side of cit}' (rhe area rhac most Latinos/as share) to write and publish their memories of travel, of changing places, and of anything else they like. 1he women I approach willingly and enchusiascically share their writing with us and, lacer, wirh an enrire academic community. We publish a small book with their rexes, and rhey perform ar a public reading in Spanish, their narive language, on che main campus. Everything is a success, bur I am not satisfied. I wonder what should come nexr. CASITAS In hindsight, I don't chink I ever abandoned that idea chat Monica didn't like or understand as a child (would she now?). I continue fantasizing abour a place full of colored sheecs all the way ro che ceiling, a home of a differentlearning experience and a different language. A place inhabited by arr, writing, and community. A place for dialogue and dancing, a place for reading and srory-telling. I begin envisioning La Casira Culrnral Cenr.er, a new public space for Larino/a and Latin American arr and culrure for rhe college and rhe community alike. Afcer cwo years of hard work, rhe cenrer opens and runs with success. Looks like a success, sounds like a success, but, again, I it takes me some rime co find rhe words chat speak about it and abom whar may be missing. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 59 I. Lara-Bonilla POEM In 2011, I publish a poem that talks about che city-Syracuse-abour writing, and abour reaching. Ir's called "Trails/Senderos." Down its lines march the trains, the stories of people chat I know and char I don't know, rhe women who migrate, my own migrations and love for words and for teaching, the mystery of the cities, and the srrange language chat may speak to the connection of it all: "The imagined voice/ Echoes among rhe trees,/ While rhe grunting train lulls/ Something beyond and over the roofrops" (Lara-Bonilla 2011). RECLAIMING IDENTITY Reclaiming ldemicy is rhe ride of a book I read while writing research in Larina women's autobiography. Three years lacer, chose cwo words haum me. I send emails, wricc juscificarions, use what seems like every word and every silence I have ro explain rhar, although I could be, I will nor be who I don't think lam; co clarify, co reclaim char I am a seeker of knowledge, che sorr of inspircr-writer-curator-re searcher-in-the-wor\d-educaror for dreaming. I look for the language to say chis in rhe city, in the classroom, in che conference room, at the library, on the page. FICTIONS A srudem who I have known for over cen years, and in two differcnc cities, has developed a substance addiction. He seeks my help and support. He is enrolled in my creative writing class and has moments of brilliance, increasing absences, and somccimes rhoughrful, sometimes meandering writing. I can only explain my personal theory of fiction, which is somewhat of theory of dreaming, of'writing, of living, of seeing, and of composing che fururc. le is a way of imagining, a strange oncology. I cry to explain how I believe char our wishes may be fictions, your fictions guiding scars, and how your guiding srars may procecr you and make your ficcions and dreams come true, rhc matter of real life. NEW YORK CITY Manhamrn is a mecca where millions are said co pursue their dreams, their fictions. However, I findin the South Bronx che door that unlocks rhe complex pasr and present of cbe local cicy. The building where I reach is filledwirh colorful pieces of arc all almost the way up ro rhe ceiling. Since che first rime I walk inro it, they speak of an endless opportunity co create, learn,and inspire. Ir houses a creative and imellectual community commicced co reaching and co the city. If only Monica could see ... Bur chis cicy's srory is yet co be rold, the ficcion co be released. REFERENCE Lara-Bonilla, Inmaculada. "Trails"/ "Senderos." Stone C11noe 5 (2011): 246-7. 60 Touchstone DEVELOPMENTAL ALGEBRA ASSESSMENT: CLOSING THE LOOP UNDER SHIFTING EXIT STANDARDS Alice Welt Cunningham and Kathleen Markert Doyle ABSTRACT This paper summarizes che Marhemarics Department's efforts, despite chang ing Universiry-wide exit scandards, to assess and improve srndenc learning in the College's Elementary Algebra course. As over three-quarters of Hoscos' students enrer requiring remediation in mathemarics, improving student success in chis gate way course is essential co increased rerenrion and graduacion rates. Of our chree assessmencs co date, the first was completed in rhe Fall 2011 semester using Hoscos' previous Departmenral learning outcomes. However, in 2012 CUNY issued new algebra srnndards, coupled wich a University-wide exir examination. !rem analyses for the new cest are nor available for individual institu tions. 1hus, the Departmem conducred its rwo subsequent assessments using irs own midterm exams aligned to the new scandards. While rhe midterm analyses show unusual improvement in factoring, rhe midterm exam is given direcdy afrer this topic is raughr. By contrast, ocher weaknesses parallel rhe universicy-wide find ings. The paper describes seeps already rnken and chose in rrnin co funher improve student performance. INTRODUCTION Using scudenc learning ouccomes assessment co improve scudcnc perfi)r mance has become the Touchttone of successful inscicucional progress. In Beyond Crossroads, che American Marhemarical Association of Two-Year Colleges pre scribes a six-srep assessment cycle requiring rhe continuing redefinition of scudenr learning goals based on assessmenc resulcs ac the classroom. course, and program level (AMATYC, 2006, p. 15, 29). Similarly, rhe Middle Scaces Commission on Higher Educarion cices "a culrure of 'conrinuous improvement"' as rhe criterion seminal to che decermination of institutional effectiveness (Middle Stares, 2007, p. 17), with assessment of student learning ar che heart of chat process (Middle $races, 2006. p. 63). 7.1 (Spring 2014) 61 A. W. Cunningham and K. M. Doyle Th is paper describes che Hos cos Mathernarics Department's first chree course level assessments in Elementary Algebra (Mach 20). Throughout che Cicy University of New York, passing this course constitutes che pre-requisite to credit-bearing college-level work and cherefore co retention and graduarion. As demonstrated by a recent five-year lookback, over chree-quarcers of Hoscos' students enter needing re mediation in machemarics (Hostos Self-Study Report, 2012, Appendix 9.1, p. 250), a siruarion char prevai Is as ofrhis writing (Hos cos O IR Student Profiles, 2014). 1l1us, improving performance in this gateway course is incegral ro imprnving recemion and graduation races overall. This paper summarizes rhe Machemacics Deparcmenr's ongoing attempts co analyze student performance since Fall 2010 norwithstand ing the University's recenc revision of ics exit-from-remediation algebra standards (CUNY Mathematics Panel Recommendations, 2012). The University's new exit standards were issued early in 2012, effective im me diately, and have been modified a number of rimes since chen. As can be seen from a comparison of rhc old and new course learning outcomes (attached as Appendices A and B, respectively), che new srandards introduce the topics of inequalities and function notation and place a heavier emphasis on two-seep faccoring and scientific notation problems. Proporrions and percents, formerly not addressed ac rhis level, are addressed in che context of word problems. Pursuant ro University mandate, student learning is now measured by a University-wide final exam (the CUNY Elememary Algebra Final Exam, or CEAFE). However, individual item analyses for che new final exam are unavailable on a disaggregated college-by-college basis (CUNY Office of Institutional Research, 2013). Therefore, while che Mathemarics Deparcmenc's first assessment (completed in Fall 201 I) was based on che Fall 2010 Departmental Final Exam and related learning outcomes, rhe cwo subsequem assessmencs (in Spring 2012 and Spring 2013) were based on the Departmental Midterm Exam, for which che Deparcmenc is able to prepare the type of question-by-question analyses not yet available for the new University-wide final. Because the Deparrmenrally-prepared exam is a midterm rather than a final, iris administered by che tenth week of the 14-week semesrer. The midcenn thus covers only the first JO of che 14 learning outcomes based on rhe new srandards (see Appendix B). In order co permit a comparison wirh che results of the firsr assessment, rhe second assessment was aligned co the earlier learningoutcomes. The Spring 2013 as sessment described here rherefore represents che first to use learning outcomes based on CUNY's new University-wide standards. Despite the changing exit-standards, many of the exam questions remain che same, thus permitting comparisons and conclusions. THE DATA Our initial assessmcncwas performed by hand by Hosws Officeoflnscirutional Research based on a representative sample of Departmental pencil-and-paper ex ams. By concrasc, both the second and third assessmems, based in each case on the multiple-choice Departmental Midterm, were graded by Scamron, with all exams taken inco account. Nevertheless, comparing similar questions from each of the exams permits performance comparisons. 62 Touchstone Developmental Algebra Assessment 1l1 e daca summarized below report the results of rhe mosr recenr assessment, with comparisons to the two earlier analyses where possible. TI1e resulrs reflect Scamron item analyses for 605 srudencs on four forms of the exam, wirh the forms distributed approximately equally among rhe examinees. In keeping with the firsr two assessmencs, the following Department-wide assessment standard was used co determine whecher a learningoutcome was mer: 60% or above correct: S+ Above Sacisfaccory 50-59% correct: S Sacisfaccory 40-49% correct: N Needs Improvement Below 40%: U Unsatisfactory Revision of rhese srandards co reflect du: new Universicy•prescribed 60% pass ing cut point currendy is under way. 11,e data are summarized in several cables. 1hc first cable reporrs results by individual learning outcomes, listing all exam quesrions applicable rn each such learning outcome. For learning ouccomes involving more chan one quescion, che remaining five cables break down chose results on a quesrion-by-quescion basis, as follows: (a) linear equation applicacion problems (SLO #4; Table 2); (b) lireral equa cions (SLO #5; Table 3); (c) exponential expressions, including scientific nocation (SLO #7; Table 4); (cl) operations with pol)rnomials (SLO #8; Table 5); and (e) factoring (SLO #9; Table 6). Table 1: Analysis of scudenc performance by learningouccome Student learning Outcomes (SLOs) Question Spring 2013: Spring 2012: Current %Correct %Correct SLO Status (2013) SLO #1: Performing operations on real numbers 13 35 35 u SLO U2: Evaluating algebraic expressions (in- 3 54 no function s eluding function notation, new) entry SLO #3: Solving a linear euqation in one variable 18 61 S3 S+ SLO R'4:linear equation application problems 4,9, 10,12,17 58 45 s SLO #5: Solving literal equations (increased 2,14 59 54 s emphasis) SLO #6: Solving and graphing linear inequalities 20 45 38 N (new) SLO #7: Simplifying exponential expressions 8,11 35 SO (different u (increased emphasis on 2-step scientific nota- questions) tion problems) SLO R8: Operations on polynomials 5,6 66 S2 S+ SLO #9: Factoring polynomials 1,7,15,16 69 67 S+ SLO 1110. Solving quadratic equations by factor- 19 46 no entry N Ing (equations not in standard form) 7.1 (Spring 2014) 63 Developmental Algebra Assessment Table 6: Faccori11g polynomials (SLO #9) Question Description Spring 2013: Spring 2012: Current SLO %Correct %Correct Status (2013) 1 factoring by grouping (a :tc 1) 68 65 S+ 7 (GCF) (x1 + bx+ c) 67 69 S+ 15 (GCF) (differenceor two squares) 64 67 S+ 16 x1 + bx+ c 78 nosimila1 S+ question ANALYSIS As the three assessments involved three diffcrcm exams and two differentsecs of learning ou1comes, no precise comparison is possible. Moreover, Universiry-wide data, which is not disaggregated on a question-by-question basis for individual col leges, wa� available as of this writing only for the firM Universiry-widc final exam in Fall 2012. Nevertheless, qm:Mion-by-qucstion analyses do permit �ome conclusions. The following discussion highlights learning ourcomcs where 5wdenr performance increased; those where srudcm performance decreased;and thosl.!for which, because of the Univer�ity's new exit Mandards, no comparative data are yet available. INCREASED PERFORMANCE Facroring. \Xlhile the:: Fall 2011 final exam as�essmenr showed pronounced scudem weakness in factoring polynomials (28.4% correcr response race), both the Spring 2012 and Spring 2013 Departmental .\ilidterms show dramatic imprO\'C· rnt:nc in thar area {67% and 69% correcr, respecrivcly). However, as the Midterm is administered directly after this ropic is taught, it may be rhac chc improved scudcnc performance refleccs short-term procedural absorption rarher 1han long-cerm con ceprual undemanding (e.g., National Research Council, 2001). ll1is imerpretarion is suppom.:d by rhe Univtrsicy-wide results, which reflect a success rate in this area of lcsi. rhan 60% {CUNY Officeo flnsriturional Research, 2013). llws, rhe increased facroring results on che I lo�rns Midterm, while impressive, arc suggcsrive ra1hcr rhan dispositive of srudcnr improvement. Because college-by-college performance results on individual CEAFE questions arc unavailable. analy)iS of our srudenrs' performance in chis area at ;emester'i. end is not yet possible. lnequ:ilirit:s. Hosros' pre-existing rubrics did nor address this learning out come, thus precluding a comparison of previous results on rhis mpic. However, the 2013 Deparrmenral Midterm shows student improvcmt:m over the 2012 Midterm from 38% to 45% {SLO t:6, Table I above). The current result i� in line with CUNY wide performance on rhii> rubric on the Fall 2012 CEAFE of 47%. This incn:ase n.:presenrs an improvement of over 18% (a 7 percencage poinr increase calcul.1£ed as ,\ percrnr of the earlier 38% performance). This rcsuli is particularly impre��ivc in that che 2013 Midterm, unlike irs 2012 predecessor, require� nor only solving the inequality bur also indicating the correct answer by selecting the appropriate graph, 7.1 (Spring 2014) 6S A. W. Cunningham and K. M. Doyle thus making chc question more difficult. Accordingly, while studenr performance on this new rubric remains low, the improvcmcnr is nonetheless worch nocing. DECREASED PERFORMANCE By contrast, srudcnt performance on questions involving operations with scientific notation fell from 42% on rhe 2010 Deparrmenr.il Final under rhe pre existing rubrics and 51% on the 2012 Midterm co 23% on che 2013 Midterm. The Fall 2010 question was not analogous, while the 2012 problem reprcsenred only a one-seep rather rhan a two-seep calculation. Tims, rhis decline in performance may be amibucable to che increased degree of difficulryintroduced for rhis learning ouc come by the new standards, which require a two-seep analysi� for a resulr wrinen in scientific norarion. (For example, the fraction produces the quotient, which must be transformed ro in order co rdlccr scientific norarion.) For purposes of comparison, CUNY-wide performance on chis learning outcome averaged only 27.8%, rhe leasr successful resulr of che 25 questions on that t:xarn. Thus, Host0s' 23% pc.:rforrnance rate, while needing improvement, is not out of line wirh chc CUNY-wide results. OUTCOMES NOT PERMITTING CURRENT COMPARI SON Two areas nor addressed in the cwo previous assessnicnrs are word problems involving proportions and percent increase and decrease (SLO #4, Table 2). Proporciom. As this learning outcome was imroduccd by the 2012 CUNY wide �randards, it was not addrc,�t:d by either (lf our previous assessmc:ncs.Thus. no comparative data arc available. Currenr scudcnc perfor111:1ncc (ar 54% and 60% on que�1 ions 4 and 9, respectively) mcecs the prc-CEAFE Deparcmentally-csrablished cricerion for satisfacrory performance (50-59%). Subsequent assessments under the new exit-standards should present a clearer picture. Pcrcenr Increase and Decrease. TI1c same is crue of che new two-Mep percent increase and decrease problems, which require finding either a new amount and chen the percent change, or finding che percent change and then the new amount (Que�cions 10 and 12, respectively). Again, while student performance, ar 55% and 57%, fell wirhin the Deparrmenrally-deterrnincd sarisfacrory range (50-59%), fur ther moniroring is required. DEPARTMENTAL ACTIONS TO FOSTER IMPROVEMENT Following CU1'Y's issuance of the new rubrics in January 2012, che Mathematics Department rook che following additional seeps in order co improve student performance: • Updating the course syllabus and day-by-day teaching guide co keep all 30+ sections on crack. • Cominuing revision of che Departmental Midterm co focus on rhc types of problem� found on chc CEAFE. • Preparing new Deparrmcncal worbhccts in both English and Spanish co reflect chc emphases of the new rubrics. • Preparing a new workbook for classroom use. Developmental Algebra Assessment • Introducing and assessing supplemental instruction (group learning ses sions led by an advanced student "peer leader''), from rhe Fall 2012 semes ccr onward. • Working roward a mandatory "mulciple repeacers" secrion wirh addirional supporr sysrems. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS So far, che Deparcmenc's mosr recent assessment shows rhe besr scudent per formance in faccoring, at 69%, and rhc worse performance in scientificnoration, ac 23%. ll1e latter result, which mirrors rhe CUNY-wide 28% correct response race, apparencly reAcccs rhe cwo-scep aspect of the calculacion. Finally, while studenc per formance on the two new applications oflinear equar.ions(propor cions and rwo-scep percem increase and decrease problems) qualifies as satisfaccory, analyses of srn denr progress in these areas musr await addirional assessments. Uncil the University makes CEA FE irem resulcs available on a college-by-college basis, the Departmem plans co concinue assessing srudem performance using rhe Departmental Midterm. REFERENCES American Marhematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (2006). Blair, R. (Ed.), Beyond crossroads: Implementing mathematics standardsin the first t1110 years ofcollege. Memphis: $ouch west Tennessee Community College (amatyc@ amaryc.org). Cunningham, A.W. & Doyle, K. (2012). Spring 2012 Mach 020 Midterm Assessment. NY: Hosros Communicy College. City University of New York Machemarics Panel Recommendations (January 2012). Elementary Algebra ProficiencyExam Topics, Fall 2011. NY: Aurhor (generally circulated by email correspondence ofJanuary 18, 2012, and revised by <.:mail correspondence of April 23, 2012, with sample final cxaminacions circulared August 21, 2012). Cir.y University of New York Office of lnsrirucional Research (2013). CUNY Elementary Algebra Final Exam: Fall 2012 !rem Results and Learning Outcomes Correspondence. NY: Auchor. Hostos Community College (2012, February). lnstirurional Self-Scudy Reporc. NY: Aurhor. Hoscos Communiry College Mathemacics Deparcmem (June 2012). AcademicProgram Review. NY: Aurhor. Hoscos Officeoflnsricurional Research (2011). Mach 020 Fall 2010 Analysis of SLO's on Final Exam (revised, 12/1/1 I). NY: Auchor. Hosros Officeof lnscimrional Research {2014, April). Srudenr Profiles from Fall 2002-Spring 2014. NY: Aurhor. Recrieved April 12, 2014, from hnp://www. hoscos.cuny.edu/oaa/oir/PublicDocumencs/Scudt:ncProfile.pdf. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 67 A. W. Cunningham and K. M. Doyle Middle Scares Commission on Higher Education (2007). SdfScudy: Creating a Useful Process and Report, 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Aurhor. Middle $me� Commission on Higher Education (2006). Characteristics ofExcellence in Higher Education. Philadelphia: Author. National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008). Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathemacics Advisory Panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Depanmcnr of Education. National Re�earch Council (2001). J. Kilpatrick, J. Swafford,& 8. Finddl (Ed�.), Adding it up: Helping children learnmathematics, Chap.4. Mathematics LearningStudy Commicrec, Ccnrer for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washingron, D.C.: National Academy Pre!>!>. 68 Touchstone ASSESSMENT OF OUR ASSESSMENT: A CASE FOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION Carolyn Steinhoff "\Y/e consider knowledge co be a process of construction by rhc individual in relarion with ochers, a true ace of co-conscrucrion," scares Carlina Rinaldi, a lead ing educacor of inrernacionally recognized preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in her book In Dia/qgue with Reggio Emilia (25). In 2003, as part of my work nn my self-designed Masters in Education through Goddard College, I srudied and coured some of rhe more than forryschools in Reggio Emilia. They are profoundly inspir ing, and I draw on what I learned there every day. Among the many principles rhar guide Lhem, a central one is partidpacion. Many srud ies show chat the: Iralians' principle of participation has a basis in science-neuroscience, co be precise. In order co learn, neurosciencisrsare telling us, srudems need co parricipare, wich teachers and with one another, in making choices about rhcir learning. Eric Jensen is one of the growing number of educators who embraces what is often called "brain-based learning." One of che books Jensen has written for teachers, abouc how ro facilicare "learning with rhe brain in mind," is Brllin-Bnsedlearning. In a section citied 'Tighe Teacher Control;' Jensen discusses ''Choice Theory" developed by William Glasser. The William Glasser-US website quotes Glasser as saying, "External conrrol, the presenr psychology of almost all people in Lhe world, is destructive to relarionships. When used, it will destroy the abiliLy of one or both to find sacisfacrion in thac relationship and will resulr in a disconnection from each ocher. Being disconncCfed is rhe source of almost all hu man problems such as what is called mental illness, drug addiction, vioknce, crime, school failure, spousal abuse, rn mention a few" (italics mine). Applying choice theory ro reaching, Jensen cites Renate and Geoffrey Caine (1994): "... LE]xcessive control by teachers actually reduces learning" (112). Glasser arriculares something we all know from our own experience, char rhe more people feel conrrolled, rhe more resenrment they feel. No matter how srndenrs handle feelings of resenrmenr, whether chey express or repress chem, when their brains are focused on managing rhese feelings, rhey cannor focus on che arduous and exhilarating work oflearning. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 69 C. Steinhoff In chinking deeply about a subjecr, I wane ro move berween micro-and macro-focus. Jensen claims we need both in order to learn. Brain-based learning is a micro-focus on what happens inside our skulls when we learn. Of course as educarors, we should pay close attencion ro that. l also wanr ro srep back and look from a distance, to "macro-focus" on che endeavor of educacion as a whole. Whar is educalion? Why do we do it? On what basis do we do it? Paolo Freire, John Dewey, and many others, including the educators in Reggio Emilia, have invesrigaced chis quesrion. Freire coined the term "banking education" ro describe a one-way, teach er-controlled srndenc-n:acher relationship in which teachers misguidedly conceive of learning as fillingscudenrs' empty heads with knowledge rhe way we deposic money into QUr bank accounts. Bur I am not one ro simply accepr rheorics, unless I see their validity borne out in my own experience. I see che truth of che value of studenr participation con firmed every day in the classrooms in which I reach. I strnngly believe rhar teachers' relationships wich srudents, and students' relationships with one another and their teachers, are rhe center of students' learning. So, my own professional development focuses on learningabout and reAecdng on what rhose relationships need ro be, and whar I can do to make them better, with the hope char students will learn more. In this article, I wane to focus on assessment, in the conrexr of srudent participation. In another Qf Jensen's books, Turnaround Tools forthe Teenage Brain, he dis cusses "basic comn1Qnalicies in ... students' process of selecting and implemenring success scraregies; rhe student acknowledges rhe need for success srracegies; the scu• dent evaluates old strategies, and selects new ones if needed; the student implements rhe strategies for a sustained amount of time; rhe srudem evaluates che effecriveness of rhe srrategies; rhe student makes ad justmenrs as needed" (I 2). This is a beautiful description of a rigorous assessment process. 1he subject of chese sentences is wonh noting: "rhe student." Students should parcicipare, in making decisions abom cheir own learning, and in assessing their own learning. I wane ro macro-focus on assessmenc. What is assessment and why should we do ir? Assessment is ac rhe heart of what educarors do. Our educacion systems arc built on rhe foundarion of grading-which literally means sloping-ranking students in relation co each orher according m who is besc, better, less good, worse. Our sysrem instills in us chc:: conception of evaluation, of assessment, as grading. Everything we do rests on chis syscem. Grading is seen as a way to prove quamirn rively char a srudenr is measuring up co our standards and expecrarim1s. Grading is the way we make srudenrs ''perform." 'TI1is conception, and the structures and pracciccs chat grow from grading, cause us many problems, including the fact rhat grading enforces a descrucrive re lational dynamic of comperirion rather than collaboration between scudencs in a classroom. Bur rhe problem J wane ro focus on here is that grading is one-way, a power game, a pocenr form of coercion. Grading secs up a relationship between teachers and srndenrs in which we educators are insiders, the keepers of che stan dards, while srudems are outsiders clamoring ro be brought in rhrough achieving, living up ro, proving themselves according m our demands. As long as we grade, we hold great power over scudents' lives. As long as we grade chem, we are not allow ing students to participate in their own cducacion. 1hey are subjecr m our power over chem. This is che taproot of rhe problematic power-relational dynamic we all 70 Touchstone Assessment of Our Assessment scruggle wirh in classrooms every day. Jc leads to borh passive and acrive expressions of resemmenc by scudencs, which we as ceachers are then forced to spend our cime and energy trying co counreracr, instead of focusing on learning. Now for some "micro-focusing" on rhe copic. Whac does the word "learn•· mean, in brain terms? l embrace the definition of brain-based educarors, who define learning as being able ro remember and use knowledge gained whenever we need ir, whecher it is a day, a monch, or fiveyears after we learned ic. How big a role does learning, defined chis way, accually play in our chinking and practices? How often do we educarors calk or think or care abouc whether our practices result in learning? If evidence in che form of srudent "performance" proves scudencs are not learning, do we change our ways of reaching? Unforcunarely not, because we most often focus on how we can further and more completely conrrol scudenrs' acrions in response to rhis knowledge. In colleges l teach and have caught in, reachers and adminisrrarnrs calk abour how manv latenesses and absences srudenrs have. \Y/e talk and care abour whether rhcy do the homework we assign. We care abom che actirudc and behavior they exhibit in our classrooms. We care about rhc scores rhey receive on standardized rests rhey are. required co cake in reading and writing, scores we give chem on end-of semester standardized rests. \Y/e discuss whac level of class they can move inro when they finish with our programs. [n formal meetings and in informal conversations, we discuss aspects of all these things we care about. Bue we do not discuss scudem learning. Yer d,1 any of rhese aspects of the work rhat we care about, accurarely assess or evaluate srudenrs' learning? Ir mighr seem that the essay scudenrs write for a test administered at the end of every semester should be at least a fairly accurate picture of how well they have learned co wrire, how much grammar they have learned, and so ford1. Let us exam ine chis assumption. In some programs, scudenrs wrire a complete essay in a time period we altor, ofren 90 minmes, in conditions we enforce-silence (no discussing wirh or getting help from classmates or the reacher), no use of devices such as online translators or dictionaries or grammar and orher websites char chey use elfeccively co help rhem write ac all ocher times. Like so many reachers of language, J have been writing (and reading) virtu ally my emire life. l am a published wrirer of nonfiction and poecry. Even when I had deadlines as a freelance writer, I needed a span of cime chrough which ro access sources, which included a full range of interviews, encries on Facebook and Wikipedia and tabloids and other websites as well as magazines and scholarly jour nals. I needed cime, even ifir was an hour, co ponder. I had ro calk wirh friends about my ropic, ro rake notes, wrirc a rough draft, lee ir percolare, come back co it wirh fresh eyes, revise ir, revise it again and again, get writer friends co give me feedback, proofread it, gee more feedback, before [ senr a final draft co a publisher. IfI need rhese things, how much more do studenrs not fluenrin the language in which they are wriring need them? Brain research backs up chis need. Learning happens in a series of recursive stages, each of which musr rake place. The process of writing is a process of learning-learning about our topic, rhrough rcsea rch, and through writing ro think-learning-constructing-what we chink as we wrire for readers. When I rake the rest myself, and cry to write an essay in 90 minutes, I end up with an illegible mess of arrows and cross-ours. \):that are we assessing? Students' 7.1 (Spring 2014) 71 C. Steinhoff ability to follow a sec of prescribed seeps we teach rhem co do in order co boost their rest score? If so, chat is not writing. By tesr preparation, we are so much of rhe rime insrilling habits and practices in students char chey will have to forget, if they are ever to really do the scary, open-ended, chaotic, creative work of writing. We are evaluating their ability ro perform sreps we have made rhem memorize within a shore cime after they have memorized them. \Xiii! they remember or care abour these steps nexc monrh or next year? Do these steps promoce deep thinking, critical chinking, caring about subjects, curiosity, morivacion, self-discipline-any of che actions and mindsets that actually express learning? l submit char they do nor. I submit that rhere are more effocrivc ways ro assess studems' learning, ways based on scudcnr pa rticiparion. People arc born learning. We are learning crearures, from birch to death. o one has to be forced co learn. We are learning all rhe rime in order to survive. And no one likes ro be cold whar co do and noc have a choice about it. Students, like all other people, want m learn, and need ro learn in order co survive. Srudcnrs, like all ocher people, like ourselves, crave rhe ability w cake part in decisions that have a strong impact on their lives. Applying this thinking co assessrnem, we should participate wirh srudems in arricularing goals and strategies-what they wanr co learn, why, and how they will learn ir. Then, we should use goals scudencs articulate as the basis for participatory assessment of their learning. I invite you co quescion the assumption, the paradigm, that it is our job to decide and ro comrol what scudenrs learn. Yes, we arc teaching particular classes in particular subjects, with specific goals and objectives. But because students have signed up for rhe course or program, rhey have already exerted choice and agency. We should start there and build on rhar. Even if our course is a required course, students, like all people, do wam ro learn,and are learningall the rime. Do we want co continue teaching chem what rhey have been learning in school, how co pass ccsts and get As? Or do we w�nc them to learn new, deeper knowledge, crirical chinking, information, and perspectives? Within the framework of our ,ubjecr, we can ask students to cell us what interests them. Working together, we can design goals for r how each unique person in our classes can move f om where he or she has begun ro where he wanrs co be ar rhe end of his special time with us. We can engage all our srudenrs in assessing cheir own progress coward rhat end. Learning goals and assessmenr must be inrercwined. All human beings have questions about the world, about rheir lives, that rhc conrem of our courses can help them answer. \Y/e can invite and facilirate scudencs' posing of chese burning questions. \Xie can approach and explore students' questions with rhem, using the vocabulary and mindset of our discipline or subjecr as the lens. Students also have specific questions about our course, about whar they need co know from our course in order co get good grades in ocher courses. Students are in remedial programs because they failed rhe CUNY entrance rests. These programs are ways CUNY helps rhem increase their Auency before rhey take the resrs again. Srudencs in these programs need co know English as a scarring point for all the aspecrs of their lives in chis country. Our work is ro facilitare their making rhe connection between char pressing, large, general goal of theirs ro rhe 72 Touchstone Assessment of Our Assessment specificareas of reading, vocabulary, grammar, and writing that they need in order ro pass che CAT Writing and Reading rescs and begin their college.: studies. \Vhen srndencs have questions, rhey have learning goals. ''How can l learn English?" can be turned incoa self-focusing lens, ro become "I need to learn English grammar, and be more aware of what verbs agree wirh whar subjecrs in sentences"; "I need ro learn ro find connections between rexes and write clearly about them'';"] need to develop my ability co chink and wrire critically abour rexes." Such declara tions reflect rheskills required co pass rhe CAT-W. If srndenrs rell me rhey need co learn these rhings, I can cake parr wirh them in them learning rhem. J n Turnaround Toolsfor the Teent1ge Brain, Jensen recommends Backwards Goal Design (137). We begin by arriculacing a "big dream." Next, we connecr char dream ro our long-range goals. We chen create goals wirh specificout comes. We create imermediare seeps we will rake ro move roward chose outcomes, rhcn we creare goals for rhis week. Finally, we creace goals for roday, which will rake us one m:p closer to our big dream. I implemcnc a version of rhis srraregy wich sru dcnrs each semester. Wirh my guidance, scudencs creare Learning Goals, and rhey use those goals ro measure rhi::irprogress each week, ar midrerm, and ar rhe end of rhe semester. I rhcn also invite srudcncs co idenrify a goal each day, and I check in wirh each of chem ar rhe end of rhe day when each one ralks briefly about whecher or nor and in whar ways rhey have mer or have not mer their goal. I continue ro evolve and reline my methods, and do not claim m have che mosc effecrive ones. I offer this accounc of my own choughrs and practices, nor because l feel chey are in any way ulrimare or aurhorirarive, bur in rhc spirit of shar ing whar I care about. I am in an ongoing process of learning. Let us continue ro reAecr on and question rngerher how, and why, we do what we do. Ler us assess our assessment and our cc;iching as we conrinue our own learning throughout our lives. REFERENCES Jensen, E. (2013). Turnaroundtools for the teenage brain. San Francisco: John Wiley. f -. (2008). Brt1in-based Leaming: the new paradigm o teaching. 'Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Rinaldi, C. (2006). In dialogue with Reggio Emilia: listening, reseai·chi11g cmd learning. New York: Rourledg<;;. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 73 ENHANCING STUDENT RESPONSE TO ACADEMIC STIMULI IN A COMMUNITY AT RISK Linda L. Ridley Understanding the stimuli that drive student behavior is essentialfar effec tive teaching. Student engagement is enhanced by the comprehension of those core imm 1h11rinform success. Any professor in Business brings industry cxpercise into rhe classroom co oprimizc rhe srudenr's learning. In addirion co my ceaching, I am che CEO of an international management consulting firm. Using the discipline of cognitive se miotics and a curcing edge management concept chat we implcmenr, we focus on change management and rhe many aspects of behavior chat come into play during the change process. Our inremion is co achieve a mulridisciplinar}' approach, cran scending whar Goldberg (2002) calls an epistemological hybridiry (pp. 29-30). Our sole objecrive in our reaching praccices is co enhance srudenr learning rhrough che incroduccion of cricical chinking. Nocwichsranding chose exceprional Honors scudenrs chat can be found here and there chroughour rhe disciplines, how do we gee all srudenrs co chink critically- As imporrancly, when reaching under graduare srudems from communities at risk, often for whom English is a second language, it is imporcanr co reinforce rhe realiry char such a studenr population is uniquely positioned to lead the demographic shift chat we are curremly undergo ing in rhis nation. Indeed, many of chese srudenrs are immigranrs from multiple counrries around che world. We faculcy can lead rhe national academic community in crearing change by collectively conv�ying co our srudenrs their porenrial for grea� ness. Bur what are we up against? We must firstreAecr upon and question our own reaching practices. As educa rors, I would suggesr char iris imporcanr for us to under.standth.: dynamics of symp t0ms and symbols on rhe thinking process and behavior. According co Jung (1964), "a word or image is a symbol, when ir implies something more than irs obvious and 7.1 (Spring 2014) 75 L. L. Ridley immediate meaning. A symbol is anything that implies, in any way, something more than is obvious and immediate in rhe casual observer" (p. 21). Funher, Ridley (2001) tells us "Symbolism is used to mythologize history, manipulace behavior, and set in motion a way of chinking thac creates the phenomena of racism, neurosis and ocher forms of mental illness. Symbolism, through its mythological content, has caused the distortion of scienrific facts. Nothing can be accomplished by chinking symbolically. Our decisions should not be made from mythological assumptions. A thoroughgoing, careful reading of history cells us char it is only when we are not able to face the realities of life that we rend to mythologize and distort anything and everyching rhac we do not wane to be true. Symbols produce myth, superstition, and riwal, and these elemencs can nor be allowed co stand if we are to progress" (pp. 5-6). Fortunately, our consul ring platform of change management is most useful for classroom pedagogy. Our propriecary management concept, tided a Sympromaric Thought Process•, pioneers a shift in thinking by focusing on changing rhe mindscc for behavior transformation, and ir is revolutionary. This change in mindset goes beyond symbolic chinking, eradicating ir, and imroduces a sympromatic choughc process. We have successfully implernenced chis change concept with client man agement teams throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Bue how do we introduce rhis approach imo the classroom? As a type of dialogic inquiry, admittedly unscientific, I explored the ourlook of studems toward their school, their environment, and even their self-awareness, using a traditional approach known as root cause analysis. Although this approach is commonly used in production environments, we consulrancs find the process highly useful for assessing sympcoms and discerning causeand effecr. \' 76 Touchstone Enhancing Student Response closer accention co coment buc also switch casks berrer rhan chose who speak one language. As reaching methodologies have evolved, an applicable approach has been thac of "Ripping rhe classroom''. In such an environment, the instruccor utilizes technology co facilirace learning outside the classroom, thereby liberaring classroom rime for ferrile discussion, inquiry and reAeccion. TI1rough videos posted on learn ing management syscems such as Blackboard, srndems can access che comenr ar rheir own speed. The result is amplified smdcnr engagemenr in the classroom, as rhey transicion from passive learning co increased inreraccion wirh che instrucror. An effective approach coward changing studenr behavior was to challenge firsc-year studencs with a semester assignmenc on immigration. Surprisingly, rhe students had up co then lirrlc if any engagemenc around the subjecr maHer, even though many were indeed living che experience. Their mandacory deliverable was co rake a position on rhe pending immigration legislation and defend their point of view. TI1eir subsequent research enabled chem co identify and link rhe porenrial economic henefic gained by che contribution of the rnany undocumented workers in our population. Nacurally, this assignment provided an illuminarion not expe rienced previously - che studencs graviraced cowards che comenr with enchusiasm, including personal srories of themselves or familyand friends. An additional reaching moment was co invire scudencs co link rhcir classroom inquiries inco ad hoc, extra-credit prcseni.arions as a way ofhaving their question an swered. This activity, of"flipping rhe classroom", led students down an unexpected path of research and invescigarion rhar they had nor done before, including prepar ing and presencing presentations co educate the encire class - and che professor! Very importantly, the studencs' lack of self-confidenceand general lack of self-esceem was significanrlyand collectively diminished. Assignmenrs were accompanied by Cull-semcsr.ermessaging regarding rhe srn denrs' pocential for capitalil.ing on the nacion's changing demographic�. Emphasis is always placed on diminishing and/or eliminating che tendency tO chink symboli cally, which hinders learning. The ouccome is a srrengthened resolve co overcome furnre obsracles in school and in life. Alrhough having students complete presencacions and semester papers is a shorc-cerm win, chis kind of curricular planning sers che srage for rhe heavy lifong rhar comes in rhroughom the em ire program and beyond, as all faculty collaborace with one another ro provide a consistenc push for success. SUMMARY For a crue 21sr cenrury reaching and learning environmenc, professors are advised co: • I mplemem the Sympromatic Thoughc Process (STP) to confront inappro priate stereocyping and unforrnnare belief systems (also known as sym bolic behavior). • Rernernber rhac the Sympcomacic TI1oughc Process (STP) offers che objec tive co "see things as rhey really are void of supersririon or mythological assumptions" (Ridley, 2008, pp. 137-139). 7.1 (Spring 2014) 77 DEVELOPING STUDENTS' QUANTITATIVE REASONING BY IMPLEMENTING E·PORTFOLIOS IN THE CHEMISTRY 210 CLASS FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING MAJORS Nelson Nunez Rodriguez, Na Xu, and FranciscoOrdonez ABSTRACT E-ponfolios were implememed in che Chemistry 210 laboratory in order co develop scudencs' sciemific wriring and quancicacive skills. We designed an e-porr folio to host three lab reports, chree-revised lab reports, three reflecrivestatemencs, a final case scudy and a final reAecrive report for che laboramry class. Ar the end of che semescer, all writing pieces were evaluared and analyzed based on rhe developed rubrics. Our analysis shows rhar implementing e-portfolios and developing a guided revision of lab reporcs improved scudems' sciencific writing and quantitative skills. INTRODUCTION Competency in writing and quanrirative skills is esscncial for college gradu aces regardless of their specific majors. In rhe biomedical field, the competiveness for resc,Hch funding revolves around memorable pieces of scienrific writing (Day, 1998). Science major classes ac community colleges, and specificallyrhe lab compo nenr, arc critical venues for the development of rhese skills. Srudencs should be ex posed to meaningful experiences inregraring writing-ro-learn and lcarning-ro-wrire practices during rheir firsr college years. In this regard, che revision of lab reporr wricing appears as a vehicle coward strengrhening scienrific writing and quanticacive skills in college Chemisrry classes. The developmenc of chcse skills also requires reaching approaches rhat embody different learningscyles. Current studenrs learn in differem ways as chey use curricular and extracurricular avenues such as the Internet and social media (Bass, 2012). On chis subject, che electronic porrfolio (e-porrfolio) has been described as a venue integrating learning inside and ourside classes (Ba.ss, 2012), and may be considered as a way ro document rhe progression of studenc learningrhroughom several science classes. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 79 N. Nunez-Rodriguez, N. Xu and F. Ordonez 111e word ponfolio originally meant a large chin flar case for louse sheers of paper such as drawings or maps. 111e use of e-porcfolios in education began in chc lace 1980s (Barreu, 2007) and spread ro wide pracrice in d1C: late 1990s (Wade and Yarbrough, 1996). Since chen, rhc use of e-portfolio has become increasingly popu lar (B:irrlecr, 2002; Penny and Kinslow, 2006; Lowcnchal, 201 I). An e-porrfolio is a collection of"eleccronic" evidence assembled by srudems, foculcy members or insti rntions to enhance the dfeccivcnec;s of learning, to assess learning outcomes and to demormrare competence ro external stakeholders (Di Biase, 2002). The c-porrfolio represents an important experirntial learning approach thar documenrs a process of planning, tracking, collecting and sharing the evidence of learning and perfor mance. There arc numerous advanrages in applying chc c-porcfolioin the classroom and Mudems' academic life, and in promoting cheir reAeclions during the learning proce�s. The e-porrfolio has helped srudcnr� become proaccively involved in their academic planningr and performance. The e-porcfolio also helps srudcnts w land a job af cr graduation because it provides scudcncs an opportunity co share their work wirh potential employers (Scrudlcr and Wccicl, 2005; Ward and Mo�er, 2008; Lin, 2008; Srrudler and Weczel, 2008). Nor only is the e-porrfolio beneficialfor students, bur ir also can be of grcar use to faculty members. With e-porcfolios, professors are able co motivace students and help chem to collect and disclose authentic evidence oflearning ourcorncs as wdl as promorc rhe quality of communicarion berwccn students and faculty members and among �cudenc� themselves. The e-porrfolio al,o helps co align students' learning ourcomes with faculty member!>' cvaluarionand assessmelll strategies (Strudlt:r and Wem:I, 2008). As rhe e-porcfolio can help faculty co evaluate and assess whar stu dents have learnedin f)revious classes, ir also helps faculty w dc�ign rhei r �yllabi and build on scudenc�• previous knowledge and :.kills. The e-porcfolio has been described as a ''got co have.: it" rool for higher education (Treuer and Jenson, 2003; Cohn and Hibbitrs, 2004; Love et al., 2004). An increased number of colleges and universities, such as Pennsylvani:iScare University, Stanford University, Florida Scare University, and Pace Universicy, has implemented e-porrfolios imo their programs. E-porrfolios also provide a nexus for dbcussions of ownership of digital mate rial. Studenrs engage in rraditional questions regarding cir,Hions and argumenracion by using ocher writers' marerial and have at the same time a venue for consider ing themsdves as emerging authors. Their aurhoricy becomes a sice for contested knowledge production as rhey quesrion who owns what and how such ownership is determined. With their digital idenriry, their own and char of ochers, che c-portfolio becomes a sire for exploring an expanded notion of ethos as srudencs create differing on line idenrities to meet the demands of specificsicuarions and come to understand at rhc same rime how their reputations as authors help or hinder the arguments rhcy wish co make (Clark, 2010). 111e e-porcfolio has been described as "srudenc-cenrcred" and "compecence cenccrt:d". We have aimed ro rcAect borh approaches when implemenring c-ponfo lios in a Chemistry class for Science majors at Hoscos Community College. For char class, we focus on documeming srudems' lcJrning progrc\sion and skill develop ment, which will undoubtedly benefitScience students in the future. Our goals of applying e-porrfolios are che following: 1) co develop analytical and quamicative reasoning skills; 2) to improve sciemificwr iting skills; 3) to develop within srudencs 80 Touchstone N. Nunez-Rodriguez, N. Xu and F. Ord6riez srndenrs co make more informed judgmenrs based on quamirarive analysis and co scrutinize their mistakes, indicating che dcvelopmem of rhe quanrirarive skills in scientificwriting. Similar results were observed in rhc Chemical Formula labs. Srndems made an average of 0.9 times of informed judgment based on quamicacive analysis (QI) in cheir first lab reports. Afrer revision, students made an average of 1.3 times of informed judgments. The correcrness of these judgmencs (Q2) increased from an average of 0.75 rimes ro 1.5 rimes afrer revision. Students also were able to recog nize 4 rimes more mistakes and the limitations of cheir analysis (Q3) after revision. During the Chemical Formula lab, the students included rheir personal feelings less frequently in their revised lab reports as compared with the first lab report. 1l1e imprnvemems of making correct informedjudgmenc (QI and Q2) and idemifying misrnkes (Q3) through lab revision were not obvious during the Titration lab report revision. However, we did observe char srndems included their personal feelings (Q4) less frequenrly in rheir revised lab repom for che Titration labs. The three revised lab reports are part of a 12-lab reporr sequence. The Separarion of Mixture one is chc third lab report they wrnce, che Chemical for mula was the fourth one and chc Ticracion lab was rhe eighch one in che 12-lab reporr sequence. Srudenrs received comments for the non-revised lab reports as well; chus, these commencs could have comribured to rhe improvement throughout the semester thar was shown in the revised narracives. We observed an increase in Stu· dents' informed judgmems (Ql and Q2) when we compared che first lab reporrs for three labs throughout che semester, suggesting a development of quanrirative skills in scientificw riring throughout the semester. Together, our analysis indicated an improvement of students' sciemific writing and quanrirarive skills by using c:: porcfolios, guided lab revisions, and reflecrive sratemenrs. Qi: How many times does a student make (or arrempt co make) informed judgmenc based on quantitative analysis? Q2: How many times is rhac judgmenc correct or reasonable? Q3: How many times does a srudenr recognize mistakes or the limirarions of rhc analysis used? Q4: How many rimes does a srudem include personal feelings in che lab report writing? Figure I: Quamicacive reasoning progression in Science srudenrs before and after revising lab reports. The numbers in che red and blue bars indicate the number of studems providing the original and revised lab reporrs. Srudems improved rheir capacity ro evaluate results and decrease their tendency to include personal feelings in their scientificnarratives. DISCUSSION This first attempt t◊ implemem e-porrfolios in a Chemistry class for Science and Engineering majors has been a learningexperience for both srudems and faculry 82 Touchstone Developing Students' Quantitative Reasoning alike. Students have embarked upon a reflective process abour rheir learning. The Facr char srndencs have had ro upload rheir artifaccs, revise rhem and reflect about chem opens up a new learning dimension for students. Scudencs can also share their e-porrfolios with rheir classmates. Such sharing brings co che fore a panoply of mul rifaceced ways of learning rhrough the photos, videos, and mind maps rhac srudenrs use to documenr cheir own learningprogress. As they upload, reflect upon, and fol low rhe guiding questions, they are able co focus on a new lens ro rhe learning expe rience. Moreover, as rhey interact wirh each orher, this online parriciparory culture is becoming fast and furious quite a familiar form of learning for scudems in chis online social media era. It also adds playfulness ro the learning process and opens up rhe possibiliry of enhancing srudencs' engagement in the science classes while at rhe same time connecting che coment of rhe Chemistry, Math and Physics classes. Some scudencs uploaded artifacts from these classes and co-curricular activities in che e-porcfolio and reflected about them. Indeed, ic is obvious char che e-porcfolio strucmre. which inregrares the concenc of different courses and allows students to reAecr upon and identify different aspects of che curriculum, co-curriculum, and che external worldin rhcir anifaccs, has screngrhened smdenrs' learning and engage menc (Kecfee and Donnelly. 2013). This e-porrfolio pracrice has also opened up a new realm for faculty who need ro create assignments that measure che progress of srudenr learning and allow chem ro evaluate this progress and reAecr upon ir. Using e-porrfolios as evidence of student learning progress therefore requires the murual undemanding of all fac ulty members chat learning is on a continuum. In chis regard, rhc c:-ponfolio has forced us co revise lab revision guidelines in ordt:rto enhance the role of disciplinary writing in che development of scientific skills. Overall, chis may be another avenue on which ro explore curriculum coherence and connection as scudenrs naturally begin connecting Chemistry lab report revision wich rechnical writing for cheir Engineering (ENG202) assignments. Scudems' ownership of e-porrfolio unleashes learning possibilities beyond specific classes and creaces inrenrional learning mo ments when swdencs make decisions abouc uploading different anifaccs. le is a fac ulty and inscimcional role co develop a comprehensive scruccure co help srndems docurnenr cheir learning progress. On chis matter, the e-portfolio sysrem based on course gates shows a model requiring resources, expercise and a comprt:hensive inscirnrional approach chat can be used 1'0 embark scudencs, faculcy and adminis rrators upon a practice that allows chem co assess srndent learning at individual, class, program and insricurional levels (Lowenchal ec al, 201 l). On this subject, chis firsr artempt in Chemiscry class makes us consider exploring how different angles of Science and Engineering programs can be documemed if students bt:gin devel oping an e-porrfolio as early as Pre-Calculus, che gace course of che engineering program. Students could document cheir progress chrough pre-Calculus, Calculus I, 11 and Ill while at the same rime documenting and reAecting upon rheir progress in Chemistry, Physics and Technical \'Qriting (ENG202) courses. Exploiting chis learning dimension will also help to understand che role of che co-curricular accivi ries char foster learning in chis posr-curricular learning era (Bass R, 2012). To conclude, che e-porcfolio can be a placform for documencing borh srudenrs' academic experience and program evidence in order co develop ocher internally and externally fundt:d initiatives. Indeed, recem evidence suggests that e-porrfolio 7.1 (Spring 2014) 83 AN EDUCATIONAL OASIS IN AN URBAN FOOD DESERT: SERVICE LEARNING IN EXPOSITORY ENGLISH Elyse Zucker ln the fall of 2013, I srrucrured my Exposirory Writing class to become a venue for bringing together many people and divisions of the college and beyond in new and producrive ways and combinacions, and rurned rhis section of English 110 imo a paradigm of inrerdisciplinariry. My construction of che course proved con• ducive for getting scudencs ro be more deeply engaged with rheir swdics, and dis• cover much abour chcmselves in che process. \X'hat I put into place co achieve rhese ends was a Service Learning component and, with che backing of chc Grassroots Environmenral Educacion organization (plus donarions ga thered from The Golden Earthworm Organic Farm, Orienr Organics and two \Xlhole Foods Markers) an on-campus farmers' market I called 111e Hosros Garden Marker (HGM). Linking rhe Service Learning and the HGM was che theme of the course: agriculcure and food justice. 111e Hoscos Garden Markee (HGM) was pilored during Thanksgiving week, bur my srudenrs spent the months chat led up w rhar evenr doing research on chc phenomenon of farmers' markers in rclacion to the topics chey were assigned to explore. The scudenrs then shared key conceprs they had learned with rhe Hoscos and local communities. Alrhough rhe central focus of che class was agriculrure and food justice, I assigned essays, arricles and orhcr materials rhat reflected differenr disciplines and perspeccives in relarion ro char theme so rhar I could help co prepare my students ro handle rhe variety of subjecrs rhey would need co cake on rheir educational jour· neys. For inscance, I assigned a chapter from Rachel Carson's Silent Spring to rouch upon some fundamenral ecological precepts (while reachingsrudems abour and how ro write cause/effecr essays), and an Alfonso Morales' arcicle, "Growing Food and Justice: Dismantling Racism rhrough Susrainable Food Syscems,'' co dir<:cr srudencs ro consider how policies and racial subtexts can shape neighborhoods and food sys• rems (while illustraring how ro quote MLA scyle). Srndcnrs also read such essays as Derrick Jensen's "Beyond Hope," Cathrine Sneed's "These Green Things" and an 7.1 (Spring 2014) 89 E. Zucker excerpt from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, ro examine critical chinking and argu mentation in linguistic, philosophical, psychological and polirical-science .spheres -and m make connections between these pieces, which all challenge oppressive societal conventions, prompting scudems co quescion food conventions and culrure. My desire co include a Service Learning comµonenr in my English l JO classes was iniciated by a realization I had after teaching an extended curriculum unit on Environmentalism in relation ro che self. What dawned on me was rhar reaching scudencs about che dangers of environmental destruction did render chem cognizant abour che health of our planet but often, ironically, feeling coo defeated co take ac tion. I hoped chac by incorporacing Service Learninginco my 110 classes, I mighr enable scudcms co believe rhey could rake control and make a difference for rhe bet ter in our deteriorating milieu: a bcliefl feel the yourh of today need co have to be proactive in handling global challenges. I had also hoped that perhaps rhe scuderm could learn writing skills more effecrively since mosr likely would become deeply involved wirh the content being studied. Service learning encourages involvement by extending rhe perimerers of the classroom and eliciting empathy, and I believed inrerest in pertinent content might inspire chem co want co findmore accurate ways ro explore and express their thoughts. I know chat interest in contenc is whar had inspired me, during my own college years, to learn co improve my writing. Of all the copies pertaining co Environmentalism chat were of interest to me, I felt chat agriculture in relation co food justice was of prime concernand accessible and would lend itself well to service learning. Coupled wich the advem of a farmers' market, an exploration of rhe ropic could provide opporrunicics co promo re scudem empowerment. I was cercain chat I wanted ro cominue co reach Environmentalism in some capacity since feel strongly char everything we do and pursue is predicated upon rhe foundation we call earth, which must be cleani::d up and taken care of. to continue ro provide for us so char we can continue. Focusing on che topic of agriculture and food justice provided a window ro show our students ways they could "chink globally, act locally." since Hostos is located in a food desert, which is a geographic location, usually impoverished and inner city or rural, in which fresh, healrhy foods are difficult or impossible ro come by. 11,c students visited rbe local milieu, cook noces on ir and questioned ics residents about their awareness of food related issues. Afterwards rhey followed up by "educating" chose interviewed abour food deserts, and suggested alcernacives co patronizing them, such as shopping at TI1e Hoscos Garden Markee or ocher farmers' markers. After reading selections such as those mentioned above, and wricing -ar lease two rimes per class-in response to rhe readings, smdencs were ready co rransi tion co their Service Learning research projects. This section of Exposirory Writing, however, was nor an officiallydesignated Service Leaming section, so students had rhe option to work individually on a more traditional research projecc (giving as signmenr options is, in general, something f like to do since people learn in a variety of styles). ff students chose to commit co che Service Learningresearch projecc, they would have ro work in groups and do primary as well as secondary research and give a class presentation for which they would be assigned a group grade. That aspect of rhe project had co include a Works Cited page, MLA formatted, as well as a hard copy submission of the presenracion. ln addition, these srudems were also respon sible for writing a Reflective Piece for an individual grade. Finally, studenrs were 90 Touchstone An Educational Oasis required co help organize and operate The Hostos Garden Marker, which counrcd as pare of their Service Learning. In spice of knowing char rhe Service Learningprojecc could encompass whar mighr appear co be considerably more work rhan irs coun cerparr opcion, every srudenr in chis class decided co pa rwke in ir, which right away said somerhing co me abour rhe appeal of both group and experiential learning, an appeal stronger chan avoiding che amount of work char the Service Learning oprion inrim:ncd had ro be accomplished. For rhe Service Learning projecr, I offered a choice of fiveresearch topic.� and assigned one ro five srudenc groups. To decennine which studencs would be assigned co which group, J asked all rhe srudems ro lisr their firsr, second and rhird choices, and luckily was able co give everyone his or her first or second choice. For balance, l cried tO make sure char each was comprised of borh male and female as well as scronga and weaker studenrs, and was able to accomplish chis goal as well. These piect:s in place srarced chings off on a good footing for everyone. 1l1e copies on rhe table for exploration were: food deserrs; processed vs. unprocessed food, agriculrnre vs. agroinduscry; farmers' markets; and urban as well as community food projecrs. Each group had to take irs ropic and identify a problem in relation to ic. le rhen had to seek contt:m char would answer, resolve and/or explain lhe problem. 1l1e groups could nOl choose a no-brainer chesis such as "Processed foods are bad for health" and had co research their topic in che comext of its impacr on local commu nities. The srndenrshad to frame rheir findingsin a sociological, political, cultural or environmental context, which my lessons from the first half of the semester helped prepare rhem t◊ do. For instance, in discovering char people who live in fooddeserrs ofren do not know char rhey do, one group did research supporting the premise char rhe engines behind food desert construction cargec people coo disernpowered to challenge chem. My goal was ro have students cake ownership of their projects and empower chose in the community as well as chemselves. They were insrrucred co cake note, in their reAecrive journals, of the processes they parcook in, as well as their responses to chose processes. No marcer che topic or findings, each group had w relate ics wpic in some way ro che benelits ;ind/or functions of farmers' markers and lee people know about the upcoming Hosros Garden Marker. 1l1is lase require• menr made the students feel connecred co The Hosws Garden Marker and inspired ro organize and operate it, which rhcy did help ro do-along wirh srndenrs, faculty ;ind srafffrom across rhe college. Connecting their topics of scudy co rhe HGM also facilitated rheir integrating rhe various pieces of the class into a cohesive whole. For rhe primary research pare of the project, each group decided -collec rively-which questions ics members would ask interviewees borh ac and outside of Hosros, and the group members sdF-idencified by wearing rheir Hosros IDs in visible places and che tee-shirrs bearing che Hoscos logo Mr. Jerry Rosa kindly do nared for rhern. The secondary, scholarly research each group did was based on the primary research they discovered, so they could besr "educate" rhose in the Hoscos and local communiries about agriculrure and food jusrice issues. To help students research their topics I provided articles and names of or links co arcicles and lenr chem relevam books from rny own "environmemal'' library. Student� shared rheir research by contributing pithy points co rhe class brochure, which chcy rhen disrrib ured at the HGM and in some cases, emailed ro communirv members who indicated they would not he able ro come co the HGM. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 91 E. Zucker I frequencly consulted abour chis class with Professor Sandy Figueroa, chair of The Service Leaming Commiccee, and our conversations led to collaborative ef forrs becween her Business Communicacions scudemsand my English 110 scudems. Professor Figueroa also divided her 200-level class into five groups, so cbac rhe Business Communications srudencs could "menror" my scudems by commencing on the accuracy of my scudenrs' writing and efficacyof their claims. Professor Figueroa and I shuffledthe student work and feedbackback and forth -via email-and afcer checking che comments myself, dispensed ir to che right groups. Some srudencs in each of our classes also visited the other's class, and students from boch classes rnec again at the debuc of The Hoscos Garden Market, where rhey all partook in Service Learning. Fate had it chat rhe days che Hoscos Garden Markee ran were cwo of che worse weather days of the year; the first day rhe market was open was near unendurably cold and rhe second day was dominated by a gloomy and sleecing sky. Yet not one scudem complained about working in the inclement weather and all che students were eager co rake their assigned places at the market and help run ir. 1hey sold, among other icems, the organic soups and fresh vegetables char comprised the soups' ingredients, and they distribured rhe brochure co the Hosros and local community members who stopped by. The students were eager co sell the food and "sell" what rhey had studied all semester. Hours before ir was scheduled co close, the HGM had, on borh days, sold our of everything (ro chis day, custodians, officers and ocher Hostos people come up ro me and ask when they can expect che return of the markcc). After returning from Thanksgiving break (during which many studenrs and their families ace HGM food), rhc students presented their group projects to the class. All the groups chose co create and narrate Power poi nr presemarions and all rhe groups relayed how much they had learned about cheir copic. "fl1ey also revealed, inadvertently, how cricically and concexrually chey had begun to think. Many of che studems' Reflective Pieces and verbalizations indicated how impassioned chey had become about the topics rhey studied, how much they had changed as a resulc of studying chem and how frequently they were imparting whar they had learned co ochers. One, for instance, wrote that she would no longer allow her rhree year old co ear junk food. Anocher said she now can caste "chemicals" in McDonald's dishes and a third wrote that she decided co become a vegerarian (someching l never promoced). Many scudenrs mentioned how good they felt abouc themselves by edu cacing ochers and gaining awareness of how alienated from rhemselvcs food culture has made chem, and some expressed surprise by how much compassion they had for food desert inhabitants. Several scudems had wrim:n rhar they felr rhcy learned best by reading rexes in combination with experiencing first-hand whac they were reading about. Ochers bad indicaced char rhey learned a lot by working in a group wirh their peers. All of rhc students indicated thac chey either "liked" e>r "loved" doing Service Learning and, clearly, all the scudems learned something new about themselves. I cannot say char chc scudem writing in this class improved more dramatically cban in ocher English 110 classes I've raughr. Furrhermore, co expecr my Service Learning course co be a magic bullet would mean chat I've been seduced by the very conventions promoting and promising, ar rhe cosc of wholeness and inregracion, 92 Touchstone BIRDS, BEES, FROGS AND A GRASS CARPET: SEMI RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STATE OF OUR "HOUSE" Julie Trachman Dedication: Th is arcicle is dedicared co our recently depaned colleague, Prof. Mike Yozick. He was an educaror, an environ mencal ly concernedcitizen, a life-long activist and as one colleague pm ir, a "gadfly," in rhe best sense of the word. One of the scenes chat has remained most vivid in my mind since I read Stranger in a Smtnge Landin high school was rhe depiction ofa living grass carpet in the living room of one of the characters (Heinlein 63-65). This was characterized as a luxury item in the book. I am scaning co chink char Heinlein was quire prescient. Ar least for chose of us living in urban sertings (and year by year, more of us human beings are proporrionally dwelling in ciry landscapes), we ;ire surrounded increas· ingly by concrcre and orher man-made materials and less and less by rhe trappings of nature. I am not sure if you have considered the exrenr co which rhis transforma tion has an impacc on our well-being. 1l1ere are srudics such as rhe one recencly published by Alcock and colleagues (1253 • I 254), which indicare rhar moving ro a green space improves one's menral healrh and chese effects are nor shore lived. Books have been wrirren regarding how children growing up today in che rechnology era receive less exposure co nacure and how chis perceived lack of exposure has led to problems in rheir physical and emotional developmenr (Louv). \'(/e don't usually chink abour rhis but we are all intcrconnecred. No, I am nor just ralking about the Six Degrees of Separation (Guare) inrerconneccedness bur rarhcr that all living rhings, human beings, planes, bacreria et al., share a relation· ship wich one anorhcr, cvolucionarily and in ocher ways (Bharcacharjee 153). To a good excenc, I believe, many of us reared wich Wesrern rhinking forger this and chink rhac human beings are ar rhe cop of rhe "rorem pole" wich perhaps the excep• cion of chc gods as evidenced by the nodon of the Grear Chain of Being. However, at an insrincrive level, I think many of us recogni1,ethis. The evolutionary biologist, E.O. Wilson, called chis genetically based "hard-wiring" where we are fascinated by nacural stimuli and affiliare emotionally wirh living organisms in our environment, 7.1 {Spring 2014) 95 J. Trachman biophilia (Barbiero 11). TI1ink about how many instances when you have time off, you escape to a natural setting like a park, a beach or even your backyard or garden. Even growing plams in one's home or having a pet are manifestations of this. Rachel Carson captured the poignancy of chis phenomenon in her book Silent Spring, which made our society rethink its excessive use of che long-lived DDT and ocher insecticides. DDT use on a large scale helped to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes in the U.S. and throughout the world (Carson 266; Wargo 175). Other practices also conrribuced co increased pesticide use by rhc mid-1900s. ln many U.S. cowns and cities, the stately Dutch elm rrees lined srreec after street instead of having more mixed rree populations. Use of pesticides on a large scale was also prompted by in creased occurrence of single-crop cultures {monoculture) to produce our food crops. With this decreased biodiversity in tree populacions ;1nd food crops, the natural checks and balances are diminished thereby increasing the ability of rheir insect pests co Aourish (Carson 10). However, rampanc use of chemicals such as DDT, be sides targeting insects relatively non-discriminarorily, "have rhe power ... co still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the strca ms, to coat che leaves wich a deadly film, and ro linger on in soil..." (Carson 7). The effeccs of insecticides such as DDT (or as Rachel Carson's called these insecticides, biocidcs) on our environrnenc demonstrate our imerconneccedness via the food web (food chain) ifby no other means. DDT was used co curb Durch elm disease. Taken up by organisms relatively low in rhe food web, higher organisms feed on those organisms. ln a process called biomagnificacion or bioaccumularion, DDT accumulates in fars and is passed along in che food chain because in each successive organism, rhe DDT becomes more concentrated leading co more deleteri ous effecrs in the animals higher in the food web (chain) (Carson 22; Wargo 177). \'{/irh birds, perhaps che mosc notorious example, rhe shells became coo chin and this caused problems with haccbing. TI1is almost drove the bald eagle co exrincrion. People also cook notice when in spring, irs harbinger, the songbirds, were nor chirp ing as usual (Carson 103). Human activity is changing the planer, nor always for the good. Fortunately, individuals including Rachel Carson noticed the silencing of rhe birds and other derrimencal environmental changes brought about by the wide-scale use of DDT. This was nor easily accomplished bur rhe work of Carson and ochers were insrru rnemal in forcing our government co ban DDT Likely, their efforts were helped by the face rhar it was our national bird gqing extincc or che harbingers of spring disappearing. Or maybe, the scientific evidence rhac DDT was being found nor jus1 in cow's milk (Carson 22; Wargo 183 -184) but even in human breasr milk was the reason (Carson 23; Wargo I85). And how about whar might be going on more insidiously or perhaps occur ring ar even more widespread levels? Or how about whar might be occurring in cbe here and now? Many of you have seen headlines regarding colony collapse disorder affecting bee hives. During summer months, we see honey bees Airring from Rower to flower collecting necrnr to bring back co their hives to convert into honey and collecting pollen for its protein contenr. We do not fully understand what is causing che bees to die off in massive numbers. Mices and other bee pachogens have been implicated but so has the use of neonicorinoid insecticides co coac plane seeds, a 96 Touchstone Birds, Bees, Frogs praetice done w minimize susceptible planes from being damaged by insecr para sites (Tapparo 2592). The bees may be collareral damage in this case. We do nor necessarily chink of chis outcome, but bees, which help in rhe cross-pollinarion of planes, many of which are vital to our food supply, are a mainsray of our ecosystem. And rhen there a.re che frogs - poreneially one of rhe canaries in che coal mine when it comes ro global dimare change. Although we in the tri-stare area recemly recognized a hicherro unknown species of frog living in our backyard (Foderaro A22), in many ocher pares of the world numerous species are dying off. They seem co be inflicced wirh a fungal disease, rhe spread of which is related to the changing climate in these locales (Rohr 1; Chachere). Because frogs are an inregral parr of rhe food chain (food web), I will hazard w say rhat cheir dying off will have numerous effects in rhe food web and will lead ro an explosion in the populacion of cercain inseccs (ar lease che ones rhese frogs dine on), which may very well be insect vectors of human disease. So why should we care about tht.: birds, the bees, and rhe frogs; Or about the polar bears losing their rfozen habitars in rhe Arcric Circle or rhe coral reefs disap pearing due w the acidification of ocean water by absorbed carbon dioxide gas? 111ese examples serve as "rips" of proverbial icebergs (which, by rhe way, along wirh many other ice masses on chis planer are melcing ac increasingly rapid rares rhreaten ing to airer our coascal and orher landscapes). Much has been written abouc rhe im porrance ofbiodiversicy on rhis planer in regard ro disappearing coral reefs (marine biodiversity hotspots) and disappearing tropical rainforests (land-based biodiversiry hotspots) which are being cut down so land can be used ro harvest crops desired by human beings (\X/ilson20). Besides the loss of biodivcrsiry wirh respect ro tropical rainforests, this pracrice bas concriburcd co global climace change since rhis lush vegetation serves as a carbon dioxide sink (planes carrying our phocosymhesis which needs carbon dioxide) which, with the wood being burned in the disposal process, contributes to air-borne carbon dioxide. Because of bu man acriviries such as rhe destruction of rropical rain fores rs, tl1i;:re are many who believe this planet is in the midsr of the sixth mass extincrion (Quammen; Wilson 13). The food web will unravel undoubccdly. Ecologists recog nize rhac biodiversicy, with ics manifoldincerconnccrions between the various living organisms make the ecosystem more resilient, especia I ly when placed under extreme stress. \Vithour chis biodiversity chat we have been privileged co have on this planer up until now, even small stresses mighr lead co carascrophic im1m:diate or even delayed const.:quc11cc:s (Foster). Ar the anrhropocencric level, human beings will lose access ro uneold possible medicines rhar might serve as chemocherapcucic cures for various cancers, infectious diseases, etc. (\Xlilson 3). Imbalances among Rora and fauna will be created and or her unforeseen con sequences will likely arise including rhe increased appearance of emerging infeccious diseases (a bad outcome at lca.sc from the human perspecrive). And yes, I have ro confess ro rhe face chat I, like you, am co some exrene anthropocentric and it is to be expected (Bourdeau). However, I have become less so over rime, as I have gained knowledge and become more appreciative of our rics to ocher living organisms on chis planer and their inherent value (not just from the human perspective). Many ocher cultures including quire a few Eascern religions (Bourdeau) as well a num ber of che Narive Indian tribal cultures (Momaday) have espoused rhe view chat 7.1 (Spring 2014) 97 J. Trachman all living organisms are all incerconnecced. 'They have also recognized rhe inherenr value of land, wacer, air, their being non-living componencs of our ecosystem. Aldo Leopold in his seminal piece "The Land Ethic" reminds us chat our well-being is directly linked co char of che physical environment around us and rhar these compo nents all have an inherem value, which needs to be prorecced. Recognition of some of che damage we have done ro our environment such as the Cuyahoga River sec on fire in June 1969 was reAecced in Congress's enacrmenr of rhe Clean Warer Acr in 1972 and chc cscablishmem of rhe Environmenral Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 (Scott). These "agems" of rhe people and ochers like them help to safeguard our common environmental areas from the negligence of many industrial enterprises, which, if lefc to cheir own devices, chink very narrowly of their own immediate needs. Such narrow thinking leads to issues discussed in Garrett Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons. [n reading John Bellamy Foster's excerpt where he contextualizes the four ecology laws of Barry Commoner's wirh respect co capitalism, one gees a betrer undemanding as co why capitalistic socieries are increasingly :n odds wich nature (Foster). Accidencs such as che British Petroleum (BP) ciil spill and narural disasrers such a; rhe 2011 tsunami rhac debilitated the Fukushima Nuclear Reacror in Japan do happen, and they severely damage the environment on a large scale. Bur one also hears of companies illegally (or even amazing, legally) dumping roxic wastes into streams and committing ocher similar indiscretions. Some of the damage due co such sirnarions will have implications for many generations to come. This brings us ro the wisdom of the Iroquois Indians someri mes referred ro as the Seven Generation Sustainability (alrhough some would quibble char the original text does nor explicitly say seven generations). 11,e point though is a good one. We should not jusr be chinking of today bur also of the long-lived consequences of whar we do to our environment. Because of their wide scope, rhe BP oil spill and Fukushima disas ter are difficult enough co deal wirh in respect their aftermath. However, there m:ay be even more serious challenges than these and orher insults to the environment char will still require our attention. \V/eneed ro become less myopic and scare chinking along the lines of the seven generation suscainabiliry concepr of the Iroquois. In some cases, we need ro proceed in a downrighr more caucious fashion. The Precautionary Principle, which recom mends that an acrion should nor be cakcn if there is significantpot ential for deleceri ous consequences, is co some excenr practiced by many of our government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (Lougheed). Afrer resting, some drugs and food additives do not ever make ic to rhe market. Ochers, with additional cvalu arion, gee pulled if there are indications rhar there arc problems when the drug or food additive are used on a larger scale. But in some cases ir seems like all caurion is being rhrown ro che wind, especially when there are strong lobbies pushing for their product or promoting their industry. For example, rhe majoriry of scientists roday believe global climate change is occurring due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide release from rhe burning of fossil fuels, among ocher reasons; however, the coal, oil and gas industries in conjunction with certain legislacors who do not wane co seriously consider rhe evidence and instead wane ro promote economic interests, no matter what might happen to the environment, hold sway (Chameides 5766; Ca rpencer). 98 Touchstone Birds, Bees, Frogs There are limits ro how much "insult" rhis planet can rake. Some ofthe previ ous mass extinctions appear ro be due ro natural disasi:ers such as meteor strikes or large-scale volcanic eruptions. The rype of life on chis planer has dramatically changed as a result of these non-living {abiocic) inceraccions wirh rhe living (biotic). The type oflife on chis planer has also changed dramatically because of living forces (bioric influences). For example, production of oxygen by blue-green bacteria bil lions of years ago drastically decreased the presence of anaerobes ar lease on the planer's surface and these changes have bee.n implicated in changing the non-living landscape as well (oxygen is very reactive chemically). 1l1e incerconnecredness of rhe living wirh rhe non-living environmenc forms the basis of rhe controversial Gaia Hyporhesis (Moody) promored by chemise James Lovelock. Lovelock and his proponents, one of whom is the eminent biologist Lynn Margulis, chink of the Earrh as one living organism. 1l1cy believe char rhe long rerm srabiliry of the ocean's salinicy, atmospheric composirion, temperature regula cion, ere. have been mainraincd by homeostatic mechanisms at rhe planetary level (Lovelock Gaia; Lovelock "Living Earth''). Bur even if he has cempered his scace mencs somewhat in recent past (Moody; J()hnsron), Lovelock himself recognizes rhar due ro man's actions such as the anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide inro che atmosphere, we will be pushing rhe planer beyond che capacicy of rhese homeo static mechanisms. Regardless of whether or not one is a proponent of Lovelock, the state of our "house" has undergone considerable "insult." \'{1e, human beings, need to look ar rhe environment in a different light - not jusr co be plundered for our economic benefit. Some of these ways of viewing rhe environmem have been explored meraphorically by environmcnral economises (Raymond). The five meraphors described provide a "continuum of perspecrives on human - environmem relationships." 1hey range from a closed loop meraphor, which implies char humans have a right ro use ecosys rem services, as long as they are being used ·'sustainably or can be properly subsciruc ed wich equivalenc nacural or human-made services" co an eco-culmral community meraphor where che ''humans have a responsibility co rnanage ecosystems on che basis of rhe connections among rhe spiricual, physical, and social worlds." This lase metaphor is reminiscenr of how many Native Indian cultures and Eascern religions view rheir environment (Bourdeau). The humans living in rhese societies are often described as living in harmony with nature, an ideal that [ feel we need to strive for if we do nor wane ro destroy our planer, rhe only "house" we know. TO THE READER: As educarors, we strive ro provide our students with knowledge so char rhey will understand rhe world around chem better and rhey will be able co develop their critical thinking skills. lnrroducing smdenrs to science achieves both. \Y/e also wam ro instill in our srudenrs an inrerest in life-long learning as well as che nocion that when rhey graduate, rhey should become civically engaged citizens. Among rhe ways ro do so is by introducing scudenrs to important real-life environmenral issues chat 1 have described in chis essay. I hope 1 have provided you wich some ideas co cake imo your classrooms. 7.1 (Spring 2014) 99