Earlier this year, Honors professor Mindy Kalchman taught her capstone course: Agency, Identity, and Learning. The class covered a variety of topics from different teaching styles to the diverse ways students process and respond to information. So enthused by the contributions of her students, Professor Kalchman wanted to highlight some of the work from this class. Below, we happily feature an interview with Professor Kalchman as well as some of the final projects from her HON 350 students.
An Interview with Mindy Kalchman
From: Allison Scott
Tell us a little about the class.
The course is about finding agency in learning and doing through identity-building. We explore the ways that traditional schooling often sacrifices one’s agency and identity as a learner in favor of grades and accolades. Doing this impacts the purpose of learning. Learning is not for learning’s sake in traditional schooling, rather it’s to pass tests and build a resume of grades and accomplishments. The course focuses on ways we need to identify who we are as individual learners and what we bring in terms of strengths, interests, and needs to learning spaces whether that be at school or work. We focus on how we can build relationships within learning settings that focus on what we can contribute and what we need from others, rather than feeling the need to compete and be the expert and “smartest” on everything. That is not realistic. By bringing in a series of speakers from a local CEO of a multi-billion dollar international corporation, to an award-winning ESPN commentator, and an autistic professor, we discussed the need to own ourselves, learn from mistakes and failure, and find those things that make us shine while accepting those that don’t.
There are repeating motifs of identity, noise, failure, diversity, and group work [in these projects]. Can you give some insight into those themes, what role the played in the class/this assignment, and how they were reflected in the projects?
Identity was a theme that was woven throughout, trying to be our authentic selves and not competing or masking our insecurities had to stay front and center all the time. Noise is a term used in psychology that speaks to the things that happen in our daily lives that can impact the ways we see others and ourselves, and the ways we make decisions through a lens of emotion rather than rational thought. Crummy weather, losing sports teams, a breakup or a fight with a loved one, a broken phone, etc. All of those things create “noise” and cloud our judgment. Becoming aware of our personal noise is important for understanding ourselves and when we are and are not our best selves and to offer forgiveness to ourselves and others for any harm we might incur or inflict. Failure and making mistakes are some things that people are often ashamed of and try to hide or avoid. However, research from all branches of the learning sciences points to mistakes and initial failure as being necessary for learning. It’s the way our minds reorganize to make the connections necessary for robust understanding. When we don’t struggle to learn something and make mistakes or fail, we’re not learning in ways that help us grow and elaborate on what we do know. Diversity and group work I think worked in tandem as we explored all the ways that we need to see how working in groups and teams is often influenced by all of the above – a lack of identity in terms of what we bring to a project and recognizing we all can’t be the best at everything, noise that judges others on our team or in our group impacts how we trust others and inspires fear of failure based on our perceptions of others.
To our readers who are just looking at the projects without the context of the class, how would you explain these projects generally? How do they reflect the idea/themes of the class?
Students were asked to express what most impacted them from the course. They were asked to choose some number of themes and incorporate them into a project that not only represented those themes but how those themes impacted their lives moving forward to grad school or a job.
What was the inspiration for this final project specifically? You chose to allow them to submit it in any format, not just a traditional essay, what motivated you to do so? Why a project instead of a paper?
This is the first iteration of this course, so I don’t have precedent for what I’ve previously done within it. BUT, the structure of this final project has evolved significantly over the years from other HON course experiences.
I used to assign two final assignments. The first was a paper that incorporated some number of readings into a final essay prompt. And then, I’d ask students to identify three “things” that happened over a quarter that was most impactful. They could choose a class discussion, a TED Talk, a reading, an assignment, etc. Then at some point students started asking if they could use things like TED Talks and what they learned from guest speakers in their final essays because of how much they mattered to what they learned from a course. Then it just seemed reasonable to combine the assignments so students could use anything from the course in a final essay. Then, coming back from COVID, I noticed students really burning out in the back half of a course. In class, they were alert, involved, inquisitive, and responsive. But I could see that their written work was not keeping up with that in-class enthusiasm. So, at some point in the last academic year, I was dreading giving students my traditional final assignment because I could see the fatigue but I also knew that they had a lot to say and communicate about our course. So, I tried it. I gave the same prompt I would for an essay, but opened up the means for expression. They could write an essay if they wanted, but they could also bring whatever skills, and means of expression most inspiring to them. That was a game-changer. I wanted “the next episode” in podcasts that groups of students made that had so much more richness and comprehensive learning represented than a paper could. I saw amazing pieces of art that spoke volumes, detailed comic strips that told a student’s life story, etc. From that first trial, I stuck with it.
What are some projects that really stand out to you? How did they succeed in reflecting the content of the class?
This is a tough one. I suppose those that stand out are the ones I’ll remember right now– Laura’s music. I’m no music aficionado, but I could feel the themes in her composition.
Jamie’s activity book. It was playful in ways I try to make the class while having activities that had me really think about what to do. He also offered the doer of his activities the agency to respond in ways authentic to them, which really captured the class.
John’s text message images and his moment of recognizing that his competitive nature can be off-putting and not inviting for collaboration. That really gave me chills.
Anthony’s piece of art. Mindblowing.
Cindy’s story about being a classroom desk. That really captured what students come to school expecting, and how invigorating it is when they’re challenged by something new. Newness was something to be inquired after, not run from for fear of failure. I really could go on and on, but those stand out in this moment.
Oh, and Chava’s letters. Clear themes represented in authentic ways that reflected her identity and growth.
How does this class and this assignment relate to modern pedagogical practices? How does it fit in with the Honors program?
Best practices encourage agency, identity, and authority over one’s learning. We should be encouraging teachers to do A LOT less telling and showing and have students do a lot more try, try, again. We need to listen to what students are telling us they’re hearing when we teach. What we think we’re teaching is not always what they’re hearing. In fact, whatever we say as teachers is filtered through each individual’s history to mean something unique. Checking in with students about what they’re hearing and the sense they’re making is what formative assessment for learning is about. We need to throw ideas out there and see what students do with them before we can decide what to do next and how to adapt curriculum and instruction.
How does it fit into the Honors program? I approach teaching and learning in ways that most students don’t encounter in their college experiences (or before). Honors students are often afraid to take risks because they fear failure and reputation. In my classes, I encourage risk-taking and students soon see that they are not penalized but rather applauded and encouraged for the steps toward learning they take themselves. This class fits with the Honors program because it takes the commitment Honors students have to learn and develops it for broader community engagement in a chosen field of study or employment.
Student Projects
Gabriela Ramos
Abstract: “This project demonstrates the factors that build off each other to create a well-rounded student and member of society. Approached through an aquatic manner. “
Hannah Strahl
Abstract: “The presentation, entitled “The Road Ahead: A Reflection on HON 350” follows the journey of both a long, winding road, as well as the knowledge gained in the Honors Senior Seminar course. Viewing education as a passage emphasizes its everyday values rather than just the end destination of a degree. The following cumulative tale focuses on identity, noise, agency, voice, community, and failures and wisdom. Each “destination” referencing articles, podcasts, and videos studied in class, leads us to the question of what occurs beyond education, and how we can harness what we learned along the way to make meaning out of our academic careers.”
Laura Vesco
Abstract: “In this assignment, I sought to bring the themes we discussed in our class to life through music. Throughout the course, we had important conversations regarding identity, noise, failure, diversity, and group work. Using a digital audio workstation, I sought to encapsulate what each of these themes sounded like, bringing in my own musical tastes and life experience.”
Movement 1 – Identity
Movement 2 – Noise
Movement 3 – Failure
Movement 4 – Diversity vs. Equity
Movement 5 – Group Work
Jamie Davis
Abstract: “For my Cumulative Tale, I attempted to put the lessons we had learned in Professor Kalchman’s class in the perspective of a children’s activity workbook, which I thought was appropriate and fun because the class was focused on teaching and learning. Each page has some sort of illustration and/or activity that points to a topic of discussion we covered or vocabulary we learned in the class.”
Chava Novogrodsky-Godt
Autumn Tennis
Abstract: “My cumulative tale is a puzzle that represents the different lessons from our HON 350 class. The puzzle is titled, “How to be a Good Employee” because each lesson from our class was applicable to starting our careers post-grad. Each puzzle piece is either a quote or a personal takeaway from a lesson, podcast, guest speaker, activity, or reading from the course. To be a good employee (and more generally, a good person and member of society), each piece of the puzzle is necessary. “
Anthony Belvino
Abstract: “For my final project, I decided to create a visual/artistic representation of my main takeaways from our HON 350 class. The collage contains photos and cut-outs from a variety of different magazines. The winding road at the top represents the different ups and downs of the quarter, and I sporadically placed pictures of myself to represent how I was intellectually and emotionally impacted by our lessons and discussions. I wanted to represent how I felt like I was diving into a new subject, and then was subsequently lifted up by new skills, particularly agency, which I tried to convey through the hand at the top left corner. Also, I wanted to convey the value I gained from our group work unit at the end of the road where my face is being held up by two figures. At the bottom of the collage, I created a landscape with different types of buildings and nature scenes. In this section of the collage, I wanted to represent my background and the lens through which I look at learning and life. The urban/rural dichotomy shows my love for city life as well as my appreciation for the rural, country upbringing that I experienced. ”
