Spring 1998
Vol 6 Issue 2
IN THIS ISSUE...
Propensity to Change...
New Alignments in Calculus Instruction
Change: Do We Really Have a Choice?
Change, Learning, and the Future.
Using a Student's Fund of Knowledge to Guide Discovery
You Say You Want and Evolution?
SEE ALSO...
The Labyrinth
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Our Propensity to Change Continues with the People Who
Surround Us
Naomi Story, MCLI
Change is a constant at Maricopa. Ever since I became a Maricopan, I have been
immersed in change: its processes, agendas, policies, organizations, and so forth.
In fact, at various times in my life when I had to consider important career options,
I always chose to avoid directions that would lead me into a strictly prescribed
or traditional mindset. Maricopa has always been a place, as Parker Palmer describes
in his book The Courage to Teach, "...where inner and outer reality flow seamlessly
into each other, like the ever-merging surfaces of a Mobius strip, endlessly co-creating
us and the world we inhabit."
The opportunities to learn from our colleagues and our students have been consistent
for more than the decade that I have been part of Maricopa. Faculty continue to adopt
new ideas from Lodestar and/or special faculty development or Ocotillo-sponsored
events. Students are provided a variety of learning experiences both in and out of
the classroom. For example, classroom assessment techniques, cooperative learning,
and service learning are some innovations that have been infused into our students'
learning experiences and faculty repertoire. Instructional technology tools are used
across the District in many unique ways.
We are also in the midst of struggles with the change experience on our learning
landscape. Whether influenced by internal or external factors, integrating new ideas
and innovation rarely is an easy process. Sustaining learning communities models
has been a challenge; Internet-based instruction that infuses active learning and
student support is another. The paradox of our system, its diversity and similarities,
has made change a blessing for some and a curse for others at different times in
our institution's history.
However, as the ability to learn is inherent in being human, we continue to have
cause for celebrating the change that learning brings everyday and everywhere, formally
and informally. How do we sustain the rhythm of learning in our communities, in our
selves, and in our future? How committed are and will we be to change?
Hot or cold...good or bad...long or short...change has been our reality and our expectation
since the beginning of Dr. Paul A. Elsner's tenure as our District's chancellor.
Some staid or more "traditional" systems may fear or distrust new ideas
that come with any new learning. However, this is not the case with Maricopa; we
have been vested in the spirit and soul of change. Even though many Maricopans may
still wonder about what will come with our future chancellor, we are firm in our
commitment to learning and student success.
Now, as we begin the search for Elsner's successor, we are about to embark on the
greatest change ever. Will the new chancellor create, negotiate, nurture, and sustain
educational landscapes and learning enterprises that are diverse, fluid, and dynamic?
Will this person continue the momentum for learning and innovation with which we
are comfortable and we expect?
This issue of the Forum reflects Dr. Elsner's spirit and legacy of change across
and beyond Maricopa. Additionally, the introspective and courageous Ed Chandler (faculty),
Christina Emmons (MCLI staff member), Jennifer Boonlorn and Jon Robinson (PVCC students),
truly authentic mentors and learners, describe the multidimensional aspects of change's
journey. Finally, the Forum salutes the various faculty who have discovered and
experimented with risk as their new ideals expand our knowledge base and our "communities
of practice."