Presenting the LASSI Instrument with Dr. Taylor Acee
This week I attended my very first academic conference: the 2009 College Learning and Reading Association (CRLA) annual conference in Richmond, VA. This week I presented my very first collaborative graduate student paper and research at a conference; I did this once in undergrad, but it was much less relevant to my current professional interests. This week I matured as a contributor in the field of Educational Psychology; I am officially en route to my goal of becoming an Educational Psychologist. Arguably, I am already that person because I conduct research and analyses, AND write papers (though none of these are on my own accord-yet), but this is a milestone. You see, I am no longer simply a person in serious debt; no, friends....this week, I am a Presenter in serious debt! The difference is that before I was a member of the CCLR (Community College Longitudinal Retention Study) research group and now my name is associated with my faculty mentor and her work.
I always suspected that Dr. Claire Ellen Weinstein was a pretty big deal in my field, and I now have confirmation. I met Claire Ellen's good friend Russ Hodges (another Ed Psych force with which to be reckoned) at a dinner party a month ago, and formed our own friendship. Though Claire Ellen couldn't attend the conference, Russ generously threw me in front of various organizational presidents and heavy hitters in the field over the 4 action-packed days. I met so many wonderful people during this journey, and once they learned about my UT-Austin affiliation, they would grin and say, "Oh, you're one of Claire Ellen's, aren't you?" I could tell that the various insights I offered during other presentations and lectures suddenly became more interesting and better informed; I developed a certain "street cred" (if you will) through my associations with Russ and Claire Ellen.
I attended various sessions and learned a few things, but the best experience I had (in addition to presenting our own research) was the "Lunch with a Mentor" function. Claire Ellen suggested that I sign up for this and I read through the various mentors' bios two months ago to determine which individual might be the best choice in terms of my interests. During the very first day of this conference, I was introduced to an older woman named Dr. Rita Smilkstein and she was wearing a feather boa. Russ indicated that she was one of three "Dendrite Divas" who focus on this concept of Brain-based Learning. These three ladies are well-established contributors to the field and present in conferences all over the world. After I met her, I overheard multiple conversations marveling about Dr. Smilkstein's ideas. She researches and have developed interventions for empowering developmental education students (and other students facing academic challenges). She accomplishes this through providing explanations about the brain anatomy's evolution when learning occurs.
Here it is, in a nutshell: You generate dendrite growth through active encoding of information, so when you use learning strategies to study, you are encouraging more connections in your brain! Her research lends itself really well to test anxiety, too, and I can't wait to share it with my own students. When cortisol floods your brain, you experience the "Fight or Flight" mechanism and you enter survival mode. You are no longer able to utilize your brain to reason through complex information. In essence, you allow this trigger to sabotage your abilities. The trick is that, if you have studied (and only truly effectively studied, prepared, rehearsed, etc), you will be able to recall that information. You have grown those dendrites and they don't disappear! If you are able to isolate your anxiety and practice relaxation exercises, your brain will fill with seratonin and other helpful chemicals, which will trigger confidence and positive feelings about yourself. We already know most of this, but I don't think students are aware of the actual change that occurs in their brains when they learn. If they knew, with complete confidence, that information was absolutely stored somewhere securely, it might be easier to combat the overwhelming anxiety that so many individuals experience when assessed. I digress...
So, wouldn't you know that I chose Dr. Smilkstein as my Mentor during the "Lunch with a Mentor" activity? Ah, I love when the stars align! I had the opportunity to sit down with her, practically one-on-one and discuss her ideas and application of her ideas to MY ideas. It was thrilling and I couldn't wipe this ridiculously wide smile off my face if someone paid me to do it throughout the entire luncheon! Emotions affect learning, and the emotional associations we make with learning experiences effect our performance! We glean emotional connections through peer interaction. Then, infusing a college classroom with a sense of community (assuming that experience is positive) will have a strong impact on your feelings about learning and about your capabilities as a learner. I can't believe that I am almost excited to begin my dissertation.
So, it's Saturday morning and I have been up since 6:30 am. I went to bed at 2:00 am last night/this morning, and this was an earlier night for me, if you can believe it. Due to Claire Ellen's unanticipated conference absence, we had to present everything ourselves. We spent hours preparing the handout and presentation during the three conference evenings. Good grief! Thankfully, our own presentation went very well and we received all "Excellent" marks! Attendees left comments such as "Great presentation style" and "Very personable and confident", so I am reeling with residual adrenaline and excitement. I am sitting in the airport, still buzzing from the foreign caffeine in my body in the form of a Starbucks Vanilla Latte that I was forced to consume this morning so I would appear alert and chipper. I kind of wish I could make it stop because, though I am traveling in a suit, I just want to curl up on my jacket, kick off my heels, and take a big girl nap!
