A CASE STUDY-AND EVALUATION OF ” . ' ,v TWO WEEKEND HUMAN RELATIONS ‘ 7 ' LABORATORIES INVOLVING PRESERVICE TEACHERS AND SECGNDARY A , , * W005. moms Thesis for the Degree of Ph. D” MICHIGAN. STATE UNIVERSITY '5: SARAH LU FLOWERS BOLING f 1972 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII“ 7‘ " ‘ i“ \ This is to certify that the thesis entitled A CASE STUDY AND EVALUATION OF TWO WEEKEND HUMAN RELATIONS LABORATORIES INVOLVING PRESERVICE TEACHERS AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EPILHDEniifii presented by SARAH LU FLOWERS BOLING has been accepted towards fulfillment ~ of the requirements for Ph- D- Jegree iannsatign. Major professes 0-7639 I" slugme av ' HUM; & SflNS' BOOK BINDERY INC. LIBRARY 8! HOURS stalling". mama] “ I ABSTRACT A CASE STUDY AND EVALUATION OF TWO WEEKEND HUMAN RELATIONS LABORATORIES INVOLVING PRESERVICE TEACHERS AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS By Sarah Lu Flowers Boling The primary objective of this study was to develOp and evaluate a program for improving the attitudes of preservice teachers toward adolescents. Attitude toward students was seen as a critical factor in determining the success or failure of a teacher's instruc- tion. The atmOSphere which prevails in a classroom was deemed to be as important in teaching the cognitive skills, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs as any other aspect of instructional methodology imple- mented by a teacher. Yet, preservice secondary teachers often enter their student teaching experience lacking realistic concepts about the nature of their students. To provide an opportunity for preservice teachers to engage in personal interaction with secondary school students before their student teaching experience and outside a classroom atmosphere, a weekend workshop in the form of a camp retreat was designed and con- ducted as an element of a general secondary methods course for pre- service teachers at Michigan State University. The workshOp expe- rience involved both preservice teachers and secondary school students as participants and was conducted at a camp located approximately eighty miles from the university campus. Sarah Lu Flowers Boling The major concern of this thesis was the design and imple- mentation of an education program. Thus, this thesis is a case study of the design and implementation process. The assessment of this process is carried out through a comparison of the expected events and characteristics of participants with the actual events as the occurred, and the pe0p1e as they took part. Some focus is on the reported changes in attitudes, and the reactions of the participants, as outcomes, but major attention is given to design and implementation outcomes as well. Chapter I of this study pre- sents a theoretical justification for the deveIOpment and implementa- tion of the weekend retreat experience, and the logistical and design problems inherent in the preparation are described in Chapter II. Chapter 111 gives a chronological account of the activities during the weekend experience, and Chapter IV describes and analyzes the reactions of the participants to the experience. The conclusions and implications resulting from this study are as follows: 1. The weekend retreat eXperience appears to have accomplished its purpose -- that of providing Optimum interaction between participants. With respect to the preparation phase, the selection procedure for both secondary- and college-age students seems valid. The agenda design proved effective with a few minor changes seen as desirable: a) if standard input is to be used for the community meetings, that input has to be carefully designed in order that it is comprehensible to all present, Sarah Lu Flowers Boling b) more planned physical activity is needed, and c) the small group size should be no larger than eight in order to insure maximum discussion opportunities. The use of former college-age participants as staff members proved highly successful. It provided effective small group leadership and created an identification with the teacher preparation program which these students might not have acquired without it. Staff members are needed for the retreat eXperience who have had some training in conflict resolution or crises intervention. Most preservice teachers were initially negatively biased toward their potential students. As evidenced by the reactions described in Chapter IV, the retreat experience was successful in producing desired changes in attitudes among the preservice teachers. Experience with the program indicated that public school students benefit from interaction with adults in many of the same ways preservice teachers benefit from contacts with adolescents. Such experiences are a desirable addition to public school curricula. The study amply justifies the recommendation that other teacher preparation programs include similar experiences in their curricula. Since the program demands a sub- stantial investment of talent, energy, and staff time, it is necessary, however, that such a program be imple- mented by a staff which is highly motivated and committed to the idea. Sarah Lu Flowers Boling This kind of experience should not be tightly pro- grammed or packaged. While agendas may appear to be substantially the same, portions might need to be re- designed to fit the needs of different groups and dif- ferent communities. This flexibility is essential to the success of the program and is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with a programmed package. A CASE STUDY AND EVALUATION OF TWO WEEKEND HUMAN RELATIONS LABORATORIES INVOLVING PRESERVICE TEACHERS AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS By Sarah Lu Flowers Boling A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Secondary Education and Curriculum College of Education 1972 go” 91 To my mother and father, for raising me first as a person, then as a female. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To Dr. Samuel S. Corl - chairman of the Guidance Committee -- for being a superb friend, supporter, and scholar. To Dr. George Myers - for being the epitome of positive reinforce- ment . To Dr. Howard Hickey - for believing in new ways of doing things. To Dr. Keith Anderson - for "stepping in" in a time of need and providing helpful direction and focus. To Barb Stone - for knowing and practicing the truest art of friendship. To Bob - for being all that you are. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ....... .... ..... .. ........ ...... 1 The Context of Teacher Education ... ....... .. 1 The Need for Affective Teacher Preparation .. 4 The Human Relations Laboratory Model ..... ... 6 Including Secondary Students in the Design .. 8 The Michigan State Retreat Model ............ 11 Program Evaluation Model ........... ..... .... 12 Organization of the Study ........... ...... .. 13 II. ORGANIZATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES ..... 16 Introduction ............. ................... 16 Selection of Participants .... ..... .......... 17 Preservice Teachers .................... 17 Background Information of Pre- service Teachers .................. 18 Additional Requirements ........... 20 Secondary School Students .............. 21 Background Information ............ 21 Junior-high Students .... .......... 22 Staff Selection .... ....... .... .............. 23 Logistics ................................... 25 Agenda Design ..................... ...... .... 29 Objectives ............................. 29 Rationale ....................... ...... . 30 Structure .............................. 33 III. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION ...................... 35 Introduction ......... ....... ..... ..... ...... 35 Description of Events ... ........ ...... ...... 36 Discussion of Events ........................ 47 IV. REACTIONS OF PARTICIPANTS ................... 55 Introduction ................................ 55 Reactions of Preservice Teachers ............ 58 Reactions of Secondary School Students ...... 76 Conclusion ................................. 84 iv Chapter Page V. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION ......... ............. 86 Limitations Of StUdy O O O O O O O O O O I C O O O O O O I O O O O O 87 Conclusions and Implications for Teacher Education 00.0.0.0.........OOIOCCOCOOCO...... 88 BIBLIOGWI'IY O O O O O O O O I O O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 93 APPENDICES ...... . ....... ... ..... ... .................... 97 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION An effective teacher preparation program includes many com- ponents. Competency in content, skill in teaching methods, under- standing of human behavior and motivation are just a few. Many new ideas have been deve10ped and Operationalized by teacher educators in an effort to constantly improve teacher training given to under- graduates. However, there is one area of teacher preparation that seems to have been overlooked in efforts to better prepare teachers. The area is best described as teacher-student relationships and interaction. The components of this more than "fuzzy" area which seem to be causing preservice teachers the most concern are: anxiety about working with adolescents, attitudes toward adolescents in general, and sensitivity to adolescents' needs and concerns. Some of the failures of traditional teacher preparation pro- grams have long been evident. Teaching is at least a two-dimensional process. It is the cognitive process of knowing something about con- tent and teaching strategies, but perhaps more important, it is the personality of attitude with which the teacher approaches his job and his students. This critical attitude, which constitutes a major portion of teaching's affective domain, is not necessarily acquired through traditional teacher preparation programs where students are exposed only to classroom lectures and/or abstract discussions with their equally inexperienced peers. This attitude is many-faceted. It is evident in teachers who know, believe in, and like themselves; who have some understanding about kids and like them; who have some idea of where they are trying to go and ways to go there; who are aware of how large a part the affective domain plays in day-to-day teaching experience, both on their side of the fence and the students'; and who are able to ad- just and integrate past experiences in order to form an effective reaponse to present situations. With the idea in mind that exposure to and experiences with students may help a preservice teacher develop a desirable and effective teaching style, efforts have been and are being made to get preservice teachers out and into the classroom as soon as possible in their undergraduate program. This practice is seen as a necessary and valuable component to preservice teacher preparation programs. However, it may not be enough. Mentley found in his study of a preservice teacher pOpulation at Michigan State University, Winter term, 1971, that those who chose to be placed in public schools for a few days per week in some capacity before, student teaching tended to score higher on the MTAI1 than the average secondary methods student. However, in looking at gain scores over the ten week methods' course, it became apparent that the correlation reverses and that students who elected to be in the schools tended to show slight movement away from democratic student-oriented attitudes 2 and toward more autocratic task-oriented attitudes. It would seem 1 MTAI - Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory. Mentley, Marc C. Some Relationships Between Personality, Class Selection Characteristics and Teacher Attitude Change Q£_Secondagy Teaching_Methods Students (Doctoral Thesis, Michigan State University, 1971). that as long as teachers and students are facing each other across desks with the teacher in front of the room attempting to perform a Specified task, there is little Opportunity for preservice teachers to find out what secondary school students are really like -- their problems and concerns about their education and about themselves. Dewey has suggested that conditions which exist in typical tradi- tional classrooms prevent a teacher from gaining knowledge of the individuals with whom he is concerned. Enforced quiet and acqui- escence prevent pupils from disclosing their real natures. He goes on to say that one has only to contrast the typical classroom atmo- sphere with the atmosphere of a well-run home to realize what a facade the students and teachers are playing. And yet, without an acquaintance with and an understanding of the pupils who supposedly are being educated, there is only an accidental chance that the con- tent being taught and the methods used to teach it will affect the development of an individual's mind. Needless to say, the classrooms into which we are sending preservice teachers are usually "typical" classrooms. More than ever, teachers are needed who are capable of de- veIOping and maintaining good teacher-student relationships. The teacher is, in a real sense, the curriculum, and he needs to be deeply concerned with how he relates to human beings when he teaches. He is, more than any other factor in education, responsible for making school a place in which learning can take place. Students learn most effectively in an atmosphere which is secure, comfortable, and rewarding. Cognitive learning follows affective comfort. If teacher education situations are to produce teachers who have the ability to provide a mentally healthy atmosphere in a classroom, it seems obvious that their programs need more than classroom lectures, more than discussions, and even more than actual classroom experiences. Combs3 sees deep personal involvement in every facet of the educa- tional scene as a necessary prerequisite to the deve10pment of committment to teaching by the future teacher. If teachers are ever to be expected to deve10p the type of classroom where communication and respect and sensitivity are all synonymous with the teaching that goes on, then they must be provided with experiences which let them get to know students -- in a setting other than "school.” They need a setting where pe0ple can be people, not teacher and students; -- a setting where they can talk or play or work with secondary school students without class periods, bells, or role restrictions; -- a setting where living and caring and relating are shared expe- riences in a community setting. The Need for Affective Teacher Preparation Teacher preparation institutions have traditionally offered courses in "Adolescent Psychology" in an attempt to offer preservice teachers some kind of understanding as to the nature of adolescent students -- the ways in which their minds work, as well as some in- sight into the reasoning behind their typical behaviors and attitudes. And yet, when groups of undergraduate students who supposedly had had this information presented to them and who were preparing to student 3 Arthur W. Combs, The Professional Education g§_Teachers (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1965), p. 104. teach within one to six months time, were asked what their most major concern related to student teaching was, the most consistent and repeated responses were: "I'm afraid of the students." "They're going to be out to get me." "They are going to all be on drugs." "I'm.sure I will have enormous discipline problems."4 When asked why they felt as they did, they responded by quoting newspaper articles related to disruptions in major high schools across the country, repeating conversations with friends who had recently com- pleted their student teaching experience, and recalling the major theme of two books which had been required reading in their course work: Ihg_flgy_IE|Spozed Tg_§g_by James Herndon, and Thirty-Six Children by Herbert Kohl. In addition, many students mentioned being influenced in their perceptions of high school students' typical behaviors by the movie gp_the Down Staircase based on the book.by Bel Kaufman. This type of data obviously has considerable impact -- and for good reason -- upon someone contemplating teaching as a career. The data gained from a course in "Adolescent Psychology" would seem to pale in comparison to the more sensational stories presented in the media and related by their friends. When one con- siders these sources as major influences toward formation of atti- tudes and beliefs related to the in-school behavior of secondary school students, is it any wonder that preservice teachers are afraid of secondary school students? Informal conversations with groups of students enrolled in Educa- tion 327 at MSU, Fall, Winter, and Spring terms of 1970-71 and 1971.72. It then becomes the teacher educator's task to find a way to reach preservice teachers, challenge them, jolt them out of their ruts, so that they will revise their ways of looking at students in a public school classroom and thus be required to generate new perspectives and systems of reSponse. These peOple need to be con- vinced that secondary school students are indeed human; they are not monsters sitting behind desks just waiting to chew up the next student teacher who happens in the door. Sanford suggests that one way to do this would be deliberately to change the situation to which the student has grown accustomed -- for example, to bring a group of students who do not know one another together at a weekend seminar. By placing the student in a strange situation, we free him from his usual role with its expectations and accustomed modes of behaviors and force him to adapt in new ways. He further feels that it is likely that the students will learn more in that weekend than in an entire semester of routinely going to classes, then routinely meeting his friends afterwards and probably forgetting what was learned in class. The Human Relations Laboratorngodel Some indications exist that teacher training institutions across the country are becoming increasingly aware and concerned about the lack of effective training in human relations for pre- service teachers. In an effort to provide that instruction, several institutions have implemented human relations laboratéries Sanford, Nevitt, Self and Society, Social Change and Individual Development. (New York: Atherton Press, 1966), pp. 44 and 45. as a standard portion of their programs for teacher trainees. Among those universities currently engaged in such a practice are: Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah;6 University of Maryland in Baltimore County;7 Florida International University in Miami;8 Weber State College in Odgen, Utah;9 and the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.10 The programs these universities have developed or adOpted more or less follow Sanford's idea of taking a group of students and faculty off for a weekend seminar. Weber State and Florida Inter- national adOpted a laboratory package produced by the Thiokol Cor- poration for their management personnel while the others deve10ped their own laboratories. However, none of these programs, or labora- tories include the use of secondary school age children as particpants. It seems logical that a program committed to deve10ping an aware- ness of teaching's affective domain, as well as skills for working effectively with students, would provide exposure to adolescents or 6 "ISTEP: A.Program which Integrates Interaction and Design." Baird, Hugh. Technical Report No. 11, February 1970, p. 4. 7 Calliotte, James A. "Initial Attempts at Deve10ping ApprOpriate Human Relations Experiences for Potential Teachers." Paper presented at American Personnel & Guidance Assoc. Convention, Atlantic City, N.J., March 1971, p. 1. Interview with Dr. Nick Vilegente and Dr. F. Sobol relating to their Teacher Education Program at Florida International University, June 29, 1972, in Miami. 9 The Individualized, CompetencyrBased Systqm‘gf’Teacher Education §E_Weber State College, Caseel Burke for the AACTE Committee on Performance-Based Teacher Education, Washington, D.C., March 1972, p. 9. 10 Houston Competency-Based Teacher Center: Overview and Program Description. Deve10ped by a Consortium composed of: University of Houston, Houston School District, Region IV Educational Service Center, and the Houston Teachers Association; Houston, Texas, 1972, p. l. secondary school age students. It is, after all, one's attitudes and beliefs towards those very peOple one expects to teach that form the core of the affective atmosphere which will prevail in a teacher's future classroom. Including SecondaryiStudents in the Design Some research has disclosed that the more the personal contact among members of a group, the more likely that they will agree on opinions, attitudes, or beliefs. At the very least, members of a structure who will be expected to work together toward common goals could come closer to understanding and accepting the opinions, atti- tudes, and beliefs of the other members if given opportunities for ample personal interaction.11 The better one knows the others with whom he comes into day-to-day contact, the more each one understands the others' goals, concerns, and problems. More Specifically, teachers should be more likely to accept the typical behaviors and attitudes of adolescents, and to discover ways of accomplishing academic goals within a framework of the students' interests and desires, if opportunities are given for teachers and students to interact freely in an informal atmosphere. On the other hand, students themselves any be better able to accept the structure, rules, and activities of a classroom if they are able to discover, through personal inter- action, more about teachers' philosophies, ideas, and concerns. A human relations laboratory or weekend seminar might be viewed, additionally, as a useful learning experience for preservice 11 Bernard Berelson and Gary A. Steiner. Human Behavior -— Ag 13: ventory 9; Scientific Findings. (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, teachers and adolescent students alike in that it provides an opportunity for a fresh, novel, and stimulating learning situation, a kind of reinforcement in itself. The logical time sequencing for such a laboratory in a teacher training program seems to be immediately prior to the student teaching experience, with student teaching being undertaken within one to four months subsequent to the laboratory experience. Some research again points out that the best time to learn is when the learning can be useful. Motivation is then strongest and forgetting less of a problem. Preservice teachers should be given the experience of informal interaction with adolescents when they are most likely to be concerned with their ability to relate to this age student ~- immediately prior to their student teaching experience. A learning experience in an informal and "out of school" setting involving preservice teachers and secondary school age stu- dents and managed under the auspices of a teacher training program carries with it an additional serendipitous advantage for the teacher educators involved. It forces them to act as a "model" for their students. Preservice teachers have long complained that their in- structors do not practice what they preach. Future teachers are admonished in class after class to "get to know their students" once they are in the teaching field, and, yet, seldom do their own teachers ever try to get to know them. It is virtually impossible in a setting such as a weekend seminar or laboratory for the teacher educators responsible for planning, organizing, and managing the program not to become engaged in personal interaction with not only their own students, but the adolescents as well. They are able to 10 come much closer, in that type of atmosphere, to "getting to know their students." The idea that teacher educators begin to behave in such a way that they are a "model teacher" to their students is an important one. It is obviously important in more areas than that of good teacher-student relationships (i.e. establishment of motivation, individualization of instruction, implementation of a variety of teaching strategies, utilization of student decisions, etc.). The point here is that anything teacher educators urge their students to do, they should be doing already themselves. Teacher educators need to be committed to and engaged in the same type of teacher- student relationships which they are asking their own students to develop in a future classroom. Another major point which Dewey made in his lifetime of analyzing what a good education should be is that a teacher's main function is to provide experiences through which a student can grow and learn at the same time.12 If preservice teachers aren't exposed to (not told about or informed of) a model which incorporates conditions apprOpriate for human interactions, once in the classroom they will necessarily imitate the only teaching models they have experienced -- they will teach in the manner they have been taught. Teachers should be more prone to provide a classroom atmosphere of warmth, empathy, and tolerance of individual differences if they themselves have personally eXperienced such an atmosphere as students. Dewey, John. Experience and Education. (New York: Collier Books, 1938), p. 34. 11 The Michigan State Retreat Model It would seem then that a definite need exists for preservice teachers to have an Opportunity for personal interaction and contact with adolescent students before they meet them in the classroom. One viable solution to this problem is a weekend workshop, or re- treat, included in a teacher preparation program for undergraduates prior to the student teaching experience. Participants should in- clude preservice teachers, secondary school students, and staff. A weekend provides the time space for activities to take place unin- terrupted away from the regular hassles of living, and enables participants to concentrate completely on getting to know the ones whom they will teach, and those by whom they will be taught. The location for such a workshop, ideally, should be away from either a university or public school setting. The rationale for such an action is that a setting is needed which is not condusive to the perpetuation of one's day-to-day roles. In other words, to "get to know" one another, the roles of "teacher" and "student" need to be dropped in order for people to be just peOple for at least one weekend. Two such weekend workshops were held as part of the Educa- tion 327 General Secondary Methods' course in the College of Educa- tion at Michigan State University, winter term, 1972. In each one there were forty pre-student teachers from MSU, thirty secondary school age students from the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas, and fifteen (approximately) staff members. The preparation, implementa- tion, and evaluation of these experiences will constitute the sc0pe and sequence of this thesis. 12 Program Evaluation Model The mode of research conducted during this study is not readily amenable to the standard research paradigm. The focus of this investigation is on the deveIOpment and evaluation of an educa- tional process, not a product. The quality of a product is dependent, at least in part, upon the program that produces it. A valid evalua- tion of an educational program should provide information to aid in making decisions about that program. A comprehensive evaluation strategy must assess all relevant components of the program, which goes far beyond the traditional method of considering only the measurable effects of the program on the participants. The research strategy employed in this study considers the following evaluation factors to be of prime relevance: 1. Antecedents or, the entry characteristics of the students. In planning the educational program, pre-defined entry capabilities are assumed or intended. These entry char- acteristics are then compared with the actual observed capabilities; 2. Transactions or, the environmental contingencies or the instructional strategies provided by the program of instruction, planned during the program design and which should logically follow from the antecedents. The actual observed transactions are compared with those intended and with the observed antecedents; and 3. Outcomes or, the behavioral modifications which are to be achieved as a result of the program. The intended and actual outcomes are to be compared. The intended Intended Antecedents Broad background characteristics and general igno- rance about stu- dents' person- alities 13 4-Congruence -———>‘ Observed Antecedents Chapter II 4 Logical Contingency I_¥g Intended Transactions Program agenda for weekend retreat Empirical Contingency 44L_, 4-— Congruence —-—-> Logical Contingency 1* *‘T Intended Outcomes Developing or Maintaining Positive Atti- tudes Toward Adolescents 4-—Congruence ———-> Figure 1. Observed Transactions Chapter III Empirical Contipgency Observed Outcomes Chapter IV Evaluation Design l4 and actual outcomes should logically result from the intended and actual antecedents and transactions. In addition, the observations should verify that the out- comes do in fact result from the actual antecedents and transactions. The program evaluation model outlined above not only develOps an information base on which to make decisions as the program grows and develops, but also provides a historical record of actual experiences related to the program so that, as the program grows, old steps will not be retraced. There are, of course, many sub- purposes, but those outlined must be considered prhmary and will command the prime focus of this study. The components of the weekend workshop experience are identified in the context of this model and graphically related in Figure 1. Organization of the Study A myraid of design problems and logistics is inherent in the preparation and execution of such a program. Chapter II describes in detail some background aspects, selection procedure for partic- ipants and staff, organizational problems, and agenda design elements. Chapter III focuses on the implementation phase, or an account of the actual activities and events of each workshop. Chapter IV covers the reactions of the preservice teachers and secondary school students to this experience. The materials for this chapter were 13 Stake, Robert E. "The Countenance of Educational Evaluation," Teachers College Record, 1967, Vol. 68, pp. 523-540. 15 obtained via a reflective attitude inventory (see appendix) adminis- tered to both sets of students at the conclusion of each weekend. These inventories are designed to assess qualitative personal re- actions. The data thus obtained are used to draw a composite picture of what impact this experience had on the attitudes and opinions of the participants. Chapter V will then discuss what kind of recommendations the results of this study has for teacher education. CHAPTER II ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES OF WEEKEND WORKSHOPS Introduction As a preliminary procedure toward implementing the week- end workshOp idea, two shorter workshOps were held on two separate weekends during fall term, 1971, on October 15, 16, and November 5, 6. Forty-four preservice teachers from Education 327 (twenty on the first weekend and twenty-one on the second) and fifty-seven junior- and senior-high students (twenty-one on the first one and thirty-six on the second) participated. The major differences be- tween these workshops and the ones held winter term were that the fall term workshops were held in the Lansing area; they did not constitute an entire weekend; and the participants did not stay overnight. During winter term, the workshOps were held out of town, for the duration of an entire weekend, and the participants did stay overnight. The location for the fall term workshOps was a combina- tion of the Parkwood Y.M.C.A. and Edgewood United Church. They were held on Friday afternoon and night from 1:00 til 10:00, and Saturday morning from 8:30 til 12:00. The format included some large group activities, small group "rap" sessions and exercises, recreational games, and reflection periods. Reaction from the preservice teachers and secondary school students participating in these workshOps was highly favorable and indicated the desirability of continuing and 16 17 expanding the experience. This study is concerned with the continuation and expansion of the weekend experience and involves two weekend workshOps (Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon inclusive) held winter term, 1972, on the weekends of February 18, 19, 20, and March 3, 4, 5, for preservice teachers and junior- and senior-high age students. The site was CampIManitou4Lin, a winterized Y.M.C.A. camp located on Barlow Lake outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Selection of Participants The preservice participants were chosen from the population of all students enrolled winter term in Education 327, a general secondary methods' course required of all preservice secondary educa- tion teachers prior to the student teaching experience. Approximate enrollment for the entire course winter term, 1972, was 400. Forty preservice teachers participated on each weekend, making a total of eighty undergraduate students from Education 327 being accommodated for the entire term, or 20 percent of the enrollment. Students enrolled in Education 327 winter term were asked to indicate an interest in participating in such an experience by filling out an application form.1 The weekend experience was one of three Options available to students for completing course re- quirements, and one hundred and thirty applications were received, or 32.5 percent of enrollment.2 See application, Appendix- A fee of $10, in addition to the course tuition already paid, was required of each preservice teacher participant. This possibly could have affected the total number of applicants. 18 Eighty undergraduates were selected using the following two major criteria: 1) accommodating the students who had had the least amount of contact with junior- and senior-high age students for the past three years; and 2) achieving as much cross balance as possible among majors in all of the subject matter areas. The background information available on the preservice teachers thus chosen is available below. Background Infonmatigg of Preservice Teachers Totals are given for both weekend workshops. Sex Male Female (Ratio was 18 males to 22 36 44 females for each retreat) Age: Years: 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 30 No. of peOple: 36 23 9 3 5 2 1 l T of student teaching: Spring '72 Fall '72 Winter '73 Spring '73 Not Sure 31 29 12 I 7 Size 2f_graduating class 9; high school attended: 0-200 201-400 401-600 601-800 801-1000 35 18 19 6 2 Typghgf school (5; described by_student): * Rural Suburban Urban/Smmll Town Urban/Large City Other 11 33 22 11 3 * Parochial, army dependent, private prep 19 Academic Major of Preservice Teachers Subject are; Mg 39. it; each major Agriculture Education 1 Agriculture Mechanics 1 Animal Husbandry 1 Art 2 Biology 5 Earth Science 1 English 18 French 2 Geography 3 History 6 Human Ecology 6 Math 6 Music 7 Physics 1 Physical Education 6 Physical Science ‘ 1 Social Science 8 Spanish 4 Theater 1 It was intended that the group of preservice teachers who chose to participate in the retreat experience would represent a cross-section of students enrolled at Michigan State University. It appears from the background information that such was accomplished. All types of communities are represented as well as a variety of major subject areas. However, it is interesting to note the rather 20 large number of preservice teachers from small high schools who chose to participate in the weekend experience. One cannot help but wonder if this is a result of students previously oriented to small communities seeking to find a similar "small community" experience in the relatively impersonal atmOSphere of the Michigan State University campus. Additional Requirements The preservice teachers selected for the weekend workship experience were required, additionally, to attend two seminars given on campus by the Staff of Education 327, to attend an orientation session prior to the weekend, and to complete evaluations (in the form of reflective attitude inventories) at the conclusion of the workshop in order to completely fulfill course requirements. The topics of these seminars and their content were: 1) Problems gfjthe Underachiever jg thg_Secondary Schools - A two session (2% hours each) seminar. The purpose of the first session was to identify and help students understand attitudinal and academic problems underachievers encounter with teachers and peers. Tools and techniques for working with problems identified in Session I were dealt with in Session II. Included were techniques for working with students who read significantly below grade level. 2) Teacher/Student Relations - One session, three hours duration. Issues underlying the relationships between teacher and student not associated with instruction, especially counseling and extra-curricular relationships. Focus was on techniques and principles for establishing and maintaining effective, growth- supportive interaction. 21 An orientation session was held for the preservice teachers approximately a week prior to each of the weekend workshops. Each session was designed to give the preservice teachers some idea of what to expect on the weekend. A description of the camp facilities, explanation of travel arrangements, instruction on what items to bring, description of types of activities on agenda, and miscellaneous general information were all included in the presentation. The session was then left Open to answer any further questions anyone might have. Thirty junior- and senior-high age students participated in each of the weekend workshOps. These students were chosen from secondary schools in the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas. The par- ticular schools were: Rockford, Creston, East Grand Rapids, and Comstock Park.High Schools in the Grand Rapids area; Grand Ledge and Okemos High Schools, and McDonald Middle School in the Lansing area. One senior-high age participant was from the Cristo Ray Center, an organization for high school drOpouts located in Lansing. Contact people in these schools used to obtain volunteers for the workshops consisted of teachers, administrators, and students who had daily contact with this population. A ratio of two senior-high students to one junior-high student was maintained among the secondary school participants on each week- end workshop. A student's interest and parental consent were the only criteria used for selection of the sample from this pOpulation. Participants were chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis within the alloted numbers of their age group. Academic achievement in school among the secondary school students ranged from very low to 22 very high (approximating a normal curve). Behavior styles of these students also ranged from the problematic to excellent. This in- formation was obtained from the students themselves as well as from some of their teachers. A racial balance was not possible to achieve. As a matter of chance, two black students were present on one of the two weekends. The weekend workshOp was designed to be a positive experience for its participants -- particularly the preservice teachers. As such, no real effort was made to recruit secondary school students from inner-city areas. It was felt that the program needed to be tested before variables (i.e. inner-city students) were introduced into it which might prove difficult to handle. For the first work- shops, anyway, the variables were definitely weighted toward the positive side as much as possible. With more time and experience, an effort will undoubtedly be made to achieve more of a cross section among the adolescent participants. A similar effort would obviously be advisable for the Education 327 students except that the typical enrollment includes only about 3 percent non-white students, or approximately 10 students out of 400 for a term. Junior-high age students were included among the secondary school student participants for particular reasons: 1) A secondary teaching certificate in.Michigan covers grades 7 through 12. While the majority of preservice secondary teachers express a preference for teaching senior-high age students, the present state of the job market indicates that many will end up teaching in a junior high or middle school. Thus, exposure to junior-high age students would be of benefit. 2) For students in secondary teacher education who do express a preference for teaching at a junior high or middle 23 school level, there is no separate teacher preparation program at Michigan State for this area. These peOple would undoubtedly benefit from experience with this age student. Staff Selection Staff members on the weekend workshOps consisted of Michigan State University faculty and graduate assistants, a middle school teacher, a minister whose background included a large amount of work with adolescents, and some Education 327 students, both from former and present terms. An important aSpect of the program is the "recycling ' so to speak, of some of its students. Students, who in feature,’ various contacts during the term of their enrollment in Education 327, demonstrate outstanding qualities of leadership and sensitivity to people are asked to attend further weekend workshops in the capacity of small group leaders. On the first winter term weekend workshOp three such students from the fall term workshops were utilized in this fashion; on the second one winter term, eight more were added who were currently enrolled in the course and, who had been observed on the first winter workshop. Thus, these peOple are given an opportunity for experiences in which they could further develOp their leadership and communication capabilities. In addi- tion, the entire Education 327 program becomes more than "just a course" for them since they are an integral and working component of its planning and implementation. Students, or anyone for that matter, are more likely to throw themselves wholeheartedly into any learning project if they themselves have participated in the planning and application of the project. The students of Education 327 who 24 continued in the program as staff members for the winter workshOps, or retreats, demonstrated the type of quality participation and responsibility of which students are capable when they are involved. For the first winter workshop the number of staff members was small enough so that each one was oriented to their reSponsibilities in various individual and group conferences around the office area. The preparation that goes into a weekend workshop is so great that a true team effort is required in order to ever "get it on the road." During the three or four weeks preceding the workshop, the staff was available whenever anything needed to be done. During this process of preparation they became accustomed to working with each other and, at the same time, developed insight into how each component of the program fit together to form the whole. The response from the participants on the first winter weekend workshop indicated that the "small groups" of fourteen or so people were too large for Optimum participation and communication. Thus, the small group size was decreased for the second weekend, and this necessitated the addition of more small group staff peOple. In addi- tion to the eight Education 327 students chosen from the first work- shop, eight secondary school students who had attended one or more previous weekend workshops, were included as staff for the second weekend. Each secondary school student who served on the staff at that time was co-teamed with an adult leader in each of the groups. Because of the increase in size of staff the second time, a staff orientation meeting was held on an afternoon prior to the weekend. In this meeting, organizational details were attended to, respon- sibilities explained and discussed, and questions answered. 25 None of the staff members were paid for their participation in the program. The staff consisted entirely of peOple who are genuinely interested in the fate of Teacher Education in the University and who are willing to put forth a great deal of their time and effort in order to work for its improvement. Logistics A location for the retreat was needed that would conform to the following specifications: 1) it was far enough away from civilization to insure privacy from interruptions of families, friends, etc., yet, was close enough so that transportation to and from did not constitute an unreasonable time span (more than two and a half hours, one way) and expense; 2) it was large enough to adequately house eighty peOple for a weekend; 3) it provided separate lodging for males and females; 4) it was winterized with adequate heating for possible below zero weather; 5) it contained adequate kitchen facilities as well as at least one large indoor meeting area for large groups; 6) the management of the facility would allow the group to plan, Prepare, and serve their own meals; 7) the cost be reasonable enough to comply with the weekend workshOp budget. (In other words, as low as possible.) Camp Manitou-lin, a Y.M.C.A. facility on BarlOW'Lake, about twenty miles southwest from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was selected for all the above reasons. The only two concessions made from the above specifications were: the cost per person, per weekend was $4, more than it was hoped the budget would have to allow; and the staff of the workshop had to agree to allow a member of the caretaker's family to supervise the meal preparation and clean-up and pay them 26 $2.50 per meal for this supervision. In reality, the meal super- vision was not a problem. The caretaker was extremely helpful through- out both weekends, and the members of his family who were in the kitchen put no restrictions on the group whatsoever. The only slight disadvantage of Manitou-lin, which posed a safety problem, was that Barlow Lake is a spring-fed lake, and the ice is not stable even in the coldest weather. As such, the staff had to be concerned with keeping peOple off the ice. There do exist other facilities in the lower Michigan area which conform to all the aforementioned specifications, and which are significantly more inexpensive than Manitou-lin ($1 per person, per weekend compared to $4). These are state owned facilities and, due to the lower rates, are booked up literally years in advance. They were entirely booked up at the time the implementation of this project began. Transportation provided one of the knotty logistical problems connected with implementation of the workshops. The trust which the parents of the secondary school students placed in the program by allowing their children to attend the workshops was a factor of large importance. As such, it affected a great many of the decisions re- garding what was acceptable or unacceptable behavior on the part of workshop participants for the duration of the weekend. It was felt, rather strongly, that college students should not be allowed to bring their own cars. In such a case, the liability factor of responsibility for the safety of participants became too complex and uncomfortable 27 for the co-ordinators to deal with. In order to protect the cohesiveness of the group, participants were not allowed to leave the workshop area except in cases of illness or emergency. With no moral objections to "slipping out for a beer," it was still believed that this behavior would adversely affect both the con- tinuity of the weekend and the program's reputation with parents. Thus, it was just as well not to have personal vehicles available for temptation. Additionally, a moderately long bus ride (approx- imately two hours) with both college and secondary school students as passengers would probably act as a good, informal "ice breaker" for the weekend, and would insure that the participants would arrive upon the scene together rather than sporadically. Good intentions not withstanding, some bending still had to be done in regard to the ideal plan for transportation to and from the workshops. The major problem was that only one bus could be obtained for which the rental was within the budget limitations (not over $100 per bus, per round trip). The use of Michigan State University buses costs $200 per bus, per round trip with driver and $400 per bus, per round trip, without driver. The bus obtained belongs to the Parkwood Branch of the Y.M.C.A. in East Lansing, is rated as a 45 passenger bus, and cost $10 per day plus $.35 a mile. The total for this bus for one round trip to Manitou-lin came to approximately $90. The problem of too many people with too much gear for one bus was solved by renting several University station wagons from the Motor Pool along with a U-Haul trailer for gear. The wagons were not the ideal solution since they necessitated splitting at least half of the group into smaller groups of eight, 28 but they were considerably more inexpensive than the Michigan State buses. The station wagons cost ran approximately $.07 a mile or $12 each. Incidentally, on a third weekend workshop, which is not covered in this thesis, a school system was found which would rent two school buses to the program for $100 each. Added to the Y.M.C.A. bus, this more than solved the tranSportation problems for the third time around anyway. The facilities at Manitou-lin operable in the winter con- sisted of a main lodge and a separate, large dormitory. The lodge had two levels. The tOp level housed the kitchen, a large meeting and dining area, and a small fireplace room. The downstairs con- tained two wings of sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, and another fireplace room, larger than the one upstairs. The dormitory con- sisted of three separate rooms of sleeping quarters and two bath- rooms complete with showers. The females occupied the dormitory and the males stayed in the two wings of the main lodge. This plan proved to be somewhat less than satisfactory for the males who wished to sleep at some time during the weekend, since the large meeting room and fireplace areas in the main lodge were designated as the apprOpriate places for people who wished to stay up past the last planned activity of the night. It was discovered that junior-high age students can survive an amazingly long time with no sleep! One of the major highlights of both weekends was the food. Ninety-five percent of the food items was purchased through MSU Stores and proved to be of high quality and inexpensive. The other 5 percent consisted of items which were not available from Food 29 Stores and were obtained from local grocery stores. For an average of less than $.50 per person per meal, all participants ate superbly. The menus were planned in advance, and purchase and pick-up of the food by staff was arranged. Each small group was responsible for the preparation of one meal and clean-up of another. A total of five meals were prepared and served by the small groups since Friday night supper consisted of sack lunches (suppers?) brought by the college students. Unlike the tranSportation aspect, the food plan worked out far better than had been hoped. A copy of the menus and food list is available in the Appendix. In order to finance the weekend workshops, each Education 327 student was required to pay a fee of $10, and the rest of the cost was borne by the College of Education under the auSpices of an experimental pilot project. It was felt that the participating junior- and senior-high students were providing enough of a service to the program by their presence, and, therefore, should not be required to pay a fee. The pro-rated cost came to approximately $9.50 for each participant. A break-down of the $9.50 would include $4 per person for lodging; $2.50 per person for five meals; $2 per person for transportation; and $1 per person for miscellaneous materials such as booklets, first-aid supplies, etc. Agenda Desigg Objectives The general objectives of the weekend workshop experiences were: 1) to give preservice teachers an Opportunity to come in contact with the brand of student whom they might have occasion to teach; 3O 2) to give preservice teachers and secondary school age students an opportunity to get to know each others' concerns, ideas, and feelings -- relating both to themselves and their education; 3) to enable preservice teachers to feel comfortable with and gain self-confidence in interacting and communicating with adolescents. Additionally, it was hOped that the retreat could act as a vehicle for bringing about an increased level of awareness and sensitivity to interpersonal process among all of the participants. The experience was designed as one which would require active participation and interaction on the part of all its members. Genuine participation increases motivation, adaptability, and speed of learning. The co-ordinators and developers of this particular pro- gram believe that teachers should learn to use student relationships in the planning and execution of any learning experiences. The in- tent was that participation in activities would affect the group in such a way that they formed a community. A community, in this instance, is defined as a setting where a group of people with common interests co-Operate and share in the activities of living. The basic function of this setting is to provide such a shared "community" environment. Rationale Successful interactions require an association, however temporary, of those persons involved. The more difficult and delicate the interaction, the more carefully developed the association must be, and the more open, stable, and trusting it must become. To build and maintain such an association requires membership skills. Members must develop diagnostic sensitivity to difficulties facing the group, 31 increase their ability to communicate so that diagnostic suggestions will be heard, and learn to behave in ways that will help the group move forward. These membership skills are not easily acquired. Few peOple have the Opportunity to be tossed into an un- familiar social situation and face the necessity of working out their individual differences. Given such an opportunity, they might come to understand the great need for both order and change in their perceptions and relationships with others. If in the process they have to re-earn position through present accomplishments rather than to rely on previously secured status symbols, they might become more innovative and creative in other social situations. If through this same process they learn to test assumptions about social organiza- tions, they might refuse to perpetuate archaic organizational models. If they have to create a new kind of organization, they might develop more of the wide range of skills required for reSponsible membership. If they examine the interpersonal difficulties encountered in their collaborative struggle, they might learn important truth about themselves and their relations with others. Each individual exists in a matrix of others who contribute to his growth. It was the purpose of the activities on the agenda that they provide Opportunities in which participants may more fully explore these matrices in order to move toward better understanding of each other.4 Learning and improvement follow in large part from the individual's struggle to find membership which both satisfies him Leland P. Bradford and others. T-Group Theory and Laboratory Method. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1965), p. 193. 4 22. £15., p. 190. 32 and contributes to the group. Satisfying membership implies more than acceptance. It also implies caring behavior. Membership en- tails the opportunity for growth through contributing out of one's own resources and through concern that others also have an opportunity to grow. When this is achieved, there is less need for individual defenses. The agenda was designed as one which would help preservice teachers learn how to affect membership in a group in much the same way they will need to affect it in a future classroom. The activities incorporated were, above all, planned to facilitate the development of teamwork among the participants. It is not so much the quantity of work that matters as the kind of work and the circumstances under which it is done. But how rare it is that students, except perhaps athletes, have the chance to engage in teamwork, or group work in which their efforts make a difference to the whole group. Such analysts of our society have pointed to the increasing immersonality of our relationships. It has been said, for example, that the only human community to which the average American businessman belongs is the car pool which takes him to work. He has few genuine relationships with his neighbors in the suburbs. At the office, it is a matter of whom he can manipulate and who can manipulate him. The plight of the friendless and lonely teacher may really be a reflection of the wider problem in contemporary society. There is one encouraging difference: complex though it is, the setting in which teachers and students Operate is vastly simpler than the society at large, and therefore, one may hope, more amenable to change. 22. cit., p. 199. Sanford, 92. cit., pp. 50-51. 33 Structure The activities incorporated in the agenda and designed to operationalize the rationale explored above were intended to be structured, but informal. The basic structure of the format revolved around three categories of activities: 1) large group meetings; 2) small group meetings; and 3) recreational activities. The basic assumption in such a format was that the large group meetings could be utilized to provide input, if necessary, into the small group sessions. Films, a simulation game, and an Open staff meeting were used in this fashion. In addition, the Friday night agenda included some large group "get acquainted" or "awareness" activities designed for "breaking the ice" and providing the participants with an Opportunity to begin to get to know each other. The exercises used for that session revolved around various specific discussion tOpics. They did not involve any "touching" or "feeling" techniques sometimes used in more sensitivity oriented weekend sessions. The format was not intended to be an encounter or T-Group design. It was felt that an encounter or T-Group experience, with the inherent depth and occasional truma involved, was not necessary in order to achieve the objectives of the weekend. Instead, informal "rap" sessions around a variety of current tOpics, community tasks (such as meal preparation and skit presentation), simulation game and films, and interpersonal sharing exercises were viewed as viable routes for achieving the workshop's purposes, and, as such, made up the bulk of the activities on the agenda. The small group structure and format were included in the agenda design to fulfill several functions seen as necessary in order 34 to build toward the desired community spirit. First, each participant needed as much individual "air time" as possible during which he could discuss with others his own ideas and feelings. This function is obviously not present in a large group setting. Each person dis- covers part of his own identity as he relates to others. Each should influence others and be influenced by them if, together, they are to solve problems collaboratively. Secondly, each participant needed a "core" group with which he could identify and share in the accomplish- ment of particular activities. Each individual needs the satisfac- tion of participating with others and of being accepted by them.7 The small group meetings were largely unstructured, and each group was free to diverge from the large group activities in the manner which seemed most appropriate for that particular group. They fulfilled the role, more or less, of different families within a community. Some groups held discussions during their small group time, some took walks, some participated in additional interpersonal sharing activities, and all, eventually, prepared and cleaned up after a meal together. The recreational activities involved outdoor games, "sock- h0ps" (it was discovered that that particular term seems to be enjoying a revival), campfire singing, and skits. These activities provided additional interaction with peOple outside each person's Own small group while at the same time serving as an effective agent for producing cohesiveness within the community. CHAPTER III PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Introduction As the saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice and men ... And, so went the planned agenda -- in places anyway. However, it is the mark of a good teacher that he plans, but at the same time re- mains flexible enough to adapt his facilitating efforts to the situa- tions as they arise in their own individual context. So it was with the staff of the weekend workshops. They planned, they adapted, and they used the first workshop as a learning experience from which they incorporated ideas in order to revise plans for the second one. A description of the events as they occurred will be related in the first section of this chapter. The next section will offer some discussion and conclusions related to those events and will additionally present inherent implications for future retreat agenda design. There is no question as to the subjectivity of this chapter. Admittedly, the author's perceptions were influenced by reactions from and conversations with others present on the weekend workshOps. However, the perceptions presented and the conclusions thereby :Eormed remain undeniably those of the author. Hence, they should t>e viewed as that and that alone. Chapter IV will then relate the Fierceptions of the individual participants on the weekends as gleaned E’irom the evaluation instruments administered to them. 35 36 Description of Events The written agendas, which appear on the following pages, were essentially the same for both weekends, and most of the planned events actually occurred on both occasions in the same manner with the same results. The groups departed from the front of Erickson Hall on the Michigan State campus at 3:00 p.m. Friday, and arrived at Camp Manitou-lin at approximately 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. Upon arrival, participants were first asked to make name tags for themselves to wear for the duration of the weekend. Then, each participant was given a booklet which contained welcoming comments, rosters for each of the pre-assigned groups, group meal assignments, and a written agenda. The staff was introduced, and a discussion of rules for the weekend was undertaken. Specific rules such as, "Don't wander around in the woods out of the lighted areas after dark," were mentioned, but the gist of the discussion was general in nature. The participants were asked not to engage in any activity which would reflect badly on either themselves or the program. It was mentioned that, while there was a “Lights Out" or "Retiring Hour" indicated on the agenda, this did not mean that everyone had to go to bed at that time. The planned activities were over, but people were free to stay up and talk or play cards, ping pong, etc. Participants were asked to be considerate of those who did wish to sleep. (Not that it did much good, but they were asked!) Each college student brought a sack.lunch for two peOple to serve as Friday night's supper. Beverage was provided by the staff. After the introductions and rules discussion, each preservice teacher “Fame asked to seek out a secondary school student with whom he could 37 share his meal. This task acted as a good beginning toward "break- ing the ice" and providing a vehicle for interaction by giving the participants a task they had to share with a member of another group. As could be expected, the general atmOSphere before Friday night supper on both weekends was somewhat strained and tense. Very few peOple in the group knew each other, and each of the two groups -- college students and secondary school students -- had almost no idea of what to expect from the other. Some of the college students learned very quickly that their expectations regarding what types of food adolescents preferred were false. College students seem to be big on bologna sandwiches, while secondary school students lean more toward peanut butter and jelly, or ham and cheese. After supper, the entire group participated in some "get acquainted" exercises led by a staff member well trained in the leadership of such activities. The beginning exercises were in- tended to loosen peOple up and were primarily physical ones con- ducted along the line of creative dramatic games, i.e. "Choose a partner and take turns acting as mirrors of each other's actions." Then exercises were used which focused on the individual's thoughts and feelings about being on the retreat, i.e. "Think about the prob- lems and situations you left at home.’ "Try to get those things out of your mind and concentrate on being here in this group." "Think about your expectations for the weekend -- are they real- istic?" "What do you hope to gain from this experience?" "How do 3'ou expect to go about accomplishing your goals?" Then, the group ‘Vae asked to divide into pairs with a member of their opposite group t2<3 share some of their thoughts, feelings, and expectations. The 38 pairs were later asked to form quads, with the original pairs in- troducing each other to begin the discussion. They were then given topics to answer such as "The happiest time of my life was ..." "At home, I'm ..." "At school, I'm ..." "The times when I am most un- comfortable are ..." "The things I like to do most are ..." Eventually, the quads were asked to find another quad and form a group of eight for the same type of discussion. At the conclusion of the "get acquainted" exercises, the group participated in some indoor recreational activities (i.e. building human pyramids, forming "snakes," etc.) after which they went into their pre-assigned small groups to discuss work assign- ments for which their group was responsible. Eleven p.m. was the designated "bedtime," or close of planned activities, but very few people went to bed at that time. Most stayed up to continue inter- acting with the others by playing cards or ping pong, singing, or simply talking in pairs and small groups. By 3:00 a.m. most of the community was asleep save for a few diehards who managed until 5:00 a.m. or 80. Breakfast was served at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and was followed by a community meeting during which a film was shown on the first retreat and a simulation games played on the second one. The film was "Eye of the Beholder," available from the Michigan State Uni- versity film library, and dealt with a single situation as perceived by five different peOple. The major concept inferred for discussion was that every happening is viewed subjectively by its observers, ‘Vith everyone bringing to a situation previous experiences, feelings, and attitudes. The film, unfortunately, was "dated" in terms of the 39 clothes which the actors wore, and many of the participants felt that the theme was one which has been covered so often that it has become trite. The general concensus was that, even though most peOple don't behave as though they are aware of the subjectivity of all situations, they are still tired of being told, even via film, to be cognizant of the fact that individual people see the same situation differently. The film involved only one of the re- visions of the agenda which was to be made prior to the next week- end workshop. An adaption of a simulation game entitled "Role Alternation: A Community Crisis Simulation,"* was played for the Saturday morn- ing community meeting on the second weekend. The goals of this particular exercise are as follows: Participants are l) to experience the dynamics of an alternate, un— accumstomed role in a situation of community con- flict; 2) to develOp skills in utilizing intergroup conflict; 3) to develOp skills in intergroup negotiation; and 4) to develOp skills in group representation. The simulation game proved to be an activity in which it became difficult for the secondary school students to stay involved. Very few of them had an identification, even empathically, for the roles which they were asked to play, and they felt that the language * is Source: J. William Pfeiffer and John E. Jones, Structured E. kperiences for l_i_t_1rman Relations Training, Vol. III. (Iowa City, Iowa: University Associates Press, 1970), pp. 108-118. 40 and the process was over their heads. Although the game had been adapted from the original version with the intent of solving those very problems, it obviously needs to be adapted further or another game found which more closely fits the needs of such a group. A particular recreational activity for Saturday morning was not planned, but groups of people went outdoors to engage in tag, sledding, or walks in the area. Snacks of hot chocolate and doughnuts were available. Small group discussion time started around 11:15 a.m. with one group using that time to prepare the noon meal. The small groups were not bound to any particular agenda during their meeting periods and were free to choose an activity which they felt was apprOpriate for their group at that time. The decision as to what might be done during that period was expected to be one made by the entire group, and one which would involve participation of all members. At various times groups engaged in "rap" sessions either using the input pro- vided in the community meetings or generating discussion on their own around a variety of topics, conducted "awareness" exercises aimed at establishing effective intergroup communications and relationships (i.e. trust walks, listening triads, feedback expansion, nonverbal cues, etc.), or participated in physical activities such as hiking or games. The role of the small group leader was intended to facilitate discussion, make suggestions, and watch for problems that might arise in the groups such as peOple being left out, people dominating the group, etc. After lunch another small group time was held in which the same activities occurred. One limitation, or 41 restriction, to the design of the agenda was the need to schedule a small group meeting time prior to and immediately after a meal so that the groups assigned to preparation and clean-up would have available a time space in which to accomplish these tasks without cutting into a large group activity. Another community meeting was held in the afternoon after discussion group time. On the first weekend, the simulation game previously mentioned had been planned for use during that time. How- ever, by Saturday afternoon on the first retreat, several issues had been raised by individual participants and staff which it was felt needed to be dealt with. The issues revolved around, first of all, a great deal of uncertainty as to the general tone of the weekend. How well was it going? What were various concerns that possibly needed to be brought out in the open? Did the agenda need to be changed in any way? Secondly, a problem existed in the form of one very domineering, adament, and rebellious secondary school age student who had done a great deal during the weekend toward disruption of process. It was decided to hold an open staff meeting using a "fish bowl" technique where the staff sat in a circle in the middle of the room with the other participants around them and Openly dis- cussed any concerns or problems they were having. One chair was left vacant so that any member of the group, other than staff, could join the "meeting" at anytime he wished to provide input. Actually, the staff had not intended to deal with the secondary school age student at that time due to fear of confronting someone before a large group and thereby alienating them. However, this particular student persisted in his disruptive behaviors during the meeting 42 until it became impossible to continue unless he was confronted or handled in some way. The situation presented a perfect example of a group process crisis as it very often occurs in classroom situa- tions and one in which techniques for conflict resolution or crisis intervention were sorely needed. Unfortunately, most of the staff had had no training along those lines, and the situation provided some pretty tense and strained moments for those peOple unaccustomed to experiencing open conflict. The conflict was resolved in that session with the result being that the cohesiveness of the entire group was significantly strengthened. The secondary school age student proved to be open to reason when the effect of his actions was pointed out to him. Once the meeting was allowed to continue and everyone who wished had had "air time," the concensus of the group was that the weekend was progressing smoothly with the participants reasonably satisfied and pleased with what they were accomplishing -- which was a large amount of interaction between preservice teachers and secondary school students. Many of the group members mentioned verbally that they would work more toward making sure that no one felt left out or was not invited to partic- ipate in anything which might be taking place. On the second retreat a film.entitled "Help My Snowman is Burning Down," was used for the Saturday afternoon community meeting. It is a surrealistic film dealing with the absurdities of life and man and was obtained from the Chicago office of United Methodist Ministries. The inferences for discussion from this film are end- less and could evolve in almost any direction. However, once again, many of the younger students complained that it was too deep for 43 them, and they felt uncomfortable because they were unable to under- stand the purpose or content of the film. Obviously, no one is supposed to be able to understand a surrealistic film. Its very purpose is to provoke confusion in the hOpe that new insights might emerge in one's thought processes and provide different insights on one's views of life and its many complexities. It was difficult though for the younger students to understand that it was perfectly all right not to be able to completely understand the film. It is quite possible that students of junior-high age are not ready for such a leap in their thought processes. After the "heavy" events of the film or fish bowl staff meeting, a recreational activity was definitely in order. On both weekends, an outdoor game called, appropriately enough, "Chaos" was played. The game is a much adapted version of baseball in which virtually no athletic ability is required and the number of players is unlimited. Small groups met again before Saturday dinner engaging in the same activities previously described. It was at Saturday night dinner on both weekends when the teamwork, co-Operative sharing, and cohesiveness which groups had worked so hard to build, began to show. Imagination in meal preparation and serving abounded. Although the menu had been predetermined, and the groups had no choice as to what they were to prepare, the way in which the food was prepared and served disclosed much imagination, care, and effort. Instead of plain baked ham, the diners were treated to "baked ham l'orange" (orange glaze whipped up with left over breakfast orange 44 juice and brown sugar); instead of plain jello, they received "molded fruit compote," (left over snack fruit cut up and added to jello). They ate by candlelight, of course, on decorated tables, and with mood music in the background. None of these flourishes had been planned for by staff. The climax of this feast (which additionally included baked potatoes with cheese, green beans with onions, and rolls) came, on both weekends, when a participant whose birthday happened to be that day, was presented with a surprise giant (ten pound) chocolate birthday cake -- candles and all. Some of the staff had surreptitiously discovered whose birthdays occurred on those days and managed to see that cake mix was included in the food items. With eighty peOple in a group, the odds are pretty good that someone's birthday will be during that weekend. After dinner, each small group was given a skit tOpic around which they were to develOp an original group skit to present to the entire group for the evening's entertainment. Examples of topics were "Frankenstein Visits Mrs. Rogers' Neighborhood," "The HippOpotamuses Visit the Nutcracker Suite," "Peter Rabbit Retold -- The True Story . The crescendo toward group unity and committment to making the weekend a success had definitely begun and was nowhere in better evidence than in the development and presentation of the skits. Creativity, hysteria, and ham actors abounded. Each per- formance disclosed a teamwork effort which proved beyond a doubt that the participants had indeed effected a true sense of membership to the community and to their own group. After the skits, the group moved spontaneously into a group sing-a-long with the guitarists in the crowd offering their services. 45 The harmony which prevailed in the atmOSphere, the closeness and identification which each individual felt with the others, produced a moment which will be hard to forget -- not that anyone would ever try. The individual defenses were down, the roles were gone, and preservice teachers and secondary school students had worked and shared in something which was meaningful to both. A boisterous dance or "sock hop," as the secondary students called it, materialized during the latter part of Saturday evening. The secondary school students had specifically requested such an event, but the college students did more than their share of the dancing. The activity proved to be exactly apprOpriate for the mood of the group at that point -- one almost of rejoicing (as corny as that sounds) that preservice teachers and adolescents felt so comfortable with each other. Needless to say, everyone had a grand time, much "horse play" was indulged in, and many people stayed up quite late. A "round-robin" ping pong game and a card game played with spoons also became highlights of the evening with almost every- one participating at one time or another. Segregation between the preservice teachers and adolescents was virtually nonexistent. So much integration and interactions were occurring that it became dif- ficult to distinguish between the two. Some very bleary-eyed peOple got up to breakfast Sunday morning, but the unity of the group still prevailed. After another feast, this time consisting of French toast and bacon, the last community meeting was held which involved a solitary reflection period for each individual and a sharing of appreciations before the entire group. Each participant was asked to go somewhere alone 46 and spend fifteen to twenty minutes in reflection over the events of the weekend. Had he accomplished what he had hOped for? How did he think this weekend might affect his future behavior and feelings towards adolescents and/or teachers? How was he going to deal with the reality of going back to the real world? What small things -- that someone did or said or that just happened -- went into making the weekend more pleasant and beneficial to him? What incident, however small, had special meaning for him? The group then came back together for an appreciation session in which anyone who wished could verbalize any incident he cared to recall and express appreciation for it, or they could simply make any statements they wished to the group. This particular activity served effectively as a closure and "pulling together" activity for the large group sessions. One statement made in the appreciation session on the first weekend, by a black tenth grade student bears repeating here: He said, essentially, “All of you college students here are planning to be teachers. One of these days, you'll be in a classroom with a bunch of students like us and probably be faced with all kinds of hassles -- mostly dealing with students. You'll probably think about that time that students are impossible to deal with and that you'll never be able to understand them -- and they you -- if you all live to be a thousand. Please try to remember, when that time comes, what happened here this weekend. We really had something going. And, although it will never be exactly the same as this weekend again -- the reality of a classroom won't ever be as easy to deal with as here -- please remember that once you did i; -- you talked, worked, and shared with us, and you liked it! Please don't forget." 47 Maturity? Yes. A plea to teachers for understanding and committment and concern? Even more so than maturity. At the conclusion of the appreciation session, the participants went into their small groups for the last time to pull together and say good-by in any way they chose. They then packed up, cleaned up, returned to the main lodge to fill out the evaluations of the week- end, and ate their final weekend meal -- "make-your-own" sandwiches with whatever was left over. Departure time was around 1:30 p.m. with arrival in East Lansing right at 4:00 p.m. Discussion of Events As mentioned before, the staff looked upon the implementation of the first retreat agenda as a learning experience which would probably provide insights for revision and adaptions the second time around. It should also be emphasized that staff observation was not the only method employed in determining what changes needed to be made. The participants were listened to all during the weekend, and the evaluation instruments completed by them on the first retreat were very carefully perused immediately upon return to East Lansing in search of problem areas susceptible to revision. Suggestions or criticisms made by the participants were then incorporated as much as possible into the design of the next retreat. For example, participants mentioned repeatedly that the small groups needed to be smaller. Approximately fourteen peOple had comprised a small group the first weekend. That suggestion was offered enough times by enough participants that the staff concluded that there must have indeed been a problem. Therefore, for the second weekend, the 48 number in each small group was diminished to eight, and extra staff was recruited to work with the additional small groups thus formed. Another criticism which appeared repeatedly on the evalua- tions from the first weekend was that participants did not like having been asked to form groups of their own choosing during the "get acquainted" exercises Friday night and then being required to go into their different pre-assigned small groups later that night and for the rest of the weekend -- thereby not really being able to be with those peOple they first formed ties with except during free time. Many people mentioned that they had felt quite a bond with that first group of peOple and had just started getting to know them when they were asked to break up. They resented the interruption in the interaction process and requested that the situation be handled differently in future retreats. At the time, the criticism seemed valid. So, for the second retreat, an elaborate scheme, which in- volved color coding the name tags and requesting participants to choose a partner, pair, etc. with the same color as their own during the "get acquainted" exercises, was worked out so that the groups which formed during the Friday night opening exercises were the groups which were to be together all weekend. However, at the conclusion of the second workshop, the evaluations revealed a number of people upset because they felt that had not had enough opportunity to get to know more people during the weekend -- they had had to remain in the same group the entire time. In addition, many participants felt they had been too overtly manipulated and restricted when required to choose a partner, pair, or quad with the same color name tag. The situation obviously presented a classic example of not being 49 able to win for losing. In retrOSpect, both types of criticisms were valid. However, the plan used for the first retreat does seem to be the more viable. Although, it does require the break-off from one group to another, at the same time it allows for less manipula- tion and more Opportunities for participants to get to know a greater number of people on more than a surface level. There existed, in certain instances, on the retreat a prob- lem of differing levels of vocabularies between the two different groups of students. In other words, the preservice teachers very often talked "over the adolescents' heads." However, this aSpect turned out to be a blessing in disguise for it served as a vehicle to: l) teach the secondary school students that it was all right to open up, be honest, and say, "Hey, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about. I don't understand all those big ' These students felt far more comfortable words you are using.‘ doing this on a retreat than they would have in a classroom setting where academia is revered. 2) teach the preservice teachers to watch the words they are using when trying to effectively commu- nicate with this age student. The "buzz words" of education, which work so well in impressing college professors, are not going to be appropriate or impressive in a secondary school setting. The portion of the agenda which required the participants to be responsible for meal preparation and clean-up proved to be one of the most effective elements in the design. Meal preparation and its accompanying activities are tasks with which everyone can identify and benefit from as well. Additionally, the fruits of the labor are tangible, enjoyable, and satisfying. The reaponsibility for 50 those particular tasks automatically requires group cO-Operation and teamwork. As such, that element of design would seem to be one absolutely essential to any weekend workshop format. The quality and quantity of food available also seems im- portant to emphasize. It is reasonable to assume that peOple respond better to others in their environment when and if they are well fed. The quality and quantity of food available on both week- ends were excellent, and this is viewed as another basic necessity for any such undertaking as a weekend workshop. Quite probably, the program could have been run more cheaply had less expensive food been used (i.e. chicken or additional hamburger meat rather than ham; more cereal rather than bacon; more peanut butter and jelly rather than salami and bologna). However, since the food obtained through Michigan State Food Stores was of high quality and inexpensive, it hardly seems worth the effort to cut down any farther. The average cost per person per meal was $.50, which is more than reasonable. This figure is accurate even when the cost of "between meal" snacks and beverages is included in the total. Coffee, hot chocolage, cookies, and fruit were available at practically all times during the weekends, and it is a safe assump- tion that this affected the atmosphere in a positive way. If an attempt has to be made to cut down costs, the menus would not be the place to do it. In retrospect it becomes obvious that some of the input pro- vided in the community meetings (films, simulation game) actually had no significant effect on the outcomes of the weekends. It probably would not have made any difference as to what films, 51 simulation games, or whatever were used. The most meaningful inter- action -- that interaction which was reaponsible for making the week- ends successes -- probably occurred between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. each night when very informal, unstructured rap sessions between pairs or small groups of people were taking place. By 11:00 p.m., fatigue had set in with its accompanying lowering of defenses. Many activities and experiences had been shared, and the participants were willing to trust each other and share true attitudes, Opinions, and feelings. More than likely, the college students probably gained more insight into where the adolescents were coming from, what they were indeed concerned about, and what their goals in education and life were at this time than at any other time during the weekend. Subjectively, there were, of course, differences in percep- tion between the two weekends -- at least in the way staff perceived them. Evaluations by the staff (obtained via informal conversation later in East Lansing) indicated that the first weekend went better than the second. However, a subjective evaluation of this type is difficult to assess for there were highlights in certain places on the agenda during the second retreat that far outshone their counter- parts on the first one, and vice versa. The location, facilities, food, and even the weather remained constants for both weekends. Essentially, the community meeting input provided was constant also. The only random variables present would have been the peOple in- volved. Therefore, it seems safe to assume that primarily the different groups of peOple account for the perceptual differences. 30, with the exceptions of the "get acquainted" exercises on Friday 52 night and the group appreciation session Sunday morning, it would not seem to be worth the effort to agonize over what types of input to provide for the community meetings. The Friday night exercises, however, definitely contributed to the overall program as a necessary "breaking-the-ice" technique, and the appreciation session served effectively as a "pulling together" and closure vehicle. It could be questioned though as to whether any films or structured games should be used at all for they seemed to have had negligible value toward achieving the goals of the workshOps. The community sessions could simply be left open as a time when anyone who wished could bring out any concerns they or their group might have before the entire group. On the second weekend, the question came up among staff of holding another Open staff meeting using the same "fish bowl" technique as on the first weekend. Because of the nemory of anxiety aroused in that process on the first weekend, the question was voted down. The second open meeting may not have come off at all like the first, but more than half of the staff was totally unwilling to attempt the technique again because of the tension which it had pre- viously produced. It seemed easier at that point to just believe that everything was going all right and that everyone was happy then to try and find out. Therefore, another consideration for future retreat implementation would be that staff members are needed who have had some training in conflict resolution and crisis intervention. Crises are never planned, but often occur, and are generally always uncomfortable. In a setting such as a weekend retreat, where a badly handled confrontation of crisis has the potential of blowing 53 the whole experience apart to the point where peOple return home with negative feelings, staff trained in this area is a necessary requirement. It is a safety precaution which one hOpes he never has to use, but which provides more security to have than not to have. It might be remembered too, that, many times a crisis -- accompanied by adequate handling -- can serve to produce more group cohesive- ness than previously attainable and be a total learning experience. In Spite of the statements ahead of time that the retreats were not intended as "sensitivity" sessions of T-Groups, a large amount of very deep and close feelings was generated among the participants during the weekends. It is important to note though that none of this was deliberately planned for nor necessarily in- tended. Perhaps the only type of "sensitivity" sessions which are truly valid and real are the ones that happen Spontaneously in a group where the members are not deliberately manipulated into activ- ities designed for that purpose. PeOple cannot be told to "Be close to each other," and have it happen any more than someone can be told to "Ride a bike," or "Read," and have that happen. AS a closing comment: Teachers often Say that learning is and can be fun. So, they go out and recruit guest Speakers, procure instructional films, and/or construct learning carrels equipped with programmed materials in the interest of making learning fun for their Students. However, carrels prove to be lonely learning places, guest speakers are not always inspiring, and films are too often inappropriate and dated. (Not to mention that the students have usually seen it the year before under another teacher.) Moreover, the students still don't consider learning as an enjoyable activity. 54 Why? The students are not really actively engaged in active partic- ipation. They are still being told about learning, not experiencing it. The weekend retreats were definitely learning eXperiences, and they were fun! CHAPTER IV REACTIONS OF PARTICIPANTS Introduction The description of the reactions to the weekend workshop experience, as reported on the reflective attitude inventories, will be divided into two categories of participants for presenta- tion: 1) the preservice teachers and 2) the secondary school students. It should be noted that the grade which the preservice teachers received for the Education 327 course at the end of winter term was in no way contingent upon the manner in which the inventory was completed, and the students were so informed. The preservice teachers who chose the weekend experience as an option for fulfillment of course requirements received a grade of 4.0 (equivalent to an "A") if they completed the requirements attendant to that option as out- lined in Chapter II of this study. Credit was given for each of the requirements on an attendance or completion basis only. Thus, the responses from these inventories should be honest expressions of attitudes, Opinions, and beliefs. The reflective attitude inventory administered to the pre- service teachers can be broken down into three areas and will be dealt with as such. The first area, consisting of questions 1-4, focuses primarily on the "reflective" aspect of the participants' attitudes, Opinions, and beliefs. Respondents were asked to think 55 56 back on how they felt or what they thought regarding their preferred teaching role, secondary school students, etc. prior to the weekend experience. They were then asked to indicate changes, if any, in these attitudes, opinions, and beliefs which they perceived as having come about as a result of the weekend experience. All four of these questions were Open-ended, and respondents were free to answer in any way they chose. However, the responses to these questions tended to cluster into several predominant categories. In order to present an overview of the general tendencies of the participants, the responses will be described categorically. Caution should be taken, however, in generalizing from the responses of these reflective questions. As previously mentioned, the weekend workshops did result in an intense emotional experience for almost all of the people involved. AS Such, the reSponses Should be viewed as coming from peOple on an "emotional high." Obviously, one weekend experience, no matter how intense, cannot be expected to radically change the permanent behaviors of its participants. However, it can be viewed as a constructive beginning toward the changing of attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. It seems reasonable to assume that one cannot be open for change without interaction with those very peOple toward whom the change is intended. The major focus of this Study is on the program, however, not the individual. AS such, the intent of this evaluation is to provide information which will be of assistance in the process of making decisions about the program. The second area of the inventory, or questions 5-9, was re- lated to the preservice teachers' perceptions of the value of the 57 weekend experience to them. These questions were also of a reflective nature but were answerable on a scale from one to four or five with a score of one being equivalent to "definitely of value" and four or five equivalent "of no value whatever." These responses will be presented in a tabular form and will be followed by a discussion of possible implications. The last area in the inventory, or questions 10-14, dealt specifically with the value of the agenda design as it was implemented on each weekend. Although the questions were again asked in an "open-ended" manner, the reSponseS were quite Specific and can be categorized in order to gain an overall view as to the effective- ness of the agenda as perceived by the preservice teachers. The reflective attitude inventory administered to the secondary school students was quite Similar to the one for preservice teachers with only a few necessary changes. Questions No. 1 and NO. 2 referred to the kind of role they wanted teachers to play in working with them. Again, the question was asked in a reflective sense and asked for an indication of change, if any, in their perceptions as a result of the weekend experience. Question No. 3 assessed the feelings of these students toward school in general, and the rest of the inventory remained the same as for the preservice teachers. The obvious clusters of responses to the Open-ended questions (1-4 and 10-14) will be characterized and discussed. Actual excerpts or paraphrased quotes are included from typical reSponses. Wherever it is reasonable to do so, observations and generalizations are made concerning the responses to each question independently, and apparent 58 trends through series of questions are discussed. Where appropriate, not only the numbers of reSponses in each category are given, but also percentages, in parentheses, to aid in the interpretation of the reaponses. The quantitative responses to questions 5-9 are presented in tabular form. These reSponses are analyzed and discussed, and correlations are made with other questions to identify predominant trends throughout the entire reflective attitude inventory. Description of Responses - Question NO. l 1. Looking back, now, to before the retreat, what kind of role did you WANT to play as a teacher in working with young peOple? In reaction to the first question on the inventory, the pre- service teachers' perceptions of their roles as teachers prior to the retreat can be divided into several categories. Fifteen peOple (19 percent) saw themselves as guides to their students' learning. These peOple, in most cases, Specifically Stated a preference for "guide" rather than "teacher,' which they saw as meaning "dissemi- ' While the difference between "guide" and nator of knowledge.‘ "teacher" is probably negligible (i.e. a good teacher is one who guides), the difference definitely exists in these peOpleS' minds. To them, the word "teacher" seems to possess a negative connotation and is connected with someone who sees himself as an impersonal "fountain of knowledge" and makes all the decisions as to what goes on in a classroom. Twenty-eight people (35 percent) indicated in various ways that they considered themselves as friends to the students who would Stimulate, motivate and help them. These respondents almost always 59 indicated that they felt it necessary to appear as non-authoritarian, not detached from personal relationships, and not to have a teacher- centered classroom. Many of these people felt that, while they pre- ferred to be a friend to their students, they were not at all sure what the pupils' reactions would be to a teacher's attempts at friend- ship. They expressed fears that student hostility and mistrust of teachers would prevent them from establishing such relationships. Twenty-five preservice (31 percent) perceived themselves as performing in a leadership role where they would be the authoritative decision maker with emphasis placed on subject matter. Six of these peOple Specifically mentioned that they had felt that the role of teacher must necessarily be a very independent, detached, and superior one with personal qualities of both teacher and students being left out of the teaching picture as much as possible. Ten of these peOple were primarily interested in conveying the benefit of their particular subject matter to students, and nine of them saw themselves as directors of learning activities. Three people out of the eighty wanted to be "open" with ' and four were unsure their students; five wanted to "be themselves;' how they had perceived their roles. The descriptors "open" and "be myself" were not clarified. One of the problems associated with asking open-ended questions is that peOple may very well answer with statements that are ambiguous, undefinable, and also Open-ended. 60 Description of Responses - Question No. 2 2. Have your ideas changed about that role as a result of the re- treat? If your answer was positive, please explain. In dealing with changes in their perceptions of teacher roles after the retreat, thirty-one peOple (39 percent) indicated no change from their prior perceptions. Eighteen of these were people who had originally considered themselves as "friends,' nine who had con- sidered themselves as "guides,' and four who had considered them- ' or "be myself." Many mentioned that their per- selves as "open,' ceptions had not changed, but had been greatly reinforced by participation in the retreat eXperience. Of the forty-nine peOple (61 percent) who indicated a change in their perceptions, Six had originally considered their role as one of friend, ten as guides to learning, four as Open or "be myself," four unsure, and twenty-five as instructional leaders. It is interesting to note that every one of the twenty-five peOple who had considered themselves as performing in a leadership capacity changed their perceptions as a result of the retreat. Some of the changes indicated in this category were: "Teaching is a two-way street -- they have as much to teach me as I them"; "It's okay to be human -- students are accepting of teachers' faults"; "Teaching involves emotional aspects too -- teachers Should care enough not to ignore the affective climate which will always be present in a classroom"; "Students have ideas that are worthwhile -- a great deal of communication is needed." Six of the fifteen peOple who had originally given their role as a guide felt that it had changed, and generally gave the 61 following areas as indicators: "Students need to be understood before one can effectively guide them”; "The guidance can and Should be a two-way process"; "Students need more than a guide -- that role is fine, but it can be impartial, and it should be combined with that of motivator and caring friend." Ten of the twenty-eight people who had considered themselves as friends noted changes typified by the following reSponses: "The 'pal' image is not respected, but a teacher can still be a friend in certain ways"; "A teacher needs to be much more than just a friend"; and "Teaching is an incredibly complex job -- I'm not very Sure of my ability to handle it, but I want to try." In the miscellaneous categories, two of the three peOple who had said they wanted to be an "Open" teacher concurred that they now realized they were much more structure-oriented than they had pre- viously thought. The four "unsures" decided that "Teaching is work- ' and "Students and teachers ing together -- not just supervising:' can be friends." The "open" peOple realized in several instances that one can't just walk into a classroom and say to students, "I'm very Open -- you can come to me with any and all problems," but that a teacher has to work toward proving Openness by his actions rather than words. The one response which occurred frequently (fifteen times) and which cut across the categories of "guide", "leader," and "friend," in relation to changed perceptions was: "I now realize how much of a two-way process learning and teaching is -- the person in front of the class is just as much a student as the Students themselves." 62 Two preservice teachers came into the retreat experience with a positive attitude toward teaching and left with a negative one. One person had seen his role as that of a friend who would help his students learn to think for themselves. His conclusion at the end of the experience was: "Students don't seem to want to think for themselves, but rather prefer to parrot platitudes about liberalism while being quite closeddminded." Another person also wanted to act in the role of friend -- one who wanted to see the world as the students see it and really help them come to feel that all peOple are important in their own way. His changed attitude was that a "time gap" exists between him and the students which he is not sure he can overcome. Observations related to responses of Questions No. l and No. 2 One of the most Significant Observations to be made con- cerning the responses to questions No. 1 and No. 2 is that while the preservice teachers varied in their perceptions of their teaching roles prior to the retreat experience, after contact with secondary school students almost all of them left with the belief that teachers Should be friends to students in one way or another. Although this observation might, at first, appear disturbing, the reSpondents' contextual comments further clarify just what is meant by "being friends" relative to the teacher-student relationship. Their explanations indicate that they do not intend a social, peer-type friendship but rather one in a context of older brother-sister or parent image. Indeed, many of these peOple report learning from secondary school students that Students don't care for a teacher who 63 ' The preservice teachers' main intent tries to be "one of them.’ seems to be establishing lines of communication between themselves and students, thereby removing the fear that authoritarian positions sometimes create. Description of Responses - Question NO. 3 3. Looking back to before the retreat, what were your feelings about relating to HIGH SCHOOL age young peOple? Have your feelings changed as a result of the retreat? If your answer was "yes," how have they changed? Thirty-eight preservice teachers (48 percent) expressed a feeling of apprehension or fear at the thought of relating to high school age young people. Out of these thirty-eight, eleven of them were far more concerned about how the young people would accept them rather than the other way around. One primary concern was that, "The students would pin a 'college' label on me, would expect great things, and I wouldn't be able to measure up to their expectations." Twelve of these peOple Stated that they thought relating to high school age Students would be difficult due to the age difference and the lack of commonality of interests, experiences, and the like. Fifteen Simply said they were scared or that they knew they would never be able to relax. Twelve peOple (15 percent) indicated that they felt that they would have no difficulties whatever in relating to that age student. Four more Said they were curious and eager to hear high school students' viewpoints on a variety of topics. Three peOple were totally unsure of how they had felt due to a total lack of experience with this age group. 64 Twenty-three peOple (29 percent) expressed decidedly negative attitudes toward high school age students. Four of these attitudes put high school students into a category that can be best described as "prejudiced against." Adjectives given were "wild and undisciplined," "durggies and freak types,‘ and "immature phonies.‘ The other nine- teen from this negative category related feelings that high school students were beneath their level, that they would have to be led through everything, and that they could definitely stand to benefit from the teacher's experience and superior knowledge. Of the peOple who originally believed that they would have no trouble relating to high school age students, only one changed his Opinion. He reported that, as a result of the weekend expe- rience, he then believed that "Students are phonies who are too idealiStic and irrational," and that he had a great deal of trouble relating to them. All of the rest of the preservice teachers reported signif- icant positive changes in their perceptions of these students. Those who had originally been scared or apprehensive reported that they had had no difficulty in establishing interesting and fruitful inter- actions. The peOple who had been concerned about their image to the students discovered that high school students were very accepting of others. Those with originally negative attitudes reported find- ing that high school students were open, nice, sensible people who could be very enjoyable company. The peOple who had felt that there was a lot they could tell the students found that there was just as much that students could tell them. Many people reported that they felt very positive and self-confident in their ability to relate to 65 high school age students as a result of the weekend experience. The most encouraging and Significant observation to be made from an examination of the responses to these questions is that while only twelve peOple (15 percent) began the weekend experience with positive attitudes toward high school age students, seventy- nine (99 percent) left the experience that way. Description of Responses - Question No. 4 4. Looking back to before the retreat, what were your feelings about relating to JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL age young peOple? Have your feelings changed as a result of the retreat? If your answer was "yes," how have they changed? Twenty-seven preservice teachers out of the eighty (34 per- cent) reported having had definite negative feelings toward junior- high students prior to the retreat experience. Ten of these people expressed attitudes which can be classified as "prejudiced against." Some of the descriptions which fit into that category were: "Wild brats, mouthy and undisciplined little kids", "Smart alecks dirty little monsters who run around all day causing trouble," and "A pain in the neck." The descriptions offered by the other seventeen people in the definite negative category were Similar, but were primarily concerned that junior-high students would be: "Immature and too young to be aware of much that goes on in the world", "More concerned with having fun than in exchanging ideas,‘ and "Not capable of any depth in conversation." The major concern in this group which was mentioned repeatedly was "immaturity." Thirty-eight people (48 percent) reported being extremely apprehensive or fearful of attempting to relate to junior high school 66 age students. Most of these peOple felt that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to have a conversation with these students that would be both enjoyable and fruitful. "Hard to reach", "Pessimistic about finding anything in common," and "Scared to death ... Period!" were a few of the descriptions given in these cases. Nine people (11 percent) expressed feelings of eagerness and curiosity toward junior high Students, and Six peOple (8 percent) said that they were not sure or had never thought about their feelings toward relating to such students. For the thirty-eight peOple who had been apprehensive or fearful of their ability to relate to junior-high age students, two remained so at the end of the experience. Both of these peOple had expected to have difficulty in their interactions with these Students and reported that they did. Four people from this category reported an improvement in their perceptions, but retained a feeling of in- adequacy or discomfort in dealing with junior high students. The remaining thirty-two peOple in this category expressed changes that were highly complimentary of the junior high students. Examples were: "I am astonished at their concern and ability to express themselves", "They are capable of thinking deeply", "They are rebellious in a beautiful, positive way, and are easy to relate to;" and, even "I prefer junior high over high school now -- they are fun, free, and easy-going." Of the nine people who had been eager to relate to this age student or who felt they would have little difficulty, if any, in doing so, one person's Opinion changed from positive to negative. He had felt he would have no difficulty, but discovered that he did. 67 He reported additionally that he felt he had been rebuffed by these Students. The remaining eight peOple from this category went into the experience with positive attitudes either toward the junior- high students themselves or toward their ability to relate to them, and these attitudes remained the same. Also, the six peOple who had had no idea or were unsure of their previous perceptions re- ported possessing very positive opinions after the experience. An examination of the reSponseS to this question discloses that nine out of eighty preservice teachers began the weekend expe- rience with positive attitudes toward junior high students. Eight of those people retained positive attitudes, while fifty-six other people develOped similarly positive attitudes. Of the Sixteen peOple reporting negative feelings or attitudes at the conclusion of the experience, nine of those responses were qualified as now perceiving junior high age students near the middle of a continuum between "like" and "dislike." Changes in perceptions occurred across all categories for this particular question. Only four of the original twenty-seven peOple in the "definitely negative" category remained negative. A typical reSponse from those four was, "They were definitely the immature, gigglish 'creatures' I expected them to be; this age group did not and does not have any appeal for me." At least five changed percpetions from this group could be classified as going from negative to positive with reservations. Typical changes were: "I respect them now, but they are still little kids and immature"; "They are mouthy and in need of discipline, but can be gotten along with", or, "I can relate to them, but they are still a little too playful." 68 The remaining eighteen responses in this category changed to definitely positive perceptions toward junior high students. Examples of some of these changes are: "They are more articulate, aware, and interesting than I had imagined"; "They were at times more attentive than the high school or college students"; "They are quite sensitive and honest ... discussions with them were 'Spirit boosters'"; or, "I enjoyed these kids the most and would welcome the Opportunity to teach them." Many people developed attitudes of acceptance toward the active behavior sometimes exhibited by junior high Students during the weekend experience. A typical com- ment relating this feeling was: "Foolishness is the freedom of being young ... it is difficult for them not to be active." Although the reSponses to questions no. 3 and no. 4 may appear very Similar, an examination of the complete responses in- dicates much stronger negative feelings and prejudices toward junior high students prior to the weekend experience than were exhibited in the reSponses related to high school Students at that time. Such attitudes may indicate that many people who choose to teach in secondary schools do so out of a desire to interact with older stu- dents. Junior high students may be viewed by these peOple as being too much like elementary Students in behaviors and intellectual abilities. AS such, most of these peOple would probably consider it more difficult to relate to junior high students than to high school students. Perhaps one of the most far-reaching results of the week- end experiences was that sixty-four preservice secondary teachers reported positive attitudes, Opinions, and beliefs concerning junior high age students after the weekend experience. 69 Preservice Teachers ReSflnses to Questions No. 5, No. OLNO. L No. 8, and No. 9 -- Perceived value of retreat 5. Do you think that participating in this retreat will help you relate better to young peOple? Possible responses No. Definitely Probably Maybe I rather doubt it No of responses 59 17 2 2 l 6. How good do you think you have been in the past at LISTENING to young peOple in an UNDERSTANDING way? Possible responses Very Good Fairly Good So-So Not Very Good Poor No. of responses 10 33 3O 6 0 One "No answer" due to no contact with young people. 7. Do you think that participating in the retreat has helped you learn to listen to young peOple in an understanding way? Possible responses NO. Definitely Probably Maybe I rather doubt it No of reSponses 63 14 2 O 1 8. Did you get any ideas at the retreat about how you could change your behavior toward young people IF YOU WANTED TO? Possible responses I got some clear, definite ideas I got some beginning ideas I can think about if I want to I got some pretty general ideas, but they're pretty fuzzy I didn't really get any ideas about how I could change if I wanted to NO. of responses 41 33 7O 9. How worthwhile do you feel the retreat was for you? Possible responses No. of responses Very worthwhile 55 Worthwhile 23 80-80 1 Fairly worthwhile 1 It was a complete waste of time 0 It Seems from examination of the responses to these questions that the intended outcomes of the program were fulfilled -- at least in the eyes of the preservice teachers. For each question the large majority of the PST'S*reported feeling that the retreat would help them relate better to young peOple; the retreat helped them in learning to listen to young peOple; and it gave them some ideas for possible beneficial changes in their behavior toward young peOple. Sixty-nine peOple (or approximately 85 percent) reported having at least some difficulty relating to young peOple in the past. It is significant to note that 55 PST'S (or approximately 69 percent) rated the experience as "Very Worthwhile," and 23 (or approximately 29 percent) as "Worthwhile." Preservice Teachers ReSponseS related to_sggpda design - Questions No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13 The reSponses to these questions are divided into categories with the number of reSpondents given for each. In some cases, the total of reSponseS is more than eighty (size of the preservice pOpula- tion) due to several peOple indicating more than one category of reaction. For question no. 13, the total does not come to eighty because several peOple chose not to reSpond. * PST - preservice teacher 71 10. Would you have preferred certain changes in the retreat agenda? If your answer is "yes," please explain: Twenty-seven reSpondentS (34 percent) reported "no changes desired." Categories of desired change NO. of responses Smaller small groups* 10 'More planned physical activity 10 Eliminate simulation and/or movie 9 More small group meetings or time 6 Less structure of agenda -- more free time 5 Less interruptions of small group activities 4 Longer period of time for entire experience 3 Freedom to switch groups or Opportunity to be in more than one group 3 More activities similar to Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 3 Less small group meetings or time 2 Have more time for participants to be alone 2 Have more high school students present 2 For the most part, it appears that the agenda design was satisfactory from the perceptions of the preservice teachers. As can be noted, changes which appear desirable to some participants would be viewed as undesirable by others. AS mentioned before, the Size of the small groups was diminished from fourteen to eight from the first to the second retreat. This change was made in reSponse to suggestions on the inventories. The other category All of these respondents were present on the first retreat where the small group size was larger than on the second one. 72 suggesting reassessment of the agenda design would be the one which indicates a need for more planned physical activity. It is under- standable that peOple might have felt "closed-in" at some point during the weekend. The facilities at Camp Manitou-lin, while being adequate for eighty peOple per weekend with a reasonable amount of movement, do not provide space for unlimited indoor physical activity or exercise. Participants were free to take walks or form their own games at various recreational or free times listed on the agenda. However, many peOple may not wish to take the responsibility for originating a game themselves and would prefer a planned activity. While not desiring to put peOple out-of—doors who do not wish to go, such activities could be planned ones, but with volunteer participa- tion. This idea is seen as one which should be considered for future retreat agenda design. 11. Please describe the experience that was, for you, the most meaningful time during the retreat. Categories of responses No. of responses Talking with, listening to, and working with secondary school students 41 A particular small group activity (a walk with one's small group, an interpersonal Sharing activity, preparation of meal, etc.) 17 Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 12 The group singing Saturday night 5 Preparation and presentation of skits Sunday morning appreciation session Free time - where I could talk, play cards or ping-pong with people outside my small group 3 Talking to an outstanding staff member who is a secondary school teacher 2 Saturday night dance 2 Simulation game 2 73 The reactions to this question seem to point out that the agenda design served its purposes for the weekend experience. The fact that forty-one preservice teachers listed as their most mean- ingful experience that of talking with, listening to, and working with secondary school students is quite significant when one remembers one of the major intended outcomes of the weekend exper- ience -- that of preservice teachers and secondary school students interacting in a positive manner with each other. 12. Please describe the experience in which you felt most COMFORTABLE during the retreat. Categories of reSponses No. of reSponseS Talking with secondary students in groups of two and three or on a one-to-one basis 39 Singing 14 Planning and presenting the skits 12 Preparing meals with my small group 8 Activities with others outside my small group (hikes, playing cards, ping-pong, etc.) 8 Activities specifically in small group sessions 5 Eating meals 4 Saturday night dance 3 Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 3 Outdoor recreational activities 2 Everything -- the entire weekend 2 Community meetings 2 It seems from observation of the reactions to questions no. 11 and no. 12 that not only did the participants achieve the intended outcomes for the weekend experience, but they considered 74 the transactions necessary to do so enjoyable, fruitful, and com- fortable. 13. Please describe the experience in which you felt most UNCOMFORTABLE during the retreat. Categories of reSponseS No. of responses * Saturday afternoon "Open" staff meeting 10 One particular exercise or discussion in my small group 10 Some portion of the Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 9 ** Simulation game 8 Upon arrival Friday afternoon 8 Presentation of skits (stage fright) 7 Community meetings 6 Transition between planned activities 4 When a group StOpped relating 3 Lack of privacy 2 Ride to camp 2 The reactions of uneasiness to the "open" staff meeting on the first retreat and the simulation game on the second one had been anticipated. Verbal feedback to the staff during the retreats in- dicated that these responses would occur. Both of these events -- the staff meeting and the simulation game -- are discussed more fully in Chapter III. Two reSpondents who indicated the staff meeting as their most uncomfortable experience concluded that "the Occurred on first retreat only ** occurred on second retreat only 75 Situation resolved itself in a pleasant manner -- an indication of maturity and good will." The respondents listing "a particular exercise or discussion in their small group" in answer to this question usually described the events, and they ranged from "When I felt I didn't have any- thing to contribute" to "a trust exercise -- it is very difficult for me to trust someone." The same was done for "Some portion of the Friday night 'Get Acquainted' or 'Awareness' exercises." Some respondents felt un- easy in the transition from groups of four to groups of eight; others had not felt comfortable with an imaginary round object game played at the conclusion of the exercises. These peOple reported having been engaged in deep conversation with their groups and resented being asked to participate in a light, semi-physical activity at that time. None objected to the event as a whole. The uneasiness felt by some upon arrival at camp is seen as a normal and predictable occurrence. At that point of each retreat, peOple had not become ac uainted with each other and had little, if any, idea of what to expect from the weekend. The peOple who indicated the "Skits" as their uncomfortable experience specified that they meant the presentation of the Skits in front of the entire group and not the planning. Several of these people confessed to having acute "Stage fright" at the time, but concluded that they were glad they had gone through with it. 76 Reactions of Secondary School Students to the Weekend Experience The weekend experience could not possibly have been complete or served the purposes it did without the presence of the secondary school students. As such, the reactions of these students to the experience is seen as a necessary component to this Study. The public school Students represent the "clientele" of the educational profession. It thereby behooves teacher educators to assess any teacher training venture as a function of its benefit -- whether present or ultimate -- upon these students. However, since the "target group" of the weekend experience was the preservice teachers, for the purposes of this study their reactions are reported in greater depth and detail than that of the secondary school Students. Responses to Questions No. l and No. 2 - Reflective attitudes 1. Looking back, now, to before the retreat, what kind of role did you WANT teachers to play in working with you? 2. Have your ideas changed about that role as a result of the retreat? If your answer was positive, please explain: The large majority of secondary school students -- 52 or 85 percent -- expressed desires for teachers to be friends, or people who cared about them as individuals and who were willing to be human when teaching. Specific references were made to teachers being willing to relate their own concerns to students, talking on their level rather than "over their heads," thinking of students as important, or giving students ample "air time" in which to dis- cuss their interests and desires. Some Students answered in terms of what they didn't wish teachers to be. Examples were: "Hot-shot authoritarians who take advantage of being older", "phonies", "leaders all of the time", "superior all of the time", or "so serious." 77 Eight students indicated that, prior to the retreat, they had preferred teachers to play a leadership role which concentrated on making subject matter interesting. These students Specifically wanted teachers who would assume the reSponsibility for leadership when it was needed. The fifty-two students who had perceived the role of teacher as one of friend retained that perception at the end of the retreat. As with the preservice teacher pOpulation, the role of friend was a qualified one which did not imply a "peer-type" friendship, but one of a human being who cared for Students. One of these students provided an additional comment which seems pertinent: "I've dis- covered how very much a new teacher wants you to accept them." Of the eight peOple who had desired that a teacher play a leadership role, their conclusions at the end of the retreat indicated that they then considered the teaching role as more inclusive. Three of these students commented, "I never really realized that teachers are human, too -- I'll look at my own teachers in a different light from now on." One student admitted that she had expected the teacher "to do the impossible -- to teach me, trouble-free, and make it easy." After the retreat she concluded, "I was wrong -- I have to take some reSponsibility for learning myself." Examination of this data implies that secondary school students are saying over and over again and in many different ways, "Please care about me -- I'm important." The preservice teachers' reSponseS on their inventories indicated that they got the message. It is also interesting to note that on each side of the teacher-student 78 relationship, individuals expressed Surprise at discovering that the other side was human too. Secondary School Students ReSponseS to Questions No. 3,No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, No. 8 - Perceived value of retreat 3. How would you describe your feelings toward school in general? Possible responses No, of responses Very much enjoy time I Spend in school 10 Pretty much enjoy time I Spend in school 27 80-80 (I guess it's okay) 8 Generally don't find school enjoyable 10 Dislike school very much 5 4. Do you think that participating in this retreat will help you relate better to other people? Possible responses No. of responses Definitely 45 Probably 12 Maybe 3 I rather doubt it 0 No 0 5. How good do you think you have been in the past at LISTENING to other peOple in an UNDERSTANDING way? Possible responses No. of responses Very Good 12 Fairly Good 35 80-80 11 Not Very Good 2 Poor 0 6. Do you think that participating in the workshOp has helped you learn to listen to other peOple in an understanding way? Possible responses No. of reSponses Definitely 43 Probably 13 Maybe 4 I rather doubt it 0 No 0 79 7. Did you get any ideas at the retreat about how you could change your behavior toward other people IF YOU WANTED TO? Possible reSponses No. of reSponses I got some clear, definite ideas 25 I got some beginning ideas I can think about if I want to 29 I got some pretty general ideas, but they're pretty fuzzy 5 I didn't really get any ideas about how I could change if I wanted to l 8. How worthwhile do you feel the retreat was for you? Possible responses No. of reSponseS Very Worthwhile 42 Worthwhile 12 80-80 4 Fairly Worthwhile 2 It was a complete waste of time 0 Secondary School Students Responses related to agenda desig§'-’Questions No. 9, No. 10, No. 11, and No. 12 Responses to each question are again divided into categories with the number of responses given for each. The population Size of secondary school students was Sixty. However, as with the pre- service teacher responses, reSpondentS indicated more than one category in answer to a question in some cases, and in others they gave no response at all. Therefore, the number of responses totals more than Sixty for some questions and less than that for others. 80 9. Would you have preferred certain changes in the retreat agenda? If your answer is "yes," please explain: Thirty-one respondents (52 percent of the 66 total) reported "no changes desired." The respondents who did indicate desired changes did so in the following categories: Categories of desired change No. of responses Less small group meetings or time 9 Less interruptions of small group activities 4 More time to be alone 4 Longer period of time for entire experience 4 Freedom to switch groups or opportunity to be in more than one group 3 More planned physical activity 3 Simulation game should have been played* 3 More small group meetings or time 2 More activities similar to Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 2 ** Smaller small groups 1 These suggestions are from the first retreat where the simula- tion had been planned, but was not played due to the "Open" staff meeting. Also from first retreat where small group Size was larger than on second. 81 10. Please describe the experience that was, for you, the most meaningful time during the retreat. Categories of reSponses No. of reSponses Talking with, listening to, and working with other peOple 31 A particular small group activity (a walk with one's small group, an interpersonal sharing activity, preparation of meal, etc.) 13 Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 5 Sunday morning appreciation session 4 Free time -- where I could talk, play cards or ping-pong with people outside my small group 3 Talking to an outstanding Staff member who is a secondary school teacher 3 Saturday night dance 2 Preparation and presentation of skits 1 Ride to camp 1 Singing 1 It is interesting to note that the first half of these categories fit almost exactly with the first half of categories on the preservice teachers' responses to this question. 82 11. Please describe the experience in which you felt most COMFORTABLE during the retreat. Categories of responses No. of responses Talking with others in groups of two and three or on a one-to-one basis 23 Activities with others outside my small group (hikes, playing cards, ping-pong, etc.) 9 Activities sepcifically in small group sessions 6 Saturday night dance 4 Preparing meals with my group 4 Singing 4 Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 3 Planning and presenting the skits 3 Sunday morning appreciation session 3 Outdoor recreational activities 2 Meal Sharing Friday night 2 In responses to this question, the preservice teachers and secondary school Students most closely match on the first category -- Talking with others -- and the second one -- Activities with others outside small groups. 83 12. Please describe the experience in which you felt most UNCOMFORTABLE during the retreat. Categories of responses NO. of responses * Simulation game 10 Upon arrival Friday afternoon 6 One particular exercise or discussion in my small group 6 Transition between activities 6 Saturday afternoon "Open" staff meeting** 5 Presentation of skits (stage fright) 4 Some portion of the Friday night "Get Acquainted" or "Awareness" exercises 4 Speaking up in a community meeting 2 Ride to camp 2 Saturday night dance A 1 Sunday morning appreciation session 1 Ten of the secondary school respondents indicated that they were unable to think of a single experience in which they had been uncomfortable during the weekend. The "Simulation game" reaction was anticipated. AS was discussed in Chapter III, the language used for the game was observed as being on a higher level than the secondary school students were able to handle. There is a close match between the preservice teachers and the secondary school students in the category "one particular exercise * occurred on second retreat only ** occurred on first retreat only 84 or discussion in my small group." A unique relationship which the staff of Education 327 has with the MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing offered a serendipitous evaluation of the effects of the retreat experience upon the junior-high school age students who participated. As mentioned in Chapter II, all of the junior-high school age partic- ipants were chosen from that particular school. Both administrators and at least six of the teachers there are well acquainted with and frequently work with the Education 327 staff. This situation afforded an Opportunity for a sizable portion (at least twenty) of junior- high school age students to be Observed in a school setting after the retreat experience. Both administrators and teachers at MacDonald reported that these students evidenced Specific behavior changes upon their return to school. According to these informal reports, the students who had attended the retreats seemed to: 1) relate better to other students than prior to the experience; 2) relate better to their teachers than prior to the experience; and 3) be more self-directed in their classroom learning activities than before. Conclusion In this chapter the various written reactions of the secondary preservice teachers and secondary school students to the weekend retreat experience have been examined in detail. The program, for the most part, accomplished what it was hOped it would accomplish. There appears to be significant change in attitude of the partic- ipants over the course of the weekend. Additionally, the experience 85 was seen by most of those present as being worthwhile and meaningful. Specifically, preservice secondary teachers seemed more willing to treat students as human beings, less inclined toward the Strict, autocratic role of teaching, and more comfortable in the presence of young people as a result of the experience. Secondary students, specifically, found the experience to be satisfying and meaningful and seemed to be more inclined to view teachers also as human beings. Chapter V of this thesis will further present a summary of the weekend retreat experience involving preservice secondary teachers and secondary school students, some generalizations which can be ‘made relative to the experience, inherent limitations to this type of study, and implications for teacher training programs. CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION The primary objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a program for improving the attitudes of preservice teachers toward adolescents. Attitude toward Students was seen as a critical factor in determining the success or failure of a teacher's instruction. The atmOSphere which prevails in a class- room was deemed to be as important in teaching the cognitive skills, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs as any other aspect of instructional methodology implemented by a teacher. Yet, preservice secondary teachers often enter their student teaching experience lacking realistic concepts about the nature of their students. To provide an opportunity for preservice teachers to engage in personal interaction with secondary school students before their student teaching experience and outside a classroom atmosphere, 3 weekend workshop in the form of a camp retreat was designed and con- ducted as an element of a general secondary methods course (Education 327) required of all secondary preservice teachers at Michigan State University. The workshOp experience involved both preservice teachers and secondary School students as participants and was conducted at a camp located approximately eighty miles from the university campus. The major concern of this thesis was the design and implementa- tion of an education program. Thus, this thesis is a case study of 86 87 the design and implementation process. The assessment of this process is carried out through a comparison of the expected events and char- acteristics of participants with the actual events as they occurred, and the peOple as they took part. Some focus is on the reported changes in attitudes, and the reactions of the participants, as out- comes, but major attention is given to design and implementation outcomes as well. Chapter I of this study presents a theoretical justification for the development and implementation of the weekend retreat experience, and the logistical and design problems inherent in the preparation are described in Chapter 11. Chapter III gives a chronological account of the activities during the weekend experience, and Chapter IV describes and analyzes the reactions of the participants to the experience. Limitations of the Study 1) All preservice teachers who participated in this eXperience were volunteers. Different results might have been obtained had the Students been chosen randomly, or had the experience been required of all students. It is conceivable that all pre- service teachers need this type of experience; but, that is not to say that all preservice teachers would benefit from it to the extent that volunteers would. 2) It is also important to note the relationship between the kinds of secondary school students present on the retreat and the kinds of attitude changes reported. The secondary school students were also volunteers. As such, they were already inclined toward establishing better relationships with the teaching community. 88 Additionally, except for the Grand Rapids students, they came from schools which operate in a progressive vein. These Students probably did not represent "reality" as most of the preservice teachers will find it when they enter a classroom Situation. However, the retreat experience was designed as one in which preservice teachers would acquire positive attitudes toward secondary school students. As such, the presence of adolescents with a prOpensity for positive interaction was a necessity. Conclusions and Implications for Teacher Education 1. The weekend retreat program appears to have accomplished what it was intended to accomplish. With respect to the preparation phase, there is no practical necessity for altering the procedure used for selection of participants -- either college or secondary school. The fact that the MSU staff had a strong, working relation- ship with a number of teachers and both administrators at MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing, provided valuable support and credibility to the program. One of those teachers who knew the junior-high students well attended each of the retreats and worked as a liason between parents and staff. Her experience and under- standing of these students proved helpful to all of the retreat participants. The manner in which the preservice teachers were chosen for the experience seems also valid. Certainly, when the goal of a program is to provide interaction experiences between preservice teachers and secondary school Students, the preservice teachers with the least amount of experience in this area Should be given priority in selection. 89 In looking at the agenda design, the structure and sequence of activities proved effective in achieving the desired goal -- that of Optimum interaction between participants. In some areas, minor changes do seem desirable. If standard input is to be used for the community meetings, that input has to be carefully designed in order that it is comprehensible to all present. More planned physical activity also seems to be desirable, and Small group size needs to be carefully regulated to insure maximum discussion opportunities for each participants. Ideally, the small group Size Should be no larger than eight. 2. The use of former college-age participants as staff members proved to be highly successful. Not only did it provide effective small group leadership, it created an identification with the teacher preparation program which these students might not have acquired without it. Staff members are needed for the retreat experience who have had some training in conflict resolution or crisis intervention. This was, in some cases, noticeable in the lack of experience of the college-age staff, but did not, in the end, seriously jeopardize the program. On occasion, when conflict occurs, people need to face it and deal with it readily, with effectiveness and skill. Such training, where available, would only add to the effectiveness of the program. The extent to which the senior Staff members were necessarily involved with mundane details such as kitchen duties and general camp maintenance detracted from their coordinating and interaction functions. It would be advisable in other programs to provide 90 specific staff assignments covering those areas, thus freeing the senior staff for educational functions. 3. Results of the study indicate that most preservice teachers were initially negatively biased toward their potential students, despite having experience the usual prOpaganda in their more conventional program prior to the retreat. As evidenced by the reactions described in Chapter IV, the retreat experience was successful in producing desired changes in attitudes among the pre- service teachers. College Students, following the retreat, seemed more willing to view adolescents as human beings, seemed less in- clined toward a teacher-centered style of teaching, and reported gaining self-confidence in their ability to relate to secondary school students. Additionally, the secondary school students involved found the experience to be both satisfying and enlightening. They de- velOped more positive attitudes toward, and acceptance of, teachers in general. Experience with the program indicates that public school Students benefit from interaction with adults in many of the same ways preservice teachers benefit from contacts with adolescents. Such experiences are a desirable addition to public school curricula. 4. The question usually arises as to whether an experimental program can or Should be implemented at other institutions under different circumstances. Certainly there is much to be said for the fact that any program which is developed by a Staff which is highly motivated and commited to it, as was the case here, has a better chance for success than if implemented by a staff with lesser involvement and investment. At the same time this study amply 91 justifies the recommendation that other teacher education programs include similar experiences in their curricula. The retreat pro- gram demands a substantial investment of talent, energy and staff time. The results of the two weekends which were the subject of this study indicate that such an investment produced results far more satisfactory and Significant than usually reported in other, more conventional programs. One reservation, however, bears mentioning. Some of the human relations laboratories currently being used in other teacher education programs employ pre-packaged, programmed materials. Our experience indicates that the kind of experience we worked with should not be tightly programmed or packaged. Although the agendas for both retreats initially were substantially the same, on each occasion portions of the design were necessarily redesigned during the weekend to fit the needs of different groups and different communities. This flexibility is essential to the success of the program, and is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with a programmed package. Afterword Many of the staff struggled to find a way to describe the nature of the community which develOped on the weekend retreats. In many ways it was an artificial one, but it achieved, for many, a warmth and humanity seldom found in schools, public or college. In searching through the literature, the following quotation was discovered. It seems to say it all, and becomes a fitting closing to this thesis: 92 You are not going to find freedom without community. You must have peOple who believe in it with you, Or you cannot hold it. It is too difficult! You've got to have peOple who stand beside you. You've got to have peOple who Share your vision. You've got to have those who will support you When you get tired, and when you're frightened, And when the pain is too much, And when the lure of comfort is too great. You've got to have somebody there to jolt you, To provoke you, to antagonize you, to inSpire you. We may not live long enough To create a human race of free human beings; But all those who have ever loved freedom Have found each other when they could -- That's the only way they were able to keep going. You can't do it alone. The question again arises "How many of us do we need?" How many were the peOple who dreamed the dream of freedom In days past? In ancient days, and days of unheaval and doubt and despair? How many have continued to hold the dream through until this day? How many were the peOple who believed enough in freedom To go to prison and to death for it in England; To create the traditions of freedom, equality, justice, and democracy that belong to us? How many were they? They were very few indeed. But they found each other. And out of that glorious Vision There came a community of strength That enabled them to carry on. 1 Littlefair, Duncan E. "How to Find Freedom for Yourself." Freedom (Sermon Series) Extension Service, Fountain Street Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Spring 1971, pp. 118-119. B IBLI OGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Baird, Hugh. "ISTEP: A.Program which Integrates Interaction and Design." Technical Report No. 11, February 1970, p. 4. Berelson, Bernard and Steiner, Gary A. Human Behavior -- Ag Inventory of Scientific Findings. (New York: 'Harcourt, Brace & World, 1964), p. 568. Bradford, Leland P. and others. T-Grosp Theory and_Laboratory Method. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1965), p. 193. Calliotte, James A. "Initial Attempts at Developing Appropriate Human Relations Experiences for Potential Teachers." Paper presented at American Personnel & Guidance Association Con- vention, Atlantic City, N.J., March 1971, p. 1. Combs, Arthur W. The Professiopal Education of Teachers. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1965), p. 104. Dewey, John. Experience and Education. (New York: The Macmillan Company , 1 938) . Houston Competency-Based Teacher Center: Overview and Prpgram Description. Developed by a Consortium composed of: Univ. of Houston, Houston School District, Region IV Educational Service, and the Houston Teachers Association; Houston, Texas, 1972, p. 1. Mentley, Marc C. Some Relationships Between Personality, Class Selection Characteristics and Teacher Attitude Change of Secondary Teachinngethods Students. (Doctoral Thesis, Michigan State University, 1971). Pfeiffer, J. William and Jones, John E. Structured Experiences for Human Relations Taaining, Vol. 111. (Iowa City, Iowa: University Associates Press, 1970), pp. 108-118. Sanford, Nevitt. Self and Society, Social Change and Individual Development. (New York: Atherton Press, 1966), pp. 44 and 45. Stake, Robert E. "The Countenance of Educational Evaluation," Teachers College Record, 1967, Vol. 68, pp. 523-540. 93 94 The Individualiged, Competency-Based System of Teacher Education at Weber State College, Caseel Burke for the AACTE Committee on Performance-Based Teacher Education, Washington, D.C., March 1972, p. 9. Watson, Goodwin. "What Do We Know About Learning?" Revolgtion in Teachingd New Theory,_Technology,,spdeurricula. (New York: Bantam Books, 1964). Alfred De Grazis and David A. Sohn, eds. RELATED THEORETICAL REFERENCES Biddle, Bruce J. and Thomas, Edwin J. (editors). Role Thepgy. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1966). Burton, Arthur. Encounter. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1969). Hare, A. Paul, Borgatta, Edgar F. and Bales, Robert F. Small Groups. GNew York: Alfred A. Knofp, 1955). Johnson, David W. The Social Psychology of Education. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970). McConnel, James V. Persuasion and Behavioral Chapgg, An un- published monograph. (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1959), pp. 64-65. Schein, Edgar H. and Bannis, Warren G. Personal and Organigational Chapge Through Group Methods. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1965). Schmuch, Richard, Chesler, Mark and Lippitt, Ronald. Problem Solving to Improve Classroom'Learning. S.R.A. 1966. The third volume (88 pp.) in the series of S.R.A. pamphlets. Schmuck, Richard A. and Schmuck, Patricia A. Group Processes in the Classrogg. University of Oregon. “a! PAH; The Dynamics of Instructional Groups - Fifty-ninth yearbook. National Society for the Study of Education. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960). Thelen, Herbert A. Dynamics of Grosps at Work. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1954). Thibaut, John W. and Kelley, Harold H. The Social Psychology of Groups. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1959). 95 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES CONTAINING TECHNIQUES GAMES, EXERCISES, ETC. POTENTAILLY HELPFUL TO THOSE ATTEMPTING SIMILAR PROGRAMS Alschula, Alfred S., Tabor, Diane, and McIntyre, James. Teaching Achievement Motivation. (Middletown, Connecticut: Education Ventures, Inc., 1971). Borton, Terry. Reach, Touch, and Teach. (New York: McGraw Hill, 1970). Brown, George Isaac. Human Teaching for Human Learning: An Introduction to Confluent Edusgtion. (New York: Viking Press, 1971). Chesler, Mark and Fox, Robert. Role-Playing Methods in the Class- room. (Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1966). One of three companion pamphlets (86 pp.) which are specifically designed to apply research in the field to the Special uses of teachers. This is one of the easiest to understand, straightforward, guides, providing both theory, and practical uses of this technique. Any teacher who plans to use role- playing in the classroom Should have this handbook at their fingertips. . Fox, Robert, Luszki, Margaret and Schmuck, Richard. Diagnosing Classroom Learning Environments. (Chicago: S.R.A., 1966). Another basic pamphlet (131 pp.) somewhat oriented to the elementary classroom, but providing many techniques for diagnosing phenomena loosely defin d as group behavior in the classroom. Johnson, David W. Reaching:0ut. (Englewood Cliffs, N.Y.: Prentice- Hall, Inc., 1972). new S‘fiifi‘?‘ .‘r ‘1 Laboratories in Human Relations Training (A Reading Book). (Washing- ton, D.C.: National Education Association, 1969). Lifton, Walter M. Working With Groups. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1966). A basic practical guide to various ways of using group process to enhance the educational effectiveness of your L— classroom. This book is one of the most concise and helpful volumes for the average teacher. Nylen, Donald, Mitchell, J. Robert and Stout, Anthony. Handbook of Staff Development and Regan Relations Training: Materials DevelOped for Use in Africa. (Washington: National Training Laboratories, 1967). Probably the best example of the blending of theory and practice in group work. This paperback provides specific exercises, along with workshop and laboratory designs, which can easily be adapted to the public school setting. 96 Pfeiffer, J. William and Jones, JOhn E. A.Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training. Vols. I, II and III. A vast collection of particularly effective exercises for helping peOple look at group and individual behavior, thoughts and feelings. Indispensible for the group oriented teacher. Must be ordered directly from the authors at University Assoc. Press, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 52240. Raths, Louis E., Harmin, Merrill, Simon, Sidney B. Values and Teaching. (Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill, 1966). Reidhert, Richard. Self-awareness Through Group Dynamics. (Dayton, Ohio, George A. Pflaum, 1970). Spolin, Vida. Improvisation for the Theater. (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1963). The World of Troubled Youth Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge. (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison- Wesley Publishing Co., 1967). APPENDICE S APPENDIX 1. APPENDIX 2. APPENDIX 3. APPENDIX 4. APPENDIX 5. APPENDIX 6. APPENDIX 7. APPENDIX 8. Appendix 9. APPENDICES Original Description of Retreat Given to Potential College Participants Application Form - College Participants Follow-up Information Sheet Sent to College Participants Application Form - Secondary School Participants Letter to Parents Follow-up Letter to Secondary School Students Menus Food List Participant Folder (Includes Roster and Agenda) 97 98 OPTION III RETREAT WEEKEND WORKSHOP This is an extended "Weekend at Camp" workshOp experience in- tended primarily for students who have not had contact with secondary school students for the past few years. Senior- and junior-high students from the Lansing and Grand Rapids area schools will participate in the workshops along with Education 327 students. Two weekends are available: A. Friday, February 18,43:00,p.m. until Sunday, February 20, 4:00 p.m. B. Friday, March 3, 3:00 p.m. until Sunday,,March 5, 4:00 p.m. The site is Camp Manitou-Lin on Barlow Lake outside of Grand Rapids. Transportation will be provided by bus. To cover the cost of meals, lodging, and trsnsportation for Education 327 students and theyypungypeOple who will benparticipating_in this workshop, it will be necessary to charge a fee of $10. The format will be structured, but informal. It is designed to provide an Opportunity for you to get to know the kinds of concerns and problems of secondary Students today. It is not designed as a T-Group,EXperience. Informal rap sessions around a variety of current tOpics, simulation games, community tasks, such as meal preparation, and interpersonal sharing exercises make up the buld of the activities. There will also be time for recreation, campfire activities, skits, and sleep. Those who select this option will receive full course credit upon completion of the following requirements: (1) Attendance at gng of the weekend workshOps. (2) Attendance at the following workshops offered on campus: Problems of the Underachiever (double session--two nights) Teacher-Student Relationships (one night) (3) Completion of evaluation forms following the weekend workshop. If you are interested in choosing this option to complete the requirements for this course, complete the application form attached to this handout and turn it in at the end of this lecture session or in the Education 327 office (324 Erickson) n2 later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, January 11. The rosters for the two weekends will be posted at registration. You shouldycome to registration prepared to elect other options in the event that you are not selected for either of the two weekends. EACH OF THESE WEEKEND RETREAT WORKSHOPS IS LIMITED TO 40 MSU STUDENTS. SELECTION WILL BE MADE ON THE BASIS OF DATA SUPPLIED IN THE APPLICA- TION FORM, AND WILL BE OPEN TO ALTERNATES ONLY IN THE EVENT SOMEONE ON THE ORIGINAL LIST CANNOT ATTEND. FEE IS PAYABLE ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE 0F SCHEDULED WORKSHOP. 99 APPLICATION FORM RETREAT WEEKEND WORKSHOP Name: Student No.: Local Address: Phone: Sex: Age: Where did you go to high School? About how many students were in your senior class? What per cent of your graduating class went on to college? Would you describe your high school as primarily Rural Suburban Urban/Small Town Urban/Large City Other (explain) Subject Area Major: Minor: Which subject area methods course are you taking? When are you going to do your student teacher? What is your first choice of weekends? Please describe experiences you have had with young people in the last three years: " '..'.‘!‘|.' C 100 To: All 327 students attending the retreat workshOps. The following information is for those attending as participants. Identical information has been provided to all high school and junior high students, as well as all staff personnel attending each of the workshOps winter term, 1972. Transportation. Buses will transport all participants to and from retreat site. Private transportation will not be allowed. There will be one or more university station wagons used to transport equipment and food, and to serve as emergency vehicles during the weekend, but no private cars will be allowed. Buses will leave Erickson Hall at 3:00 Friday afternoon, and will return by 4:00 on Sunday. It would be necessary, therefore, for students to arrive somewhat before that to load gear, etc., so that we can leave promptly. Eggipment. You will need to bring the following kinds of things, Ell rolled up in your bedroll, limiting each person to one item of luggage plus a musical instrument, if desired: Bedroll or sleeping bag Warm outer clothing Boots Change of clothes toilet articles *camera *musical instrument (pan-electric) sack lunch for two (2) If you do not have a sleeping bag, simply make a bed roll with some twine, a couple of blankets and sheets. we will be sleeping in winterized quarters, but cannot guarantee conditions beyond that. Participants may not bring to camp, or use durigg the weekend, alcohol, drugs (excepting those required by prescription by a Physician), firearms, fireworks, or other illegal substance or item. Conduct on the part of participants is expected to reflect credit on themselves and Michigan State University, and will not be permitted to jeopardize our program or to violate the rights and persons of those present. Fees. The $10.00 participant fee is payable in room 324 any time prior to the weekend before the retreat. Format. Detailed format descriptions, agendas, rosters, and supplemental information where required will be available to all participants upon arrival at camp. There will probably not be time for studying while we are gone, nor is the program designed for that purpose. The tentative agenda keeps us very busy with a variety of activities from early morning until late evening. Visitors will not only be detrimental to the total program design, but are not included in budgeting estimates, and will not be permitted without the expressed permission from Sam Corl prior to the weekend. Telpphone. For emergency use only, the camp phone is 616-795-9477. * Optional items 101 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY am LANSING - mcmom 43323 COLLEGE OF IDUCATION o DIPARMNT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM - BRICKSON HALL January 4, 1971 To: Interested Lansing and Grand Rapids area students and parents. From: Samuel S. Corl, Ph. D. Subject: Retreat Weekend Workshops Beginning Winter Term, 1972, secondary education students will be offered the opportunity to attend one of 2 camping retreats with Senior and Junior High young people. These workshops will be held Feb. 18-20 and Mar. 3-5 at YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin on Barlow Lake, 20 min. south of Grand Rapids. The format will be structured but very informal. It is designed to provide an opportunity for college students preparing to be secondary teachers to get to know the kinds of concerns and problems facing young people today. It will not be an encounter group design. Informal "rap" sessions around a variety of current topics, simulation games, community tasks (such as meal preparation) and interpersonal sharing exercises make up the bulk of the activities. There will also be time for recreation, campfire acti- vities, skits and sleep. Staff will be under the direction of the Depart- ment of Secondary Education and Curriculum, Michigan State University. A representative agenda for Saturday's program might look like: 7:00 Wake-up (one group prepares breakfast) 8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Community Meeting -- film: "The Eye of the Beholder." What does it mean when people see the same thing differently? What kinds of conflict do we find ourselves in because of this phenomenon? 10:00 Recreational Activity 10:45 Snack 11:00 Discussion Groups (one group prepared lunch) 12:15 Lunch 1:00 Discussion Groups (one group cleans up from lunch) 2:15 Community Meeting -- simulation, "Community." What is a community? What obligations do people have to each other because they live together? Is a school a community? 4:00 Recreation 5:00 Discussion Groups (one group prepares dinner) 6:15 Dinner 7:15 Discussion Groups (one group cleans up from dinner) 8:30 Campfire -- skits, singing, recap. of day 11:00 Day's End High school and junior high school students from Lansing and Grand Rapids areas will participate. The progpam is not a part of public school activities. It is entirely under the auspices of Michigan State University. 30888 will transport all students taking part to and from.the camp setting -- private transportation will not be allowed. Buses will leave Erickson 102 Hall in East Lansing at 3:00 Friday afternoon, pick up Grand Rapids area students at a central location at about 4:15, arrive at camp between 4:45 and 5:00. Grand Rapids students will be returned to a central location at or before 2:00 Sunday - Lansing area young people will arrive at Erickson Hall between 3:30 and 4:00 (or earlier) Sunday. High school and junior high students will not be charged for the retreat. They should bring a bed-roll or sleeping bag, warm outer clothing appropriate for a winter camping experience (we will sleep inside winterized buildings), extra clothing for 2 days in a camp setting, toilet articles, and, if desired, a musical instrument (guitar, banjo, or other non-electric instrument due to camp current requirements) camera, etc. Applications must be signed by student and parent(s). Participants may not bripg to camp, or use duripgpthe weekend, alcohol, drugs (excepting those required by prescription by a Physician), firearms, fireworks, or other illegal substance or item. Private automobiles are not allowed (there will be a University station wagon available for staff use in the event of an emergency). Conduct on the part of participants is expected to reflect credit on themselves, their family, and will not be permitted to jeopardize programs of.Michigan State University, or to violate the rights and persons of those present. Interested students should secure applications from the College of Education, 324 Erickson Ball, Michigan State University, or contact Dr. Samuel S. Corl at 517-355-1786 Applications should be in our office no later than February 8,,1972. Persons will be selected on the basis of first-come-first-served, and an attempt will be made to maintain a reasonably even male-female ratio among participants. 103 Application Form Retreat Weekend Workshop Michigan State University Name Age Address Phone School Attended Grade Parent/Guardian Address (if different) Hobbies: Future Plans: Do you have any significant medical problems (illness, handicap, physical limitation of any kind)? What is the name and telephone number of your family doctor? Which weekend would you like to attend: February 18-20 March 3-5 I understand the purpose and conditions of the M.S.U. retreat program, and if accepted I will abide by the rules and regulations established by the M.S.U. staff. I will also participate to the fullest extent possible in the program and activities scheduled. Student's Signature I have read the material attached to this application, and understand the program as outlined. I hereby give permission for my child to attend this workshop, and aggree to release Michigan State University and its agent staff from all liability for injury or damage to this young person or his property not resulting from gross negligence on the part of aforementioned staff persons. Parent's Signature(s) 104 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY am umsmo - madam 43323 COLLEGE OE EDUCATION 0 DEPAR'I'HENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CURRICULW - ERICKSON HALL Dear Parent: There has been a good bit of talk lately about quality education. At Michigan State University we believe that quality education begins with excellence in teaching. In an effort to provide our undergraduate "teachers-to-be" with a more rigorous background prior to student teaching we are instituting a number of programs, not only to assure greater competency in the teaching of subject matter, but also to assure that our graduates have a deepened understanding of young people, their concerns, ideas, and feelings. Some college students preparing to be teachers have had very limited contact with high school or junior high young people. We have a number of ways, prior to student teaching, that our students can gain significant experience with youngsters approximating the age of those they will face in the classroom. One of these experiences is the "Retreat WorkshOp," which is described on the attached sheet. These workshops have formerly been available only to Lansing area students. We are hoping that at least half of the young people who participate this term can be West Michigan area residents. Each workshop involves about 40 M.S.U. students, 30 public-school-age youngsters, and 10 M.S.U. staff members. The workshops are staffed by extremely capable persons. There are 5 senior staff members, each with extensive experience in schools and with teens: Dr. Samuel S. Corl -- Assistant Professor of Education at Michigan State University. 17 years experience with high school and junior high young people. Formerly teacher, Grand Rapids Public Schools; Program Director for Michigan YMCA Camp Hayo-Went-Ha; faculty member at Kalamazoo College and The University of Michigan; formerly youth director, Ann Arbor Congregational Church. Married, one child. Frederick Briscoe -- Senior Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University. Formerly teacher, Marquette public schools, staff member Northern Michigan University. 17 years experience with young people; Program Director of Bay Cliff Camp for handicapped children, teacher East Lansing Public Schools. Katherine Radcliffe - Senior Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University. Formerly_teacher of high school speech and communication arts, 6 years experience with youth work, married, 2 children. 105 Sarah Boling - Senior Graduate Assistant, Michigan State University. Formerly teacher of business subjects and mathematics. 10 years experience with young people in.Mississippi and Michigan. Married, 2 children. Rev. Paige Birdwell -- Associate Minister, Edgewood United Church, East Lansing, Michigan. Graduate Studies, Chicago Theological Seminary, Director of Religious Education and Youth Program at Edgewood Church; Doctoral Student, Higher Education, Michigan State University, married, one child. We would very much like to have your young person be a part of our program. There is no charge to teenagers who participate -- they perform a service for M.S.U. students by their presence, and this is tuition enough. We do feel, however, that those Lansing area young people who have been a part of our program previously have returned home with a much more constructive view of themselves, school and teachers. There is no question as to the benefit to our college students. Perhaps, too, a reminder would be helpful. This is NOT an encounter-group experience. It takes the form of current events discussions, games, task activities such as preparing a meal or cleaning up a kitchen, and casual, informal "rep" or discussion sessions. so do have rules -- serious ones, to protect not only Michigan State University and our program, but also each individual person who is a part of our "community" for the weekend. I would be happy to discuss any part of our program with you, either by phone or in person. Most especially we would welcome your young person to our program. If you are interested, please have your young person complete the application enclosed and return it, either to the person from whom he received it, or to: Dr. S. S. Corl College of Education 324 Erickson Hall Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan 48823 If you have any questions, please contact me at my office, 517-355-1786. Samuel S. Corl, Ph. D. Assistant Professor of Education 106 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY EAST umsmo- madam «an course OF EDUCATION - DEPARTUENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM 0 ERICKSON HALL Dear We are especially glad that you will be a part of our workshOp program! I hope that you will find the weekend as helpful to you as I am sure it will be to our students at Michigan State. I have enclosed some additional information, including where we will pick you up on Friday, and where you will be dropped off on Sunday. Hopefully you will share this, and all other information about the weekend, with your family, and if there are any questions you will call me and reverse the charges. While we would like to be able to include visitors in our program, the facilities at the camp, and the specific design of the weekend make that, for the most part, impossible. Thus, I have informed our students that visitors will not be allowed unless they are cleared with me specifically prior to the weekend. The telephone at Camp Manitou-Lin, for emergency use, is 616-795-9477. If your family needs you during that weekend, they should call that number, but because of the nature of the telephone billing there collect calls cannot be accepted. Again, it is a pleasure to have you aboard; I am looking forward to meeting you soon! Sincerely, Sam Corl Assistant Professor 107 MENUS Retreat Weekend - February 18, 19, 20 Friday Night Sack lunch Milk and/or Kool Ade type stuff Saturday breakfast Oatmeal and/or dry cereal Toast and jelly Orange juice Coffee and/or milk Mid-morningVSnack Doughnuts Hot chocolage Lunch (Saturday) Goulash Green Salad Kool Ade and/or Milk Saturday Dinner Baked Ham Baked potatoes Green Beans Rolls Jello Dessert Coffee or Milk or Kool-Ade SundayrBreakfast French toast Bacon Orange Juice Coffee or Milk Sunday Lgnch Sandwiches (Make your own) Peanut butter and jelly Salami -- Ham -- Bologna -- Cheese and anything else left over! Snacks (Miscellaneous) Fresh fruit Cookies 108 Food List - Retreat Weekend February 18, 19, 20 Ten dozen doughnuts (from Dawn Doughnuts thru Food Services) 36 half-gallons milk (fresh) 3 large boxes oatmeal l 25 lb. bag sugar (white) 1 4 1b. sack brown sugar 1 sack coffee (10 lbs.) 2 #10 cans tomato sauce 1 #10 can tomatoes 1 20 1b. box macaroni 15 lbs. ground beef 12 heads lettuce 3 stalks celery 3 lbs. carrots 6 cucumbers 1 qt. olive oil 3 bottles wine vinegar 3 12-14 lb. hams 80 baking potatoes (Idahoes) 3 #10 cans cut green beans 1 case cloverleaf rolls 3 one-pound boxes strawberry jello Cake mix and canned icing (5 lb. and 1 lb.) 1 5 1b. box frozen egg vantage 28 loaves pullman white bread 14 lbs. bacon 2 large jars peanut butter 18 lbs. margarine 1 #10 can raspberry jelly l #10 can grape jelly Case assorted dry cereal 2 boxes dry hot chocolate mix 5 lbs. bologna 5 lbs. salami 2 loaves (5 lbs.) sliced cheese 2 tubes juice cups (lOO/tube) 10 tubes paper coffee cups (SO/tube) 2 tubes 7 oz. cups for kool ade (SO/tube) packages napkins (large) gal. Miracle Whip gal. mustard can Crisco (3 lb.) 40 1b. box bananas box oranges (88) bushel apples large packages marshmallows NUID-‘l-‘HHHHN cases dry fruit juice mix Spices for goulash and salad dressing cookies ‘— 4 J paper towels e1 paint brush carving utensils 109 Though you have shelters and institutions, Precarious lodgings while the rent is paid, Subsiding basements where the rat breeds Or sanitary dwellings with numbered doors Or a house a little better than your neighbour's; When the Stranger says: "What is the meaning of this city? 00 you huddle close together because you love each other?" What will you answer? "We all dwell together To make money from each other"? or "This is a community"? Choruses from "The Rock" T. S. Eliot 110 Hi! Welcome to our camp community. This weekend we will be doing many things together -- some of them tasks which need to be done to help us "survive," some of them just for the sake of having something to share to help us get to know one another. What you take away from this weekend will depend a great deal on your own involvement in activities, your capacity to listen to another person, and your need to understand and be understood. We hope you will find something in our community to make you happy, glad and enlivened. There may also be things which make you sad, uncomfortable or frustrated. Sometimes the happiness and the frustration will be part of the same experience. That is the nature of an human community. Perhaps we can learn to cherish both the good and the bad as essential to human growth, though within the next two days a simple start would be a giant step. At least we have come to try. And WE hope to be able to help, though many times you'll have to help us understand HOW to help. We hope to be supportive, trusting, Open and honest. At very least we are grateful for the opportunity to know each other. Sam Sarah Paige Kathy Scott Doranne Bob Bob Lexa Ellen Rick Craig Pam Allegra Dale Dupi Gini Dennis Andy John Teri Rick Amy 111 AGENDA Immediately upon arrival we will move personal baggage to sleeping quarters and report to the lodge for supper. The evening meal is provided by the M.S.U. students in the form of sack lunches. :00 :00 :00 \OCDN 0:45 l2:30 l:l5 2:30 4:00 5:00 7zl5 8:30 I:OO 7:00 8:00 9:00 0:30 l2:00 |:00 Supper Community Meeting Get Acquainted Recreation Discussion Group Meetings Retiring Hour Saturday Wakeup Breakfast Community Meeting Simulation Exercise: "Community Crisis" Recreation Discussion Groups Lunch Discussion Groups Community Meeting "Help, My Snowman's Burning Down!" Recreation - Discussion Groups Dinner Discussion Groups Campfire Retiring Hour Sunday Wakeup Breakfast Community Enclosure Discussion Groups Lunch Departure 112 A word about... COMMUNITY MEETINGS A community meeting is designed to serve two main purposes. First, it is a time for any member of the community to raise issues which he or she might feel are important to all present. Second, it is a time when we can look at some common problems through some input provided by leaders. For example, a simulation activity might be used to generate data for discussion in small groups, or in the community as a whole. DISCUSSION GROUPS Discussion groups are organized to provide for a mixture of ages and interests. Included in the groups are persons who have had prior group leadership experience. They may offer help from time to time, when the small group seems to be running out of energy. It is the intent of the weekend experience that groups evolve quite naturally with respect to process and content Of discussions. You may wish to deal with topics raised during community meetings, or to pursue issues of special concern to the small group members. Or, perhaps, you would just like to go for a walk. Whatever your direction, it should be determined by the small group, and will not be imposed from outside. MEALS Small discussion groups will be paired to prepare meals and clean up after meals. The particular meal assignments are on the following page. RULES There are a minimum of rules imposed on us by virtue of the nature of the camp and the surrounding terrain. One of the important considerations is the spring-fed lake, a condition which makes the safety of the ice cover questionable. We have been advised that it would be wise to remain off the ice. We hope you'll respect this safety regulation. Other than that rule and common consideration for others, especially late at night, issues of concern to the community may be handled during community meetings. 113 MEAL ASSIGNMENTS The kitchen will be supervised by a member of the YMCA staff and at least one member of the M.S.U. staff. Menus are planned carefully, and portion control is essential. Only that fOOd specifically listed for a meal can be used then unless saw or Sarah agree on a change of menu. The serving group is responsible fOr preparation Of the meal, setting tables, serving food, and staffing the kitchen during the meal. The cleanup group is responsible fOr clearing tables, washing dishes, sweeping the dining hall and kitchen, and cleaning all counter surfaces in the kitchen, as well as washing table tops in the dining hall. MEAL SERVING CLEANUP Saturday Breakfast 1 3 saturday Lunch 2 4 saturday Dinner 3 5 Sunday Breakfast 4 l sunday Lunch 5 2 114 ROSTER Group l-A Daniel Aebig Brenda Ball Barbara Cranmer Scott Houseman Joanne Martin Sheila McGee William Palmiter Kathy Radcliffe Missy Steiner Group 2-A Lexa Bielecki Robert Bufe Bob DuBois Deborah Forro Judy Mercier Meg Potter Wendy Pound Gail Persons Cathy Samuels Group 3-A Rick Ast Larry Chapman Carol Gates Craig Hilleary Sharon Hukill Kathy McGee Joanne Peters Wayne Symington Hattie Werre Group 4-A Bruce Arndt Mike Cipolletti Nancy Dupuis Laurie Grinnell Mary Lou Jarrad Max Mullins Pat Sorenson Dale Southworth Kathy Wake Group l-B Bruce Ball Chris Brown Gini Chamberlain Doranne Chludil Sherry Fenner Jerry Guevara Rebecca Mayes Robert Perrin Bob Ulrich Group 2—B Kenneth Caesar D. J. DesJardins Irene Gurosh Peter Miller Glenda Nails Laurence Phillips Ellen Radner Rick Rittmaster Susan Samuels Group 3-B Allegra Cangelosi Phil Chelekis John Cherf Ellen Globokar Vicki Jacobs Pam Jewett Mark Pengra Pricilla Simon Roger Weyersberg Group 4-B Gloria Bandy Clarence Bonnen Gini Brown Dennis Crupper Karen Gulliver Harry Johnson Patricia Jones John Sarickas Sarah Washington 115 ROSTER [cont.] Grogp S-A Group S—B Cruz Archer Dave Amonl Sue Brazo Amy Brooks Josie Krakowiak Margaret Caivoy Richard Lavery Chrislinn Clemenls Andy Lossard Tori Flanks Karen Mackin Calvin Maynard Debbie Pozcga linda Phillips Mark Swanson Have Sayers Gwen Waits Philip Williamson John Wolfe Suw Xwnlunuky 116 The following pages are intended for your creative use. Appropriate ideas might include, but not be limited to, autographs of famous persons, grafitti, invectives of various sorts, doodling, Oil painting, priceless poetry, musical compositions, letters, etc. "‘iiiiiiiiiiiiiii‘5