1. INTEGRATIVE LEARNING: MAKING MEANING AND ASSESSING FOR LEARNING Max Rodriguez Making Connections Institute June 23, 2010

2. ELN194 THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY

• This course focuses on the migration and settlement stateside of Hispanics who are not immigrants but US citizens by birth, the challenges and barriers they faced upon arrival, and the contributions they have made to US society and culture .

3. WHO TAKES THE COURSE?

• Students who are motivated to learn about the Puerto Rican experience in the US mainland.

• Students for whom the course fits their schedule.

4. WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?

• To find a common ground to engage both groups of students in the learning process

5. CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL INFORMS ePORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT

• Have opportunity to connect elements of knowledge.

• Consider how artifacts of learning reflect values and goals.

• Assess learning continuously.

• Receive feedback from members of the learning community.

• Formulate new learning goals.

6. FIRST WEEK

• Students state their reasons for taking the course in as much detail as possible.

• List or describe other courses taken in previous semesters.

• Save their writing in MY COLLECTION.

• Im interested in the emotional connections, because ePortfolio development supports deep learning which Barbara Cambridge says, involves reflection, is developmental, is integrative, is self-directed, and is lifelong (2004).

7. FIRST INQUIRY ASSIGNMENT GOALS

• CONNECTING ELEMENTS OF THEIR OWN KNOWLEDGE

• Locating Puerto Rico on a map.

• The US presence in the Caribbean region.

• The Jones-Shafroth Act (1917).

• Current political, economic, cultural ties between the US and Puerto Rico.

8. FOLLOW-UP

• ASSESSING THEIR OWN LEARNING

• Harvesting their learning in small groups.

• Posting their thoughts in Discussion Board.

• GETTING FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS OF THE LEARNING COMMUNITY

• Peers review posts and offer comments before re-writes.

9. SECOND WEEK

• UNDERSTANDING ISSUES AND POSITIONS CONTEXTUALLY

• Out-of-class reading assignment focuses on the conditions leading to the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to the US mainland.

• Small group activity is designed to harvest reading for major reasons.

• Groups report back their findings and discussion of issues follows.

10. FOLLOW-UP

• Students write a letter for homework explaining the prevailing conditions in Puerto Rico in the 1930s and 1940s and state their reasons for wishing to migrate.

• Students research links that enhance their understanding of the reasons for the mass migration.

• Students identify photos of Puerto Rican migrants to document visually their enhanced perceptions.

• Students write a reflection exploring the connections between their newly acquired knowledge and their tacit knowledge about Puerto Ricans in the US mainland.

11. Sample Reflection

• I had no idea what my grandfather went through in Puerto Rico. I heard him say many times people didnt have jobs and that they were hungry all the time. He was the oldest and as soon as he turned sixteen he left his family and came to New York. He never went back to live in Puerto Rico, although he was so proud to be Puerto Rican. I dont think my mother new the details, because she never mentioned any of this to me or my brother.

• Now I understand the situation my grandfather faced in Puerto Rico and why he was happy with opportunities he found in New York. Although he worked in a factory all his life, he never complained and went to work every day. I think he was grateful for the chance he had to improve his life (A. Pagan).

12. THIRD WEEK

• FORMULATING NEW LEARNING GOALS

• Students write new learning goals to connect their new knowledge about Puerto Rican migrants with that of the larger Latino community.

13. THIRD WEEK

• UNDERSTANDING ISSUES AND POSITIONS CONTEXTUALLY

• Out-of-class reading assignment focuses on challenges and barriers Puerto Rican migrants faced upon arrival.

• Small group activity is designed to harvest reading for major issues.

• Groups report back their findings and discussion of issues follows.

14. Max Rodriguez [email_address] Modern Languages and Literatures Department of Education and Language Acquisition