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Excellent Ideas for Excellence
PROGRAM FOCUS: ACADEMIC
(striving for excellence in educational enterprises, character, and knowledge)
(striving for excellence in educational enterprises, character, and knowledge)
PROGRAMS IN A BOX
The Pursuit of Knowledge
Educational Content: To thrive in the classroom, students must learn and retain knowledge. Ideally, the knowledge gained in the classroom will complement and be used in their future careers. Trivial Pursuit is designed to test participant knowledge of geography, entertainment, history, arts & literature, science & nature and sports & leisure. By playing this game participants will have the chance to test their own knowledge retention on the different subjects. After playing, the RA will lead a discussion of the following questions:
1. Were you pleased or disappointed in how many answers you knew to the questions in the game? 2. What do you think helps/hinders how you retain information? 3. How can retention of information be applied to the classroom? FOLLOW UP: How can you be intentional about practices to retain key information? |
Program Description
Residents will come together to play Trivial Pursuit (a knowledge retention game) with the Resident Assistant facilitating and/or participating. After playing at least one full game, the Resident Assistant will lead the group in discussion questions to connect the game to the classroom and how residents can be intentional about knowledge retention and maintaining key information for exams and beyond into their future careers. |
Twisted Studying Skills
Educational Content: Research shows that physical movement and cognition are powerfully connected. Residents will be asked to bring study guides/notes to the program. The Resident Assistant will then lead a game of twister with a "twist". For each movement students successfully accomplish they must successfully answer a question from their guide to remain on the playing mat. The RA will lead several rounds of the game until there is a final winner (depending on how many residents are present, it may be necessary to compete play-off style). Another option would be to have residents answer 2-3 questions and only be able to get one wrong to remain on the board).
Afterwards, the RA will explain the connection between movement and oxygen to the brain/cognition and encourage residents to practice healthy study habits including standing and/or walking while studying instead of remaining completely still/sitting the entire time they study. Eric Jensen argues the "strong connections between physical education, movement, breaks, recess, energizing activities and improve cognition. It demonstrates that movement can be an effective cognitive strategy to (1) strengthen learning (2) improve memory and retrieval and (3) enhance learner motivation and morale Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind second edition. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Alexandria VA. This will achieve the core value of excellence in two ways, first it will give residents and opportunity to study/focus on academics in a fun way and second it will provide students with helpful information about study habits for future academic success. |
Program Description- Residents will bring their study notes/guides to the program and the RA will lead the game of twister with the twist of residents having to correctly answer questions from their study guides to stay on the playing mat. After someone wins the game/several rounds of play (depending on how into the game the residents are) the RA will then talk about the importance of movement to effective studying. |
A Dish of Success
Educational Content:
Residents will fill their plate by writing their primary goal (what they want to achieve by earning a degree at Saint Leo) in the middle of the plate and then will list out/draw the different sides of success that they are going to need to accomplish in order to achieve that specific goal. The Resident Assistant will then encourage residents to share and lead a discussion covering the following: 1. From listening to others' sides of success, was there anything you wanted to add to your own plate? Why? 2. Are you confident you can accomplish your goals before graduation? 3. What do you most value about your academic experience so far at Saint Leo? ALSO: This would make a great faculty/staff program. The faculty member could help students elaborate different steps/plan out academic success from their faculty perspective. Feeling Scrabbled
Educational Content: The Resident Assistant begin a traditional game of Scrabble with the residents at the program. Once the residents are focused in their playing strategy and on the game, the Resident Assistant will begin asking distracting questions and asking them to do simple activities (like passing an item to another player) to distract them from playing effectively. Once the game has concluded, the Resident Assistant will lead a discussion to include: -How successful did you feel during the game? Why? -How did the distractions affect your game play? -IF students say they were NOT distracted/affected ... What kept you from being distracted? How were you able to focus? How does that apply to your academics? --IF students say they were distracted/affected ... What was the worst distraction? Why? How can you overcome distractions like this in your academics? ALSO: This would make a great faculty/staff program. Invite a first year expert (SLU 101 faculty or Jen Garcia) to speak about time management and balance for first year students or someone from Career Services to speak with upper-class students about to graduate. ALSO: The buttons on the left link to handouts you could provide residents on time management and/or procrastination. De-Stress Before the Test
Educational Content:
The simple act of coloring can take students back to childhood and provide a calming way to break from academic rigor. Research shows that art therapy can significantly reduce physical and emotion stress and adult coloring helps provide focus. "And considering the inability to focus is often a symptom of anxiety or stress, it only makes sense that adult coloring books would help with those as well. Dr. Stan Rodski, a neuropsychologist who also happens to be the author of his own line of adult coloring books, says that coloring elicits a relaxing mindset, similar to what you would achieve through meditation. Like mediation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment" (Dovey, 2015). While residents are coloring, the Resident Assistant will lead a discussion about other de-stressing rituals or practices students have found to be effective before a big test/finals to help them breathe, think clearly and excel academically. Dovey, D. (8 October 2015). The therapeutic science of adult coloring books: How this childhood pastime helps adults relieve stress. Medical Daily. Retrieved from http://www.medicaldaily.com/therapeutic-science-adult-coloring-books-how-childhood-pastime-helps-adults-356280. Mapping Out Your Education
Educational Content:
This program will allow students to talk about dream travel locations and learn how they could potentially study abroad in their dream countries without losing momentum on achieving their university degree. At this program residents will be given information about the process of applying for and then studying abroad and specifically about different locations Saint Leo has already developed partnerships for students to travel and continue to complete courses (even major specific courses!) ALSO: This would be a great faculty/staff program to invite Paige Ramsey-Hamacher (Director of Multicultural and International Services) to attend as she manages the Study Abroad process for the University. |
Program Description:
Residents will create a "dish of success" in this academic goal setting program where they will assess the academic and co-curricular items they need to accomplish to achieve their post-graduation goal(s)! Program Description: Time management is a common struggle for college students. The challenge of balancing academic commitments with personal responsibilities and extracurricular involvement can be overwhelming, and is when priorities can become scrambled. With too much to do or conflicting priorities, students may start to procrastinate or sacrifice academic success. This program will introduce students to healthy habits for managing their time by providing distractions and interruptions during a game of scrabble and then holding a discussion about balance and prioritization and how they can maximize their studying/academic focus.
Program Description- Residents will experience the stress relief of adult coloring and will participate in a discussion about intentional stress relief/stress relieving practices before tests/finals and how to maximize academics in college.
Program Description: The Resident Assistant will set up a laminated world map, and ask residents to take a dry erase marker and map a spot they're most excited to visit in their life. The Resident Assistant will facilitate discussion among the residents about countries they're excited to visit and then will share information about how residents can achieve their dream while studying abroad, and what the study abroad process looks like and entails. |