Bloomsburg University Good Work Initiative Experience

by Elizabeth Lucas

Four years ago my parents made the bittersweet decision to move from Costa Rica to Pennsylvania after 19 years. Here and there I asked myself if getting an education in the USA was truly better than one I could be getting back at home. Most of the time the answer was “no, not really.” It was not until my senior year that I finally realized how privileged I was as I would not have been given the same opportunities and experiences in Costa Rica as I had here in the USA. One of the main reasons for this was my involvement with GoodWork.

The Bloomsburg GoodWork Initiative took off during the Fall 2011. Psychology Teaching Assistants (myself included) were asked to participate and run small discussion sessions with half of the ACT101 incoming freshmen (students who are at a financial, cultural, social or educational disadvantage). The sessions ran for 6 weeks. Two sessions were dedicated to each of the 3 E’s of GoodWork. We encouraged students to reflect and talk about what each E meant to them, who were their role models for that E, and how they as students have demonstrated that E. Students were very much engaged and participated even more enthusiastically than I would have imagined.

Teaching Assistants would meet after each session and discuss if we needed to modify anything and compare notes on how students did that day. We had some common threads between all groups. When the students were asked to define Excellence and Engagement they had a good grasp on the meaning, but when they were asked to give an example they would sometimes say something like: “going to all of your classes.” In regards to Ethics, students had a hard time defining it, giving examples and for the most part they had all partaken in unethical behaviors. Personally, what was most shocking was that some of the students were not able to come up with role models in their lives. As Teaching Assistants, we encouraged students to explore these ideas further and talked about how these ideas could be applied in their next four years as students.

I hope that there was as much value to these discussion sessions for each of the students that participated as there was for me. The questions that we asked them every week were also questions that I was asking myself. I think that as human beings we go through the motions of every day life without taking the time to reflect about what it is that we are doing or the purpose to it. Some of us might know what we want to do “when we grow up” and we want to be the best we can be at it. For others, we might still be trying to find that passion that will motivate us to wake up and go to work every morning. Some of us might already know the answer to those two, but we are trying to figure out a way to do it the right way because we are conscious of the demands society has.

It was because of that initial participation, that when Dr. Jennifer Johnson asked if any one of the Teaching Assistants would like to take GoodWork any further as an independent study, I jumped right in. At first, my focus was to look at what worked and what did not work during this first initiative and finding improvements for future GoodWork activities. I created surveys for everyone who participated in the sessions (Teaching Assistants, Facilitators and students) and from there, I focused on areas that needed improvement. I presented a poster at the Eastern Psychological Association conference in March 2012.

In the spring of 2012, I also began to work with Dr. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Mary Katherine Duncan and Dr. Joan Miller. We met weekly to assess another set of data from students and kept thinking of ways to keep GoodWork moving forward at Bloomsburg University. We were granted permission to create the Freshman Orientation Summer Reading for the incoming students in the fall of 2012. One of the videos I proposed is going to be used for this assignment. The four of us along with Dan Haverstock (GoodWork independent study student for the upcoming year) were also invited to attend a meeting at Project Zero with Wendy Fischman, Lynn Barendsen, Margot Locker and Howard Gardner. It was of great pleasure to finally meet the people whose papers and research I had been reading about all year. It was also incredibly rewarding to share everything that we had worked on so hard during the last year. We were given great feedback and suggestions for the ideas we had for moving forward.

Previously I mentioned that if I had not gone to college in the USA I would have not gotten involved with GoodWork. I might have not been given some of the opportunities and learned as much about myself as I would have back at home. GoodWork allowed me to reflect on what it means to do GoodWork as a student and a young professional and how it affects our daily life. It got me thinking about what kind of professional I want to be and what values I want to take with me. My involvement in the discussion sessions taught me how to lead a group and improved my ability to present research and talk in public. I learned that even though I was only a student, my opinion was important, I could work hand in hand with professors I considered my mentors in order to create something bigger and make a difference.

I’ve successfully graduated from Bloomsburg and will be starting the next chapter of my life as a graduate student at Temple University in the fall. I will be taking everything that I have learned these last four years and especially this last one and applying it to my life as a student there and eventually my professional life. I am hoping that in some way I can still stay involved with GoodWork at Bloomsburg University and perhaps start GoodWork awareness at Temple.

GoodWork at the Doon School

by Anez Katre

In the months gone by, I addressed all of the Grade 10 boys in small groups of 25.The aim was to get them to talk about what they consider to be the characteristics of a good worker and through that, to bring about a discussion about responsibility and ethics. We then did a responsibility exercise from the Toolkit and it was interesting to note that a number of students felt their core responsibility was to their parents, second to self and thereafter to teachers, friends, etc.

In one group, we had a very participatory discussion on lying and cheating. Though the students tend to believe that the way of the world is such that they feel that they cannot get by being completely honest, these discussions gave them an opportunity to reflect on their beliefs. The sessions were carried out in their Life Skills classes. A visiting teacher was able to participate, and took some of the Toolkit narratives with her, to share with her own students.

In another activity, role plays were used to demonstrate the challenges faced by teachers.  Role play 1 addressed the issue of students who want to study but feel that their parents are not very encouraging.  (Students complain of additional responsibilities such as housework, caring for younger siblings, etc.)  Role play 2 addressed the issue of a good student whose grades suffer because she is upset by what is happening at home: her father is an alcoholic and has lost his job. He is often abusive and disruptive at home. Role play 3 addressed a situation in which parents think a student is going to school regularly, when he is actually is playing hooky with friends.

At the Doon School, we have adopted a few village and slum schools to help with academics and upkeep. I took the initiative of inviting 12 teachers from these schools to talk about the GoodWork Toolkit.  Most of the teachers are passionate about making a difference. All 12 are women who are passionate about their work and will be taking the principals of the GoodWork to their respective schools.

I was provided with an opportunity to address 45 heads of schools at a seminar on “Management Imperatives for Educational Institutes,” a wonderful opportunity to introduce the GoodWork Project to various schools. The GoodWork concept was explained and we had a healthy discussion on misalignment and the 3 E’s – Excellence, Ethics and Engagement. Some of the schools have shown an interest in taking this forward and I hope to be in touch with them as they move forward!

GoodWork at Work in India: Part IV

by Elizabeth Kim

How does good work translate in the area of sports? Joyti Joshi of Maharaja Sawai Mansingh Vidyalaya Japur School undertook this question by targeting students who regularly play sports in the school.  In a series of five sessions, Joyti used materials from the GoodWork Toolkit to help students rethink the meaning of good work.

In the first session, Joyti introduced the GWT Worksheet on “What is GoodWork” and had students brainstorm their understanding of the term. Students suggested definitions such as “work that brings rewards and achievements” and “work that is recognized by society.” Similarly designed to probe students’ notions of good work, the next session utilized a GWT worksheet with a set of statements that they had to decide if they involved questionable ethics. The third session delved more deeply into the intricate controversies of ethics: the students examined a case study from the Toolkit – To Print or Not to Print – and fervently discussed the meaning of GoodWork in this scenario. Through these activities, Joyti reported that the students’ “sphere of responsibility” broadened beyond friends, family, teams, and school, but further encompassed society at large.

In the fourth session, students reflected on their responsibilities and again closely discussed a case study— Silence is Not Always Golden – deepening their notions of what constitute excellence, ethics, and engagement. Students were prompted to engage in self-reflection and introspection in the final session, when they pondered their responsibilities with the aid of the Enjoyment and Excellence worksheet. What were their responsibilities both in school and on the field?

Students had initially struggled with the need to be perceived as the “cool dude” of the group, an identity that many young boys, especially those in athletic teams, aspire to embody. But with the continuing GoodWork sessions, the students realized that “good conduct” was more important than this social perception. They concluded that “individual personality must be a perfect blend of ethics and our conduct, i.e. conduct must be guided by our deep-rooted ethics.” In addition to performing well on the field, the boys recognized the importance of being ethical and responsible. Acknowledging the importance of the 3 E’s, both students and teachers now intend to align their professional and personal standards with clear values.

Indeed, teachers were active participants in this project. A teacher development workshop used the same GWT worksheets and case studies as had been used for students. An important outgrowth of this workshop was a significant change in before/after thoughts about good work in sports instruction. Summarized, the teacher’s change in perception about their roles as sports instructors is outlined as follows:

Before

• Good work means dedication, determination, with goal in mind

• Teachers should be responsible towards the work place i.e. school

• Teachers should develop a strong sports culture

• Teachers should help students understand the rules and regulation of sports

• Teachers should help students stay physically fit and healthy

After

• Teachers should go beyond the field and teach the importance of value and ethics

• Teachers should help students maintain mental and emotional equilibrium in all situations, especially when it concerns winning or losing a match

• Teachers should become not only instructors who teach “the rules of the sport” but also those who teach “the rules of game (i.e. life)”

• Teachers should broaden the sphere of responsibility for students as well as themselves (more input on this?)

While sports and good work may at first glance appear to be disjointed, unrelated issues, Joyti was able to evidence the connection between the two. Through GoodWork Toolkit activities and deep introspection, both student and teacher alike were encouraged to see the value of the 3 E’s in their behavior in sports. The sports community at the school realized that a harmonious blend of conduct and ethics will result in “excellent performance, happiness, and satisfaction.” In this way, good work is being carried out beyond the confines of the classroom and into the field.

Next in the series, we will examine how one school was able to engage a wide range of students and teachers from schools all across Mumbai in good work.

For access to the full power point presentation, please contact us!

My experience as a part of GoodWork Project

by Farah Shamsi

As a teacher, I’ve always felt that children are forgetting their ethics and value systems and just blindly following the rat race to be successful in this materialistic world. They want to achieve their goals in a short span of time, thus compromising on some meaningful and very important aspects of life. I have been trying to inculcate values in them but the introduction to the ‘Good Work Project ‘by Ms. Reetika Khanna gave me a greater insight on how to make children aware of the meaning of good work in real sense. Making it a part of the curriculum by introducing some activities, our teaching schedule would be a significant step to make.

One of the activities I introduced in my class was by asking the students to write the qualities of their role models. The students were then asked to underline the common qualities which I later listed on the whiteboard. Then I asked the students to select the three qualities they considered most important to be successful in life. To my surprise, honesty didn’t figure in almost 80% of the responses, though for most of them some of other good qualities were important like hard work, patience, compassion, intelligence etc.

The discussions held during the Good Work Project meetings proved really meaningful and added to my learning experience. It provided enough food for thought for me on how to grow as a Good teacher. The various activities that were carried out, like value sorting etc. were very good examples of how we can introduce Good Work in our school curriculum for the students as well as the teachers.

Narrative Five: ” Picture Yourself As” (A Closing Activity)

by Marian Brown

Today’s class at Arlington centered around “wrapping up” the semester. This is the second to last session during which the students will engage with the GoodWork Toolkit this year. Cheryl decided to use the exercise “Picture Yourself As.”

This exercise asks students to picture themselves as either a college professor, astronaut, or actor. Cheryl gave firm directions that each student had to pick one of these three professions, and that they would have to defend their decision. Students were given ten minutes to read the prompt and to think about the impending fictitious professional choices. They made bullet point lists of the reasons why they wanted to join their chosen profession.

After this intrapersonal (solitary) work time, Cheryl had the students circle up at the front of the room for interpersonal (group) work. She took the temperature of the room by asking students to show hands for which profession they preferred. Overwhelmingly, the most popular choice with Period B was astronaut, and with Period D it was professor. A discussion then ensued regarding the student’s choice. Instead of asking why the students choose they professions they did, Cheryl decided to ask them about the professions they did not chose.

Cheryl started by asking the astronauts and actors why they did not chose to become college professors. Some answers were light hearted, such as, “I thought astronaut would be more fun”, whereas others were quite penetrating, “Well, I thought about the amount of schooling necessary to become a professor, and the selflessness of teaching and realized that it was too big of a commitment for me. I don’t think I could do GoodWork as a professor, or at least not my best work”. The second answer in this set shows great synthesis of the GoodWork curriculum, and applies its concepts in a real life context. Cheryl then asked the actors and professors why thye choose not to become astronauts, and so on. All of the students had varying answers that encompassed ethics, engagement and excellence in work and how we can best choose jobs that will exemplify the three E’s in our own work.

Starting the discussion in this reverse questioning format opened a safe environment where students were really able to express their desires and decisions from both standpoints of the argument. This level of synthesis led to a rich discussion. After having the initial “I didn’t choose this because…” discussion, Cheryl opened the floor to have students articulate why they choose the professions they had. Not surprisingly, a lot of the answers connected to the level of enjoyment the students anticipated from the job, and also their ability to produce GoodWork within the field. The students discussed the necessary skill sets, training, personal attributes, and assets they would need to be successful in the work force. They then started discussing these topics in relationship to the actual careers they hope to pursue. As the discussion concluded the students echoed the importance of GoodWork, and finding jobs that are personally fulfilling to them.

This upcoming week at Arlington Cheryl plans to dive deeper into the wrap-up of the GoodWork ToolKit. She will introduce another activity for reflection and synthesis. She is going to center the conversation on the graduating seniors, asking them to apply GoodWork in their upcoming endeavors. It will be really interesting to get an intimate look into the graduating senior’s experiences at Arlington High School; the excellence, ethics and engagement they have applied here, and how that will transition these concepts into their future careers in academia and the work force.