Hi! This Field Notes edition includes one of the nation's leading scholars on college afforability and basic needs, Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab! Also, my visit to Pasadena City College, and learn about the positive impact of quality mentoring. 

*****

Resource Spotlight

*****

Campus Visit Spotlight

I'm always glad to visit the beautiful campus at Pasadena City College. This time, our focus was on how managers can strategically leverage artificial intelligence (A.I.). 

During the session, managers learned how to utilize A.I. for projects and day-to-day operations. We covered essential practices to help them achieve accurate, useful outputs. 

Crucially, participants did the heavy thinking first. It is vital that we engage in productive struggle before turning to technology. We must be careful not to automate our creativity and curiosity at every turn. The group did incredible, thoughtful work that was then ready to be refined by A.I. Managers left with action plans they can actually use. A.I. saved time to create planning documents. Now it's all about execution, which is what I'm all about as an embedded coach: supporting colleges to IMPLEMENT and improve outcomes. 

Two themes have emerged since I've been asked by colleges to integrate artificial intelligence into my coaching work:
1) A.I. saves time in campus operations. In education, time is one of our most precious commodities.
2) While faculty work hard to figure out A.I. for the classroom, we can't forget everyone else on the campus. They need help and guidance too. 

(Check out my Instagram for more pics)

*****

Timeless, Effective Mentoring

When we are deep in the minutia of day-to-day work that can often include toxic politics, organizational culture inertia, putting out fires, etc., we can sometimes forget to take a step back and reflect on key lessons learned from a mentor. For me, that mentor was Miyazaki Sensei (teacher), who passed away five years ago this month. He was positive role model who set the example for all of his students, and he was largely responsible for keeping me off the streets while growing up in New York City. He taught me many lessons at a very young age that I didn't fully appreciate until much later. Those lessons were critically important as educator.

He was the first to introduce me to the concept of continuous improvement while focusing on doing the basics well. 

Key lessons Sensei taught me:

- Don't be concerned with titles.

- Don't be quick to adapt the latest fads. Focus on doing the basics well.

- Be kind and generous.

- Reflect on your work. Always work to improve your craft. 

He was also the first person to teach me how to teach. Sensei taught me:

1. Plan the content.

2. Visualize the sequence.

3. Implement and adapt the pace and content as you see students perform.

4. Reflect on your lesson.

He also taught me to teach the students that I have and not the ones I wish I had. What a powerful statement! 

If you find yourself entrenched in the minutia, I encourage you to reflect on a special mentor, teacher, friend, family member or any other positive influencer who taught you key lessons that should be brought back to the surface again. Perhaps you'll find a way to reignite your passion and view work and life through a fresh set of reliable lenses.

Who is your "Sensei"?

Brief read: Mentoring Lessons

*****

SUBSCRIBE 

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I appreciate the opportunity to continue learning alongside educators who are doing the challenging but meaningful work of improving outcomes for students.

See you in the next edition.

Onward…

Dr. Al Solano
Founder, Continuous Learning Institute | About Services
A meaningful test of success is how helpful we are in contributing to our fellow human being’s happiness.