Agency in Action: Inside and Outside the Classroom: Session Two

minnstateedt

1 year ago

Installment #5 in the NED Excellence in Teaching Series

Minnesota State is filled with incredible faculty who are doing amazing work focused on their teaching craft. The purpose of the Network for Educational Development (NED) Excellence in Teaching Series is to continue honoring and showcasing the experience and expertise of the Board of Trustees (BOT) Awards for Excellence Educators of the Year through the opportunity to present, share, or teach about teaching and learning topics that have contributed to their recognition as excellent educators. Learn more about the BOT Awards.

Agency in Action:
Inside and Outside the Classroom

View the Flyer

Facilitated by

Adam Marcotte
Central Lakes College
2016 Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence Educator of the Year

Learn more about Adam Marcotte

In 1993, Adam Marcotte began teaching junior and senior high English in rural New York. In 2001, he moved to Seoul, South Korea where he was an instructor and then senior administrator for a U.S.-based community college that provided educational opportunities for American service members. In 2007, Adam moved to Minnesota and began teaching independent living skill classes for homeless youth. He was hired by Central Lakes College in 2010 and teaches English composition courses and proudly coordinates the Honors Program.

Adam focuses on making the writing process accessible, inspirational, and transformative. Additionally, Adam believes that education is one of the most powerful activities for empowering individuals and communities, and he particularly values the roles language arts and leadership skills play in capacity building.

Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in English literature, and regularly earns additional credits in music, welding, and information technology. In 2007, Adam was named “Employee of the Year” for Central Texas College Pacific Far East Campus, and in 2016 he was named “Outstanding Educator” and then awarded “Educator of the Year” by the Minnesota State Board of Trustees.

When not in the classroom or meeting with students, Adam experiments with classic sports cars, flute-making, 3D printing, and viticulture.

This NED Excellence in Teaching Series installment will investigate the core elements of agency for us and for our students, and it will look for ways to bring capacity-building into our spaces more often. The first session will focus on defining and identifying the various elements of agency, and the second session will be about brainstorming and refining practical ideas for educators, administrators, and staff. Participants will want to attend both days.

Workshop experiences will be participatory and rely on our collective experiences and knowledge. Additionally, we’ll use writing, art, show and share exercises, and breakout rooms to ensure everyone gets a voice and we can—together—develop activities and actions to take home with us. All educators are invited.

Outcomes

By the end of the two 90-minute sessions participants will be able to:

Define “agency” and discuss its various components
Share examples from personal and professional experiences that grow agency
Identify methods to assess agency for ourselves and our students
Share and identify the principles of agency in the contemporary classroom
Discuss how agency can be used to meet course objectives, certifications, licensures, etc.
Invent new lessons, initiatives, and conversations for future activities

Agency in Action: Inside and Outside the Classroom

Miss session one? Watch the recording (1:05:42)

Session Two

February 18, 2025 @ 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

During the second session, we will start our discussion with the assignment from the first day. Then, we will translate “agency” from a concept to a possible educational standard. We’ll need to address questions like:

How do we create lessons focused on developing “agency?”
How do we assess it?
How will it manifest in discipline-specific classrooms, especially when we have so many other things to accomplish?
What role can it play in institutional documents (e.g. mission statements, department reviews, budget allocations, strategic plans) in order to support our work in the classroom?

Ultimately, if we decide that “agency” matters, then it requires that we tap into our professional skills and find ways to imbed it into our students’ experiences. This final session will end with tangible outcomes for our classrooms and, hopefully, a better experience for our students.

RSVP Required

Use the RSVP tool below to register. In addition to Minnesota State faculty and staff, Concurrent Enrollment instructors are also welcome to join.

After registering, a calendar invite with details on how to join will be sent to you, please add this event to your calendar.

Accommodations: If you require accommodations (live captioning, etc.) to participate in this event, please send an email to the person at the bottom of this page.

Questions?

Contact facilitator Adam Marcotte.