by Kamilah Cummings
This quarter I had the unexpected experience of teaching as
a part of a cohort. Granted, it was not an official cohort. However, at the
molecular level, it met the definition of one. Despite the unofficial nature of
this cohort, I observed some undeniable benefits of this experience for my
students and me.
Although an increasing number of institutions that serve
nontraditional students are beginning to adopt the cohort model, cohorts are
nothing new. In fact, they have been around for decades. However, as the saying
goes, “everything old is new again.” For me, this was a new experience.
Carolyn Callaghan, an Associate Dean of Professional,
Continuing and Distance Education Studies, describes a cohort as “a group of
students who enter a program of study together, share common learning
experiences during a specified time period and complete the program at the end
of that specified time period.” Having never taught in an official cohort program,
I had not given the model enough thought to form an opinion about it. However,
viewing my recent experience through the lens of Callaghan’s definition, it is
easy to see benefits in this learning model.
One of the three classes I taught this quarter had six
students – six diverse women who had all taken another course together in the
previous term. The students all started the program around the same time, and
though they had different focus areas, they all had a similar timeframe for
completing the program. While I have had classes where a few students knew each
other, I had never had an experience where every student had taken classes
together in succession and was at a similar place in a program.
One of the things that struck me immediately was the
familiarity the students had with each other. This created a high level of
engaging and surprisingly candid discussions. The students were open about
their anxieties about writing, the course, and succeeding in the program as
well. In what I dubbed the 10-minute vent, I started each class with a journal
exercise and then allowed them to share whatever they wanted with the class. Although
I had never incorporated anything like this into a class, it seemed to offer
this group a place to share their feelings in a supportive and encouraging
environment. I was amazed at the positive impact that this had on the
collective energy of the class from week to week. As we transitioned from
discussing personal issues to writing, there was never a dull moment. I never
found myself grasping for ways to resuscitate the class. I will admit that
there were times where I had to steer the focus back to writing, but it was
never a difficult task to get them back on track.
Another place where I saw the benefit of the familiarity
that these students had with each other was in peer feedback, an integral
component of the writing course. Unfortunately, despite the importance of this
aspect of writing, students often need prodding to provide constructive writing
feedback to peers. However, that was not the case with this group.
In the book Becoming
Adult Learners: Principles and Practices for Effective Development, Eleanor
Drago-Severson reflects on a study of a group of 16 adult learners who
participated in a cohort as part of the
Polaroid Corporation’s Adult Diploma Program. She states that “For these
learners, belonging to a cohort, a tightly knit group with a common purpose,
proved important to supporting skill development and transformational learning”
(72). I witnessed this firsthand with my group. From reminding a citation weary
classmate of research skills she had previously demonstrated in another course
to offering to help another student who missed class create an ePortfolio,
these students were determined to make sure everyone “got it.”
When one student expressed anxiety over an oral presentation
she had to make in another class, the other students invited her to practice before
them. I obliged. One thing that I learned as part of my unofficial cohort
teaching experience was that as the instructor I played a part in maximizing
the cohort experience and further cultivating the sense of community that had
already been established.
While some argue that adult learners have support networks
outside of school, and are less likely to need the type of support offered in a
cohort (Drago-Severson 72), I saw a group of students
who supported each other in myriad ways. Whenever a classmate expressed
feelings of being overwhelmed and wanting to quit the program, others
encouraged her to persevere. During the break in one session, they even helped
her find classes to register for next term. Unlike my other two classes, none
of the students in this class dropped or withdrew. Additionally, they all
completed the required assignments.
According to Callaghan, “Cohort members tend to collaborate,
interact, exchange resources, share information and support one another in and
out of the classroom.” Drago-Severson’s interviews with the students who
participated in the Polaroid cohort support this. She found that with the
exception of one student, all the students saw their classmates as supports in
addition to the teacher (82). This mirrored my experience. My students had no
reservations about asking me or each other questions during class. When there
were times a student had trouble understanding a concept, others assisted in
explaining it to her.
Of the three courses that I taught this quarter, I received
the least questions outside of class from this group of students. In sharp
contrast, students in my online class, which has little sense of community
despite having assignments that encourage it, regularly email and call me with
questions. It appears that the online students view me as their only source of
support.
Admittedly, I am no expert on cohorts. There are obvious interpersonal,
programmatic, financial, and related issues that require consideration before
cohort programs can be created. However, I agree with Callaghan who asserts, “.
. . cohorts can be supportive systems for student persistence and educational
success.” At the end of the day, this is the goal for adult education stakeholders
– student persistence and success. My unofficial cohort experience this term
leads me to believe that if cohorts provide another route to this destination,
they are worth trying.
Works Cited
Callaghan, Carolyn. Cohorts: A New Generation of
Diverse Non-Traditional Learners . 4 March 2014. 31 May 2014
<http://www.evolllution.com/opinions/cohorts-generation-diverse-non-traditional-learners/>.
Drago-Severson, Eleanor. Becoming Adult Learners:
Principles and Practices for Effective Development. Teachers College
Press, 2004.
