Learning Center and Library Workshops

Learning Center and Library workshops are available for extra credit. You can earn two extra points for every workshop that you did not take in a previous semester (in other words, you cannot repeat a workshop). The Learning Center Workshop schedule is here and the Library Workshop schedule is here.

A Major Decision

Your Humble Blogger received the following email from the Career Center. MC101 students attending one of these workshops can earn two points of extra credit.

Hello GCC Community,

The following is a list of the Undecided/Undeclared Major Career Workshops Part I for the Spring 2016 semester.

Monday, February 29th 3-5pm SR 328
Friday, March 11th 10-12pm SR 328
Monday, March 14th 3-5pm SR 328
Friday, March 25th 10-12pm SR 328
Wednesday, April 6 10-12pm SR 328
Tuesday, April 19th 3:30-5:30pm SR 328
Tuesday, April 26th 3:30-5:30pm SR 328
Wednesday, May 4th 2-4pm SR 328
Wednesday, May 11th 10-12pm SR 328
Wednesday, May 18th 3-5pm SR 328
Monday, May 23rd 10-12pm SR 328

Selecting a major can be a difficult process for many students. This workshop will provide them with the necessary career exploration/decision making tools and resources to select a major(s) they enjoy.

*Undecided/Undeclared Major Workshops are open to Currently Enrolled GCC Credit Students.

*Reservations Are Required.

*To Register, Log into MYGCC/Main Menu/ Workshops/Career Workshops

*Please be advised that as a matter of our Career Center policy, students who are not enrolled in a student development career course and are uncertain about their major or career goal will be required to sign up for and attend one of the Undecided/Undeclared workshop part I before they can schedule an individual appointment with a Career Counselor.

The Career Center Team

Another Extra Credit Opportunity

Your Humble Blogger is a staunch supporter of the Keys to College Success workshops presented through the Learning Center. MC101 students can attend any of the workshops listed below for two extra points per workshop. Students completing all three workshops will receive two points per workshop, plus a two-point completion bonus for a total of eight points. Details are listed below...

Did you know that you can grow your brain?

To find out how, come to the Keys to College Success Workshops, part of the Learning Center’s regular workshop series in AD 232!

Wednesday, January 13 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Workshop #1- What Happens in Your Brain When You Learn
In this workshop, students will learn about how our brain develops new neural pathways when we learn new skills and how practicing those new skills can make those pathways stronger.

Wednesday, January 20 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Workshop #2 - Intelligent Practice
This workshop focuses on the concept that it's important to work smarter, not just harder, and that working smarter means finding good strategies and being willing to ask for help from others.

Wednesday, January 27 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Workshop #3 - Cultivating a Growth Mindset
In the last workshop, students will learn about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and how cultivating a growth mindset can increase your chances of succeeding.

The workshops are presented as a series of three, but you don’t have to take all three. Feel free to attend any one or two, even if you missed the previous one or can’t take a subsequent one. Students can sign up for workshops by going to My GCC and clicking on the workshop link.

Figuring Out Your Major or Career Path?

Unclear about what your major should be, or what career you want? Well, that's completely normal for young people. Here's a graphic I saw that may help you think about a career path.


If you would like to get extra credit to figure out what you want to do with your major and/or life, the Glendale College Career Center has a two-hour workshop that can help. Your Humble Blogger will give you four extra credit points for attending one of the Part 1 workshops in October. You will get a certificate to verify your attendance.

The following is a list of the Undecided/Undeclared Major Career Workshops Part I for October:

Wednesday, October 7th 10-12pm SR 221
Monday, October 12th 3-5pm SR 221
Thursday, October 15th 2-4pm SR 221
Tuesday, October 20th 10-12pm SR 221
Thursday, October 22nd 2-4pm SR 221
Wednesday, October 28th 10-12pm SR 221

*Undecided/Undeclared Major Workshops are open to Currently Enrolled GCC Credit Students.

*Reservations Are Required.

*To Register, Log into MYGCC/Main Menu/ Workshops/Career Workshops

*Please be advised that as a matter of our Career Center policy, students who are uncertain about their major or career goal will be required to sign up for and attend one of the Undecided/Undeclared workshops before they can schedule an individual appointment with a Career Counselor.

Keys to Student Success Workshops

Attendance at the following "Keys to College Success" workshops will be available for extra credit, two points per workshop.

This spring, the Learning Center is piloting a series of three Keys to College Success Workshops. These workshops are based on the growth mindset interventions developed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck.

Dweck has spent her entire career studying motivation and why some people persist through setbacks and others do not. After years of research, she now believes that the foundation of motivation can be traced to people’s mindsets. Dweck has coined the term "growth mindset" to describe the viewpoint of people who see intelligence and all abilities as skills that can be developed through hard work, effort, and good strategies, and the "fixed mindset" to describe the viewpoint of people who believe intelligence and other abilities are fixed at birth and cannot be changed.

Not surprisingly, Dweck has found that people with a growth mindset are more likely to persevere in facing challenges and setbacks, and people with a fixed mindset are more likely to give up when faced with difficulties. Dweck has also found, however, that mindsets are malleable and that teaching students to cultivate a growth mindset - in part by teaching them some basic principles of neuroscience such as that when we learn, we can "grow" our brains - dramatically improves their chances of facing and overcoming obstacles in their education.

Now, with funding from GCC's Basic Skills Committee, The Learning Center is able to offer students growth mindset interventions through the Keys to College Success Workshops.

The schedule for the workshops is as follows:

Wednesdays, 12:30 to 1:30 on March 4 (#1), March 11 (#2), and March 18 (#3)

Tuesdays, 12:30 to 1:30 on March 10 (#1), March 17 (#2), and March 24 (#3)

Thursdays, 5:30 to 6:30, March 19 (#1), March 26 (#2), and April 2 (#3)

While the workshops have been developed as a series of three, each workshop functions independently of the others, so students can benefit from attending any one or two or all three. In addition, students do not need to take the workshops in order and can take them in any combination of days and times that fits with their schedules.

Signups are through MyGCC at the following link: http://secure.glendale.edu/lcwrkshp/allworkshops.asp

Here are some of the comments made by GCC students who learned about how to develop a growth mindset last fall when asked about how the interventions affected them:

"I am more willing to ask for help and listen more and learn from people. I spend more time trying to understand things than before.”

"I know now that intelligence grows, so all I need is some practice and effort."

"I believe I have a growth mindset because I try to welcome challenges. If people are doing better than me, I make them my inspiration."

"I know now to just ask questions no matter how dumb the question sounds because at the end of the day, you are improving your knowledge by asking questions.”

“I am more willing to ask for help than ever before. I text people in my classes to create study groups and I ask tutors for help all the time.”

"I am more open about going to my professor’s office."

Best,

Elizabeth Bryer (English), Shant Shahoian (Learning Center), and Jan Young (Basic Skills Coordinator)