EDL 656 Self-Directed Assignment
Student Development Applied to
Undergraduate Students at
Miami University
Carl Caceres and Krista Frost
Professor Christman
November 29, 2012
THEME 1: Yearning For Interactive
Learning Experiences
 Desire to have their knowledge and experiences valued
 RAs wanting to take ownership of their learning as active
participants
 Drive for personal growth
 Loss of interest from being lectured at for more than 20 minutes
at a time, when the instructor lectures every class it becomes
redundant and boring
 Difficulty in opening up to people who they didn’t know well
 Preference for break out sessions rather than large lectures
 Small groups allowed for better engagement with the material
 Discussion helped the RAs sort through their own opinions
 Large group discussion created fear and affected people’s
willingness to share
Literature: Students as Knowers
 Learning Partnerships Model—The First Principle: Validating
learners’ capacity to know, was evident in employers’ soliciting
employees’ perspectives and trusting their judgments as well as in
educators’ interest in learners’ experiences and respect for their
beliefs. This validation invited participants into the knowledge
construction process, conveyed that their ideas were welcome, and
offered respect that boosted their confidence in themselves.
Soliciting their perspectives reinforced the importance of
connection with others’ perspectives yet blended it with the
autonomy implied in constructing one’s own ideas. (Baxter-Magolda
and King, 2004, p.42)
 The difficult and glorious reality is that becoming an adult requires
finding and including your own voice in the area of authority—
developing an inner sense of your own truth and authority that you
(and others) can trust. (Parks, 2009, p.xvi)
Erin
 I found the most beneficial segments of the large
group activities to be those in which we were
separated into small groups for discussion. A lecture
can be an effective teaching method, but a lesson will
be remembered for twice as long if someone is forced
to think about an issue and discover that answer for
themselves.
Christina
 The EDL course had a different structure than most of my
other classes. It was more of a get together environment,
in which we sat like friends meeting for lunch or something
and this helped create a sense of ease and openness in the
classroom. The facilitations that were carried out by
respective students was a great activity in the class,
because it eliminated the redundant structure a lot of
classes have in which the same teacher leads the class all
the time. It provided us as individuals with the opportunity
to discuss issues the way we saw fit.
Alexandra
 I don’t know why but I expected training to be hands on and
interactive, but most of the time it seemed to be the complete
opposite of that. Yes it was very informative when I was actually
alert enough to listen, but just sitting there made me feel
exhausted. I listened to people talk over and over and soon it
was to the point where it went in one ear and out the other.
There were some parts of training I really enjoyed, but those
were not the parts that required me to only sit and listen with no
participation.
 It taught me to listen to other people’s opinions without casting
judgment or feeling the need to prove them wrong. It also made
it easier for me to talk to my residents about myself when I first
met them. It gave me a greater insight on the people I could
possibly meet and how to handle meeting these new people.
Chad
 We accepted challenges, listened with interest, and
craved dialogue. I believe this drive for development
is the sought after characteristic for this job, and for
this generation. We need leaders who can both learn
and teach when change arrives. We need dialogue to
address the prejudices that often deny an individual
the chance of a simple yet freely moldable lifestyle.
We need purpose to be our unifying influence, not
hatred. There are a lot of things we need, but we
can’t fulfill them alone.
THEME 2: Pressure to Conform to
Social Norms
 External Definition (Pre-Crossroads)
 Society’s expectations in conjunction with individuals’ desires are
difficult to navigate
 Participants felt the weight of external expectations and felt like
they had to conform
 People caring about what others think of them
 Sense of self isn’t strong enough to resist external expectations,
outside influence, pressure
 Made their sense of self match what society dictated
 People are subject to their conforming ways, unaware of how
society dictated their behaviors
 Actions motivated by wanting to try to fit in and prevent
ostracization
Literature: Dependent Knowers
Kegan Stage 3: External Definition and the Socialized Mind
 They have not yet established an internal sense of self, but
instead rely on external others, again uncritically, to shape
their identities (the intrapersonal dimension). Thus as they
enter relationships, they are focused on gaining the other’s
approval (the interpersonal dimension). They do not retain
a powerful sense of self here because there is really no
sense of self outside the relationship! This uncritical
dependence on external others can result in insufficient
focus on self. Students’ response to peer pressure, which
often leads to unhealthy behavior, is an example of how
this way of making meaning plays out on college
campuses. (Baxter-Magolda and Crosby, p.4)
Dependent Knowers (cont.)
 The person’s sense of reality and what is fitting and true is
dependent upon a sense of felt relationship to a shared
ethos of assumed Authority and remains unaware of the
prevailing ideology that shapes it. (Parks, p.74)
 Outside influences can be overpowering for many
students.
 External authorities (e.g., society, family, and peers) can
often be obstacles for students to live authentically.
(Baxter-Magolda and Crosby, p.4)
Robert
 Since sophomore year of high school, I was very heavily
involved in the theatre department, the choir, and band.
Due to these things, I was suddenly “gay” in the eyes of
the “stereotypical” males. In the beginning, it wasn’t a
huge deal to me because it was easy to shrug off; I loved
what I was doing and I loved the friends that I had.
However, after a couple years, it really started to wear
down on me. Suddenly, I would get really defensive, even
to some of my closest friends. I would “prove” my
manliness by saying I had a girlfriend, or by doing things
like going to work out.
Irene
 Middle school is an awkward time for everyone either
way but I certainly got the “Boy are no longer to be
friends – they’re too cute” and “Make-up is a
requirement at school” memos. So I adapted. I saved
my money for new clothes and made friends with
girls who knew all about fashion and how to talk
about the cutest boy in the 7th grade until two o’clock
in the morning. I made myself believe that this was
the new me, the grown up me.
Wally
 In the movie, the new pledges were subjected to a variety of
different hazing rituals and in particular the character flounder
often puts aside his morals and individual thoughts to conform
to the fraternity image. I encountered many of these types of
moments throughout the second semester last year, when many
of my friends decided to pledge fraternities and in one way or
another changed a bit from their first semester selves. It’s
almost as if they were branded with this new title and felt that
they had to live up to the stereotypical fraternity role. This was
frustrating because I could clearly see these changes, but they
could not, even when I mentioned something to them.
Crossroads
 Dissonance occurs, 0ld ways of proceeding are not
working anymore
 Lots of questioning going on
 Ambiguity is present, things aren’t so clear
 Sometimes conforming, sometimes making their own
way, but realizing they do it
Literature: Crossroads
 The transition toward greater reliance on inner authority
can be a time of significant vulnerability and uncertainty as
discrepancies between the claims of the self and the claims
of the world come into sharp relief. One may question
both self and world, wondering if either the social
structure of one’s own world or own resources will prove
sufficient for resolving the discrepancies. (Parks, p.79)
 As you encounter new experiences and responsibilities,
you may find that the way you are living your life is
incompatible with your developing sense of self. (BaxterMagolda, 2009, p.1)
Crossroads (cont.)
 Newly equipped with the power of critical reflection, it is
aware of its own emerging identity, values, and integrity,
as distinguished from societal (and conventional) norms.
 Able to sense who he or she is and thus to recognize the
possibility of conflict and disparity between his or her
emerging selfhood and his or her social order. (Parks, p.64)
 Full of promise yet vulnerable (Parks, p.82)
 Emerging strength and the distinctive vulnerability of the
young adult
Chad
 Our conversation digressed more towards the satire of popular
culture and the overall absurdity of the whole thing. Still, I
couldn’t stop thinking, if that’s what makes them a man, worthy
of attracting the attention of numerous females, then, am I
lacking what makes me a man? I mean, I was engendered to be a
man, but here the difference in what people expect to be a man,
and what I saw myself as, were two distant things. In fact, I knew
I had a handful of feminine qualities. By the standard of solely my
feminine behavior, would I be considered a female? Well, I define
myself as a man, but how much of that is what I’ve been told to
define myself as, and how much of it is what I actually feel that I
am? A lot of my answers came when I joined theater. Here,
gender stereotypes blended and the line wasn’t always so clear.
Male, female, it existed, but it wasn’t the most important thing.
It was just individuals, acting, being and it was beautiful.
Amy
 Sometimes, every once in a while I feel the other pressures
from other stereotypes to do what women are
“supposed” to be like. Such as, dress in cute clothes, wear
makeup, be good at cooking, and have a tidy space. But a
lot of the times I choose to do what I want to do, not what
others think I should be like. The stereotypes exist because
people choose to follow them. If we were not so worried
about what other people think we should do and be who
we are then stereotypes, in my opinion, could fade. Moral
of the story, be who you are not what others think you
should be.
Natasha
 All the messages I got about gender stereotypes are
concerned with how we are perceived by other members
in the society. Most of the times, I take social expectations
and internalize them without critically thinking through if
they truly make sense. I try my best to behave myself
according to these expectations because I am very selfconscious and concerned with people’s opinions about me.
However, at the same time, I hope to be myself and be
able to express myself in the way I want to. Unfortunately,
it has always been a dilemma for me to balance the social
expectations and who I really am.
Developing Internal Voice
(Emergence from Crossroads)






Okay with ambiguity
Internal definition
Being okay with who you are
Self-confidence
Being yourself
Recognizing complexity of identity and identity
formation
 Societal pressures are object to them
Literature:
Developing an Internal Voice
 Other sources of authority may still hold credible power,
but now one can also recognize and value the authority of
one’s one voice (Parks, p.77)
 A diminished desire to fit in, no matter what, and less
sense of being utterly at the mercy of social expectations
within which the self happens to be located (Parks, p.98)
 Cultivating Internal Voice: Use internal voice to sort out
beliefs, establish priorities and put the puzzle of who you
are together. Work to reduce reliance on external
authorities. (Baxter-Magolda, 2009, p.4)
Irene
 I assumed there would be two completely different
worlds - you could either be the “nerd” who studied
every hour of every day or you could be the “bro”
who was typically seen passed out on the lawn. I
assumed that when I got here, it would be my job to
have to choose one and live with it… My experience
now tells me that college life is just like everything
else – there is never just black or white. There are so
many gray areas and just like in life, you have to find
that balance.
Yvette
 Will I feel guilty for not staying home with my
children, like everyone says? Do I need to get married
soon so as to have purpose in life as a woman? All
these things are beginning to surface in my head as I
try to understand what my role is in all of this. I need
to figure out what is best for me and I think that the
support and gender neutrality of my parents will help
me decide. They really did shape my beliefs on gender
stereotypes and I hope that I can keep these in mind
as I grow and continue to feel pressure from
society.
Ellen
 Overall I think that the main theme of this movie
[House Bunny] is highly relatable to college life at
Miami. Acceptance. Some of us try to gain it through
brand names, others through being in the “best”
sorority or fraternity. However I think that ultimately
most of us find out that we have to accept ourselves
for what we are and have that confidence. That will
assure people that we are happy with ourselves, and
that attitude is much more pleasant to be around!
Literature: Self-Authorship
 Requires complex ways of making meaning of experience, drawing
on one’s understanding in all three dimensions of
development. (Baxter-Magolda and King, p.574)
 The development of an internal voice to coordinate external
influence in constructing one’s beliefs, values, identity, and social
relations. (Baxter-Magolda and Crobsy, p.2)
 individuals act as authors of their lives (not just the stage on which
their lives are played out), balancing external influences with their
individual interests and those of others around them (Baxter
Magolda, 2000a)
 Self-authorship is a combination of agency (stemming from the
internal voice to coordinate external influence) and communion
(valuing others’ perspectives and bringing one’s voice to join the
other). (Kegan 1994)
Ricky
Self-Authorship
I believe in myself. It’s so much easier to cite someone or something else for
an unfortunate circumstance or to follow the footsteps of others in a decision-making
situation. However, my life is mine, not yours, not his, not hers. The choices I have
made in the past have brought me to where I am right now, the choices I am making
now will bring me to tomorrow, and the choices I will make will determine where I will
be in one year, 10 years, 25 years, 50 years. The choices I make have been and will be
affected by my surroundings; people, places, things that I associate myself with. My
elders and peers can give me guidance and show me a path to take or my friends can
influence the workings of my daily life, but I own the action itself. I cannot be my father,
or Bill Gates, or Michael Phelps but I can use their experiences as blueprints for creating
my experiences, for creating me.
In the constant construction of me, others may see these blueprints and
exterior but only I can see the entire finished product; where each nut and bolt has been
placed and how it got there. My surroundings cannot see whether my foundation is
shaky sand or sturdy concrete. I must live with the consequences of building on sand or
concrete, of making good decisions or bad decisions. And these consequences will bring
me to the next stage of construction of myself.
Other people and things influence our lives and how we live them, but when
all is said and done, I cannot say that I am somebody else nor can someone claim they
are me. I am myself and it is up to me to uniquely define that. I believe in myself.
Ricky Through Parks’s Words
 [A self aware] self has enough ego strength to
recognize that one can make some choices about
how one becomes… One can consciously choose to
differ with conventional Authority… one begins to
choose differently out of a responsible loyalty to
one’s own perception and knowledge. (Parks, p.63)
THEME 3: Developing
Multiple Perspectives
 Considering multiple perspectives is beneficial in the RA position and in life
 Understanding others’ experiences of the world helps build relationships
 Attempting to embody another identity helps to try to see the world in a
different way
 Knowledge was gained simply from listening to others in the class and
having the opportunity to dialogue with them
 Multi-Frame thinking?
 Acknowledging and validating various experiences and perspectives makes
one a much better role model for their residents; EDL 301 was a good
avenue for practicing this skill
 Hearing others’ opinions challenged people in the course to rethink their
own perspectives
Literature:
Developing Multiple Perspectives
 A person’s center of primary trust now resides neither
in the assumed authority of another nor in the
courageously claimed authority of the inner self.
Trust is now centered in the meeting of self and
other, in the recognition of the strength and finitude
of each, and in the promise of the truth that emerges
in relation. This trust takes the form of a profound,
self-aware conviction of interdependence. (Parks,
p.86)
Multiple Perspectives (cont.)
 The more angles I have and have the opportunity to
gain perspective from, the more valid my sense of
meaning will be. (Parks, p.59)
 Personal processing of knowledge claims yields the
notion that different people can hold different
views for legitimate reasons.
(Baxter-Magolda and King, p.575)
Nicholas
 It is unfair and unproductive to assume all residents
are approaching their time at Miami from a
perspective like our own; being able to learn about
different experiences related to race, religion,
gender, and sexuality makes one stop and think
about the countless unique perspectives that exist on
our campus alone.
 Our location, social context, and general surroundings
play central role in the formation of meaning and faith
(Parks, 2000, p. 88)
Natasha
 The class filled with discussions led by both the instructors and the
students was very engaging. I felt it was a safe and open
environment to share my thoughts and experiences. I learned many
different perspectives by actively participating in the class
discussions. This will directly benefit me to perform the role as an
RA because the willingness to understand and accept perspectives
different than my own is crucial for me make connections with my
residents. If I do not role model the right behavior to acknowledge
the diversity in my corridor, either will my residents. I believe being
a good listener is the key for me to get to know each of my
residents at a personal level, allowing me to better tailor the
corridor programs and meetings to their interests. After the indepth class discussions on various topics, I feel much more
comfortable to confront these issues.
Kevin and Yvette
 My eyes have been opened to the identity, stereotypes, and privilege I have
faced in life and how that has affected me as a person. I then have been able
to see where other people in my hall are coming from and what they are
facing in their everyday lives. It is this that has allowed me to create a
deeper relationship with some of my residents; creating a relationship I
would not have had with them otherwise.
 As a heterosexual person, I do not have to worry about the day when I
“come out.” I have the privilege of the assumption that I am heterosexual
from birth, and I do not have to declare it in a formal announcement. I
believe that sexuality is a private thing. It is unfair that society denies people
who are homosexual this privacy…The biggest aspect of privilege in general
is to not be defined by a certain aspect of your identity. I do not have to
worry about being called, “the gay friend.” I am just a friend.
Interpretation on Kevin and Yvette
 Experiencing an another (someone who was previously
“them” who contradicts assumptions about who we are
and who they are may be a first step in questioning familiar
social arrangements. (Parks, p.92)
 This shift (in meaning making) emerges in the
uncomfortable discovery that established patterns of
thinking do not fit lived experience. (Parks, p.92)
 Her awareness of the importance of how people identify
themselves suggests her increasing awareness of multiple
perspectives. (Baxter-Magolda and King, pp. 584-585)
THEME 4: Meta Perspectives
The Essence of the Course







Larger Take Aways From the Course
Transferrable Skills
Paradigm Shifts
Big Picture Items
How the course changed the RA as a person
Reflecting on Transformative Learning Experiences
Insights beyond the RA position
Literature: Meta-Perspectives
Transformative Learning
 The changes in students’ intercultural skills being called for today
require not just knowing more facts or having more awareness, but
a genuine maturity, an individual transformation that enables
students to apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts.
(Baxter-Magolda, p.586)
 Educators are being asked to produce graduates who see the world,
themselves, and their own agency in more sophisticated and
enabling ways, and who can appropriately draw upon that
understanding as the need arises. (Baxter-Magolda and King, p.586)
 Accepting ambiguity and understanding the basis of
differing worldviews require complex thinking skills.
(Baxter-Magolda, p.576)
Yvette
 I have learned to think in depth about topics that seem
simple at the surface. The main subject that we thought
and talked very deeply about is diversity. Before being an
RA, diversity was just a word that to me meant different
people coming together. I never thought about in such
depth and meaning the way we did in EDL 301. Thinking
about how every little thing matters and to be mindful of
everyone’s differences is exhausting, but very
enlightening. Being able to step back and see the big
picture is sometimes very hard to do, but once you do it
can change everything.
Audrey

I believe that learning from each other is one of the most valuable
aspects of humankind. As I reflect on life this past year and think about
the future year, the people surrounding me have helped make me who I
am and who I will continue to grow to be. Eating the same food
repeatedly wouldn’t let my taste buds try anything new; listening to only
my opinion all the time wouldn’t allow my brain to gain new perspectives
and ideas through the opinions of others. Being open to these new ideas,
perspectives, and opinions is a value I find essential and whole-heartedly
support.

While the content will be useful for the RA position as well as later
in life, the thought process of reflecting, evaluating, and reevaluating can
provide an outlet to think through many of topics… If I cannot
understand my personal place in privilege, how can I relate and be fully
understanding of a resident having a conflict about privilege? Overall this
class provided useful information that deserved to be discussed in the
atmosphere created, but the thought processes of how to think through
the information is what will continue to stick with me.
Wally
 The first was the weekly reflections we all wrote.
They forced me to be open with myself and think
back to past experiences that have shaped who I am
today. This is important in our job as RA's because if
we are going to help other people overcome their
own problems and challenges, then we first have to
have a good sense of ourselves and who we are.
On Baxter-Magolda’s participants:
 As they tried to follow the external formulas offered by
others to achieve success, tensions arose between their
own developing priorities and others’ expectations. These
tensions led to the crossroads, a place where interviewees
wavered between listening to others and listening to
themselves. To move through the crossroads, they had to
listen to and cultivate their internal voices. Those who
found support for doing so were able to move through the
crossroads into self-authorship—the ability to use their
internal voices to guide their lives. (Baxter-Magolda, 2009,
p. 41)
Insights Gained From Engaging With
Texts from Multiple Authors Using Our
Findings
How do Young Adults Search for
Meaning?
According to Parks
 How do young adults search for meaning?
 In community, with one another, through reflecting on their
experiences especially as they look back on how they’ve changed
over time
 What can we as educators do to create supportive learning
environments (mentoring communities) and serve as good company for
our students?
 Make classes discussion based, validate their perspective as
knowers, provide feedback to help them continue to think deeply
and more complexly about who they are and how they act as a result
of that
 Provide insight and emotional support
 How can we encourage and support students to use their creativity,
imagination and passion to flourish?
 Recognizing each student as uniquely complex individual and
viewing them through a holistic lens
Why Community?
 Why Community To Promote Development?
 What Type of Community?
 A network of belonging in which adults feel recognized
as who they really are, and as who they are becoming
 Transformations in the meaning of the self, therefore,
may also require transformation of the social world- a
mutual recomposing (Parks, p.90)
 Embedded in the story of human development is a story
about transformation in forms of community (Parks,
p.90)
Why Reflections?
 Why reflections to promote development?
 The ethical life as it is lived out in a complex and morally
ambiguous world is dependent less on the ability to do
everything right the first time and more on the ability to
reflect on past and potential action and make good
choices (Parks, p.84)
 If interiority is well cultivated, the capacity for
responsible adulthood and faithful citizenship is
enlarged (Parks, p.85)
Intercultural Competence
 The ability to entertain multiple perspectives in multiple
contexts leads to the ability to use multiple cultural frames.
(Baxter-Magolda and King, p.576)
 Intercultural competence is a complex, multifaceted construct,
and that educating for this outcome requires a broader, more
comprehensive approach than that suggested by training for
knowledge or skills alone. (Baxter-Magolda and King, p.572)
 The developmental complexity that allows a learner to
understand and accept the general idea of difference from self
without feeling threat to self enables a person to offer positive
regard to others across many types of difference, such as race,
ethnicity, social class, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.
(Baxter-Magolda and King, p.572-573)
 Producing interculturally competent citizens requires
helping students achieve intercultural maturity in all
three dimensions. (Baxter-Magolda and King, p.574)
 We define intercultural maturity as multi-dimensional
and consisting of a range of attributes, including
understanding (the cognitive dimension), sensitivity
to others (the interpersonal dimension), and a sense
of oneself that enables one to listen to and learn from
others (the intrapersonal dimension).
 Intercultural competence requires an internally defined sense of
self to avoid feeling threatened by difference (Kegan, 1994).
(Baxter-Magolda and King, p.578)
 The “resistance” multicultural educators experience from some
students may result not only from their reliance on simplistic
cognitive categories that do not accommodate multiple cultural
perspectives, but also from a sense of self that is largely defined
by others, as described in Kegan’s (1994) third order. (BaxterMagolda and King, p.578)
 The tension between an externally derived sense of self (e.g.,
reliance upon affirmation by others or peer group acceptance)
and an internally derived self-definition is heightened at the
intermediate benchmark of intercultural maturity.
 Designed to promote student interaction and
understanding among students from different social
backgrounds, these dialogues are structured to
explore students’ own experiences and assumptions
as the basis for enabling them to understand more
fully the idea of socially constructed group
distinctions and how these are played out in
intergroup interactions in the US. (Baxter-Magolda
and King, p.587)
 We have tried to show how an integrative model
provides a more comprehensive, and therefore more
powerful, conceptual tool for understanding and
promoting development than do models that focus
predominantly or exclusively on one domain. Further,
we have tried to describe how the development of
intercultural maturity unfolds gradually and in a
manner that reflects an individual’s maturity in each
of the three dimensions. (Baxter-Magolda and King,
p.589)
References
 Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2000a). Interpersonal maturity: Integrating agency
and communion. Journal of College Student Development, 41(2), 141-156.
 Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2009). Authoring Your Life: Developing an internal
voice to navigate life’s challenges. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
 Baxter Magolda, M.B., & Crosby, P.C. (2011). Preparing students and
graduates to navigate life’s challenges: A dialogue on self-authorship and the
quest for balance of agency and communion. Journal of College and
Character, 12(3).
 King, P.M., & Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2005). A developmental model of
intercultural maturity. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6).
 Parks, S.D. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in
Their Search For Meaning, Purpose, and Faith. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.
 Pizzolato, J.E. (2005). Creating Crossroads for self-authorship. Investigating
the provocative moment. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6).