Micromessage: Reach and Teach

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Bainbridge High School

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Location

Poster Session (Harborside)

Strand #1

Academic Achievement & School Leadership

Strand #2

Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

The collective efforts to increase the participation of students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) have shown little acumen to bolster underrepresented populations, including women. Educators, both secondary and post-secondary alike, must understand the power of micromessages to achieve even the hardest of goals.

Brief Program Description

Don’t let the name fool you: Micromessages can move mountains! The use of culturally relevant micromessages is essential to the cultivation of a growth mindset. In this regard, let us be mindful of the impact our micromessages to young people. Forging meaningful relationships unlocks the power to reach and teach.

Summary

Micromessages are defined as non-verbal messages that are transmitted via body language, tone of voice, or voice inflection, either intentionally or not. These subtle and frequently not so subtle non-verbal messages signal how we truly feel about situations and others in an immediate deep down instinctive level. Flattering words accompanied by a negative micromessage may speak louder and with more lasting impact than the spoken words.

The collective efforts to increase the participation of students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) have shown little acumen to bolster underrepresented populations, including women. Educators, both secondary and post-secondary alike, must understand the power of micromessages to achieve even the hardest of goals. The significance of this main ingredient of social chemistry is essential to improving classroom pedagogy and increase the matriculation, retention, performance, and completion of underrepresented populations in STEAM. By looking through the lens of culture and gender, educators can provide unique perspectives to the complex needs of students. Don’t let the name fool you: Micromessages can move mountains! The use of culturally relevant micromessages is essential to the cultivation of a growth mindset. In this regard, let us be mindful of the impact of our micromessages to young people. Forging meaningful relationships unlocks the power to reach and teach.

Evidence

Researchers have studied the effects of microinequities and microaffirmations theories since the early 1970s (Rowe, 2008). According to Rowe (2008), microinequities are “apparently small events that are often ephemeral and hard-to-prove, events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognized by the perpetrator, which occur whenever people are perceived to be ‘different’” (p. 45). Also defining microaffirmations, Rowe (2008) termed them as “apparently small acts, which are often ephemeral and hard-to-see, events which that are public and private, often unconscious but very effective, which occur wherever people wish to help others to succeed” (p. 46). Ever since these terms were first coined, researchers have studied their effects on productivity and performance. Young (2007) emphasized how negative micromessages impede performance improvement strategies hindering employees from being polite to one another, leading to individuals fearful of reporting negative behaviors or raising awareness for fear of repercussion from superiors or upper management.

Micromessages can likewise influence an individual’s behavior and in an educational setting greatly influencing their learning in positive or negative ways, as suggested by Maldonado (2006) and Parker et al. (2016). Instructors and faculty are often unaware of the micromessages they are delivering along with the course content in their classrooms. “As one drop of water has little effect, though continuous drops may be destructive” (Rowe, 1990). As negative micromessages accumulate over time, they may affect a student’s self-concept or self-efficacy impacting the student’s performance and decision making (Rowe 1990). Consequently, positive micromessages, practiced consistently may lead to more confident students and improved classroom climate overall (Morrell & Parker, 2013).

Biographical Sketch

EDUCATION:

2015 VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY, Valdosta, Georgia

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, PEFORMANCE-BASED

2004 FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL & MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, Tallahassee, Florida

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, PHARMACY

1996 ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY, Albany, Georgia

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, BIOLOGY

EXPERIENCE:

2016-Present SITE COORDINATOR, 21st CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS

Bainbridge Middle School, Bainbridge, Georgia

2006-2016 ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY, Albany, Georgia

Department of Natural Sciences

2008-Present TEACHER, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

BAINBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, Bainbridge, Georgia

2008-2009 ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

BAINBRIDGE COLLEGE, Bainbridge, Georgia

Department of Arts and Sciences

2006-2008 SCIENCE TEACHER, 9TH GRADE ACADEMY

MITCHELL COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL, Camilla, Georgia

2004-2005 DIRECTOR, CLINICAL RESEARCH

WEBSTER SURGIAL CENTER, Tallahassee, Florida

Phase I and Phase II Clinical Trials

1999- 2000 Intern, QUALITY CONTROL/GENE REGULATION

Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana

1997-2002 GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Tallahassee, Florida

PUBLICATIONS:

J.L. Sweet, V. Pillay, Y.E. Choonara. Design and Development of a Novel Controlled Release PLGA Alginate-Pectinate Polyspheric Drug Delivery System. Drug Delivery, 14:309-318, 2007.

S. R. Simbano, V.Pillay, Y. E. Choonara, R.A. Khan, J.L. Sweet. Elucidation of the physicomechanical and ab initio quantum energy transitions of a crosslinked PLGA scaffold. Biomaterials 28 (2007) 3714-3723.

N. Singh, F. Seedat, V. Pillay, J. L. Sweet, and M. P. Danckwerts. Formulation and statistical optimization of novel double-incorporated PLA-PLGA microparticles within an alginate-pectinate platform for the delivery of nicotine. Journal of Microencapsulation, March 2006; 23(2): 153-167.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

Micromessaging to Reach and Teach, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE). Educators Equity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (EE-STEM) Academy. Canton, Ohio, July, 2017.

A Novel Implantable PLGA Polyspheric Complex for Drug Delivery, 4thInternational Conference on Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Riverside Hotel, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, September, 2006.

Formulation and evaluation of controlled release delivery systems for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. AAPS Pharm Sci., Toronto, Canada, 2002 4(4) Abstract T3204.

Controlled Release Tacrine Delivery System for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. AAPS Pharm Sci., New York, 2000 4(40).

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)

Historic Preservation Committee (Bainbridge, GA)

REFERENCES: Available upon request.

Keyword Descriptors

micromessaging, culture, power, reach, teach, gender

Presentation Year

2019

Start Date

3-5-2019 4:00 PM

End Date

3-5-2019 5:30 PM

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Mar 5th, 4:00 PM Mar 5th, 5:30 PM

Micromessage: Reach and Teach

Poster Session (Harborside)

Don’t let the name fool you: Micromessages can move mountains! The use of culturally relevant micromessages is essential to the cultivation of a growth mindset. In this regard, let us be mindful of the impact our micromessages to young people. Forging meaningful relationships unlocks the power to reach and teach.