CTL Schedule

Getting Started With a Philosophy of Teaching

Writing a teaching philosophy helps us to identify what we value most in teaching and learning and to consider how we are putting those values in action as we teach. More immediately, a teaching statement is often required for tenure and promotion packets, teaching awards, and annual inventories. Barbara Millis, the workshop leader, is a lively presenter and well-known author in the area of teaching and learning; she has recently published a new edition of The Course Syllabus: A Learning Centered Approach. A buffet lunch will be available at noon.
Friday, January 27, 12:30 to 2:00 Rosenberg School of Optometry, 9725 Datapoint

Troublesome Student?  Who Should You Call?

Occasionally student behavior is irritating or even worrisome.   Is it a classroom management problem, a mental health issue or disciplinary matter? This interactive session will identify various sources of assistance for faculty members who are dealing with troublesome student behavior. Members of UIW’s Behavior Intervention Team will describe how it responds to various types of student behavior and the process faculty can use to report behavior that causes concern. If you have a smart phone, bring it to this session.  Drinks and dessert will be served.
New Date: Monday, February 20, noon to 1:15, Library Special Collections

Social Justice in the Classroom: Talking about Immigration

“The immigrant question” has fueled America’s political debate and fed its literature. While it has profound implications for social justice, the question does not have easy answers.  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario will lead a workshop on integrating the topic of immigration into college teaching; she has written on social issues for 25 years, most recently as a projects reporter for the Los Angeles Times; she is the author of Enrique’s Journey. The San Francisco Chronicle notes that Enrique’s Journey “covers both positive and negative effects of immigration, illuminating the problem’s complexity.” Nazario’s workshop, co-sponsored by the Dreeben School, is intended for faculty in a wide range of disciplines.
Thursday, March 22nd, 3:30 to 4:45, Library Special Collections

Creating and Using Reading Guides

Students who complete substantial reading assignments each week show increased academic growth, yet encouraging students to complete and comprehend these assignments can be challenging. Dan Dominguez will demonstrate how the Blackboard testing function can create interactive reading guides that do not require additional grading by the faculty member. He teaches Health Care Administration in the HEB School and is UIW’s nominee for the Piper Professorship. Drinks and dessert will be served.
Correction: Tuesday, March 27, noon to 1:00, Administration 212.

How Students Learn: Strategies for Teaching from the Psychology of Learning

Abundant research demonstrates that learning takes place when the student's mind actively engages in the material. The major problem is determining how to increase that activity. Within the discipline of human memory, learning, and cognition exists a vast body of literature dealing specifically with this issue. Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of the basic concepts in human learning, how to present information so that students most effectively encode it into long-term memory, and how to help students know when they know. Session leader Todd Zakrajsek is the director of the teaching and learning center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He frequently presents on topics of teaching and learning and can be counted on for a session that combines fun with practical, research-based teaching strategies.
Thursday, April 12, noon to 1:15, Library Auditorium

Faculty Book Club:  Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

This best-selling book traces the journey of a young boy who leaves his home in Honduras, travelling alone to join his mother who has been working in the U.S. for 11 years.  The New York Times Book Review places Nazario in the tradition of Joseph Riis, commenting thatshe“has illuminated the modern immigrant experience; with Enrique, she has given a voice and a face to these immigrant children.”  Describing Enrique’s Journey as “a twenty-first century Odyssey,” novelist Isabel Allende says, “If you are going to read only one nonfiction book this year, it has to be this one.”  Book club participants will receive copies of Enrique’s Journey as well as refreshments at both meetings. Esmeralda De Los Santos (HEB School) and Sherry Herbers (Dreeben School) will moderate this book club. This book club is now full!
Thursdays, March 8th and March 29th, noon to 1:00, Administration 212

Faculty Book Club:  How Learning Works by Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman

For this book, the subtitle says it all. The authors of How Learning Works apply what they call “7 research-based principles for smart teaching” to a variety of situations faced by college instructors. The volume is practical without resorting to tricks and learned without being stuffy.  Catherine Casserly of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching praises the authors for “making accessible what has previously been inaccessible for those of us who are not learning scientists.” In this work, Ambrose et al. have chosen college professors as their audience and provide classroom examples from many disciplines. Jose Moreno (HEB School) and Absael Antelo (Dreeben School) will moderate this book club. Participants will receive copies of How Learning Works and refreshments at each meeting. This group will meet in Administration 212 at noon these Tuesdays: Feb. 14, Feb. 26, March 4, and March 18. 

Registration Information

All CTL events are free to UIW faculty; both fulltime and adjunct faculty are welcome. Registering helps ensure that there will be enough food, supplies, and chairs at each event, but feel free to attend a session even if you forgot to register.

To register, use the online site at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CTLregspring12  or contact Susan Hall (210-283-5030 or hall@uiwtx.edu).