From Talk to Action: Let's Integrate the Core!

From Talkto Action: Let's Integrate the Core! Faculty Development Day Workshop May 3, 2007

Agenda for the afternoon 1:00 – 1:15 = Welcome and form home teams 1:15 – 2:00 = Content integration: Sharing knowledge across disciplines 2:00 – 2:10 = Pedagogy integration: How we learn at Fairfield 2:15 – 2:35 = Pedagogy “Jigsaws”, round I 2:35 – 2:50 = Break 2:50 – 3:10 = Pegadogy “Jigsaws,” round II Group members share 3:15 – 3:45 = Report back to home teams 3:50 – 4:00 = Groups report out; evaluation

Two broad categories for integration: • Content – students see a variety of faculty talking about related topics, concepts, or ways of thinking, sometimes in one another’s classes • Pedagogy – students experience a variety of teaching and learning strategies being employed in many of their courses, creating an integrative culture

Content: Speakers Bureau • Faculty develop 30-minute “killer” lectures or classroom activities on topics of their choosing • These titles with brief explanations will be listed on the core website • Anyone who is looking for a colleague to provide support in a course can invite from the list • Each speaker will receive a $50 stipend per classroom visit (up to 4 lectures per academic year)

Your turn! • Come up with a title and a brief description of a “killer” class presentation or activity you’d be willing to share. Discuss these within your groups. Use your group laptop to record ideas. • Come up with 2 places in your courses where you believe you could benefit from some outside expertise. Use your group laptop to record ideas.

Pedagogy: Creating an integrative atmosphere • We have 5 leaders presenting 5 different sets of pedagogical activities in “jigsaw” rounds • Home team members each choose 2 different “jigsaws” they’ll join • After both rounds, return to home teams / groups and share what you learned • Result: Everyone tries 2 new sets of activities, and learns of all 5

Pedagogy Jigsaws • Listen now for your home team / group number • [Read off last names] • Get in your home teams / groups • [2 minutes] • At least 2 members go to each of the following 5 jigsaws

Using prompts for reflective writing (Kathy Nantz) • Reflective writing assignments ask students to think about their relationship to some aspect of the course • Requires students to interrogate their own assumptions about some aspect of their learning or some content in the course • Reward is the better understanding of their own learning and progress that students get

Integration through Inquiry (Ramona Islam) • Forum Theater: informed by rigorous research, students negotiate a controversial issue through theater. • Research Partnerships: students swap topics and conduct secondary research for one another. • Socratic Circles: within 2 concentric circles, students examine texts through inquisitive dialogue.

Giving students voice (Larry Miners) • One minute papers • Write, pair, share • The most salient point

The Five Stages of Revision (Aaron Perkus) • Write: can be an open or targeted prompt • Limit: look for where the center of gravity is, the seam in the baseball, the square peg, deus ex machina • Add: Mull, Mull, Mull • Switch: time/place/gender/age/race/ethnicity/class/sexual preference/epoch/zeitgeist/time/tense/purpose/audience/speaker • Transform: screenplay/article/transcript/interview/story/conference abstract/letter to the editor/ linear note/ blog One minute papers to 3-5 page essays

Visual Integration (Roben Torosyan) • Concept Drawing: students sketch a concept visually as a T-shirt design • Concept Mapping / Mind-mapping: students group and link ideas all over a page (a nonlinear alternative to outlining) • Found object illustration: students use found objects to illustrate a concept

Pedagogy Jigsaws • At least 2 members go to each jigsaw • Round 1 & 2 jigsaw breakout locations: • Reflective writing, Kathy Nantz: Rm 109 • Inquiry, Ramona Islam: Rm 111 • Giving voice, Larry Miners: Rm 112 • Revision, Aaron Perkus: Rm 110A • Visual int, Roben Torosyan: Rm 110B

Pedagogy Sharing with Home Teams • After completing 2 rounds, share with home teams in breakout locations: • #1: Rm 109 • #2: Rm 111 • #3: Rm 112 #4: Rm 110A • #5: Rm 110B • 20 minutes total: • Appoint Facilitator: Help people report only key take-aways; limit folks to 1-minute “elevator presentations” to leave time to discuss and clarify • End by 3:45 to all report out in Rm 110 A & B

Integrative Learning through Content and Pedagogy: Insights

From Talk to Action: Let's Integrate the Core!