Redish Seminar
Title :
"Why Student Expectations Matter in Your Classroom"
Speaker :
Prof.
E. F. (Joe) Redish,
Department of Physics
When :
Oct. 9 (Monday), 2006,
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Where : Executive Dining Room (Rm. 2517) in Van Munching Hall
ABSTRACT
It's well known that students come to our classrooms with everyday
knowledge and that sometimes makes it hard for them to make sense of
what we are trying to teach them, especially in science and math.
But students at the university also bring to our classes
epistemological expectations -- expectations about the nature of the
knowledge they are learning and what they think they have to do to
learn it. Often, these expectations are quite robust;
they have had more than a decade of schooling and they think they
know how to succeed. Often, these expectations are quite wrong; they
prevent our students from seeing what we are trying to get them to
do. In the behavioral sciences (anthropology, cognitive science, and
socio-linguistics), the activation of expectations in response to a
situation is called framing -- the answer to the question, "What's
going on here?" Prof. Redish will give a brief introduction to
expectations and framing and lead a discussion about how we can help
students "reframe"
our classes in order to help them learn more effectively.
Sponsored by the
Academy for Excellence
in Teaching and Learning and the
Center for Teaching
Excellence.
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Paoletti
Seminar
Title : "The
Implications of a Flat World (a la Friedman) on Higher Education".
Speaker : Prof. Jo Paoletti,
American Studies Department
When : October 26 (Thursday),
2006, 12:30 -1:30 p.m.
Where : Library (Room 1126) in Taliaferro Hall.
Abstract
Thomas Friedman is the award winning Foreign
Affairs columnist for the NY Times whose book, The World is
Flat, A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, has
become a national bestseller. From online sources, we learn that
Friedman's thesis deals with a concept he calls flattening with
products in all industries being increasingly leveraged through
competitive commoditization and the possibility of using labor and
services in emerging markets like India and China. Friedman argues
that individuals as well as companies become empowered by this
process. Friedman criticizes societies [and possibly institutions]
that resist these changes.
The inevitability of global change forces all societies [and
possibly institutions] to either adapt or be left
behind. Some critics argue that while Friedman points out that the
world is increasingly inter-connected, his image may suggest the
opposite, as a flat world would be harder to navigate than a
spherical one. However, Friedman more likely meant the metaphor to
imply the "playing field is flat" in the competitive sense.
Professor Paoletti will lead a discussion on Friedman's thesis as it
pertains to higher education.
Please try to read Chapters 6 and 7 of Friedman's book.
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Martin Seminar
Title :
"International Education: What is it and why does it matter?"
Speaker : Prof. Cindy Martin, Languages, Literatures and
Cultures
When : November 16th (Thursday),
2006, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Where : Room 1126, Taliaferro
Abstract
In
recent years, increasing attention has been
paid to "international education" and its importance. The primary
focus of
this lunchtime discussion will be on the undergraduate context:
Why should undergraduate international education be promoted?
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Langenberg Seminar
Title :
"Our Future In Higher Education: The View From
Inside The Beltway"
Speaker :
Prof. Don Langenberg, Physics
When : December 5 (Tuesday), 2006, 12:301:45 p.m.
Where : 1126 Taliaferro (the "Library")
Abstract
The 7 BIG CHALLENGES facing higher education, as identified by 6
leading national higher education associations, are:
1.
Expanding college access to low-income and minority students
2.
Keeping college affordable
*3.
Improving learning by utilizing new knowledge and instructional
techniques
*4.
Preparing secondary students for higher education
*5.
Increasing accountability for educational outcomes
6.
Internationalizing the student experience
7.
Increasing opportunities for lifelong education and
workforce training
The
Academy for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is sponsoring a
discussion of these topics, especially challenges #3, #4, #5. Professor Don Langenberg
is past Chancellor
of our own University System:
Comment: The recent Spellings Commission Report on the Future of
Higher Education has mapped the higher education "future." In response,
six leading higher education associations have described what our
institutions and each of us individually should address to make it
happen (including the 7 items above). This discussion
will explore how we at UMCP might start.
There are two attachments:
i) "NASULGC Challenges" is an 8 page response to the
Spellings Report submitted by 6 national
educational organizations(ACE, AASCU, AACC, AAU, NAICU, NASULGC)
and presents seven
challenges facing American higher education.
- Download Link
ii) "Miscellaneous Thought-Provoking Quotations"
compiled by Don Langenberg -
Download Link
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Butterworth Seminar
Title:
"Are Institutions of Higher Education Uni-
or Multi- versities?"
Moderator: Professor Charles Butterworth(GVPT)
Discussants: Professors Arjang Assad(BMGT), Jim
Greenberg(Former
Director,CTE), Don Langenberg(Physics),and Marla McIntosh(AGNR)
When: February 7 (Wednesday),
2007, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Where: Room 1126, Taliaferro Hall
Topics for discussion
1. Is there any common denominator to what we do as university
teachers, any sense in which we share in what we do, diversity in
approaches and even in substance notwithstanding?
2. Or is the common link formal, centered on procedure (critical
thinking, for example) and end product (getting students to do x, y,
or z)?
3. A working definition of critical thinking with respect to this
topic:
a. What, in your opinion, is the university?
b. Why do you think that?
c. What is your evidence for this opinion?
d. What is the good of the university in that case?
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