Faculty Development Center Calendar: Spring 2008
Lectures, Discussions, and Gatherings of Interest to Educators and Scholars
- Feature presentations
- Teaching presentations
- Teaching workshops
- Professional development workshops
- Guided reading sessions
- Web seminar
Have you missed one of our programs? Presentations are podcast when speakers give their permission, and made available at: CTE Speaker Series on UMassCast
Contact Rita Girard at CTE to register: contact or 508-999-9182
Feature Presentations
Soil, Soul and Society
A seminar with Satish Kumar, Director, Shumacher College, UK
April 11, 2008 in the Library Browsing Area
12-1pm: Seminar
11:45pm: Refreshments
Q&A until 1:30pm
Jointly Sponsored by the Center for Indic Studies; Office of Campus and Community Sustainability; and the Center for Teaching Excellence
In his lecture, Dr. Satish Kumar will elaborate on the importance of soil, soul, and society for a sustainable future, a healthy planet and a just society – a trinity he believes should be integrated with all our teaching. At the age of nine years old, Satish Kumar renounced the world and joined the wandering brotherhood of Jain monks, and at the age of eighteen, he left the monastic order and became a campaigner for land reform, working to turn Gandhi’s vision of a peaceful world into reality. Fired by the example of Bertrand Russell, he undertook an 8,000 mile peace pilgrimage, walking from India to America without any money, through deserts, mountains, storms and snow.
In 1973, he settled in England, taking the Editorship of Resurgence magazine. He has been the editor ever since (30 + years!).In 1991, Schumacher College, a residential international centre for the study of ecological and spiritual values, was founded, of which he is the Director of Programme. In addition to two honorary Doctorate degrees, in November 2001, Satish Kumar was presented with the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values Abroad. In addition to his autobiography, No Destination, Satish’s three other books, You Are, Therefore I Am – A Declaration of Dependence, The Buddha and the Terrorist and his latest book, Spiritual Compass, are also published by Green Books.
For more information, contact CTE
Contemplative Pedagogy in Higher Education: An Afternoon with Professors Arthur Zajonc and Joel Sutton, Amherst College
Friday, May 2, 2008
Lunch: 12:30 – 1:00 PM in CCB 115
1:00 – 2:15 Presentation in CCB 115
2:30 – 4:00 Workshop in CCB 115
Participants are invited to one or to all sessions.
A fascinating look at contemplative practices for improving pedagogy. Professors Arthur Zajonc argues that we require a pedagogy that attends to the development of reflective, contemplative, affective, and ethical capacities in our students, emphasizing a form of inquiry that supports close engagement and leads to student transformation and insight. Arthur Zajonc is professor of physics at Amherst College. His research has included studies in parity violation in atoms, the experimental foundations of quantum physics, and the relationship between sciences, the humanities and meditation. He is author of a number of books including The Quantum Challenge. Since 1997 he has served as scientific coordinator for the Mind and Life dialogue with H.H. the Dalai Lama whose meetings have been published as The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama (Oxford 2004) and The Dalai Lama at MIT (Harvard UP, 2006). He currently directs the Academic Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind which supports appropriate inclusion of contemplative practice in higher education.
Teaching Presentations
Lecture as Theatre: Teacher as Actor
Dr. Frank Heppner, University of Rhode Island, Department of Biological ScienceMonday, March 4, 2008
1:00 – 2:00 Demonstration in the Pit (Dion 115)
2:15 – 3:30 Discussion (Dion 108)
Participants are invited to one or to all sessions, but registration is limited to 12 for the Discussion Session. Contact Rita Girard at CTE to register: contact or 508-999-9182
New to large lecture college teaching and would like some tips and suggestions? Professor Frank Heppner suggests that lecture is analogous to theatre and good lecturers practice their art. Come and hear him as he shows us what he means with a lecture in the PIT.
Frank Hopper is a well-published researcher in Ornithology and the author of Teaching the Large College Class: A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes. He has taught tens of thousand of students since 1969 at URI in large lecture settings. His suggestions are practical, tested, and apply to large classes (100+) in any field.
Using the Keep Toolkit to Foster SoTL, Student Learning and Institutional Change
Dr. Spencer Benson, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Maryland
Wednesday, April 9
1:00 – 2:30 PM, CCB 115
The Knowledge Exchange Exhibition and Presentation (KEEP) Toolkit, is a set of open-source tools developed at the Knowledge Media Laboratory of the Carnegie Foundation to document, share, and reflect on teaching and learning. The KEEP Toolkit is a web-based tool available to educators and students at all levels. In this session, a general overview and introduction to the tool and specific cases of its use in documenting SOTL and for fostering student learning will be presented.
Spencer Benson is the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, associate professor in the Dept. of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics and an affiliate associate professor in the Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence.
Teaching Workshops
Discussion as a Teaching Tool
Doug Roscoe, UMass Dartmouth, Professor of Political Science
Monday, April 28
3:00 – 5:00 PM, CCB 115
Co-sponsored by the Charlton College of Business and CTE; registration required as seating is limited.
Professor Doug Roscoe will facilitate this interactive workshop on using discussion in the classroom. Based on his reading and experience, Doug will provide strategies for improving dialogues in the classroom and establishing a more learner-centered climate.
Professional Development Workshops
Fulbright Scholars and Student Exchange Sessions
Susan Atkins, Director of the Office of International and Exchange Study Programs
March 11, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Charlton College of Business, Room 115
Jointly sponsored by the Office of International and Exchange Study Programs, the Provost's Office, and CTE
Maria Bettua, Assistant Director for Europe/Eurasia for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, and Tony Claudino, Director, Fulbright Student Outreach for the Institute of International Education, will be vesting campus to provide information and advice to students and faculty about Fulbright programs.
"Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations." - Senator J. William Fulbright, 1983.
Grants: Where to find them and how to get them
Joanne Zanella-Litke, Director Office of Research Administration, UMass Dartmouth
Monday, March 24
3:00 – 5:00 PM, CCB 115
Jointly sponsored by the Charlton College of Business and CTE.
CTE Guided Reading Sessions
Limited to 6 participants
Attendees at the Guided Reading Sessions in the Fall gave this new program a thumbs-up. Guided reading sessions are for those who want to explore one or more new ideas to improve student learning. The sessions are devoted to one topic, take place in the comfort of the CTE lounge, and are led by faculty guides who lead a tour through a classic or current book on the topic and present an abridged version in a hand-out. Pre-registered participants will receive a copy of both the book and handout. Ideas presented in the guided reading sessions might provide great fodder for a CTE Teaching Institute grant or Innovation in Teaching Grant this April (watch for RFP)
Feb. 11, 11:00 AM
Maureen Hall (Education), CTE Lounge
Integrative Learning and Action, 2006 by Susan M. Awbrey (Editor), Diane Dana (Editor), Vachel W. Miller (Editor), Phyllis Robinson (Editor), Merle M. Ryan (Editor), David K. Scott (Editor)
A call to wholeness speaks to an emerging desire for a different world—for different ways of learning, knowing, and being that draw upon the full spectrum of our cognitive, aesthetic, emotional, spiritual, and kinesthetic intelligences in order to create a wiser, more sustainable, and collaborative global society ...challenges us to encourage our students to achieve a fuller integration of learning, doing, and being...This book should be read by all of us who care deeply about education, our students, and the future of our country and our world." (Gregory S. Prince, President Emeritus, Hampshire College)
February 19, 11am
Glaucia Silva (Portuguese), CTE Lounge
Fundamentals of Service-Learning Course Construction, 2001; by Kerrissa Heffenan
Chapters on course organization (including examples of successful service-learning courses), implementation, assignment examples, and ways of connecting to the community: "civic bridges." Six models for service-learning courses are described, as well as a catalogued sample of assignments and sample syllabi.
March 12, 9:00 AM
Lisa Maya-Knauer (Sociology/Anthropology), CTE Lounge
Building Excellence: The Rewards and Challenges of Integrating Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum, 2007; Catherine N. Dulmus (Editor), Karen M. Sowers (Editor)
A handbook for integrating research into undergraduate curriculums, using the curriculum of the University of Tennessee College of Social Work as an example. This unique book showcases research conducted by UT seniors, who were paired upon graduation with doctoral students who helped them place their research in publication form. Demonstrates how universities can develop into communities of learners by strengthening critical thinking, independent thinking, and creative imagination at the undergraduate level.
March 26, 2:00 PM
Nancy Benson (English), CTE Lounge
The Teacher's Guide to Leading Student-Centered Discussions: Talking About Texts in the Classroom, 2006; Michael Hall and Elizabeth City
A teacher-friendly resource...highlights the fundamentals of planning for text-based discourse, the four key factors that shape the teachers decision-making during discussions, and tips for problem-solving and fine-tuning facilitation skills...of value to anyone who wants to teach students to improve their listening, critical thinking, social, or college success skills."
April 3, 10am
Stan Harrison (English), CTE Lounge
Peer Assisted Learning: A Practical Guide for Teachers, 2001; Keith Topping
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is defined as the acquisition of knowledge and skill through active helping and supporting among matched companions...a practical guide for teachers to plan and effectively implement different kinds of PAL in any area of the curriculum...covers peer modeling, peer monitoring of learning behavior and peer assessment of learning products...organized so that both helper and helped gain in achievement.
April 14, 10am
Shannon Jenkins, CTE Lounge
Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines, 2007;
by D. Randy Garrison (Author), Norman D. Vaughan (Author)
A down-to-earth resource for the practical application of blended learning in higher education as well as a comprehensive examination of the topic. Well-grounded in research, Blended Learning in Higher Education clearly demonstrates how the blended learning approach embraces the traditional values of face-to-face teaching and integrates the best practices of online learning. This approach has proven to both enhance and expand the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning in higher education across disciplines.
April 22, 2pm
Cristina Mehrtens (History); CTE Lounge
Educating the Net Generation, 2005; Diana G. Oblinger and James L. Oblinger, Editors
The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of Net Gen students reflect the environment in which they were raised-one that is decidedly different from that which existed when faculty and administrators were growing up. This collection explores the Net Gen and the implications for institutions in areas such as teaching, service, learning space design, faculty development, and curriculum. Contributions by educators and students are included.
May 1, 9:30am
Susanne Scott (Management), CTE Lounge
Teaching International Students: Improving Learning for All, 2006. Judd Carroll and Janet Ryan (eds.)
Packed with practical advice from experienced practitioners and underpinned by reference to pedagogic theory throughout, topics covered include: issues arising from international students studying alongside 'home' students; the nature of learning and teacher-student relationships; multicultural group work; and the experience of the international student.
Web Seminar
Transformative Learning in the College Classroom
Registration limited to 12; contact CTE or 508-999-9182
Tuesday March 25, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Dion 109 Instructional Development
Join Dr. Patricia P. Cranton, the author of Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass) and Maryellen Weimer, editor of the longstanding Teaching Professor newsletter as they discuss the nature of transformative learning and what kind of classroom conditions, assignments, and activities promote and cultivate transformative learning. Participants in this live interview will have the chance to ask their own questions of Dr. Cranton, too.
Transformative Learning is concerned with more than the acquisition of discipline-related knowledge and skills. It is focused on the change in how students think about themselves and how they see the world. This "transformative learning" occurs when students begin to question the assumptions, beliefs, values and perspectives they normally take for granted.
Learn what transformative learning is and how it relates to content knowledge and skill acquisition, understand how transformative learning prompts students' lifelong learning and self discovery, discuss how your classroom climate, course design, assignments and activities can encourage transformative learning, and discover the role transformative learning plays in your own growth and development.
