Focus on Teaching: Fall 2010

 
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Lake Shore Campus
Information Commons

The Many Faces of Diversity at Loyola University Chicago

Agenda

8:55 - 9:00: Welcome — Provost John Pelissero

9:00 - 10:15: Opening Session — Faculty Panel: Rise Nelson Burrow, Coordinator of Student Life, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs; James Faught, Associate Dean of Student Services, School of Law; Mark Bosco, S.J., Associate Professor of English and Theology, Director of Catholic Studies).

10:30 - 11:30: Breakout Session I 

Teaching Transgender—Pamela Caughie, Department of English/Women’s Studies and Gender
Studies, David Ozar, Department of Philosophy. Carina Pasquesi, Department of English/Women’s
Studies and Gender Studies
After defining “transgender” and discussing some general issues that arise in teaching this topic, each
presenter will discuss our perspectives on, and pedagogical approaches to, a transgender memoir we all
teach and address the kinds of questions and challenges that arise in the classroom. In particular, we will
discuss the motivation and assumptions behind the pedagogical strategy of having a transgender person
visit the classroom, and the advantages and disadvantages of such a strategy. We will end with questions
and discussion.

Ensuring International Student Research Success—James MacDonald, Loyola University Libraries.
To present a rationale for faculty-librarian collaboration to assist international students in the process of
familiarizing themselves with American libraries and the information resources in their disciplines in order
that they may become information literate students, and citizens of the world.

Going Outside “the Bubble”:  Using Community-based Pedagogies to Engage Otherness—
Christopher Skrable, Center for Experiential Learning.
This session will provide participants with an overview of service-learning and other related community-
based pedagogies, with practical guidelines for implementing course designs and community
partnerships in a manner that reflects best practices.  Particular attention will be paid to the variety of
ways in which these pedagogies encourage students’ engagement with “the Other,” and will recommend
particular reflective practices to promote student meaning-making from such experiences.

Mentoring students with diverse backgrounds/learning styles outside the classroom
(particularly in labs and clinics)—Patrick Daubenmire, Department of Chemistry and Center for Science
and Math Education; Noni Gaylord-Harden Department of Psychology; Dorothy Giroux, School of Education.
The panel will address ways of overcoming “assumptions about homogeneity” in areas such as helping
students find appropriate research topics even if those topics don’t necessarily fit commonly-accepted
canons; helping students who seem to feel isolated because of their differences from perceived norms;
and helping students who are training to become teachers to design lesson plans that meet the needs of
diverse learners.

11:45 - 12:45: Lunch

1:00 - 2:15: Keynote Address — Associate Provost Kevin Gillespie, SJ, will introduce our keynote speaker, Beau Basel Beaudoin. Dr. Beaudoin is the Coordinator of Culture, Race and Media at Columbia College; 
2009-10 Distinguished Teaching Fellow; Carnegie Foundation Illinois Professor of the Year.
“A Focus on Learning” discussing the challenges of working with diverse students with the emphasis from a
learning styles perspective. 

2:30 - 3:30: Breakout Session II

Avoiding Sand Castle Student Writing: Creating Clear & Effective Writing Assignment
Descriptions Across the Curriculum—Michael Meinhardt, Department of English
This interactive session establishes clear types and terms of diverse writing assignments, examines
helpful and harmful instructor expectations, considers student interaction and investment, offers sample
writing assignment descriptions, and uses the principles of individual instruction to allow faculty members
to help their students help themselves explore the potential intellectual diversity that should accompany
such collaborative efforts.

“Scaffolding” in the College Classroom: Socio-cultural Learning Theory and Practical
Instructional Strategies for Building on Students’ Existing Knowledge--Judson Everitt, Department
of Sociology
This session focuses on ways of bringing socio-cultural learning theory – particularly in the tradition of Lev
Vygotsky and the concept of ‘scaffolding’ – to the college classroom through practical forms of instruction. 
In short, scaffolding can be used as an instructional strategy that uses students’ existing knowledge,
experiences, and familiarities as the starting point for introducing and exploring new knowledge and
content.  Such strategies use students’ own experiences as the ‘scaffold’ upon which to build new
understandings, concepts, and theories relevant to one’s discipline.

Racial Diversity and Dialogue in the Classroom: A Form of Experiential Learning--Gerald
Steenken, African Studies and the African Diaspora
Relying on a few of the major points articulated in “Transformative Education in the Jesuit Tradition,” the
following ideas will be addressed: assumptions about race and racial differences;  the specific manner in
which these internalized assumptions often operate;  how the facilitation of constructive, respectful, and
supportive dialogue among our racially diverse students and faculty in the classroom can provide a
unique form of experiential learning; how the creation of a supportive and safe classroom environment
can free and empower students.

Designing Internships to Assess Learning--Louise Deske, Center for Experiential Learning.
As a credit-bearing field experience, an academic internship must have a solid academic foundation.
Regardless of the academic discipline, internship faculty have a common objective:  to develop
assignments that will facilitate learning and the assessment and evaluation of learning occurring in an
internship field experience.  The quality and relevance of academic assignments have a direct bearing on
the quality of the learning experiences in the field.

3:30: Closing Reception

FOT, Fall 2010 is sponsored by: Academic Technology Services, The Center for Faculty Professional
Development, The Graduate School, The Center for Experiential Learning, The Office of Learning Technologies
and Assessment, The Office of Research Services and University Libraries.