Sponsored by the First Seminar Program and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Previous Workshops: 2013 2012 2011

Teaching and Pedagogy Workshop 

May 12, 2014
2014 Schedule, Speaker Biographies

Please register by May 5, 2014.

Session One: 9:30-10:20

1. Technology’s impact on teaching: Innovative solutions for teachers and students, Loser 004
   Louise Ammentorp (Elementary/Early Childhood Education), John Kuiphoff (Interactive Multi. Media) Matt Wund (Biology), Farshid Safi (Mathematics & Statistics)
   This workshop will frame the use of technology around solving specific problems faced by educators.  Discussions will identify common classroom problems for which new technology is especially good at addressing.  We will then present some solutions, leveraging resources available to the TCNJ community (e.g., Canvas, Google Apps, Dropbox, etc.)
2. Writing Assignments that Help Improve Student Learning, Loser 004. Nina Ringer (Writing Program)
   This interactive presentation will review model writing assignments from several different types of FSPs to help faculty generate ideas for how to use writing, both formally and informally, to enhance student learning.

Session Two: 10:30-11:20

1. Leveraging technology to engage students: A multi-disciplinary approach, Loser 004. Karen Gordon (EASE), Monisha Pulimood (CS), Farshid Safi (Mathematics & Statistics), Andrea Salgian (CS)
   The Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) learning community will discuss the possibilities of technology in relation to conceptual learning of subject matter via increased student engagement.  Discussions will illustrate a few examples in place (discussion boards, peer-review features, etc.) and engage in conversation of other ways that technology can assist in engaging students.
2. Leading Effective Seminar Discussions, Loser 106. Glenn Steinberg (English) 
   This interactive presentation will review model writing assignments from several different types of FSPs to help faculty generate ideas for how to use writing (both formally and informally) to increase student learning.

Session Three: 11:30-12:20

1. Giving Productive Feedback on Writing Assignments, Loser 004. Nina Ringer (Writing Program)
   We will work together in this session to review and practice providing feedback on writing that will not keep us up all night, will not involve copyediting and will help us all more effectively lead students toward stronger final drafts.
2. Effective Strategies for Teaching Multi-Lingual and International Students, Loser 004. Monica Jacobe (Assoc. Director of Institute for ESL and American Studies)
   This interactive presentation offers faculty strategies for effective course planning and teaching for students who are not native English speakers and those who come to our classrooms with different cultural expectations of education.  Participants will leave with concrete ways to better serve the diverse population of students coming to TCNJ from New Jersey high schools and around the globe.

Lunch:  12:30-1:35 pm , Loser 123

Session Four: 1:45-2:35 pm

1. Teaching Oral Communication Skills to Your Students, Loser 106. John Sisko (Philosophy, Religion, & Classics).
   This presentation will share information on creative and time-effective frameworks for embedding oral communication skills within our classes.
2. Facilitating Access: Disability Support Services (DSS) at TCNJ, Loser 004. Meghan L. Sooy (Director of Disability Services)
   Meet, greet and connect with DSS staff to learn more about our collaborative approach to facilitating access and reasonable accommodations at the College.  Participants will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive session which will include an office overview (who we are, what we do), case study analysis and a chance for a candid Q&A about disability as it intersects with the TCNJ experience.
3. Developing and Improving Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Experiences in FSPs and Beyond, Loser 123. Michael Nordquist, Bonner Institute.
   CEL opportunities complement course content and connect students with off-campus opportunities that enrich the learning experience. Whether you’ve incorporated CEL into a course yet or not, this workshop will provide you with a chance to develop or improve a CEL component for your FSP course with Bonner staff members. An overview of the CEL process and best practices for CEL experiences will be provided, as will small-group sessions with Bonner staff to develop new, or improve existing, CEL projects.

 

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Biographical Information for Presenters

TCNJ Teaching and Pedagogy Workshop 2013

 

Louise Ammentorp is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at The College of New Jersey. Her research focuses on best practices in teacher preparation and the professional development of early childhood teachers.

Heather Camp earned a Master of Science in Social Enterprise Administration from Columbia University’s School of Social Work. She has over 13 years of experience in the non-profit, international development and education sectors. She helped to establish the Bonner Center at TCNJ before going on to earn her Masters.  In her role as Senior Program Director for CEL II & Special Initiatives, Heather coordinates the Community Engaged Learning II Initiative, organizing upper-level classes at TCNJ in which students substantially build the capacity of the community partner organization while offering students a more advanced learning opportunity. Heather also supervises the Bonner AmeriCorps VISTA program. Prior to working at TCNJ, Heather worked at Princeton University, the YWCA of Trenton, Safe Homes (a part of Good Shepherd in New York), Global Potential (NY, NY), and the Cambodia Project.

Monica Jacobe is Associate Director of TCNJ’s Institute for ESL & American Studies and affiliated faculty in the Department of English.  She earned her Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from The Catholic University of America and also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The American University.  For 15 years, she taught writing and American literature to domestic and international students at a variety of institutions including Princeton University and the University of Maryland College Park.  She has held previous administrative posts at both Catholic and American, where she helped run the writing programs and writing centers of those universities as well as train faculty in working with multilingual writers.  Monica is a certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview Tester for English language and the co-author of a forthcoming textbook for ELT writing classes with Cambridge University Press.  She is also the author of over a dozen scholarly articles and nearly two dozen pieces of public commentary on the state of higher education in America, appearing in such publications as Western Humanities Review, Academe, College English, Inside Higher Ed, How the University Works, and the University of Venus, among others.  In 2006, she was a research fellow with the American Association of University Professors, thanks to a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and since then, has given 20 invited talks on academia across the country and the world. Monica is also at work on a scholarly book about the impact of globalization on concepts of regional identity in the American South and its literature.

John Kuiphoff is a graduate of the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. He currently serves an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interactive Multimedia at The College of New Jersey and teaches courses in interactive computing, mobile app development and physical computing.

Michael Nordquist is Environment Division Coordinator at TCNJ’s Bonner Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, and is an adjunct faculty member in TCNJ’s Department of Political Science.  At the Bonner Institute, he works with FSP instructors to develop Community Engaged Learning experiences related to environmental issues and themes, and coordinates the efforts of the twelve-member Environment team of Bonner Scholars, who work with non-profit environmental organizations in the region. Michael’s teaching and research focus on political theory and environmental politics, and he will be teaching the third iteration of an FSP on Environmental Justice in Fall 2014.  Prior to coming to TCNJ in 2012, Michael was Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT, and he has taught at Quinnipiac University and the University of Minnesota. Michael earned a BA in Politics and German Studies at Ithaca College and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Nina Ringer is the Director of TCNJ’s Writing Program. She has taught at TCNJ since 1998, has coordinated the WRI 101 course, served on the Writing Program Committee, currently serves on the First Seminar Coordinating Committee and Liberal Learning Program Council, and teaches WRI 101, WRI 102 and a First Seminar. Nina holds an A.B. in English from The University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. in English from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Before TCNJ, she taught writing at NYU, John Jay College, and SUNY Cortland. Her most recent conference presentations have been on ways to use tutors in the classroom and on reading a film and writing about it. Her WRI 102 and First Seminar courses focus on writing about film, and she even manages to work a film or two into her FSP on the Presidential election.

Farshid Safi is an assistant professor of mathematics education in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.  His research interests relate to developing prospective teachers’ conceptual understanding of elementary and secondary mathematics including the use of dynamic technology to connect mathematical concepts needed for teaching. He also works extensively with schools and organizations throughout the country in the professional development of teachers in the area of mathematics teaching and learning.

John Sisko is Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Fellow in the Humanities and Social Sciences. He received his BA from St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD) and his PhD. from Rutgers University.  John has previously taught at Temple University, the College of William & Mary, and the California State University at San Bernardino. His research interests are in ancient philosophy, notably Aristotle’s philosophy of mind and early Greek cosmology. John has published in the leading journals in his field, including Ancient Philosophy, Apeiron, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, Classical Quarterly, Mind, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, and Phronesis. He has led numerous professional development seminars on Socratic method and character development pedagogy for public school teachers, and he is currently editing a volume on ancient philosophy of mind.

Glenn A. Steinberg is a Professor of English at TCNJ and teaches a wide range of courses on western European literature through the Renaissance, Shakespeare, literary theory, and the Bible as literature.  His research focuses on the reception of classical and medieval texts in England during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance with a particular emphasis on the evolving reputations of Virgil, Dante, and Chaucer from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries.  He taught for four years at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, before coming to The College of New Jersey in 1998 and served as coordinator of TCNJ’s First Seminar Program from 2005 to 2010.  He has also served as (co-)coordinator of TCNJ’s Classical Studies program since 2003.  He holds a B.A. from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University.

Matthew Wund is a proud alumnus of TCNJ, having earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree from the Biology Department in 1999. He subsequently earned his M.S. in Biology (2001) and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2005) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Following an NIH-supported postdoctoral fellowship at Clark University, Matt returned to TCNJ in 2009 as an assistant professor of Biology. His research program investigates how environmentally-induced changes in individual anatomy and behavior influence population-level evolutionary processes. He is particularly interested in the evolution of learning, and how learning to behave in new ways might alter evolutionary trajectories of entire populations. In addition to teaching courses in ecology and vertebrate evolution, Matt is heavily invested in finding ways to more effectively teach science to pre-service teachers. In all of his courses and interactions with students—Matt is always looking for new ways to leverage technology in order to improve his pedagogy, to facilitate collaborations among students and faculty, and to improve the ability of students to actively participate in the scientific process.