Early Career Learning Community
The Center for Integrated Professional Development’s Early Career Learning Community offers course instructors in their 1st through 3rd years of service at ISU a combination of professional development and peer support. Join us for a series of lively conversations about teaching, learning, and surviving and thriving in the academy.
The topic for Fall 2023 meetings will center on the concept of thriving in higher education. Broadly defined, thriving goes beyond good grades and incorporates a learning experience where students are fully engaged intellectually, socially and emotionally. We will have readings from several sources to help us operationalize thriving, including chapters from the book, How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching by Ambrose, et al. The specific topics for each session will be shared via the early career listserv and on the University Faculty Support Network Microsoft Teams site.
No reading is required for participation in these circles. We will provide summaries of chapters that provide enough information to allow you to participate in the discussions.
Fall 2023
Meetings:
All meetings are from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on their respective days.
Location:
Williams 326 with the option to attend via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dana Karraker, Center for Integrated Professional Development
In Search of “Thriving” in Higher Education
Wednesday, August 30 or Thursday, August 31
We will start our discussion about effective pedagogical practices by exploring our definitions of Thriving. What does it mean to thrive at our institution and what can we do as faculty/course instructors so that we and our students can thrive. We will base our discussion on the following two articles from Thriving in Academe, a professional development partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and the Professional and Organizational Development (POD): Inclusive Teaching is Effective Teaching, by Tracie Marcella Addy and In Search of 'Thriving' in Higher Education by Mays Imad, Bryan Dewsbury and Stephanie M. Foote.
Introduction to How Learning Works.
Student’s Prior Knowledge and How they Organize Information
Wednesday, September 27 or Thursday, September 28
Students’ prior knowledge can be a good thing … or it can be a bad thing. We can help students make connections between current learning and prior knowledge, but we must also address student misconceptions about both the subject matter and their own level of knowledge. To be able to retrieve and apply knowledge effectively, students much make accurate and meaningful connections between pieces of knowledge. How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know.
What factors motivate students to learn? How do students develop mastery
Wednesday, October 25 or Thursday, October 26
Motivation plays a critical role in determining the quality of learning behaviors in which students engage. We will look at different types of student motivation as well as strategies for establishing the value of a learning goal or activity. Goal-directed practice and explicit feedback contribute to student mastery. We need to be aware that our own competence can sometimes blind us to the complexity of our subject matter.
Why do student development and course climate matter for student learning?
Wednesday, November 29 or Thursday, November 30, noon – 1:00
The climates we create in our classrooms have direct implications for student learning. Classrooms are never neutral spaces; they always impact student learning for good or ill.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in a Center event or service, please contact the Center at ProDev@ilstu.edu.