Hobart and William Smith Colleges

4 November 2008 Innovating the Classroom

At Hobart and William Smith, teaching and learning is always improving and innovating. To demonstrate some of the Colleges most recent efforts to progress the classroom, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will showcase the work of several faculty members in On Pedagogical Innovation: A Faculty/Student Showcase. The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 in the Vandervort Room.

The showcase features 12 presentations each by an HWS faculty member and at least one HWS student. Ranging across the departments, from English to chemistry and Russian to dance, All of the pairs will talk about the importance of the specific kind of innovative teaching, and therefore learning, that went on in their given classroom, said CTL Director Susan Pliner.

Each faculty cohort meets monthly to discuss, assess and critique their projects, Pliner said. The process of working with a cohort of colleagues across disciplines has proven to be the most positive aspect of the grants. Faculty often say they value the opportunity and time spent talking about teaching with other faculty they wouldnt have done so with otherwise.

Grants were awarded to faculty members Jonathan Iuzzini, Neeta Bhasin, Lauren Alleyne, David Galloway and Meghan Brown.

The evening will begin with appetizers and poster presentations and a round table dialogue over dinner will follow.

To attend the event, HWS community members should RSVP by Friday, Nov. 14 to Evelyn Sperry at Sperry@hws.edu.

The evenings presentations include:

The Live Poets Society: Bridging the Poetic and Political Imagination
Assistant Professor of English Lauren Alleyne, Jennie Siedewand 09 and Steve Owens 09

Multicultural Education and Social Justice in Action
William Smith Interim Dean/Assistant Professor of Education Cerri Banks and Ashley Rodgers, MAT 08

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally:
Rethinking Immigration Within and Without the Classroom
Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Neeta Bhasin, Sarah Canavan, 12 and Christopher Bramwell 11

Conservation through Canadice: Using Local Protected Areas to Foster Learning
Assistant Professor of Biology Meghan Brown, Ryan Aruck 09 and Melissa Gaydos 09

Connecting Mind & Body for Robust Thinking Across the Curriculum:
A Movement Workshop for Faculty
Professor of Dance Donna Davenport and Assistant Professor of English Laurence Erussard

CSI:HWS
Associate Professor of Chemistry Christine de Denus

A Russian Folktale Brought to Life
Assistant Professor of Russian David Galloway, Melissa Warner 12 and Elizabeth OConnor 12

On the (Interdisciplinary) Road with Political Psychology:
Engaging History and Philosophy in New York City
Assistant Professor of Psychology Jon Iuzzini and Hillary Anderson 10

Technology to Enhance Learning & Self-Determination for Students with Disabilities: A Service Learning Partnership
Assistant Professor of Education Mary Kelly and Alysa Law 11

CREATE as a Teaching Strategy for Building Connections between Undergraduates and Research Scientists in the Field of Stem Cell Biology
Assistant Professor of Biology Kristy Kenyon and Kathleen Kohl 08

Taking Ownership: The Creation of Guzzle!
A Dance about Oil and Americas Culture of Mass Consumption
Assistant Professor of Dance Missy Smith, Lauren Budd 10 and Rebecca Borsuk 11

Fields of Play: Contact Improvisation in the First Year Seminar
Professor of Dance Cynthia Williams

Pictured above is Assistant Professor of Psychology Jonathan Iuzzini and his Political Psychology class. They were able to meet public intellectual Cornel West during a trip to New York. The trip, funded by a CTL Teaching Grant, explored the history of political campaigning.