A Message From the Founding Director - February

By Tori Mondelli

Published on Feb. 10, 2019

Headshot of Dr. Victoria Mondelli

The Teaching for Learning Center team joins the community in celebration of Black History Month, 2019! We hope to see you at the many excellent events organized for this year’s theme: Black Migrations: New Destinations, New Realities.

Thanks to all who participated in the 4th Annual Teaching Renewal Week. The wide variety of topics and formats has energized and better prepared us to teach, inspire, reflect, and grow. We are very pleased to announce that the programming with international scholar and author, Dr. Stephen Brookfield, has now been rescheduled for Friday, April 5, 2019.

RSVP to Inclusive Excellence in Teaching for Learning

The day’s program includes:

Time Friday, April 5, 2019
11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Inclusive Excellence in Teaching for Learning: A Public Conversation

Join us as thought leaders from our own University of Missouri at Columbia join Dr. Stephen D. Brookfield, the John Ireland Endowed Chair at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis-St. Paul, to reflect on the intersection(s) of teaching excellence, inclusion, diversity, and equity. These scholar-teachers will discuss what it means to “Teach For Learning,” and how inclusive pedagogy and curricula are evolving in their own teaching practice and among colleagues. Together, they will grapple with dilemmas and exploit tensions for a professional development experience not to be missed.

 

Desired Outcomes:

  • Colleagues interpret and reflect on the concept of inclusive excellence in the context of learning environments.
  • Colleagues share evolving practices to actualize inclusive excellence in their teaching practice.
  • Colleagues explore and analyze varied responses to dilemmas and tensions as an anticipated dimension of dynamic 21stcentury learning environments.
12:30 pm – 1:15 pm Lunch
1:30 pm – 3:15 pm

Operationalizing Inclusive Excellence through Reflective Teaching Practices

In this workshop, Dr. Brookfield will serve as a provocateur and guide to help participants identify tangible ways to operationalize inclusive excellence in the teaching for learning process. Participants will share observations on pedagogic dynamics that serve or disrupt traditional power differentials. Participants will explore tools and strategies meant to serve all learners, especially underrepresented and underserved learners in achieving academic goals and overall success.

 

Desired Outcomes:

  • Colleagues identify and analyze places in their curricula and instruction where inclusive excellence can be enhanced.
  • Colleagues examine scenarios and analyze how a learning environment may include or exclude learners.
  • Colleagues produce ideas for inclusive teaching practices for specific instructional objectives.

RSVP below and please encourage your colleagues to join you.
RSVP to Inclusive Excellence in Teaching for Learning

Evidence-based Classroom Assessment Technique: MoCAT

One of the most effective methods to check the pulse on learning in your classroom is the implementation of an early semester or mid-semester student feedback form. Mizzou has a number of forms from which to choose depending on the type of course you teach: courses involving lecture and/or discussion, those incorporating Writing Intensive pedagogy, courses in the online or blended modality, courses in the Arts, and laboratories. MoCAT forms are user-friendly and instructors receive data reports from MU’s Assessment Resource Center. Try it this semester, and you will be adopting a powerful evidence-based teaching approach with ease and efficiency.

 

Nominate a Student or Colleague, Today!

The MU Connect Champion’s Award recognizes excellence in the efforts of faculty, staff, teaching assistants and students involved in using MU Connect and the Early Alert tools to meaningfully improve teaching and learning, as well as student success at Mizzou.  Faculty, staff and teaching assistant recipients receive $500 cash.  Student recipients will receive $100 cash and a catered lunch with the award committee. 

Submit your nomination!

 

Important Save-the-Dates!

In addition to the attached poster with upcoming events for February, please read on for a preview of events for 2019.

April

9

2019

Teaching with Intention: Practical Strategies for Effective Teaching & Learning

Participate in a 90-minute Teaching Academy interactive workshop.

May

22 – 23

2019

Mizzou’s 10th Annual Celebration of Teaching

Participate in celebrating the collective impact of the dedicated scholar-teachers who are the Mizzou Faculty, Graduate Instructors, and Teaching Assistants. The program will feature distinguished guest speakers, Dr. James Lang, Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanaugh, and Dr. Punya Mishra. More details to follow!

The Celebration of Teaching 2019 call for proposals for concurrent sessions is open now. Please consider sharing your expertise on a topic related to Teaching, Learning, and Educational Assessment. Deadline for submission is March 15, 2019.

August

8 – 9

2019

New Faculty Orientation

Each year, an effort is made to avoid conflicts between university-wide and college-wide orientations. In this way, new faculty members and graduate assistants may attend both. In the spirit of mounting a coordinated effort, we thank departments and colleges in advance for trying to work around 8/8 and 8/9/19, and helping us promote the dates as new faculty are on-boarded.

Let’s connect!

Follow us on Twitter: @T4LCMizzou
Network with us on LinkedIn: T4LC University of Missouri

 

With best wishes for a brilliant spring term,

Victoria (Tori) Mondelli, Ph.D.
Founding Director, Teaching for Learning Center