Table of Contents:
Description
This year our teaching has been challenging. We’ve had to rethink what we teach and how we teach it. In our rush to move our courses (mostly) online or coordinate labs amidst health and safety protocols or work with grad students, we’ve had to consider how we design courses, keep students’ attention, inspire them to learn in difficult circumstances, and assess their work.
Where does that leave us now? Where does that mean we’re going?
We hope that our colloquium, Destinations, will provide a moment to reflect, together, on what we’ve learned and think about the kind of teaching we want to do in the future. What lessons are worth learning about teaching during a pandemic? At this colloquium, spread over two half days, we’ll spend some time reflecting on this past year – and planning the shape of our teaching in the near and distant futures.
On the first day, we’ll spend some time looking back, with a cross-departmental discussion about the teaching we did this year. What changes did we make? Which ones worked? Which ones do we want to keep? After opening remarks from Dr. Michael Khan (Provost), we’ll hear from instructors across the university answer those questions; we’ll also listen to talks from Dr. Stephen Hill (ERSC), Dr. Karleen Pendleton-Jimenez (EDUC), Dr. Sarah West (BIOL/NURS), and Dr. Amanda Paxton (ENGL) as they reflect on their own efforts and experiences this year.
On the second day, we’ll pick up on those conversations – and start to look forward. We’ll hear from people outside the university. Responding to the question, “What lessons are worth learning from teaching during a pandemic?” our keynote panelists – Flower Darby, Dr. Joe Kim, and Dr. Shauneen Pete – will suggest ways that our teaching might respond to this past year.
Program
The program is still in draft form; but should give you an impression of our focus on each day.
Day 1 (May 3; 1-3:30 pm)
- Opening Remarks: Dr. Michael Khan
- Talks: Dr. Stephen Hill (ERSC), Dr. Karleen Pendleton-Jimenez (EDUC), Dr. Sarah West (BIOL/NURS), and Dr. Amanda Paxton (ENGL)
- Video compilation of reflections from across Trent
- Discussion
N.B.: Trent’s Celebration of Faculty Excellence in Research and Teaching begins at 4 pm.
Day 2 (May 4; 1-4:00 pm)
- Keynote Panel: What lessons are worth learning about teaching during a pandemic?
Respondents: Flower Darby, Dr. Joe Kim, Dr. Shauneen Pete
- Discussion
Keynote Panelists and Bios
On May 4, our keynote panelists will offer short talks, each responding to the question, “What lessons are worth learning about teaching during a pandemic?” We’ll then engage in a wide-ranging discussion about their responses.
Panelists
Flower Darby
Instructor, Education Leadership (Northern Arizona University); author (with James Lang) of Small Teaching Online
Flower Darby celebrates and promotes effective teaching in all class formats to include, welcome, and support all students as they learn and succeed. As faculty and an instructional designer, she has taught community college and university classes for over 25 years in a range of subjects including English, Technology, Leadership, Dance, and Pilates. A seasoned face-to-face and online educator, Darby loves to apply learning science across the disciplines, and to help others do the same. Her new book on emotion science and teaching with technology is forthcoming from West Virginia University Press.
Dr. Joe Kim
Associate Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (McMaster University)
Joe Kim is actively involved in the science of teaching and learning. He coordinates the innovative McMaster Introductory Psychology (macintropsych.com) program which combines traditional lectures with interactive online resources and small group tutorials. He also directs the Education & Cognition Lab which aims to understand how cognitive principles such as attention, memory and learning can be applied to develop evidence-based interventions in education and training (edcog.ca). He also organizes the annual McMaster Conference on Education & Cognition which brings together cognitive scientists, educators and policy makers to explore how cognitive science can be applied to educational policy and instructional design.
He regularly consults on curriculum development for universities and several policy groups including the Council of Ontario Universities Online workgroup, the Innovation and Productivity Roundtable for the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Recent honours include: D2L Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award, Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2017), Residence Life Campus Partner of the Year (2012), Innovator of the Year Award (McMaster VPR, 2010), President’s Award for Excellence in Course and Resource Design (2010).
Dr. Shauneen Pete
Professor, Education Psychology and Leadership Studies (University of Victoria)
Dr. Shauneen Pete is from Little Pine First Nation in Treaty 6 territory. She graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree from the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at the University of Saskatchewan. She was a high school teacher and division consultant in Saskatoon.
After completing her Masters in Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan she completed her PHD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona. She has worked as an assistant professor at both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, and later served as both Vice-President (Academic) and Interim President at First Nations University of Canada. She was the Executive Lead for Indigenization at the University of Regina for three years. She earned Full Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina in 2017.
Shauneen is a sought-after public speaker addressing topics of Higher Education Indigenization and Decolonization. She was a co-producer for two television programs, and she wrote articles for REZX magazine. Shauneen was nominated twice for Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 (2010 and 2011). She received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2012 and in 2016, she received the Hero’s for Intercultural Learning Award from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute.
In January 2021, Shauneen accepted a one-year term professorship in the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies at the University of Victoria. She is a storyteller and grandmother, and she is a passionate educator.
Registration and Contact
Destinations is happening on Zoom and sign-up is now open.
Please contact teaching@trentu.ca with any questions or concerns.