Plenary Presenters

Friday Opening Plenary Session
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Understanding Student Behavior and Creating Effective Learning Environments
We all know the amazing capacity of the human mind. What seems equally amazing, however, is how difficult it is for our students to learn even "simple" material and also how quickly that information evaporates from their awareness. This presentation will focus on research pertaining to human learning and methods you can use to create more effective learning environments for your students. Find out why your students skip class, learn strategies to encourage them to complete assigned readings, and acquire tips you can give them to increase the effectiveness of their study time. Most importantly, learn how to use fundamental cues humans rely on for survival to facilitate learning in your classes.
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Invited Presenter: Todd Zakrajsek, inaugural director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching at Central Michigan University

Saturday Luncheon Plenary
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Mentoring: New Meanings and New Ways to Improve Instruction
Using a conversation format, Ike Shibley and Maryellen Weimer will explore how colleagues can be involved in helping each other grow and develop as teachers. Drawing examples from their more than ten years as mentoring colleagues (they've mentored each other as well as many new faculty members) they will propose a wide range of activities that can be undertaken, they will characterize the kind of conversations that advance understanding of teaching and learning, and challenge conventional notions of mentoring as something an experienced faculty member does for a beginning teacher.

Presenters: Ike Shibley, conference chair, associate professor of chemistry, Penn State-Berks
Maryellen Weimer, editor, The Teaching Professor, professor of teaching and learning, Penn State-Berks