Interrogating the Tired, the Tried and the True

2017 Teaching & Learning Conference

(Photo by Christa McConnell)

The Andrews University Teaching and Learning Conference will take place Thursday, March 30, in Buller and Nethery Halls. The conference is hosted by the Department of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum, and is a collaborative event between the University and its neighboring community of educators. This is the 15th year that Andrews has hosted the AUTLC, and this year’s theme is “Woolly Teaching or Wholly Teaching: Interrogating the Tired, the Tried, and the True.”

In addition to the main speaker, Maria Salazar, the conference will feature poster sessions, workshops and breakout sessions. Presenters will discuss lessons they have learned regarding designing, developing and implementing education in effective and innovative ways.

“The AUTLC is an opportunity for scholars to share reports of significant work or integrative reviews in theory, research, development, applications and societal issues related to all aspects of education,” explains Jeff Boyd, research support specialist for the Office of Research & Creative Scholarship.

One workshop, titled “Lights! Camera! Action!: Creating and using video in your classroom,” will be presented by Lee Davidson, associate professor of teacher education at Andrews University, and Aaron Koleda, technology director and teacher at Village Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School.

“Modern technology has made video production very easy compared to past years,” say Davidson and Koleda in their presentation proposal. “Having students create videos to make class presentations is a way to get them to engage with a topic in more depth.”

Davidson and Koleda will present video production techniques to enhance the learning environment of any classroom.

Another workshop, titled “Inductive Teaching with LearningHub,” will be presented by Denise Shaver, lead curriculum and instructional design specialist, and Samuel Villamizar, learning systems administrator, both in the Andrews University School of Distance Education & International Partnerships.

“Inductive teaching is achieved when students are exposed to different sets of examples, observations, experiences and/or patterns that promote inductive reasoning,” say Shaver and Villamizar in their presentation proposal. “Using LearningHub as a primer for inductive teaching is an excellent way to get students thinking and creating mental paths about concepts, ideas and/or theories before you begin to teach.”

Shaver and Villamizar’s interactive presentation will help teachers prepare students for learning new concepts, helping faculty assess what they already know.

Salazar, keynote speaker from the University of Denver (Colorado), will present “The Metamorphosis of a Rose that Grew in Concrete: Finding feet, wings, and voice.” She is the director of teacher education, specializing in teacher preparation, assessment and professional development for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She also provides for the needs of English language learners across all grades and college preparation for Latino students.

Salazar has authored numerous publications on humanizing pedagogies, equitable and effective teaching, culturally responsive teaching and college access and success for Latino students. She is the lead author of “The State of Latinos 2008: Defining an Agenda for the Future,” which was presented to the U.S. Congress.

Additionally, Salazar has served in the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, where she helped contribute to the development of Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions. Salazar also is currently serving on the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation Global Initiatives and Equity Advisory Committee.

Faculty and students alike are invited to attend and participate in the AUTLC, which is free of charge except for an optional evening meal in the University's Terrace Café (approximately $10). Attendees are encouraged to register at digitalcommons.andrews.edu/autlc. 

Related Links

• Register for the 2017 AUTLC
• About Maria Salazar
• 2016 Teaching & Learning Conference
• Department of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum
• School of Distance Education & International Partnerships