Professional Learning Communities
Call for 2008-2009 Applications
Note: application deadline is Friday, May 16, 2008
1) Teaching Writing
- Do you anguish over student papers and other written work?
- Do you wonder where writing instruction fits in your discipline?
- Do you experience frustration at students’ reading preparation and comprehension?
- Do you suspect a “disconnect” between what your students actually know and can do . . . and what they are able to communicate in writing?
A cross-disciplinary group of five to eight faculty members will meet to share their experiences, learn from one another, and explore the literature on teaching writing, as well as to develop individual classroom-related projects. Each participant will investigate approaches to teaching writing in the disciplines in one or more target courses. Projects, readings, and discussions will be related to a set of core questions the group develops about the relationships among reading, writing, teaching, and student learning. This group is open to full-time faculty and academic teaching staff in any discipline who are interested in topics such as integrating writing in significant ways in teaching, connecting writing with reading and critical thinking, developing effective writing prompts, grading more effectively and efficiently, and learning more about our students as writers
2) New Faculty
Participants will be selected from an applicant pool of full-time faculty members currently in their first two years at Otterbein. Criteria for selection include: commitment to student learning, openness to new ideas, level of interest in the program, and potential for contributions to the program. Please keep these criteria in mind as you complete the application.
Description-Call for Application
2008-09 Teaching Writing application
2008-09 New Faculty PLC application
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2007-2008
New Faculty PLC
Global Learning Professional Learning Community
May 6 2008: Common Hour Presentation: Global Learning in the Otterbein Curriculum
General
Description
A Professional Learning Community offers a cross-disciplinary group
of five to ten participants the opportunity to meet regularly to
study pedagogical topics of shared interest in an in-depth, ongoing,
scholarly, and systematic manner while, at the same time, forging
and strengthening collegial bonds. During the academic year, PLC
participants, who will meet at least twice a month for two hours,
delve into existing research on their common area of inquiry, then
design and pursue individual projects that require them to apply
and test new ideas and information about student learning.
PLCs offer a more structured, intensive, student-centered and outcome-driven approach to faculty development than do more traditional methods, such as one-time workshops or ongoing but informal brown bag conversations. Research has shown that, in these latter approaches, participants often encounter and appreciate new ideas about teaching and learning but are less likely to internalize and incorporate them into teaching practice. In addition, the supportive and safe environment provided by a learning community encourages participants to take risks with new approaches to teaching as well as to critically reflect upon findings with colleagues.
Purpose
Beginning with a pilot project during the winter and spring terms
of number of 2003, Otterbein College has joined a number of colleges
and universities have had great success in offering development
activities in the form of "learning communities." This
approach to professional development provides a number of advantages
for participants and for the larger community. Among other
things:
- participants have the chance engage in an in-depth and sustained professional development activity, rather than a one-shot workshop with little or no follow up
- participants deepen their understanding of a topic of shared interest related to teaching and learning, such as active learning strategies, teaching with technology, diversity in the classroom, etc.
- participants develop a sense of community with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues.
Professional Learning Communities
2007-2008 PLC Member List
2006-2007 PLC Member List
2005-2006 PLC Member List
2004-2005 PLC Member List
2003-2004 PLC Member List
For more information about the history and nature of learning communities, visit Miami University's learning community site.