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Letter from the Associate Director
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As we begin a new semester and welcome a new director, we at CELT look forward to continuing to support your efforts toward teaching excellence.
In each edition of this newsletter, we typically offer a short feature article on a topic of teaching and learning, highlight opportunities for faculty development across the three campuses, and link in our "In the News" section below to articles we think you might find interesting. If you would like us to feature a particular topic or if you find articles you think would interest your colleagues, please let us know.
A Happy New Year to all of you!
Annie Soisson
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A face to go with the name...
When you contact CELT through our front desk, or email the Center, you first reach Roberta Sullivan, who has been with the Center since it was founded over five and a half years ago. |
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Faculty Spotlight
Please join us in welcoming the new CELT Director, Donna Qualters, who arrived at the beginning of the month. Donna has worked in the field of faculty development for many years, and began teaching and learning centers at Northeastern and Suffolk Universities. She will hold teaching appointments in the School of Education and the School of Medicine. To learn more about Donna, visit the CELT homepage. She can also be reached by email or phone (617) 627-4002.
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The Power of Many Stories
In an article last year entitled "Beyond the Single Story" in the Chronicle of Higher Education, contributor and English Professor James Lang describes his reaction to a 2009 TED Talk by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, "The Danger of a Single Story." (This link will take you to her TED video - if you've never been to the TED site, beware - it is addictive!)
Lang reflects "...how many of our lectures do we present as the "single story" of our field or our discipline? How many of us expect students to memorize and repeat back the story we have told them? And how many of us, by contrast, invite students to make their own contributions to the stories of our disciplines or fields, or to find a place inside them?"
One of the great aspects of teaching is that it allows, and often requires us, to examine our assumptions. As we begin to teach again this semester, Lang raises great questions to ask ourselves about our lenses:
- Whose voices, perspectives, and scholarship are represented in our courses?
- How are the perspectives and experiences of various groups being represented?
- What assumptions are we making about the "truths" of our disciplines, about who we are teaching?
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While in the space available we can only pique your interest, the CELT staff is always happy to consult with you or provide you with more information. We also welcome feedback and ideas for future newsletter topics. Please email us at celt@tufts.edu.
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Book Discussion Group at CELT Date: Friday, March 30, 2012, 12:00-1:30pm
CELT Conference RoomLimited spaces available!
The book this time will be: Learner Centered Teaching, by Maryellen Weimer
In this easy to read, practically written book, Maryellen Weimer highlights the differences between learner-centered and teacher-centered instruction. "As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, whether the student is applying and retaining the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning."We provide the book for free when you register. All you have to do is read the book and commit to come to the Center for a complimentary lunch and lively conversation!To register and have your copy of the book sent to you, email us at CELT.
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Seed Grants for Teaching and Research
Tufts Collaborates! and Tufts Innovates!
Tufts University fosters collaboration and innovation in scholarship, research, teaching, and learning. In support of this work, the Office of the Provost is pleased to provide competitive seed grants for activities that break new ground.
Submissions are due January 27, 2012. For more information and guidelines, click here.
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CELT 108 Bromfield Road, Somerville, MA 02144
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