Teaching Matters Conference

Critical Thinking as Radical Pedagogy:

Academic Freedom and Inclusion in the Classroom

April 1-2, 2016

Gordon State College

Barnesville, GA

Welcome

Thank you for attending this year’s Teaching Matters Conference: “Critical Thinking as Radical Pedagogy: Academic Freedom and Inclusion in the Classroom.” This conference is devoted to celebrating our dedication to creating classroom environments where critical thinking is nurtured and required; and, this year’s conference also seeks to acknowledge the difficulty in validating, while perhaps questioning, diverse ideas and ideologies among our students. As professors, we know that broaching political topics is difficult, but mandatory; and, there is a delicate balance to be struck between academic, intellectual vigor and inclusion. This conference is dedicated to our continual quest to challenge ourselves as academics while nurturing a new generation of academics and critical thinkers.

Wi-Fi Information

Use the information below to access computers on-campus—and to access the internet on your own devices.

Username: commed02

Password: GSC16WelcomesU

Teaching Matters 2016 Conference Schedule

Note: All conference activities will take place in the Instructional Complex (IC) building.

Friday, April 1st, 2016

12- 5 p.m.IC Lobby (1st Floor)Check-in/Registration Table Open

1 p.m.-1:15 p.m.IC 307Official welcome

1:15 p.m. -2:15 p.m.

IC 309 / Making the Most of Your Mobile: 3 Apps to Communicate, Engage, and Assess Students(60 mins., Demonstration)
Prof. Autumn Schaffer and Prof. Stacey Watson (Gordon State College)
IC 310 / Tension: An Essential Agent of Critical Thinking (50 mins)
Dr. Aran Mackinnon, Dr. Costas Spirou, Dr. Larbi Oukada (Georgia College)
IC 311
Moderator: Prof. Solomon Betanga / Can We Learn from Failure? Assessing the Use of Digital Pedagogy to Increase Critical Thinking (20 mins.)
Dr. Jeannie Grussendorf (Georgia State University)
Foreign Language for Visual Learners: A Variety of Image Options (20 mins.)
Dr. Karen Guffey (Gordon State College)
IC 319 / An Ethics-Based Analysis of Conflict Involving the Mall of America (MOA) and Black Lives Matter, Minneapolis (BLM): A Team Case Study (45 mins.)
Dr. Anish Dave, Prof. Ronald P. Fordham, Prof. Brandon K. Foster, Prof. Kermit B. Marsh, Prof. Daniel R. Player, Prof. Arul D. Thason, Prof. Zachary W. Price (Georgia Southwestern State University)

(cont’d)

IC 321
Moderator: Dr. Erica Johnson (Gordon State College) / Race, Politics & America: Implementation for Effective Instruction and Student Engagement (30 mins.)
Prof. Angela Wilson (Savannah State University)
Challenges of Teaching Theory at a Brazilian University: a Case Study (20 mins.)
Prof. Meyre Silva and Prof. Sérgio Silva (Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso)
IC 322 / Incorporating Critical Thinking at the Elementary and Middle Grade Levels (45 mins.)
Dr. Sheryl Venable, Dr. Alanna Bowie, Dr. Maggie Lehman (Georgia Southwestern State University)

2:30-2:45 p.m.Break

2:45 p.m.- 4 p.m.

IC 307 / Would You Take This Class? History Professors “Pitch” Courses to Honors Students (75 mins.)
Prof. Penny Cliff, Dr. Franklin Williamson, Dr. Erica Johnson (Gordon State College)
IC 310
Moderator: Dr. Cortney Grubbs (Gordon State College) / Unnormalizing Education: Changing Classroom Culture to Dismantle Homophobia in Educational Settings (30 mins.)
Dr. Joseph Jones (Columbia State University)
“Professor, What is That Black Smudge On Your Forehead?”: An openly Catholic Professor’s Viewpoints on Fostering and Maintaining Constructive and Honest Conversations in the Classroom (20 mins.)
Dr. Jason M. Dew (Georgia State University)
Talking it Out: Peacefully Adding Hot Topics to Today’s Classroom (20 mins.)
Dr. V. Lynn Tankersley (Mercer University)

(cont’d)

IC 311
Moderator: Dr. Jason Horn (Gordon State College) / “Doing a Thing and Its Opposite”: Navigating Teaching and Instructional Design in the Postmodern (45 mins.)
Prof. Sarah Helper (Georgia State University)
Making the Class Together: An Experiment in Collaborative Course Design (20 mins.)
Dr. Thomas J. Nelson (Virginia Commonwealth University)
IC 321
Dr. Joyce Marie Klaus (Gordon State College) / From Group Work to Team Business: A Semester-Long Role Play That’s Not Just About Accounting (20 mins.)
Dr. Alan Burstein (Gordon State College)
A Stimulating Approach to Mathematics for the non-STEM Student (and for the STEM student as well) (20 mins.)
Dr. Robert Blumenthal (Georgia College)
Critical Thinking in The College Classroom (30 mins.)
Dr. Richard W. Schmude, Jr. (Gordon State College)

3:45 p.m.-4 p.m.Break

4 p.m.- 5 p.m.

IC 309 / The Use of Technologyin a Health and Wellness Lecture Course (45 mins.)
Dr. Crystal A. William (Gordon State College)
Invention in a Postmodernist Pedagogy: Dialogic Teaching and Negotiating Ideology (20 mins.)
Prof. David Potsubay (West Virginia University)
IC 311 / Teaching Critical Thinking Through Science Literacy (20 mins.)
Dr. Chad L. Davies (Gordon State College)
Using Case-Based and Journal Writing Assignments in Research Methods Classes (20 mins.)
Dr. Joseph A. Mayo (Gordon State College)

cont’d

IC 321 / Instructional Methods for Limited English Proficient Students: Direct versus Constructivist Methods and Individual versus Group Work. Extrapolating from K-12 Research for the College Classroom (20 mins.)
Dr. Kathleen Woodward (University of North Georgia)
Creating a Teacher Toolkit (20 mins.)
Dr. Queen Brown (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Bridging the Gap: Bringing Student Attention to the Lesson (20 mins)
Dr. Niaz Khan (Georgia Gwinnett College)

6:15-7:15 p.m.Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mike Mahan (Russell Hall, Room 221)

7:30-8:30 p.m.Soap-Making Demonstration with Clement Smetana

(IC 418)—Limited Availability

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016

7 a.m.-9 a.m.IC, 3rd FloorBreakfast Items

7:30-12 p.m.IC, 1st FloorRegistration Table Open

9 a.m.-10 a.m.

IC 309 / Yoga & Mindfulness Practice in the Classroom: For Teachers & Students (30 mins., Demonstration)
Mr. Ryan Loveeachother (Georgia College & State University)
IC 311 / Promoting Active Learning Outside the Classroom and Engaging Students in the Classroom (60 mins., Interactive Discussion)
Mr. Chip Woodruff
IC 319 / Exploring Grade P-5 Curriculum and Assessment Practices in Southwestern Georgia (45 mins.)
Dr. Chuchu Wu (Georgia Southwestern State University)
Learning Abstract Concepts through Critical Thinking (20 mins.)
Vickie Williams (Georgia Gwinnett College)

10 a.m.-10:10 a.m.Break

10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.

IC 307 / Making Space: Mindfulness Meditation for the Classroom and for Work/Life Balance (75 mins., Presentation and Demonstration)
Dr. Becky Godlasky and Dr. Qi Zhou (Gordon State College)

cont’d

IC 310
Moderator:
Dr. Marwan Zabdawi (Gordon State College) / Effective Understanding of the Human Body Organs: Linking Skeletal, Muscular and Nervous Systems for Deep Learning (20 mins.)
Dr. James Williamson, Dr. Mustapha Durojaiye, Dr. Cathy Lee (Gordon State College)
Speaking of Autism: Neurodiversity in the College Classroom (20 mins.)
Dr. Danielle Brownsberger (Jacksonville State University)
Can an Interactive Activity Lead to an Increase in Student Understanding of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium? (20 mins.)
Prof. B. Rodney Jarvis (University of Georgia)
From the Cutting Edge (of a Trowel): Engaging Students through Archaeological Excavation (20 mins.)
Dr. William Balco (University of North Georgia)
IC 321 / The Pedagogy of Critical Consciousness: The Necessity of Challenging Absolutism in the Public University Classroom (45 mins.)
Dr. John M. Elmore (West Chester University of Pennsylvania)
Including Inclusion in Teacher Education: A Critical Reflection (30 mins.)
Prof. Dana Morrison Simone (University of Delaware)

12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.Lunch (included) in the Highland Dining Hall (Private)

1:30-3 p.m.Barnesville Walking Tour with Jeffrey Stephens

(Weather Permitting)

Thank You for Your Support

Thank you for continuing to be an active part of Teaching Matters, a conference dedicated to validating what we do every day as educators.

Particular thanks go out to Gordon State College’s administration, who has been supportive of Teaching Matters; an appreciative “thank you” to Dr. Max Burns, Dr. Susan Finazzo, Dr. Jeffery Knighton, Dr. Mustapha Durojaiye, Dr. Barry Kicklighter, Dr. Thomas Aiello, Dr. Edward Whitelock, Dr. Nolan McMurray, Dr. Michael Mahan, Dr. Anne Purvis, Dr. Erica Johnson.

And, a special thanks to our moderators, whose generous time helped make sessions go even more smoothly (and therefore reap the most from each session): Prof. Solomon Betanga, Dr. Jason Horn, Dr. Erica Johnson, Dr. Joyce Klaus, and Dr. Marwan Zabdawi. Thanks to our peer-reviewers Dr. Jason Horn, Dr. Caesar Perkowski, and Dr. Cortney Grubbs. Finally, every venture requires diligent effort “behind the scenes” before, after, and during the grand event; a grateful “thanks” goes to the ever-cheerful and –helpful Debbie Christian and Jessica Eanes.

In the next couple of weeks,

please check your email for a survey about the conference.