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Monday, May 16, 2011

Innovative Educators Webinar Series: Take a TRPP: Using Theory and Research in Developmental Education


FALL 2011 Webinar Series
Registration includes institutional access to the live webinar and the recording for 1 year!

Webinar Series Description
Various schools of thought have provided perspectives on how individuals learn and why they behave as they do. At certain times, we have been more influenced by one perspective than others, depending on what was currently the focus of research. It is unfortunate that as new schools of thought develop, earlier ones are often discarded entirely. For our practice to be most effective, it is imperative to be familiar with a broad range of theories and synthesize ideas from a variety of perspectives to provide an integrated approach to help students achieve.

Theories can help explain the complexities of student behavior and show that it is not just a matter of chance of random effect. Understanding theory and recognizing the many possible factors that help explain individual differences in learning are only part of the story. Translating understanding into meaningful and effective action is the challenge. Effective instruction and successful learning are not achieved by chance. We offer a framework called TRPP (theory, research, principles, and practice) as a guide for designing learning situations to maximize student potential.

In this series, you will be introduced to the TRPP (Theory, Research, Principles, Practice) framework and become aware of current research and new ways of viewing theories about learning. In addition, you will examine long-standing practices that may need to be revisited. We will focus on these four areas and use the TRPP framework to guide our learning: Self- and Identity, Motivation, Ways of Knowing, and Self-Regulation.

In a series of six webinars you will interact with others in a collaborative environment and apply theory and research to the student learning situations you face. The use of case studies will be central throughout the course. The outline for the course is as follows:

•Introduction and Overview - Why are theory and research important in our practice? What is the TRPP framework?
•Motivation - What theories and research findings about motivation are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Ways of Knowing - What theories and research findings about ways of knowing are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Self and Identity - What theories and research findings about self and identity are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Self-Regulation - What theories and research findings about self-regulation are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Critical Reflection - Using a process of critical reflection, we will connect the learning in this series and develop a plan for application in your practice.

Objectives
Participants will:
•Become familiar with a broad range of theories and research that help explain student behavior and how to design a successful learning environment
•Create an integrated approach to teaching based on theory and research
•Collaborate with colleagues to apply theory and research to actual case studies
•Develop an action plan for practice through a process of critical reflection

Who Should Attend?
•Vice Presidents
•Instructional and Student Services Deans
•Faculty
•Student Success/Retention Specialists
•Instructional Coordinators
•Instructors in DevEd courses
•Administrators of DevEd programs
•Non-DevEd program directors looking to retain first-year students
•Administrators and others concerned with retaining first-year students
•Skeptics of the value of DevEd programs
•Advisors and Counselors
•Student Support Professionals
•Anyone interested in improving retention rates for underprepared students

Who is the Speaker?
Sharon Silverman, Ed.D. is an independent scholar and consultant with degrees in learning disabilities and educational psychology. She works in the areas of faculty/staff development, student retention, teaching and learning excellence, student development, program evaluation, distance learning, and collaboration between academic and student affairs. She is the founder and former director of the Learning Assistance Center at Loyola University Chicago where she developed LEAP, an award winning student access and retention program. She continues to consult in student success and retention at Columbia College Chicago, and has worked with the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and the City Colleges of Chicago. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa (1999) and received a Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award (2001) for a project, "Sharing Cultures" that involves students and teachers internationally in a virtual learning community. Rotary Foundation International awarded her a Rotary University Scholar Grant for work in South Africa in 2002. Silverman has co-authored Learning Assistance and Developmental Education (Jossey-Bass, 1996) and Learning and Development Making Connections to Enhance Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2000), and Partners for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (iUniverse, 2005). Her international speaking and consulting engagements include Canada, Scotland, England, South Africa, Cyprus, Malaysia, and Australia.
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