February 1, 2016 at 9:15 pm

Graduate Student Conference | Perfecting Pedagogical Practices, Feb. 12

Graduate students from English, Philosophy, and Education are hosting the first annual Graduate Student Pedagogy Conference, “Perfecting Pedagogical Practices,” on Friday, Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Friends of the Library Room, Alden 319.

The event is an interdepartmental effort to generate conversation among graduate instructors and adjunct faculty members about best practices in teaching, tips, and classroom activities. The conference seeks to create a space for practitioners to talk about what they do in their pedagogy, what they have tried in class, and what has proven successful.

This one-day event will provide an opportunity for presenters to share their best practices as teachers and foster discussion of pedagogical practices. Ohio University graduate student and faculty presentations will cover topics including:

Tips for classroom management
Ideas for course design and assignments
How to effectively incorporate media in the classroom.

Dr. Mara Holt

Dr. Mara Holt, Associate Professor of English and Director of Composition, will give the keynote address.

Graduate students and faculty from all disciplines are invited to attend. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, email OUpedagogyconference@gmail.com.

Conference Schedule

8:30 a.m. Coffee and pastries in Alden 318

9-9:50 a.m. Panel 1: Designing Freshman Composition Courses and Assignments

“Thinking for Its Own Sake: using exploratory research writing,” Amanda Hayes is a post-doctoral fellow in the English Department. Her focus is on Appalachian rhetoric and place-based pedagogy.

“Using a Lens to Focus 1510 Students and Myself,” Brandon Bender is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Victorian Literature.

“Finding personal meanings through song analysis: An ENG 1110 Handout Connecting Song Lyrics with Student Experiences,” Jon Stansell is Associate Professor of English at Belmont College.

10-10:50 a.m. Panel 2: Classroom Management Techniques and Tips

“Generating Participation,” Michael Johnson is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Rhetoric and Composition.

“Letting Go of the Reins: Getting Students Involved in Course Design and Management,” Claire Eder is a third-year Ph.D. student in Creative Writing (Poetry). Her creative and research interests include literary translation, creative writing pedagogy, and contemporary poetry. She has taught courses in creative writing, composition, professional communication, literature, and environmental writing.

“Fear and Learning in the Classroom,” Paul Martin & Ben Smith. Paul Martin is a second year Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant in Philosophy. Benjamin Smith is a first year Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant in Philosophy.

11:-11:50 a.m. Keynote: Mara Holt

noon-1 p.m. Lunch on your own

1-1:50 p.m. Panel 3: Teaching Theory and Theory of Teaching

“Merit of Communicative Language Teaching in ESL/EFL Contexts,” Thu Hoan Do

“English for Specific Purposes,” Mohamed Amira is a first-year Graduate Assistant at the Patton College of Education, in the Teachers Education – Curriculum and Instruction Department.

“Rethinking Quantitative Reasoning Pedagogy,” Duke Cruz hails from a small town out West called Tooele, Utah. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a second-year master’s student at Ohio University earning an M.A. in the same subject. As a TA he teaches “Principles of Reasoning” for the Philosophy Department at Ohio University. His research spans both the history of philosophy and logic.

“Creating a Teaching Persona with Merlin,” Spencer Smith is a first-year MA student in Rhetoric & Composition. He received his B.A. in English from the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. His research interests include Composition & Rhetoric, Pedagogy, and Narrative.

1:50 p.m. Coffee and mini scones

2-2:50 p.m. Panel 4: Non-traditional writing assignments for Junior Composition

“Creative Projects in the Composition Classroom: A Case Study from Writing About the Environment,” Jennifer Pullen is a Doctoral Candidate in Creative Writing (Fiction). Her research and teaching interests include: fiction and poetry writing, 19th century British Literature and culture, folk and fairy tales, science fiction and fantasy fiction, creative writing pedagogy, environmental writing, and gender studies.

“Creating Amateur Detectives: The Case of the Mutilated Middlemarch,” Renee Benham is a Doctoral Candidate in Victorian Literature. Her research and teaching interests include the transformation of nineteenth-century nursing, adventure romance genre fiction, and Sherlock Holmes.

“Tell it Slant- An abstract for Allegory Farm,” Wesley Roj is a fifth-year Doctoral Candidate in Creative Writing Nonfiction.

3-3:50 p.m. Panel 5: Using Media in the Classroom

“MMORPGs in teaching ESL,” Begum Sacak and Saeideh Hosseini. Sacak is a second year Ph.D. student in Ohio University Department of Education, specializing in Instructional Technology. Her research interests are second language learning, digital literacies and facilitative technologies for effective language instruction. Hosseini works as a GA in the Teacher Education Department in Patton College of Education. She is am a Ph.D. candidate, currently coding her dissertation data. Her research interests are second language learning and gender identity.

“Using Multi-modal Mind-mapping to Reformat Literacy in FYC,” Erica Lange is a Rhetoric and Composition Ph.D. student and Graduate Teaching Associate in Ohio University’s English department. Her scholarly interests include food and feminist rhetorics as well as writing program administration and composition studies.

“Classroom Technologies: Getting the most out of Blackboard,” Samuel Stinson is a Doctoral Candidate in Rhetoric and Composition. He is also currently the Student Writing Center Assistant Coordinator.