Fall 2012 Issue - Colby-Sawyer College

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The Art and Science of Teaching by Jean Eckrich, Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences Educators often cite helping students become lifelong learners as their highest goal, and this is especially true at a teaching college like Colby- Sawyer. As faculty, we must also commit to continuous learning, not only in our fields of study, but also in pedagogy—the art and science of teaching. The classes we teach today differ dramatically from those we experienced as college students, and thus it is vital for faculty to integrate the best new research, methodologies and tools into our teaching practices. In fall 2009, the college initiated the Teaching Enrichment Center (TEC), which supports the faculty’s professional development activities through funding from the Davis Educational Foundation. The TEC’s primary goal is to enhance student learning through the support and development of excellent teaching practices. We achieve this goal by bringing faculty together to share successful teaching techniques and to brainstorm innovative ways of approaching teaching or learning challenges —such as facilitating Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences Jeremy Baker makes a point during the most recent Teaching Salon, as Chris Kubik, associate professor and chair of Business Administration, and M J Richardson, assistant professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences, listen in. 28 Colby-Sawyer College Magazine Photos: Greg Danilowski effective class discussions or designing new courses. Our faculty members also participate in workshops led by colleagues or outside experts and often visit one another’s classrooms to learn from each other. Each academic year now begins with two major TEC initiatives, which reflects our commitment to excellence in teaching and engaged learning. In the four-day New Faculty Orientation program, our new full-time faculty members learn about the college and discuss teaching and learning issues and practices, exploring topics such as how to develop learning outcomes for courses, effective learning assessment practices and ways to encourage active learning strategies among students. The Teaching and Learning Salon is a mini-conference in which faculty and academic staff discuss topics such as how to incorporate Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) activities or peer review of writing into the classroom. These sessions are augmented by poster presentations that highlight research on teaching and learning that faculty members have presented at professional conferences, with recent topics addressing the use of concept maps in courses and ways to integrate quantitative literacy across the curriculum. Throughout the academic year, TEC programs facilitated by faculty and staff include “coffee, tea and conversations,” reading groups and learning communities that extend our focus on teaching and learning. We discuss or read about topics such as integrating undergraduate research throughout students’ experiences, developing effective group assignments and designing an inclusive classroom. While each TEC opportunity is valuable, the collective impact on our teaching and learning environment has been positive and powerful. I use new classroom assessment techniques every semester and recently adopted some POGIL activities in my biomechanics class, in which I provided pictorial descriptions of four different velocity and acceleration scenarios.
At the 2012 Teaching Salon, Assistant Professor of Humanities Mike Jauchen leads a discussion with faculty about of “The Pedagogy of Peer Review: Challenges and Methods.” He says that running sessions in which students review each other’s work can be difficult and a waste of time and energy, and offered possible techniques for making them more effective for students. Faculty engage in the conversations, offering ideas on what works—and what doesn’t—from their own teaching experiences. Students were then able to write the mechanical principles that guide understanding of velocity and acceleration, and successfully solve some biomechanical problems. Sharon Beaudry, a new faculty member in Business Administration who began teaching through lectures and PowerPoint slides, says the TEC programs have helped her be “more thoughtful, creative and courageous” in the classroom. “Last semester while teaching business law, I used techniques such as debates and case studies to encourage student discussion,” Professor Beaudry says. “Over the course of the semester, even the quietest students began to share opinions. The outcome was a very lively and engaged class, even at 8 a.m.” Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Eric Boyer was a self-proclaimed “Luddite” who “feared all things technological” when he arrived at Colby- Sawyer four years ago. Through the New Faculty Orientation and other TEC activities, Professor Boyer says he “slowly made peace with technology.” “The Teaching Enrichment Center has been a fantastic ally for me as I attempt to convert my teaching philosophy into effective teaching practices. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the realm of integrating technology into the classroom,” Professor Boyer explains. “I am now bringing online simulations into both my face-to-face and virtual government classrooms.” Professor Boyer has had success in experimenting with team-based learning strategies and in engaging his students in the subject matter of his courses through interactive tech- nologies such as wikis and blogs. His effectiveness as a teacher was recognized twice—in 2011 with the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching— Colby-Sawyer’s highest teaching award—and the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award for Higher Education in 2012. It has been my privilege to be part of this initiative and to work with faculty and staff colleagues who challenge and assist each other in their quest to create meaningful and stimulating learning environments. Our faculty from all disciplines and with all levels of experience are sharing ideas and strategies, knowing students will be the ultimate beneficiaries. Professor Jean Eckrich directs the Teaching Enrichment Center. She is an expert in the role of exercise in lifelong health, the mechanics and development of human motion, the changing role of women in sports, and appropriate principles and practices for coaches. Harvey Pine, assistant professor of Natural Sciences, takes time to work with students in small groups and one on one in the classroom. Fall 2012 29
Page 1 and 2: fall 2012 mountain Day 1954
Page 3 and 4: Photo: Michael Seamans 19 Inside-Ou
Page 5 and 6: Environmental Studies major Laurel
Page 7 and 8: cover to cover. All the while I’m
Page 9 and 10: There was initial resistance from t
Page 11 and 12: 2012 Grads ‘Earn the Right’ by
Page 13 and 14: A Perfect Storm of Good Things by K
Page 15 and 16: Windy Hill Is Green Certified by Cy
Page 17 and 18: Zombies.” HvZ, as it is affection
Page 19 and 20: “Every class I have taken has pro
Page 21 and 22: The Season in Sports Spring 2012 by
Page 23 and 24: The 2012 men’s and women’s trac
Page 25 and 26: Senior Maddy Hawkins (Boylston, Mas
Page 27 and 28: On Track to Win Pat Parnell ’15,
Page 29: Teddy Beaufaÿs ’10 reviews the m
Page 33 and 34: y Kate Dunlop Seamans and Mike Greg
Page 35 and 36: Student and faculty volunteers main
Page 37 and 38: Associate Professor of Media Studie
Page 40 and 41: Feature 175 Years of Teaching and L
Page 42 and 43: Feature In 1900, Academy Row includ
Page 44 and 45: Feature Colby Academy Class of 1918
Page 46 and 47: Feature A black-and-white photograp
Page 48 and 49: Feature A Life Steeped in History b
Page 50 and 51: Feature Everything is connected, an
Page 52 and 53: Feature “Children matter,” Asso
Page 54 and 55: Feature Windy Hill students also em
Page 56 and 57: Feature Wide Aw John Pelech ’02 c
Page 58 and 59: Professor Tony Quinn, Leon Malan
Page 60 and 61: Feature A Tough Place to Grow, A Gr
Page 62 and 63: Feature Professor Laura Alexander h
Page 64 and 65: Connections News from Alumni Relati
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Page 68 and 69: We celebrated Dave’s 90th birthda
Page 70 and 71: Wake Robin Acres in Shelburne, VT,
Page 72 and 73: Madelon “Maddy” Pennicke Cattel
Page 74 and 75: patient at Emeritas, an assisted li
Page 76 and 77: Alumni from Ohio enjoyed a luncheon
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animals that make the tundra their
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everyone at Reunion in October! Jan
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help with the transition to the U.S
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A Passion for Painting Gail Constan
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derful weekend. Margot ‘Mitzie’
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in, she chairs a group of 16 member
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Suzanne “Zan” Reber Merriman ha
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1971 Ellie Goodwin Cochran 58 Heath
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They have been traveling and garden
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Leading the Charge Mary Drueding
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I have been married for 17 years to
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2000 Jennifer Prudden Montgomery 14
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(L to r) Heather Thomson Arrighi
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Amber Tombarello Orr ’04 with her
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VT Law School. She spent the summer
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In Memoriam In Memoriam Spring/Summ
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In Memoriam Beloved Professor Emeri
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In Memoriam Professor Emeritus Reme
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In Memoriam Trustee Emeritus, War H
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In Memoriam Kindergarten Teacher, A
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From the Archives Amazingly, just o
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Epilogue by Barbara “Bobbie” Fe
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office of advancement 541 main Stre
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Fall 2012 Issue - Colby-Sawyer College

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