Join the largest conversation about teaching and learning on the Illinois State University campus. The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT) invites faculty members, staff members, and graduate students to submit a proposal for the Expanding Notions of Literacy: The 2018 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium.
About the 2018 theme
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 1. While all proposals related to teaching students at Illinois State are welcome, submissions related to this year’s cross-disciplinary theme are especially encouraged:
An age marked by changing demands on the production and consumption of knowledge offers both potent possibilities and daunting challenges for those who strive to help students become critical, literate thinkers. If our aim is to prepare students “to be informed and engaged global citizens who will promote and further the goals of society” (“Civic Engagement,” Educating Illinois, 2013–2018), then we must understand the multiple ways in which humans use language in our pursuit of effective citizenship (New London Group, 1996).
At its core, the Symposium theme invites us to explore the ways we can derive meaning from a variety of texts, using a variety of tools and skills that can and must change based on context (Kalantzis and Cope, 2016). Here, “texts” are broadly defined to encompass any meaning-making modes and can include linguistic, visual, audio, gestural, and spatial patterns. Thus, this year’s theme also invites the exploration of the ways we construct texts and add our own contributions to the shaping of social futures, affording active and critical participation in working, public, and private lives (New London Group, 1996).
While notions of literacy beyond the traditional “reading, writing, and arithmetic” vary across disciplines, the Symposium offers a unique opportunity for the trans-disciplinary sharing of unique perspectives, promising practices, and inspiring ideas that help students become competent, conscientious, and critical members of their communities.
Presentation options
Everyone with teaching responsibilities at Illinois State University (full- and part-time faculty, teaching assistants, and administrative/professional staff), as well as those who support student learning in cocurricular contexts, is encouraged to share the results of and insights gained from their recent projects, research, and reflective teaching experiences in one of the following formats:
- A 20-minute presentation (maximum two presenters)
- A 40-minute presentation (minimum three presenters; more than five not recommended)
- A 30-minute facilitated discussion as part of the morning Idea Café (no co-presenters, please)
- A poster (posters will be produced by CTLT at no charge, using your design)
Submissions will be accepted online until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 1. Submissions are selected by peer-evaluators representing all colleges on campus. Detailed selection criteria and example submissions are also available online. Proposed session descriptions must be no more than 200 words in length.
Questions?
Contact Julie-Ann McFann at jmmcfan@IllinoisState.edu or (309) 438-5848.
The 2018 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium will be held Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Uptown Normal. The event is free for all members of the campus community. Registration for a free luncheon, which includes a special presentation by this year’s keynote speakers, will open sometime in mid-October. The annual Symposium is facilitated by Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology with the generous support of the Fell Trust, the Harold K. Sage Fund, and the Office of the Provost. If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact the CTLT main desk at (309) 438-2542.
