By Stefanie Malinoski
Fall has been a busy time for UConn Early College Experience. This semester we held almost 20 different UConn ECE Professional Development Workshops for almost 500 UConn ECE Instructors. Many thanks to our UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators for their partnership and primary role in planning excellent professional development opportunities that support course instruction!
Fall 2019 Professional Development
| September
6 Philosophy 12 Sustainable Plant and Soil Science 13 United States History 25 Natural Resources and the Environment, English 30 Physics |
November
14 American Studies & Maritime Studies 20 Sociology 21 Music
|
| October
3 Library Media Specialists 15 Political Science 16 European History 21 Human Rights & Educational Leadership 23 Marine Sciences |
December 17 Math
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Three of our workshops that were noted for their high quality and interest were our Political Science, Marine Sciences and American Studies and Maritime Studies Workshops.
Political Science
Prof. Sanford Levinson, a notable legal scholar from the University of Texas spoke to UConn ECE Instructors about his area of expertise—Constitutional Law. Instructors were able to hear from him and enjoy a lively conversation about current affairs. Special thanks to UConn ECE Instructor Aaron Hull (Greenwich High School), UConn’s Political Science Department, and UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator, Fred Turner for inviting Prof. Levinson to campus.
Marine Sciences
The UConn ECE Marine Science Instructors held their professional development day in New London at the Credabel Coral Laboratory where they heard from Michael Gerdes about the research conducted at the laboratory. Later the group discussed high school students’ projects. We are thankful that UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator Claudia Koerting established this partnership with the Credabel Coral Laboratory and look forward to future collaborations.
American Studies and Maritime Studies
Certified American Studies Instructors and Maritime Studies Instructors enjoyed a visit to UConn’s Benton Museum of Art as a part of their professional development day. The theme for the workshop was learning how to integrate visual arts into the interdisciplinary classroom. Instructors and UConn Faculty and staff discussed Winslow Homer’s paintings and wood engravings and were able to view a painting by Martin Johnson Heade, Rye Beach (1863), which is apart of the Benton Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Many thanks to UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators for American Studies and Maritime Studies, Laurie Wolfley and Matthew McKenzie, Jeanne Ciravolo (adjunct faculty), Betsy Athens (Assistant Professor Art and Art History), and Amanda Douberley (Art Museum Registrar, Benton Museum of Art).
Details about all of our fall events can be referenced on the UConn ECE website under the “Instructor Benefits” section where our new “Professional Development Blog” is located. Information and pictures from each event are posted here regularly.
Looking ahead to the Spring, we will be planning another series of professional development events. They include events for Instructors who teach Italian, Allied Health, Biology, Classics, Chinese, Spanish, English, Medieval History, Animal Science, Art, French, Human Development and Family Sciences, Chemistry, Digital Media, Engineering, German, Latino and Latin American Studies, and Statistics. Please look to the UConn ECE website “Events” section to view upcoming dates.