Maryellen Weimer's Blog
June 8, 2011
Post Conference Wrap-up from The Teaching Professor Ambassador
I hope everyone enjoyed the conference, I know I came away with lots of new ideas that I cannot wait to try out in my classroom. This was my sixth year of attending this conference and it keeps getting better each year. For me it started with the pre-conference workshops where every workshop had the participants highly engaged, laughing, discussing, and sharing ideas. It was difficult to choose the best one.
Next up was the keynote address by Elizabeth Barkley whose talk had everyone discussing her brilliant ideas and suggestions on how to engage our students. I heard multiple people talking about her presentation throughout the entire conference. What a great way to kickoff the conference!
Everyone was also all a-buzz about the various workshops they had attended, especially during the meals when everyone got together and were sharing their experiences.
Maryellen Weimer's talk at lunch about the 3 worst mistakes faculty make seemed to have struck a nerve (or 2) with everyone and provided food for thought. I believe it made us all reassess the way we teach.
One attendee at the closing lunch on Sunday summed up what separates this conference from all other conferences when he said that the appeal of this conference is that everyone is sharing what they do to improve student learning and are not here to promote their research.
This conference is truly a learner-centered conference.
I would be remiss if I did not give accolades to the entire staff of Magna who once again hosted a wonderful conference. I hope you all have a great summer and see you at next year's conference.
May 23, 2011
2011 Teaching Professor Conference Attendees
Thank you for attending The Teaching Professor Conference in Atlanta. Each year the conference brings together hundreds of educators dedicated to improving the teaching and learning experience in their classrooms and across campus. One of the biggest benefits of the conference are the relations forged with other attendees, and many like to keep these dialogues going even after the conference ends.
Please click on the link below for the list of attendees for the 2011 event. We hope to see you in Washington, DC for the ninth annual Teaching Professor Conference, June 1-3, 2012.
May 22, 2011
Maryellen’s List of the Three Worst Mistakes Faculty Make
Would it surprise you to learn that college teachers make mistakes? There are mistakes that college teachers make that we should work to avoid. These mistakes comprise efforts to learn, and they inhibit our growth as teachers. Below are Maryellen’s three worst mistakes to make in the classroom.
1) Becoming too focused on the amount of content that must be covered.
2) Making decisions about which students can learn and which ones cannot learn.
3) Overvaluing what we learned from our experience.
Maryellen's List of the Three Worst Mistakes Faculty Make
Would it surprise you to learn that college teachers make mistakes? There are mistakes that college teachers make that we should work to avoid. These mistakes comprise efforts to learn, and they inhibit our growth as teachers. Below are Maryellen's three worst mistakes to make in the classroom.
1) You become too focused on the amount of content that must be covered.
2) Making decisions on which students can learn and which ones cannot learn.
3) Overvalue what we learned from our experience.
Great Quotes from Ike Shibley and Dave Yearwood’s Session on Technology in Higher Education
Dave Yearwood and Ike Shibley moderated an open session that examined the role of technology in teaching and learning. The dynamic interaction among session participants helped maintain a lively flow to the session. Below are a few quotes from their session.
1) “Sometimes I wish PowerPoint was harder so less people will use it.”
2) “Technology does not make teaching and learning better; only makes it different.”
3) “When students participate, everyone gains.”
4) “Conferences like this one are wonderful opportunities to think about what we do.”
Great Quotes from Ike Shibley and Dave Yearwood's Session on Technology in Higher Education
Dave Yearwood and Ike Shibley moderated an open session that examined the role of technology in teaching and learning. The dynamic interaction among session participants helped maintain a lively flow to the session. Below are a few quotes from their session.
1) "Sometimes I wish PowerPoint was harder so less people will use it."
2) "Technology does not make teaching and learning better; only makes it different."
3) "When students participate, everyone gains."
4) "Conferences like this one are wonderful opportunities to think about what we do."
May 18, 2011
Tips for Maximizing Your Conference Experience
Top 10 list of ways to maximize your experience at The Teaching Professor Conference
Find the advisory board members and ask them question and get their advice. They contain a wealth of knowledge and have been associated with the conference for many years.
Introduce yourself to fellow attendees before presentation sessions begin.
Especially on the first day: Introduce yourself to attendees with "Presenter" tags on their name badges. Asking them to briefly explain what they'll be presenting can help you decide if you'd like to attend (or not).
Sit somewhere different each meal so you can meet and learn from new people.
Network! Talk to anyone seated near you! You will meet interesting, knowledgeable people who have so much to share!
Be open minded
Meet as many people as possible. This is a very friendly conference. Everyone is here with a common goal and that is to learn to be a better teacher. Share your ideas. Use your down time to process everything you have learned that day.
Be open to new ideas in teaching and go to one or two talks outside your comfort zone (clearly outside your own discipline or on a topic you are completely unfamiliar or even skeptical)
Although the workshops are great, the lasting effect of the conference may be the people you meet. So, try and meet many new people and stay in touch with the ones in which you make a connection.
Make sure you say 'hi' to as many people as possible. B. Try to attend a few sessions that are outside of your area of interest…the presenters are so good at this conference that they'll teach you things you didn't even know you didn't know.
Meet Advisory Board Member: Suzanne Sumner

Suzanne Sumner, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Mary Washington, earned her Ph.D. and M.S. from North Carolina State University. Dr. Sumner earned her B.S. at the University of North Carolina, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. From 2003 to 2008, Dr. Sumner served as Director of the Teaching Innovation Program at UMW. Her interdisciplinary research and pedagogical collaborations connect applied mathematics with biology, classics, environmental science, foreign languages, geology, and history. Dr. Sumner is a recipient of five teaching awards during her years at NCSU and UMW. In 2007 she was named a Project Kaleidoscope Village Elder, and she is also a member of The Teaching Professor Conference Advisory Board.
May 16, 2011
Your Conference Advisor: Ike Shibley

Ike is a Chemistry Professor and Science Program Coordinator at Penn State Berks. He is currently exploring how technology can help students learn in a variety of formats (web-enhanced courses, blended courses, and online courses).
Advisory Board Member: Ken Alford

Ken Alford is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He served four years as a Professor and Department Chair teaching strategic leadership, information technology, and national security studies at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, and also taught computer science for eight years at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He retired as a Colonel in 2008 after serving almost 30 years on active duty in the U.S. Army.
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