We have an invigorating semester of conversations around teaching and learning on campus ahead of us this semester, with two, overlapping focal points guiding the Cromwell CTL fall schedule: Campus Expression and Campus Wellness.
Prompted by our CTL book club selection, Sarah Rose Cavanagh’s Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge, we’ll explore the current youth mental health crisis by broadening the focus to include the whole campus and a larger perspective of wellness regarding students as well as faculty and staff. All are invited. We have free copies of the book for anyone interested in joining the conversation. An overview of the dates and topics:
- The Landscape of Mental Health and Wellness on Campus: Introduction to Mind Over Monsters
- Wednesday, September 4, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm: drop-in lunch discussion in Hodson Dining Hall.
- Thursday, September 5, 4 – 5 pm: discussion on Zoom.
- Suggested reading: Chapter 1: “Crisis and Complexities” and Chapter 2: “Our Youth Need Compassionate Challenge”
- Embodied Mental Health (lessons from coaching)
- Wednesday, September 25, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm: drop-in lunch discussion in Hodson Dining Hall.
- Additional discussion with coaches (TBD)
- Suggested reading: Chapter 3: “Infused with Eros—Embodied Mental Health” and Chapter 4: “Unruly Bodies in an Unpredictable World”
- Beliefs and Motivation (lessons from academic resources, advising, and student success)
- Tuesday, October 15, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm: drop-in lunch discussion in Hodson Dining Hall.
- Suggested reading: Chapter 5: “Seeking Oneself—Energy and Value” and Chapter 6: “Determining Oneself—Direction and Expectancy”
- Behaviors: Improvisation and Play
- Thursday, November 7, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm: drop-in lunch discussion in Hodson Dining Hall.
- Additional forum on improvisational learning (TBD)
- Suggested reading: Chapter 7: “Arousal, Action, and Uncertainty” and Chapter 8: “Play and Improvisational Learning”
- Conversation with the Author: Dr. S
- Tuesday, December 3, 4 – 5:30 pm (Zoom)
- Suggested reading: “Conclusion: The Monster at the End of this Book”
We will also continue our focus on inclusive free expression we have been developing with workshops over the past two years, most recently the Faculty and Staff retreat on Campus Free Expression coordinated with PEN America in January. This coming October, PEN America and Lara Schwartz (author of Try to Love the Questions: From Debate to Dialogue in Classrooms and Life) will lead a day-long workshop (on Thursday, October 10 during fall break) for students. Student participants will be recognized by PEN America as free expression advocates and have an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in future campus discussions. Cromwell CTL is coordinating these efforts with our colleagues Tricia Biles (Student Engagement) and Pat Nugent (Civic Engagement). We envision additional opportunities later in the year for faculty and staff to engage in this conversation as well.
We will continue to support two ongoing programs: the Cromwell Learning Communities and the Cromwell PODs (for informal peer observation). Learning Communities established last year included Civic Engagement, Alternative Grading, and a Faculty/Staff writing group, among others. Please let us know if you are interested in joining or starting a learning community or peer observation POD and we will facilitate. If a learning community or peer observation group might be of interest to your department, let us know and we can help get one started and/or join a department meeting to talk further about pedagogical matters relevant to the department. There are some other topics for additional discussions we are considering this year, including Reading (how we assign, teach, and count in course workload) and Educational Technology (new tools and strategies). If you have interest in joining us in presenting on one of these topics or proposing another, we would love to talk.
Applications for the Cromwell Award for Innovation in Teaching are due October 30. The award is announced at Convocation in February. You can learn more about the award and application guidelines here.