Teaching symposium to focus on diverse learning styles

The annual Teaching and Learning Symposium at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, scheduled for May 17-19, will explore the growing body of research on how diverse individual learning styles often determine academic success.

Hundreds of UW–Madison faculty and staff are expected to attend the symposium, which will feature more than 30 topical sessions, workshops and open houses. The symposium is offered each year to broadly share some of the latest research, new approaches and new technology that are helping advance learning. Most sessions are held at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St.

“This year’s theme highlights the importance of identifying and understanding variation in the way people learn,” says Virginia Sapiro, associate vice chancellor for teaching and learning. “We need to design the best strategies for the classroom that reflect the wide range of learning styles people encounter.”

For example, three commonly recognized learning styles – auditory, visual and kinesthetic, or “hands-on,” learning – tend to exist in all students to some degree. Educators are now recognizing the need to integrate all approaches into courses to maximize the different ways of knowing and understanding material.

Abbie Loomis, an academic librarian and coordinator of the symposium, notes that UW–Madison research is identifying learning differences related to race and gender that are especially important to equitable teaching practices. That topic will be explored in the keynote address by plant pathology professor Jo Handelsman, who will discuss “The Prejudice Paradox: Striving for Inclusiveness and Fairness on Our Classrooms.” The address will be at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17.

Loomis says that presenters place a high premium on developing takeaway materials and practical strategies that can be readily applied to other classrooms. The intent is to provide practical strategies to help UW–Madison faculty and staff become more effective teachers.

Like past years, a series of sessions across the three-day event will deal with emerging classroom technology. For example, a session at 11 a.m. on May 17 will explore the growing adoption of “podcasting” as a way to connect with the multi-tasking styles of today’s students. Podcasts at UW–Madison have included course lectures, radio shows, case studies and foreign language training tools.

This year’s symposium will also feature a number of open houses for academic support offices and some opportunities to look into unique experiential learning programs. Those include the Campus Community Partnerships Office at Villager Mall, where visitors can meet the leaders of nonprofit groups that are benefiting from service learning projects. The open house will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on Friday, May 19.

Another distinctive workshop will be led by historian Bill Cronon, who will conduct a tour of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to highlight how this cherished resource can be used for educational benefits. The bus departs from Memorial Union at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 18.

Some other general-interest sessions include:

• “Searching for Social Justice: An Academic and Service Learning Experience Connecting Selma, Ala., and Madison,” 11 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, May 17.
• “What’s All the Buzz About Informal Learning Spaces?” on Wednesday, May 17, from 1-2 p.m.
• “The Art of Storytelling in the Classroom,” a Thursday, May 18, plenary session that will feature African languages and literature professor Harold Scheub and German and Jewish studies professor Mark Louden. The session will be held from 12:10 -1 p.m.
• “Universal Design Teaching Strategies: Creating Equal Access for Diverse Learners,” Thursday, May 18, from 11 a.m.-noon.

Room locations for all presentations will be posted each day in the Pyle Center lobby.