New PWR Lecture Topics and Dates Released

Rose Bohn has released the PWR Lecture dates and topics for Spring 2016.

PWR Talk #1. Peer Review Stations: an Alternative Format

presented by Christine Chichester on Thursday, February 18, 2016 from 11:30-12:30 in 309 Boucke.

Students are often overwhelmed by peer review sessions, because they may feel unqualified or insecure when assessing their classmates’ writing. “Peer Review Stations” is an alternative to more traditional versions of peer review that gives each student a manageable and specific job when participating in an in-class session. Though this method needs thorough explanation, students are able to master one area of peer review like documentation or organization and gain confidence and skill in writing.

PWR Talk #2. Helping Our Students in Distress

presented by Kate Rosenberg on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 10:00-11:00 in Grucci (102 Burrows).

I’d be willing to guess that it’s a rare semester in which an instructor isn’t faced with a student who is dealing with a mental health crisis. From anxiety disorders, PTSD, and depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Penn State students are silently struggling. How can we best help students who confide in us? How can we compassionately, effectively help students who may be showing distressing symptoms of a mental illness? Are there ways we can start to foster a stigma-free environment in our classrooms? We’ll get to some answers and be joined by mental health counselor, Audra Hixson (Assistant Director of the Center for Women Students).

PWR Talk #3 Teaching Students to Use Evaluation Criteria

presented by Judy McKelvey on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. in Grucci (102 Burrows).

Come join us for a game designed to help students understand why it is important to know how to use evaluation criteria well. Some of you will play match-seekers; some will be matchmakers; and then there will be the roving disruptors. By the end of the exercise, no one will have found true love, but students will have a concrete strategy for thinking about and applying criteria in an evaluation context.

PWR Talk #4  Helping Our ESL Students in Our Writing Classes

presented by Geoffrey Clegg on Monday, April 18, 2016 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. in Grucci (102 Burrows).