The Geek, The Preppy, & The Activist: Teaching Communication Across Disciplines in “Themed Learning Communities”

Kara Terrell-Curtis, Ivy Tech/IUPUC

Faster-Than Light Drives

What I will discuss today

•Communication Across the Curriculum

•“Themed Learning Communities”

•The Geek: Engineering TLC

•The Cheerleader: Psychology TLC

•The Activist: Sociology TLC

•What Can We Learn & Apply?

Communication Across the CurriculumCXC, CIC, and Other “Word Salad”

“Themed Learning Communities”Initiative at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

The GeekEngineering TLC: Young Engineers Solving Problems & Nanotechnology Themes

The PreppyPsychology TLC: General Psychology Theme

The ActivistSociology TLC: Social Inequity Theme

What Can We Learn & Do?Lessons Learned, Opportunities Missed, Recommendation for Educators

Three Types of Service Learning

Skill-set practice and reflexivity

Civic values and critical citizenship

Social Justice Activism

Rationale: Developing competence and self-efficacy.

Rationale: Exploring what it means to exist in relation to others in community.

Rationale: Working with others to transform systems of oppression.

Goal: Used to breathe life into often disciplinary specific academic material by emphasizing doing as a way to enhance learning. Reflection about experience aids in critical thinking about subject matter.

Goal: Used to raise awareness of and critical thinking about social issues and students’ values and moral choices/responsibilities as societal members.

Goal: Used to help students take action to address human needs often related to societal injustices/power imbalances.

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