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2009: Global Teaching, Global Learning

Carnegie Mellon University June Communication Symposium

Please join us June 29, 30, and July 1 for the 2009 June Communication Symposium at CMU in Pittsburgh.  This year’s symposium theme is “Global Teaching, Global Learning.”  The last four symposia have yielded rich exchanges and ideas, including Global English, Writing in the Disciplines, and Communicating Globally.  
 
This year, we hope to open a discussion that expands our understanding of teaching and learning in a global context.  As we teach in Doha and Pittsburgh, what are the different cultural assumptions that we must negotiate?  What are our expectations for communicating with students, inside and outside of the classroom?  What are the unique challenges associated with teaching students with diverse backgrounds?  How do various social and linguistic norms shape the dynamics of our classroom interactions? How do we design academic and metacurricular experiences that capitalize on the unique strengths that students bring with them?
 
We hope this year’s participants will bring to the symposium rich accounts of teaching and learning—based on completed projects or on research still in progress.  Through these concrete accounts, we will workshop ideas on what it means to teach and learn in a global context.
 
The goal of the symposium is to build one intellectual community that aims toward developing effective approaches for assisting students to develop the professional and technical English communication skills that they need to function effectively in the emerging global knowledge economy.
 
Travel funding is available for all presenters and for a limited number of other attendees.

Questions about the symposium program should be directed toward Danielle Wetzel, the symposium coordinator.  All other questions should go to Emily McCall, the symposium co-coordinator.