Concurrent Sessions

    Teaching Leaching Conference, October 22 - 23, 2009 

Concurrent Sessions

Growing Up Gay in Appalachia

Okey Napier, Marshall University

Growing up gay in Appalachia creates a unique experience for people.  This presentation, through lecture and multimedia, will explore that experience via discussion of personal stories, Appalachian values, and resiliency. 

 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Inclusion: Values / Thought Development Process & Style Differences

Karen Coburn, Ashland Community &Technical College

This session is an interactive hour long workshop that explores various stages of values and thought development as they relate to socialization and style differences. Participants will better understand their own cultural and style preferences as well as the potential preferences of their students.

Reframing Disability Through the Lens of Diversity

Heather Shelton, Ashland Community & Technical College

Abigail Hursh, Gateway Community & Technical College

In December 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau issued a report that the number of Americans with disabilities was at 54.4 million, or 19% of the general population. When we consider that our student populations mirror society, then we must recognize that there are significant numbers of students in our institutions who are individuals with disabilities.  The recent reauthorization of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) includes language that places specific emphasis on the functions of learning, which calls for even greater sensitivity among education professionals. This session will help participants shift from the idea of disability creating perceived limitations on learning, to an attitude of understanding diversity in learning.

Chicken Gumbo for the Multicultural Soul

Author Elliott Lewis shares insights from his life as a black-and-white, biracial American in this lively, down-to-earth, and uplifting session exploring race and identity.  Audience members will emerge with a new appreciation for the multiracial experience and the blurring of traditional boundaries of race and culture.  Highlights of this session include Elliott’s “Top Ten Signs You’re Living the Multiracial Experience,” “Seven Habits of Multiracial People,” and his “Integration Medication” for treating “diversity related tension.” Bring your sense of humor for admission to this program!

10:45 AM

 Theatre

Appalachian and Proud of It!

Dr. Bonnie Nicholson and Dr. Sandra Mullins, Bluegrass Community & Technical College

Discrimination DOES occur as the result of Appalachian heritage and dialect. Judgments may be made inferring that Appalachians are ignorant, poor, inbred and barefoot. This session will look at the heritage of Appalachia by examining lifestyles, customs, and the origins of common vocabulary.  The session will also examine techniques to foster an environment of mutual respect and acceptance of the diversity of global environment.

Room 301

Behind the Scenes of an ESL Classroom

Lynda Cannon, Ashland Community & Technical College

Looking for resources, strategies, and websites beneficial for your English Language students (ELLs)?  Looking for ideas on working with multi-levels, multi-nationalities and multi-ages of ELLs?   The session will also combine a presentation and a forum for sharing successes and challenges of working with ELLs.  Just as in your classroom, this session can be multi-level – interest level - Kg-Adult.

Room 303

The ABC’s of Higher Education Accessibility for Burgeoning

Charlene Walker, Bluegrass Community & Technical College

Bertrand Russell's statement, "It is coexistence or no existence," clearly elucidates the necessity to value personal and cultural intangibles. This presentation illustrates community colleges educational role in developing alliances and collaborations paving the way to coexistence with changing demographics of a multicultural world.

 It's a Multiracial Thing!

America is undergoing what some have called a "biracial baby boom," yet frequently, this growing population of children and young adults is either overlooked or misunderstood by educators, peers, and social service providers.  This session will give you the "4-1-1" on this emerging demographic group! Using excerpts from his award-winning documentary on interracial families, television journalist and author Elliott Lewis discusses the stages of identity development common in biracial children and outlines the range of identity strategies researchers have found among multiracial Americans today.

1:00 PM

Theatre

The Culture – Centered Classroom: Strategies for Implementing Culture & Encouraging Diversity

Nicole Pramik, Ashland Community & Technical College

This session reveals basic methods to utilize culture-centered pedagogy. Discussion topics include: using students' culture as an instructional tool, introducing students to other cultures to promote diversity, utilizing critical theories as a platform for cultural diversity, and applying diversity to discuss issues regarding gender, race, and power struggle.

Room 309

Development of a Statewide Diversity Plan

Sherron Jackson, Council on Post Secondary Education

The Council on Postsecondary Education and institutions are in the process of developing a statewide diversity plan.  The plan and its status might be a topic of interest to your conference attendees.  The CPE would be willing to offer a presentation on the diversity plan as a break-out session during your conference.  Given the stage of planning at this particular moment I cannot give you a synopsis but can do later.  Please let me know if you are interested.   The presentation would be made by Mr. Sherron Jackson and/or Dr. Rana Johnson of the CPE staff.

Room 329

Diversity of the Sexes:  Boys are Overt and Girls are Covert

Warren Howard, Ashland Community & Technical College

This session will be a discussion on research concerning the education of boys and girls. Participants will hear about learning styles, behavior differences and the assumptions and expectations we place on them before birth. Hopefully when you leave this presentation you will realize that changes need to be made so that each child can realize their full potential inside and outside of the classroom and, more importantly, you will incite this change.

Room 311

Appreciating Our Differences – Diversity Initiatives in Today’s Business

Sheri Taylor, King’s Daughters Medical Center

Ms. Taylor is the Labor Relations Specialist at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY.   She has over 20 years of Human Resources and business administration experience.  She holds an Executive MBA and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources.  In this session, Ms. Taylor will discuss what businesses are doing locally, regionally and nationally to address diversity in the workplace.

2:00 PM - 2: 50 PM

Room 305

A Tale of O

Jack Borders III

A Tale of “O” is the most popular videotape about diversity worldwide. It is unique both in style and content. Using actual ‘X’ and ‘O’ figures this video demonstrates how being unique affects people in the workplace and elsewhere.

Room 309

The KCTCS / KDE PLTW Project Mission

Gary Steenbergen, Southeast Community & Technical College

All Project Lead The Way high school courses have several underlying content areas in common. As students progress through the sequence they will become proficient in: working as a contributing member of a team leading a team using appropriate written and/or visual mediums to communicate with a wide variety of audiences; public speaking; listening to the needs and ideas of others; understanding the potential impact their ideas and products may have on society; thinking; problem solving; managing time, resources and projects; researching; going beyond the classroom for answers; data collection and analysis; preparing for two- and four-year college programs. PLTW's curriculum makes math and science relevant for students. By engaging in hands-on, real-world projects, students understand how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in everyday life. This approach is called activities-based learning, project-based learning. Activities are a method of instruction that involves directed teaching of a particular process or procedure. Activities engage students in learning skills that are later applied in more complex situations. Activities lead students to higher levels of learning. Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to instruction that presents a project or relevant activity that enables students to synthesize knowledge and to individually resolve problems in a curricular context. Problem-based learning is both a curriculum organizer and an instructional strategy that presents a problem, which is relevant and related to the context where students are the stakeholders. Students synthesize and construct knowledge to help them actively grapple with the complexities of the problem and develop strategies to direct their own learning. When students experience a problem in context, they are more likely to make connections and thus see the value in what they are learning.

Window Rock House: A Fortress of Faith & Freedom

David Lucas, Ohio State University Southern

Joe Bass and Dennis Lambert Graduate Students

In a folknographic project extending over two years in the communities of Blackfork and Poke Patch, Ohio, undergraduate researchers led by Dr. David M. Lucas from Ohio University discovered a long lost geographic structure significant to the Underground Railroad and the cultural realities of Southern Ohio. The structure, often called a rock house by local residents, has a window in the stone wall surface hand carved by then fugitive enslaved people. The window in the rock crevasse provided fresh air, a lookout on the valley below and light in an otherwise dark place. The presentation and the summary paper provide new insight into the hopes and hardships of people of the past seeking freedom and a future.

The African-American Experience in Boyd County

Ann Newman, NAACP

This presentation will explore some of the history of African-Americans in the Boyd County area.   African-Americans came from different places and brought different experiences to the Boyd Co. region.  They found employment in different industries, and while some thrived, many also struggled.

3:00 PM - 3:50 PM Room 329

Size Diversity

Mary Shortridge, Ashland Community & Technical College

There are some interesting studies being carried on around the world that indicate discrimination against overweight individuals is very prevalent, even among health care workers who may not even be consciously aware of their attitudes.  According to the national news this morning, one state has already increased health care premiums for employees with a BMI over a certain level, and another is about to do the same.  We live in an area of the United States where obesity is common, and the latest studies report more than half the people in the tri-state region are significantly overweight.  This includes a large number of children.  Having struggled with keeping pounds off since childhood (I was scrawny as a child due to bad tonsils and adenoids – when these were removed (age 6), the family mantra became “Mary Lib’s eating!  Feed her!”), I am very aware of the severe toll that overweight takes on self esteem, social interaction, education and career planning, employment opportunities, and health issues, among other things.  My question for this workshop is:  How do we encourage/promote a healthy life style and yet advocate for the freedom of the individual in matters of life style choices? I would like to discuss some of the latest studies and statistics, and then have a general discussion about this topic.  I do not pretend to have answers, but the importance of this issue to the future of our national health and that of our children requires that we work at finding them.

The Toxic Closet:  Being Gay in the Bible Belt

Bernadette Barton, Morehead State University

How does it affect an individual to hear comments that slander the group of which one is a member?  What is it like to grow up gay in a homophobic church?  What stories do lesbians and gay men have to share about their experiences of discrimination living in a culture highly saturated with conservative religious ideology?  For, while much is said about homosexuals and homosexuality by those attempting to restrict gay rights, there has been little research analyzing how homophobic religious speech affects those living in communities in which the majority of individuals identify as fundamentalist.  This powerful multi-media presentation – including original interview data from lesbians and gay men living in Texas and Kentucky, video clips and photographs – illustrates the effects of religious-based homophobia on individual lives.  Living in the Bible Belt forces many gay men and lesbians into the closet.  This closeting causes a variety of destructive psycho-social consequences including poor relationships with families, compromised intimacy with others, feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and, most significantly, the perception of being a second-class citizen to heterosexuals.

Teleconference Room

Asian American Culture

Ty Huynh

Ty Huynh was born in Vietnam and came to the US at the age of seven. He has seven brothers and one sister. He lives in Cincinnati, OH. Ty has given his Asian American Culture presentation to Fortune 500 companies that includes the Banking, Education, Retail and Health Care industries. He is currently pursuing his degree in International Studies. In his spare time he owns his own company and love to travels.

 Room 307

Instructional Design in Online Courses for Adult Learners

Dr. Jeff Butterfield

Who are today's students? By and large, working adults comprise today's student population. Most are financially independent. Some have dependents of their own. Their economic backgrounds and full lives make getting a higher education tough--but not impossible. Here at ACTC the average student age this semester is 27. Clearly the majority of our students are adult and non-traditional.  Another dynamic is that many of these adult or non-traditional students are taking classes online. This semester close to 10% of our students were enrolled only in online classes.  The Internet is here to stay. Adult education is here to stay. Convenience is here to stay. If educators and adult learners are going to maximize on teaching and learning in these environments, educators will need to expand the way that they prepare, organize, create and distribute learning materials.

In this high energy, no-holds barred and honest session Dr. Butterfield will share the best practices he has discovered through his experiences in delivering online courses. Dr. Jeff Butterfield is the Chair of Computer Information Systems/Technology at Western Kentucky University.  He has developed several on-line majors (graduate and undergraduate), taught online courses for multiple universities, and trains others how to teach successful online courses.  He is a dynamic and interesting speaker and regularly presents seminars regionally and nationally. Dr. Butterfield was the keynote speaker for the 2008 Teaching and Learning Conference.

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM Room 329

Teaching Conflicting Ideas

Gary Powell, Bluegrass Community & Technical College

This session offers an innovative way to present conflicting viewpoints in thinking. Assistant Professor Powell will use a graphic scale to reveal the political extremes of liberals and conservatives in American politics. Understanding more completely what others believe is the first step to finding common ground among opposing viewpoints.

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM Room 301

Instructional Design in Online Courses for Adult Learners

Dr. Jeff Butterfield

Room 329

The Multicultural Leadership Ambassadors – Presenting their Diverse Reality

Dr. Shari Clark, Marshall University

The Multicultural Leadership Ambassadors are a group of select, trained, peer educators representing diverse backgrounds. The Ambassadors provide diversity training and awareness on issues of inclusion through sharing of their own personal stories, interactive exercises & discussion with the audience members designed to heighten awareness and sensitivity.

Exploring Diversity Through Leadership

Natalie A. Gibson, Director of Cultural Diversity, KCTCS

This interactive workshop will use the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development curriculum, philosophy, and approach to leadership development. Participants will gain awareness and understanding about the value of diversity and the importance of engagement through the exploration of a variety of leadership styles and philosophies.

Finding My Identity: Growing Up in Santa Clara, Cuba

Ninfa Floyd, Bluegrass Community & Technical College

I was born in Santa Clara, Cuba.  For the first thirteen years of my life, I had an idyllic childhood.  I lived in a beautiful island, waking up daily to palm trees, sunshine and endless beaches.  I remember the sunsets, particularly the color of the ocean, right at the moment when the sun seemed like a fiery ball disappearing behind the ocean.  The Caribbean put on quite a light show, changing from the brightest aquamarine to the deepest turquoise.  I was not meant to be anywhere else.  I was Cuban, I was home and ninety miles away from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pork and beans and K-Mart!

Instructional Design in Online Courses for Adult Learners

Dr. Jeff Butterfield

Room 329

Issues & Support of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered Students

Dr.  Keith Beard, Marshall University

Exploring the Hispanic Culture

Deborah Somuano, United Way River Cities

This session will provide an overview of the major issues Hispanics living in the Appalachian region face. Some of these issues include racial and ethnic discrimination in various settings, such as school, public places, hospitals, etc. Participants will be introduced to the Hispanic culture, family, and beliefs.

Inclusion: Values / Thought Development Process & Style Differences

Karen Coburn, Ashland Community &Technical College

This session is an interactive hour long workshop that explores various stages of values and thought development as they relate to socialization and style differences. Participants will better understand their own cultural and style preferences as well as the potential preferences of their students.

Using Personal Experience, Banned Books, and Novelist to Start a Dialogue about Race, Gender and Ethnicity in the Classroom

Sara Brown, Ashland Community &Technical College

Attendees will be treated to a humorous, but often serious look at using diverse books and personal experiences to guide students in conversations on race, gender and ethnicity. Although these issues are sometimes often glossed over or avoided all together in the classroom, Sara shows how using facts and feelings can actually work to your advantage.