SoTL Commons Conference Presenters
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Session 6 : 10:00 am – 10:45 am
6.3 - Room 1909
Online Data Collection and Publication [pr-2]
Karen Weller Swanson (George Mason University): kweller@gmu.edu
Mary Kayler (George Mason University): mkayler@gmu.edu
Being a practiced educational researcher does not automatically prepare one to do research on/in one ' s own classroom. The presentation will target faculty in higher education who want to forge a closer tie between their teaching and research obligations. We have energized our own professional commitments through strengthening the connections between teaching and research. Our work draws on a synthesis of learner-centered teaching (Weimer 2000; McCombs 2004), critical pedagogy (Wink 2005), adult development theory (Baxter Magolda and King 2004), and critical reflection ( Brookfield 1995). Critical pedagogy provides multiple lenses to query assumptions and experiences of teaching and learning. Constructivist developmental theory provides both an understanding of the developmental trajectory of learners and a vision of the goals for their development. There are many positive functions of SOTL, one is that it is scholarship and the most critical one is to enhance student learning ( McKinney , 2007).