Teaching in 2021 hasn’t been much easier than it was in 2020, and in many ways it’s even more difficult. We are overloaded and overwhelmed, but we’ve heard the call to make sure our work is inclusive, accessible, and equitable. We keep working to push back against and dismantle oppressive, racist systems while the world outside our classrooms tries to push back even harder. We’re passionate, but we are also tired, and we know our students and colleagues are too. Throughout the pandemic we have also found ways to thrive. We’ve become more empathetic, more flexible, more resilient, and even more committed to that call to connect with all of our students and to teach them well. It’s why we are still here. It’s why we do what we do.
Over the two days of this conference, we will explore how the pandemic has fostered better teaching practices. We will have featured speakers and workshops on radically inclusive teaching practices and online literacy education as inclusive practice, and we invite you to submit a 150-word proposal to present on the things that have mattered to and worked for you this year. Submit Your Proposal Here.
We ask you to share the ways you have confronted and overcome the challenges of the pandemic and have become a better teacher from it and to share the ways your teaching has gotten better despite the obstacles in your path. We look forward to highlighting and celebrating what we have done well and to learning from one another’s successes.
We invite conference proposals that explore the following topics:
- What assignments, projects, and activities have been particularly effective, especially in the present pandemic?
- How have you facilitated fundamental class activities–class discussion, peer review, feedback delivery–over the course of the pandemic, especially with social distancing and online learning in mind?
- How have you fostered relationships with students during pandemic times?
- How have you supported your colleagues or been supported by them?
- How you have taken care of yourself amidst all the pressure you face?
- In what ways do you ensure that your learning materials are accessible to a broad range of student cultures and abilities?
- How are your values reflected in your teaching both online and face-to-face?
- In what ways do you leverage students’ use of technology in your teaching practices?
- How does online teaching create possibilities that are not present in face-to-face teaching?
- What innovations or breakthroughs did you experience in the move to online instruction?
- How can online literacy instruction influence and/or improve accessible and inclusive learning experiences?
Proposal Deadline: February 1, 2022.
Presentation Types and Guidelines
The ODU English Department’s Spring Conference on the Teaching of Writing solicits proposals for interactive workshops, presentations, and teacher-to-teacher roundtable discussions that connect with the conference’s theme. Submissions will be selected based on their merit, innovation, and relevance. Please note the following formats for the different session types:
Interactive workshops should provide a hands-on approach to some topic or assignment and will last 60 minutes.
Presentations or panel discussions are limited to 60 minutes. There is no limit on the number of presenters in a given panel or roundtable, but please realize that the time limit remains the same regardless of the number of speakers, so time should be allocated accordingly. A 15-25 minute short presentation is also an option, which the committee can combine with other presentations based on theme.
