Active Learning Techniques for Teaching Communication
Mary Caulfield
Wed Feb 1, 10-11:30am, 12-134
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Active learning techniques help students learn nuanced concepts by providing opportunities for in-class problem solving and discussion. This workshop will present some background on the pedagogy of active learning, and it will offer practical tips for designing classroom exercises for teaching writing and speaking. The emphasis will be on helping students to bridge the gap between communicating their technical expertise and understanding the needs of multiple audiences.
All WAC workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, x3-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Cosponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
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Advanced Storytelling Workshop
Kevin Brooks, Laura Packer, V. Michael Bove Jr.
Thu Jan 19, 01-04:00pm, E15-443A
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 18-Jan-2012
Limited to 10 participants.
Single session event
Storytelling is the art of triggering and managing the fervent creation of images, ideas, inspiration and understanding in the minds of an audience. This workshop focuses on how to target your audience with your story and get them to create along with you. Participants must come prepared with a 5-to-10 minute story or segment (fiction, nonfiction, personal, or work/research related) that needs honing for an upcoming presentation, performance, or thesis defense. This is not a workshop on slide presentations, but on the story foundation on which your slides or other materials would stand.
Each participant will have an opportunity to be coached by two professional storytelling instructors and coaches, while also gaining the benefit of watching others being coached.
This workshop is led by two seasoned performing storytellers. Kevin Brooks is a Media Lab alumnus and has performed stories for the stage and corporate sponsors. He is co-author of Storytelling for User Experience: Crafting Stories for Better Design. Laura Packer is a storyteller, teacher and coach, who has performed and taught at venues around the world.
Contact: Kevin Brooks, brooks@media.mit.edu
Sponsor: Media Arts & Sciences
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Competitive Presenting
David Engel
Thu Jan 19, 26, 02-04:00pm, E62-446
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 15-Dec-2011
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Strong presentation skills are a valuable asset for engineers and scientists, yet there are few possibilities to practice presenting independent of the subject matter. Competitive presenting, e.g. Science Slams, offers a great way to practice presenting and to try out new ideas or styles.
The first session will consist of an introduction and discussion of how to structure, prepare and deliver a good and interesting presentation. Participants will also be given a topic on which to prepare a presentation. The second session will require the participants to deliver their 5-minute presentations with the rest of the group providing feedback.
Contact: David Engel, NE25-749A, (617) 715-4068, dengel@mit.edu
Sponsor: Sloan School of Management
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Crafting Knowledge and Acknowledging Others: Writing, Research, and Academic Integrity
Suzanne Lane
Wed Jan 25, 03-05:00pm, 4-159, Pizza will be served
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
This introductory workshop will address how to respond to written sources critically to develop new ideas, how to manage information drawn from a literature search, and how to document sources correctly.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, (617) 253-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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Designing Writing Assignments
Dr. Les Perelman, Director, Writing Across the Curriculum
Mon Jan 30, 10-11:30am, 12-134
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Often poorly-designed writing assignments produce poorly-written or vague and unfocused papers, whereas well-designed assignments can help students develop a deeper understanding of both the material they're writing about, and how scholars think about that material. This workshop will focus on the principles of designing assignments that will help students achieve the cognitive and communicative goals you set for them while avoiding confusion and temptations to plagiarize.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, x3-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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Dissertation Writers Support Group
Elizabeth Fox
Thu Jan 19, 26, 03:30-05:00pm
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 11-Jan-2012
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Writing a thesis or dissertation can be daunting and frustrating if we try to "go it alone." These sessions will present an overview of the thesis-writing process, as well as tips for managing time and emotional stress. In addition, we will discuss the possibility of establishing one or more support groups for the Spring and beyond.
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Effective Speaking
Barbara Smith
Tue Jan 10, Thu Jan 12, Tue Jan 17, Thu Jan 19, 03-05:00pm, 1-390, MUST ATTEND ALL 4 CLASSES
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 09-Jan-2012
Limited to 50 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None Required
Have you always wondered why some people seem at ease with public speaking? Have others told you to speak up because you speak too softly, or perhaps you are self-conscious because of your accent? Well, this class is for you! You will learn the proper techniques for projecting your voice and delivering a talk. (Prerequisite - must be an MIT Student, Faculty, Staff or Affiliate to attend class.)
Contact: Barbara Smith, 5-320, x3-0137, bsmith@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering
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Energy, the Media and You: Behind the scenes with top science reporters
Eli Kintisch, Alister Doyle, Hepeng Jia, Joyce Murdoch
Tue Jan 31, 04-05:30pm, 4-237
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 27-Jan-2012
Limited to 60 participants.
Single session event
Public discourse on energy topics from nuclear technology to climate impacts to biofuels is often characterized by tall claims, exaggerated risks, biased coverage and impenetrable legalese. The MIT Energy Initiative and Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program convene ~5 reporters to tell the behind-the-scenes story on how energy stories get told -- and spun. Join an experienced and talented panel of journalists from across the media spectrum for an inside look at the forces that shape media on energy and practical insights on how scientists can improve the way that their research is conveyed to a public that is under daily information bombardment.
Co-Sponsored by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships
\*Registration required.\*
Register at: http://bit.ly/zqkY9X
Contact: Jennifer DiMase, jdimase@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative
Cosponsor: Science, Technology, and Society
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How to Write a Great Abstract
Thalia Rubio
Thu Jan 19, 10-11:00am, 12-134
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
Prereq: none
For your paper to be successful, people have to actually read it. A compelling abstract is essential for capturing their attention and making them want to read more. But writing an effective abstract is challenging because you need to summarize what motivated you, what you did, and what you found, in a small number of words. In this workshop, we'll analyze sample abstracts from different fields, learn editing strategies, and practice revising abstracts. You'll leave with a better understanding of how to write a strong abstract that clearly presents your research.
Contact: Steven Strang, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Individual Consultations at the Writing and Communication Center
Steven Strang
Mon-Fri, Jan 9-13, 17-20, 23-27, 30-3, 10am-03:00pm
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none
The Writing Center's professional staff will offer free consultations on any communication issue including finding topics, generating ideas, improving grammar and style, organizing documents, and using evidence. We can help with theses from any department, application essays, resumes, articles for publication, proposals,course papers. Practice your oral presentations,work on slide design, etc. We work with faculty, post-docs, grad and undergrad students and spouses. Go to our online scheduler to schedule an appointment.
Web: http://writing.mit.edu/wcc/appointments
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Join the Conversation: Composing Original Ideas from Research
Suzanne Lane
Tue Jan 24, 01-03:00pm, 4-159, Pizza will be served
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
This introductory workshop will address how to respond to written sources critically to develop new ideas, how to manage information drawn from a literature search, and how to document sources correctly.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, (617) 253-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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MIT Can Talk! Speaking Competition
Tony Eng
Thu Feb 2, 03-05:00pm, 6-120
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 27-Jan-2012
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Many great thinkers of the past, the so called "Renaissance Men", excelled in both Engineering/Science and Exposition/Rhetoric/Oration. There is no reason why the MIT engineers and scientists of today, the creative men and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow, cannot do so as well. "MIT Can Talk" promotes campus-wide awareness of good oral communication skills. It consists of: (1) a series of independent workshop sessions on public speaking/oral communication, followed by (2) a speaking competition. The workshops are open to the MIT community, but the contest is open only to MIT undergraduates and MEng students.
Come watch MIT students compete for prizes at the "MIT Can Talk: Speaking Competition". Participants recite 5 minutes worth of material in English that relate to the competition theme for this year. This material can be original, or it can be an excerpt from a speech, a literary work, a poem, a story, etc. Prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges to those who are best able to deliver their material to a live audience. Audience members will also win prizes!
See also the entry for "MIT Can Talk: Workshop Series".
Web: http://web.mit.edu/~tleng/www/mitcantalk/main.html
Contact: Tony Eng, tleng@mit.edu
Sponsor: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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MIT Can Talk: Workshop Series
Dr. Tony L. Eng
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Many great thinkers of the past, the so called "Renaissance Men", excelled in both Engineering/Science and Exposition/Rhetoric/Oration. There is no reason why the MIT engineers and scientists of today, the creative men and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow, cannot do so as well. "MIT Can Talk" promotes campus-wide awareness of good oral communication skills. It consists of: (1) a series of independent workshop sessions on public speaking/oral communication, followed by (2) a speaking competition. The workshops are open to the MIT community, but the contest is open only to MIT undergraduates and MEng students.
The various workshops address different aspects of speaking and oral communication. They are meant to be practical and hands-on. Sometimes, audience volunteers will be asked to participate in a demonstration; preference will be given to those who have entered the speaking competition.
Check out the website for the most updated information on the workshops and competition!
Web: http://web.mit.edu/~tleng/www/mitcantalk/main.html
Contact: Dr. Tony L. Eng, mitcantalk@mit.edu
Sponsor: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Speak and Be Heard
Keely Eastley
Have you ever spoken in a crowd and no one seemed to notice? Do you plan to speak boldly but it falls short of your desired effect? Come and experience the power of your voice and leave with some useful tools.
Thu Jan 26, 01-03:00pm, 50-201
Bringing Words to Life
Dr. Tony L. Eng
When you are reading to an audience, you have access to the text, but the audience doesn't. What are some things that you can do, related to diction and expressiveness, that will help your audience better parse and understand the text? Come found out!
Thu Jan 26, 03:30-05:00pm, 32-124
You Know What I Mean?
Yaniv Erlich
With public speaking, you usually know what ideas/words you want to express/say (the lyrics), but you have to come up with "the music" to express them. This workshop is all about this music, and how the vocal choices you make can intentionally, or unintentionally, add extra dimensions of color, emotion and meaning to your words.
Fri Jan 27, 01-02:30pm, 4-153
Use of Space
Mark Herschberg
All the world's a stage... but some have podiums, others tables; some a big and in front, others are in the middle and at the same level as the audience. What if there's no podium to hide behind? Does where I stand matter? In this workshop we'll learn how to incorporate space in our presentations to add another dimension to public speaking.
Fri Jan 27, 03:30-04:30pm, 4-153
Mental Models
Mark Herrschberg
World class athletes know mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation. The same is true for world class public speakers. In this workshops we'll look at techniques to mentally prepare, and put yourself in the right mental state to deliver. This includes both mental models for success as well as techniques to help with the jitters.
Fri Jan 27, 04:30-05:30pm, 4-153
Wielding Humor
Kevin Duda
While no one can be "taught" to be funny, it sure helps to be able to identify, categorize and use comedy within all forms of communication. In this workshop, you will learn tips on how to best incorporate humor into a speech and be able to work on your feet in a realtime environment. Come and "find your funny." Squares encouraged to attend.
Mon Jan 30, 01-03:00pm, 32-144
The Performance Aspect of Storytelling
Kevin Brooks
The narrative approach of storytelling is a great way to reach an audience. But it's not enough just to relate a story - how do you get an audience to feel something, think and respond? This is the performance aspect of storytelling. Come find out! (Kevin Brooks is also giving another IAP workshop on storytelling, so check out the guide for more information!)
Mon Jan 30, 04-06:00pm, 32-144
Stage Presence
Janet Sonenberg
Some individuals can walk onto stage or into the room, and command an audience's attention without saying a word. This hands-on workshop will address stage presence -- how to be comfortable and confident, have good posture and poise, and manage nerves and anxiety. Standing in front of an audience will no longer be the same!
Tue Jan 31, 01-03:00pm, 32-124
How to be Strong on Stage No Matter What You Do
Mimi Goese
This workshop studies how to be versatile, confident and powerful on stage, in a lecture hall, in front of a camera or any demanding experience in life. (See website for more details!)
Tue Jan 31, 03-06:00pm, 32-124
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MIT Writers' Group
Steven Strang
Mon Jan 9, Mon Jan 23, 30, 12-01:00pm, 12-134
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 03-Jan-2012
Limited to 20 participants.
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none
Want to write but need some motivation or support? Join other writers to get advice about your own writing, to help other writers, or to get inspiration to write something to share with the group-any type of creative writing, including fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction,memoirs, personal essays, plays.
Contact: Steven Strang, (617) 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Making the Most of Your Presentation
Dr. Jean-luc Doumont, Communication Consultant, Principae
Mon Jan 23, 02-04:00pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Strong oral presentation skills are a key to success for engineers, scientists, and other professionals, yet many speakers are at a loss to tackle the task. Systematic as they otherwise can be in their work, they go at it intuitively, sometimes haphazardly, with much good will but seldom good results. Based on Dr. Doumont's book "Trees, maps, and theorems" about “effective communication for rational minds” this lecture proposes a systematic way to prepare and deliver presentations. Among others, it covers structure, slides, and delivery, as well as stage fright.
Contact: Leann Dobranski, 5-122, x3-3371, leann@mit.edu
Sponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Response and Revision: Helping Students Develop their Ideas in Writing
Suzanne Lane
Tue Jan 31, 10-11:30am, 12-134
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
What kind of feedback will help students understand how to revise their essay, report, or article, to hone and extend their thinking, or to write more effectively in their next assignment? This workshop will draw on research on the writing process and revision to help faculty and TAs understand the range of responding practices, from rubrics to peer review to individual conferences, and when each is effective. By considering feedback in relation to other forms of instruction, participants will learn to provide the kinds of comments and strategies that will help students understand how to improve both their essays and their abilities as writers.
All WAC workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, x3-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Cosponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
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Road Signs: Finding Your Way in the Visual World
Dr. Jean-luc Doumont, Communication Consultant, Principiae
Fri Jan 27, 12-02:00pm, 32-141
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
In most countries, road signs are graphical: rather than words, they use shape, color, and a variety of icons to convey meaning. Still, are they truly visual? Are they, for example, interpreted faster than word signs? Are they more intuitive, more accessible, more universal?
Through observation of road signs in their natural ecosystem around the world, this session explores basic concepts of visual communication, applicable to a wide array of graphical representations.
Web: http://www.principiae.be
Contact: Leann Dobranski, Asst. Director, Teaching & Learning Lab, 5-122, x3-3371, leann@mit.edu
Sponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Science Writing for Scientists
Seth Mnookin, Thomas Levenson
Tue Jan 10, Thu Jan 12, 01-04:00pm, 4-153
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 09-Jan-2012
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Paragraph describing why the student wishes to participate
This class will lead its participants through the journey from facts into story as they learn how to communicate science in ways a broad public audience will engage and remember.
This class introduces participants to the key steps involved in presenting complicated ideas in an accurate and memorable fashion. In the first session we will cover what elements make excellent science writing for the public: structure, metaphor as a tool, translation of complexity, accuracy while simplifying, and the art of triage – telling your audience what it needs to know to grasp your material, but not everything that you know.
Students will discuss a series of research findings and background materials, and transform them into a short popular piece. Those pieces will be workshopped until the participants grasp the idea of story, as opposed to report, down to the bone.
The class will be led by the New York Times bestselling science writer Seth Mnookin, and by Peabody and National Academies award-winning writer and film maker Thomas Levenson, head of 21W.
Web: http://sciwrite.mit.edu/events/science-writing-for-scientists
Contact: Shannon Larkin, 14N-108, x2-5036, slarkin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Structuring Your Scientific Paper
Dr. Jean-luc Doumont, Communication Consultant, Principiae
Tue Jan 24, 02-04:00pm, 32-123
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Papers are one of the few deliverables of the work of researchers. Well-designed, they efficiently allow each reader to learn only what he or she needs to. Poorly designed, by contrast, they confuse readers, fail to prompt decisions, or remain unread. Based on Dr Doumont's book Trees, Maps, and Theorems, about “effective communication for rational minds”, the lecture shows how to structure scientific papers, theses, and technical reports effectively at all levels to get the readers' attention, facilitate navigation, and, in this way, get the message across optimally.
Web: http://www.principiae.be
Contact: Leann Dobranski, 5-122, x3-3371, leann@mit.edu
Sponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Teaching Students to Write from Research
Dr. Andrea Volpe
Thu Feb 2, 10-11:30am, 12-134
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Wondering about the best way to teach students to do scholarly research in the age of Wikipedia? This workshop will examine some of the common road blocks that the Google generation encounters when they are faced with writing assignments based on their own research. We'll consider creative ways to draw on students' digital strengths, while also helping students gain a rhetorical understanding of the purpose for using sources. To help students become better academic writers with this research, we'll discuss ways of sequencing research instruction with writing assignments.
All WAC workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, x3-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Cosponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
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Why We Cite: Writing, Originality, and the Use of Sources
Suzanne Lane
Fri Jan 27, 02-04:00pm, 4-145, Pizza will be served
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
This introductory workshop will address how to respond to written sources critically to develop new idea, how to manage information drawn from a literature search, and how to document sources correctly.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, (617) 253-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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Writing in College: Knowledge and Acknowledgement
Suzanne Lane
Thu Jan 26, 04-06:00pm, 4-145, Pizza will be served
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
This introductory workshop will address how to respond to written sources critically to develop new ideas, how to manage information drawn from a literature search, and how to document sources correctly.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, (617) 253-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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Writing recommendations that rock (without sacrificing all your weekends)
Alison Hynd, Kimberly Benard
Tue Jan 24, 12-01:15pm, 2-105
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 23-Jan-2012
Limited to 70 participants.
Single session event
\\* Are you swamped by requests to write recommendations and reference letters for students or colleagues?
\\* Are you new to recommendation writing and need some pointers?
\\* Do you want to spiff-up your style and make sure your recommendations are effective?
Then come and learn some effective strategies for writing recommendation letters that work while being efficient with your time.
This workshop is offered by staff who read and write a LOT of recommendation letters and participate in competitive selection panels, so we understand both how important these are to our students and how much time it can take to write an effective letter.
Contact: Alison Hynd, W20-549, x8-0691, hynd@mit.edu
Sponsor: Public Service Center
Cosponsor: Global Education and Career Development
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Writing with Integrity: Composing Original Ideas in Conversation with Experts
Suzanne Lane
Mon Jan 23, 02-04:00pm, 4-159, Pizza will be served
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
This introductory workshop will address how to respond to written sources critically to develop new ideas, how to manage information drawn from a literature search, and how to document sources correctly.
Contact: Ashley Caval, 12-117, (617) 253-0650, acaval@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
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