Education symposium examines how teachers can train lifelong learners
Houston area residents are invited to the University of Houston-Victoria at Katy April 11 to hear a Fulbright visiting scholar from Turkey talk about how teachers can train students to be lifelong learners.
The UHV School of Education, Health Professions & Human Development’s spring symposium, “Self-Regulated Learning: Empowering students to take control of their learning process,” will begin at 4 p.m. in the UHV Katy Multi-Purpose Room, 2002 W. Grand Parkway N., Building 2, on the third floor. The presenter will be Seniye Vural, a Fulbright visiting scholar from Turkey who teaches English as a Second Language at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. The event is free and open to the public.
UHV offers a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in English as a Second Language/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and this symposium will equip our teachers with a new learning concept,” said Fred Litton, dean of the school.
The symposium will provide teachers with a model that focuses on increasing students’ awareness of how they learn. The model shows that if a student takes an active role in his learning process, and is not just a passive recipient of information, it will lead to improved academic achievement. For example, students who are prone to being easily distracted can plan responsibly to reduce susceptibility to distraction by studying in an enclosed environment with limited sounds or noise. Moreover, students can plan ahead of time to sit at the front of the classroom versus sitting in the back to better focus on the lecture.
“The audience will have a chance to meet a Fulbright visiting scholar from a foreign country, and her presentation will help those who have an interest in teaching English abroad,” said Liping Wei, a UHV assistant professor of curriculum and instruction. “As teachers, it is equally important to teach academic content and teach students how to learn so they can continue to pursue knowledge for the rest of their lives.”
There is a psychological process to teaching students how to learn actively, said Seniye Vural, assistant professor in the department of English language and literature at Erciyes University in Turkey. This concept helps everyone, including nonstudents, to intentionally take control of their lives, specifically with an approach to learning.
There is an active process that is necessary for students to be responsible learners,” Vural said. “The process will empower them and bring out their potential while training them to make decisions for themselves. We must teach our students how to motivate themselves and monitor their learning process so they can become independent, lifelong learners in their careers.”
For more information about the symposium, contact Wei at 281-396-3700 or weil@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
