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CI Newsletter: Oct 21-25, 2024 | Curriculum Integration | Seneca Polytechnic

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Version 35
CI Newsletter: Oct 21-25, 2024

CI Newsletter: Oct 21-25, 2024

Hello everyone! We hope you are enjoying the beautiful sunny autumn days of late. Check out some exciting resources, developments, and events below.

Curriculum Integration Project

Brown backpack with two leaves at the top representing the start of this journey.

Fall 2024 Human Skills Cohort

On October 16th, the Faculty Champions met for a wonderful session on integrating critical thinking into the classroom. We were joined by faculty member, Laura Page, who gave us lots of strategies for getting our students to think critically about things.

Faculty Champions were also instructed as to how to begin mapping their plans for the future — the Roadmap!

Next week, faculty champions are invited to an in-person session on Wednesday, October 30th. This session will feature a special guest panel on the role of Empathy in Human Skills. We will also explore different strategies for group work through a collaborative activity.


Spilling the Equi-TEA: Appropriation vs Appreciation 

Each month, Akeisha Lari, Manager Reconciliation and Student Inclusion, shares classroom insights for student engagement. For her previous entries, visit the Newsletter archive. This month, Akeisha "spills the tea" on cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation. As Halloween draws near, it is a great time to reflect on and understand the differences between these two ideas.

Reach out to Akeisha at any time to chat about connecting to our students: akeisha.lari@senecapolytechnic.ca


Curriculum Integration: Strategy Spotlight

Every CI Newsletter issue will feature a “Strategy Spotlight”, where we share a curriculum integration strategy or idea that you can adapt to your classroom. Each strategy comes with a learning objective and supporting activities, assessments and resources. The example is subject specific but can be adapted to any subject area. 

In this edition, we have an example from a math professor teaching a first-year calculus course. The professor incorporated sustainability into new concepts (i.e., derivatives, integrals, rate of change, Riemann sums, etc.).  Any math instructor could take this data and adapt it to the mathematical methods being taught in their class (ex. functions, statistics, etc.). 

Students first learn the theory and mechanics of the new techniques and then apply the mathematical concepts to real-world situations about C02 emissions.

  • Learning Objectives:
    • For a given function f(x) and n, calculate the left Riemann sum and right Riemann sum.
    • For the same f(x) (as above) and double the value of n (from above), calculate and compare the left and right Riemann sums.
  • Related Activity: Using Riemann sums, calculate and compare the total CO2 emissions for the U.S. and China from 1980 to 2015. What are the possible effects of these CO2 emissions on the Earth’s climate?
  • Related Assessment: The activity above could be completed and submitted, or other Riemann Sums could be calculated using different sets of data. For an example lesson plan, visit: example lesson plan.
  • Related SDGs: 11, 12 & 13 Sustainable Cities & Communities; Responsible Consumption & Production; Climate Action.
  • Resource 1: Mathematics of Planet Earth
  • Resource 2: Sustainability Math

Looking for more sustainability integration examples from different subject areas? Explore our Curriculum Integration Teaching Sustainability Module and scroll down to Examples of Sustainability in the Classroom.

Tell us what’s in your CI backpack! Do you have an integration idea to share with the Seneca community? Submit your idea here: Curriculum Integration Idea form.


Classroom Connection: Green Citizen Symposium

A reminder to join the movement for climate action and be a part of the Green Citizen Symposium, a three-day online event where ideas turn into action.

From November 5-7, gather with innovators, AI experts, alumni, Indigenous leaders and renewed non-profits. Our esteemed speakers will share their experience and insights on this year’s theme, “Thrive and Transform: A Resilient Journey,” with a focus on empowering individuals and communities to adapt and flourish amidst ecological changes. The time to register is now!


Event Calendar: Women’s History Month

Canada designates October as Women's History month. This month the country celebrates the women and girls contributing to all areas of this country’s growth from human rights to industry. 

For more information, and to embed a banner similar to the one above in your class content or to find other classroom resources, please visit: Women's History Month.


Event Recap: Celebration of Quality

On October 10th, Program Quality (PQ) hosted its inaugural Celebration of Quality event. The event was designed to bring together and celebrate the collaborative and innovative work of academic areas across the institution through their engagement in program developments, modifications, and renewals. The event struck a celebratory tone and was well attended by the Seneca community.

The highlight of the event was a panel consisting of faculty, a chair, and a dean who reflected on their experiences collaborating with PQ to assure the quality of their programming and ensure relevant graduate outcomes. The panel emphasized the importance of data-informed curricular decision-making.

The panel was followed by a light-hearted and surprisingly competitive Mentimeter quiz that actively engaged participants in responding to questions regarding external regulatory requirements and internal QA processes.

The event concluded with an opportunity for attendees to mingle and share their experiences and ideas around program developments, modifications, and renewals.

The PQ team would like to thank everyone who attended and looks forward to continual support of academic teams as they strive to improve their programming for diverse needs of students and industry.

 

Looking for support? Feel free to reach out to the CI team at any time by emailing teaching@senecapolytechnic.ca