Time management

The Academic Success Center is offering a workshop to help students find a way to better manage their time.

Academic Success Center

Academic Skills Enhancement Workshop

Doing It All: Balancing School, Work, and Play

Thursday, November 1st at 9:00 A.M.

Student Center Ballroom

This workshop addresses such things as time management and prioritizing. There will also be clues on how to set up an effective schedule to set them up to help manage their time.If you have a class during this time, please feel free to bring the entire class to the workshop. If your class is not at this time, you may still encourage your students to attend. If you would like to offer credit for their attending this workshop but cannot attend yourself, simply contact us at the ASC; we would gladly provide you with a copy of the attendance roster.

Encouraging Non-Readers

The Academic Success Center invites you to join us for the fourth "Nourishment and Knowledge" workshop of the semester. Mark your calendar now to join us for lunch and an exchange of ideas on this topic:

Encouraging Non-Readers:Strategies to Help Students with Difficulty Reading

Student Center Room 18

Monday, November 5, 2007

12:00-12:50 P.M.

We will talk about those students who simply don't read the textbooks or articles assigned for their courses. Whether the texts are beyond the students' reading levels or just outside their reading interests, there are sound strategies you can use to get students "into" the reading, to support them as they read, and to measure their understanding before, during, and after reading. We are tapping the expertise of Dr. Becky Pitkin from the Department of Teacher Education to share research-based, effective teaching practices to get students reading . . . and making use of their reading in class discussions, writing assignments, examinations, research projects, etc.

RSVP by Thursday, November 1 in order to reserve a meal at this workshop luncheon. You may respond to Sonja Steffen (ASC Administrative Secretary) by e-mail at Sonja.Steffen@dickinsonstate.edu or by telephone at 483-2999. We look forward to having you join us and our continuing conversation about teaching and learning across campus.

Scholarships and Grants workshop

Have you ever had students tell you that they need more money for college but they don't know how to go about getting it. The Academic Success Center is offering a workshop to help students find and apply for scholarships and grants.

Academic Success Center

Academic Skills Enhancement Workshop

Show Me the Money!: Finding and applying for Scholarships and Grants

Thursday, October 25th at 11:00 A.M.

Student Center Ballroom

This workshop addresses such things as scholarships and grants, and the differences between the two. There will also be clues onto which grants and scholarships might be available to certain students and how to effectively apply for them.

Learning Style Workshop

Have you ever had students tell you that you don't teach to their learning style? (Have you ever felt that way about a class in which you yourself were a student?)The Academic Success Center is offering a workshop to help students learn even when their learning styles and their instructors' teaching methods don't seem to match.

Academic Success Center

Academic Skills Enhancement Workshop

They Just Don't Get Me!Adapting to Teaching that Doesn't Match Your Learning Style

Tuesday, October 23rd at 9:00 A.M.

Student Center Ballroom

Students will discover their preferred learning styles and how to study in ways that take advantage of those preferences. They will also learn how to adjust when the teaching doesn't seem suited to their particular learning styles. "But that's not my learning style" is no excuse not to learn!

Book Discussion

Dr. Gary Cummisk will lead the first book discussion of this year's Heart River Writers' Circle at 7 pm on Monday 15 October in the library classroom on the lower level of Stoxen. The discussion will focus on Rawdon Tomlinson's book of poetry, Geronimo After Kas-ki-yeh, and include some other examples of poetry and fiction related to historical events and characters. Although reading is encouraged, it is not required to have read the book to attend and participate in the discussion; all interested persons are welcome. The activities of the Heart River Writers' Circle are funded through University Fees and sponsored by Stoxen Library and the Department of Language and Literature.

MLA & APA Formats Workshop

Using MLA and APA Formats in Academic Writing?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Student Center Ballroom

I'd like to extend a special invitation to your classes to attend the Academic Success Center's Academic Skills Enhancement workshop next Wednesday, October 17th at 10:00 A.M. in the Student Center ballroom. It's titled, "We’ll Give You Points for Style: Using MLA and APA formats in Academic Writing" and will offer students information on both sets of style guidelines: similarities and differences, the purpose of following formats, the basic information to remember about each, and resources for additionalinformation. The goal is to get students thinking about why academic writers use MLA or APA and to provide students with sources to consult with their future questions.If you have a class during this time, please feel free to bring the entire class to the workshop. If your class is not at this time, you may still encourage your students to attend. If you would like to offer credit for their attending this workshop but cannot attend yourself, simply contact me; I would gladly send you a copy of the attendance roster.Because the Academic Success Center wishes to serve the DSU community,we would welcome suggestions from you for workshops for next semester or next year. Also, if you would like us to schedule a specific workshop during your class time, please let me know.Please reply to tell if your class will attend and how many students you will bring. You may send your reply to Sonja Steffen (ASC Administrative Secretary) at Sonja.Steffen@dickinsonstate.edu or by telephone at 483-2999. I hope to see you at Wednesday's workshop or at another one soon.

Goal Setting Workshop

All our students have goals of some kind. However, some students may need encouragement setting higher goals for themselves, and other students may need practical advice on how to achieve their goals. Perhaps all students could benefit from an upcoming ASC workshop:

Academic Success Center

Academic Skills Enhancement Workshop

Where Am I Going, and How Do I Get There?Goal Setting for Success

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:00 - 9:00 A.M.

Student Center Ballroom

If you have a class during this time, please feel free to bring the entire class to the workshop. If your class is not at this time, you may still encourage your students to attend. If you would like to offer credit for their attending this workshop but cannot attend yourself, simply contact us at the ASC; we would gladly provide you with a copy of the attendance roster.Please reply to tell us if your class will attend and how many students you will bring. You may send your reply to Sonja Steffen (ASC Administrative Secretary) at Sonja.Steffen@dickinsonstate.edu or by telephone at 483-2999. We hope to see you at this workshop or at another one soon!

Managing Conflict Workshop

Are your students having difficulty managing conflict? The Academic Success Center is offering a workshop to help students learn to manage conflict before it manages them.

Academic Success CenterAcademic Skills Enhancement Workshop

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?: Managing Conflict Before it Manages You
Wednesday, October 10th at 2:00 P.M.

Student Center Ballroom

Students will discover the importance of managing conflict before it manages them.
If you have a class during this time, please feel free to bring the entire class to the workshop. If your class is not at this time, you may still encourage your students to attend. If you would like to offer credit for their attending this workshop but cannot attend yourself, simply contact us at the ASC; we would gladly provide you with a copy of the attendance roster.Please reply to tell if your class will attend and how many students you will be attending. You may send your reply to Sonja Steffen (ASC Administrative Secretary) at Sonja.Steffen@dickinsonstate.edu or by telephone at 483-2999.

Banned Books Week Wrap-Up

What better way to wrap-up banned books week than to spend a few minutes on the #1 most challenged books of the 21st century (so far): the Harry Potter series. Few books are at once so beloved and so despised. People of all ages stood in lines for hours the day the last book was released - it brought in a reported $166 million within 24 hours. These same books have been the source of protests in schools and libraries across the country - primarily from parents afraid that they promote witchcraft or the occult. In response, books have been written such as God, the devil, and Harry Potter : a Christian minister’s defense of the beloved novels and The wisdom of Harry Potter : what our favorite hero teaches us about moral choices. (Both of these are availale at Stoxen Library as well as the entire series - if you can find them on the shelf!)

So, if you are looking for something to read, here are a few reasons why you might like to get to know Harry Potter.

1. Great characters that grow and develop as the series goes on.

2. The worst? villain ever.

3. A real trip into another reality.

4. Enough adventure for just about anybody.

Banned Book Week Continues...

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder is on the banned book list. It is available at Stoxen Library PZ7.W6461 Li2

The book is about a year in the life of two young girls growing up on the Wisconsin frontier, as they help their mother with the daily chores, enjoy their father’s stories and singing, and share special occasions when they get together with relatives or neighbors.

“As a child, this book really started my love for reading. I was hooked on the first book and continued reading the nine-book Little House series. The series provides detailed information about the struggles and constant hard work of pioneer life.” – Corina Zalesky, Stoxen Library

Banned Books Week - Pigman

The Pigman by Paul Zindel (#44 on the banned list) tells the story of Angelo Pignati and Lorraine and John, two sophomores in high school . John is the typical trouble maker and Lorraine strives to achieve something regardless of her paranoia and her mother's put-downs. Mr. Pignati, traumatized by his wife's death, is in a state of denial and believes that she has gone away on a trip.

Paul Zindel, the author of the novel, uses a talented sense of humor in this teen novel. This book has shock value and may disturb some people. However, it shares a good message of friendship, love, and compassion. The transformation of the characters is genuine. The teens learn about life and the skills they will need for growing up. “It is serious as it is funny, as moral as it is tough, as truthful as it is exciting.” (Elizabeth Janeway)

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week (Sept. 29 - Oct. 6, 2007) is all about emphasizing the choice to read what you want. One of my favorites from the list of "Most Frequently Challenged Books for 1990-2000" is Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (#47 on the list). I read this book for a class in college and it has stuck with me all these years. It is about Charlie, a 32 year old man who after becoming involved in a drug experiment goes from a state of mental retardation to that of a genius. It is one of those stories about how we perceive one another and how we treat one another. A good read for any one!

Banned Books Week

Each year the American Library Association and several publishers groups sponsor Banned Book Week – Celebrating the Freedom to Read. This annual event reminds us not to take for granted the freedom of the press that guarantees the freedom to read in our country. This year banned book week is Sept. 29 – Oct. 6.

Every year hundreds of books and other materials are “challenged” in libraries and schools around the country. A “challenged” book is one for which a formal request or complaint has been made requesting that it be removed from the library’s shelves or the school’s curriculum. These include works as wide-ranging as Little House on the Prairie, To Kill a Mockingbird or the Bible.

Check back throughout the week as members of the library staff reflect on books that have been “challenged” at various times through the years. The links below will provide you with more information about Banned Book Week as well as a small listing of books owned by Stoxen Library that have been on various Challenged Book Lists.