Dec. 27, 2004
Contact: Pat Harris
(805) 542-0452; (805) 440-4426
pharris@calpoly.edu
How Diversity Affects Teaching, Learning to be Focus of
Jan. 13 Talk at
Cal Poly
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Lloyd Elm, professor of Native American studies
at
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, will present "How Diversity
Affects Teaching and Learning" at a breakfast program at Cal
Poly's
Vista Grande Café at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 13.
The presentation is part of the university's Provocative Perspectives
series, which brings educators, authors and other innovative leaders
to
campus to stimulate discussion on a variety of issues.
Elm, a teacher for the past 34 years, is a nationally recognized
expert
and innovator in teaching Native American students.
Cal Poly Vice President for Student Affairs Cornel Morton said
Elm is an
outstanding educator and leader for change in higher education.
"He has
transformed the lives of his students," Morton said, "and
we are
delighted to bring him to our campus to talk with other colleagues
and
community members about the value of diversity in education."
As principal of Mounds Parks All Nations Magnet School in St. Paul,
Minnesota, Elm rescued the school from academic decline with his
Balanced Literacy Program. "We have to shift from teacher-centered
learning to student-centered learning," Elm said. "We
must allow
students to see themselves within the process."
Elm is a member of the Onondaga Nation. He is a graduate of Haskell
Institute, a federal Indian boarding school located in Lawrence,
Kansas.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and a master's
and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.
The morning program includes a full breakfast and is free to community
members. Reservations are required and are limited. For reservations,
call Liz Cofer at 756-0327 or e-mail her at lcofer@calpoly.edu.
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