Elon faculty, high school teachers to discuss student learning

ELON COLLEGE – Elon College is inviting 20 high school teachers from eight schools to campus Friday, March 6 to talk about student learning.

The mini-conference, which is being held for the first time, grew out of Elon’s interest in how high school curriculum is changing and the pedagogy as well. “We want to have a clearer idea of what students have experienced in high school school so we can catch them at the right point when they enter Elon and keep them moving in the right direction,” said Julianne Maher, vice president for academic affairs at Elon.

The high school teachers will help Elon faculty members answer several questions, including how has high school preparation for college changed, what are high school students being told about the college experience, what are the biggest social trends to influence high school education, and how can high schools and colleges work together to help students in their academic studies.

Participating are Western Alamance High School, Williams High School, Grimsley High School and Greesnboro Day School both in Greensboro, Chapel Hill High School, Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, West Forysth High School and Martinsville, Va., High School.

The teachers will visit a college class in their discipline and then attend a lunch discussion with Elon faculty members from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in McKinnon Hall in Moseley Center.

In a recent study of high school transcripts of freshmen from five years ago and those from last fall, Elon found students are taking many more honors classes and Advanced Placement classes over a five-year period, Maher said.

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