Scholar Engagement Seminars (SES) are one day professional development led by outstanding faculty members of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). A SES fosters and promotes teachers as academic and intellectual leaders by giving them time to reflect and discuss new ideas and recent scholarship with colleagues. They are scholarly in design, to provide an opportunity for educators to interact with university faculty and be a “student” again.
Seminars are:
- 9:00am – 2:00pm at TCNJ, Ewing, NJ campus, unless noted as virtual
- Fee: $285.00 per person/per seminar. Participants are provided:
- Five hours instruction – Materials unless noted – Certificate of Completion – Lite Lunch
Additional seminars are added throughout the year, check back often or join our email list to the first to learn about new seminars.
Learn about our seminars
English Language Arts – For ELA Secondary 6 -12
Beyond the Academic Essay: Composing in the Secondary Classroom – 12/5/25
In this session, participants will explore other modes of writing they might invite into secondary ELA classrooms to develop students writers as well as assess student content knowledge. These modes of composition will include print as well as digital examples and we will discuss how teachers might blend narrative, informative, and argumentative forms. Participants will look at, evaluate, and replicate mentor texts as well as consider assessment of and feedback on student writing. Emphasis will be placed on composing as a humanizing practice.
Seminar Leader: Emily Meixner, Professor of English, Coordinator of English Secondary Education Program
Emily received her Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory & Multicultural Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the coordinator of the Secondary English Education Program and regularly teaches courses on secondary reading and writing pedagogy as well as courses on children’s and young adult literature. Her research interests include secondary literacy best practices, LGBTQIA young adult literature, and teacher professional development. Dr. Meixner also works regularly in local school districts providing professional development on such topics as reading/writing workshop, reading strategies and close reading, reading in the content areas, and young adult literature.
Strengthening Student Literacies in a Time of AI 1/12/26
And the session description: As schools grapple with how to navigate and perhaps integrate both AI and AI literacy into curricula, they must also determine what non-AI reading and writing proficiencies need to be preserved and strengthened. This session will provide a framework for that thinking by responding to concerns raised when students outsource reading and writing tasks (in general and in specific disciplinary contexts) to AI. Session participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which these non-negotiable literacies are (or are not) currently embedded in school curricula and envision how they might be made more visible.
Crafting Visual Literary Analyses – 2/6/2026
How might secondary students compose literary analyses using visual forms? This session will explore visual options for middle and high school teachers looking to build student engagement and deepen students’ close reading and public speaking skills. Participants will have the opportunity to create example visual analyses of their own.
Seminar Leader: Emily Meixner, Professor of English, Coordinator of English Secondary Education Program
Emily received her Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory & Multicultural Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the coordinator of the Secondary English Education Program and regularly teaches courses on secondary reading and writing pedagogy as well as courses on children’s and young adult literature. Her research interests include secondary literacy best practices, LGBTQIA young adult literature, and teacher professional development. Dr. Meixner also works regularly in local school districts providing professional development on such topics as reading/writing workshop, reading strategies and close reading, reading in the content areas, and young adult literature.
Seminar Leader: Emily Meixner, Professor of English, Coordinator of English Secondary Education Program
Emily received her Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory & Multicultural Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the coordinator of the Secondary English Education Program and regularly teaches courses on secondary reading and writing pedagogy as well as courses on children’s and young adult literature. Her research interests include secondary literacy best practices, LGBTQIA young adult literature, and teacher professional development. Dr. Meixner also works regularly in local school districts providing professional development on such topics as reading/writing workshop, reading strategies and close reading, reading in the content areas, and young adult literature.
Reading and Writing Nature – 3/6/2026
This workshop will focus on building reading and writing curricula around nature topics from hiking and camping to environmental degradation and climate change. Session attendees will be introduced to essential vocabulary, possible texts (ranging from picture books to fiction and nonfiction published for teens and adults to digital texts), and muti-modal writing assignments. Connections will be drawn between the NJ Content and Climate Change Standards.
Seminar Leader: Emily Meixner, Professor of English, Coordinator of English Secondary Education Program
Emily received her Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory & Multicultural Teacher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the coordinator of the Secondary English Education Program and regularly teaches courses on secondary reading and writing pedagogy as well as courses on children’s and young adult literature. Her research interests include secondary literacy best practices, LGBTQIA young adult literature, and teacher professional development. Dr. Meixner also works regularly in local school districts providing professional development on such topics as reading/writing workshop, reading strategies and close reading, reading in the content areas, and young adult literature.
Interdisciplinary
Strengthening Student Literacies in a Time of AI 1/12/26
And the session description: As schools grapple with how to navigate and perhaps integrate both AI and AI literacy into curricula, they must also determine what non-AI reading and writing proficiencies need to be preserved and strengthened. This session will provide a framework for that thinking by responding to concerns raised when students outsource reading and writing tasks (in general and in specific disciplinary contexts) to AI. Session participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which these non-negotiable literacies are (or are not) currently embedded in school curricula and envision how they might be made more visible.
The Witch in Literature – 2/2/2026
This seminar will focus on the mysterious and all-too-feared figure of literature: the witch. Looking at drama, fairy tales, fiction, religious writings and even court trial records, we will explore the multiple meanings of “witchcraft” in early through modern writings. Our seminar will review the ever-growing interdisciplinary scholarship that attempts to understand the world’s simultaneous fascination with and hysteria about this literary figure—rooted in deeper beliefs about gender, sexuality, race and class. Our seminar will offer great primary texts and learning activities for teaching middle- and high-school students about such a contentious and complex literary figure in cultures around the world.
Who should attend: Any Elementary, Middle School, or High School Teachers (very interdisciplinary—History/Social Studies, English/Language Arts, Creative Writing, Psychology, Gender Studies, etc.)
Seminar Leader: Michele Lise Tarter is Professor of English at The College of New Jersey. She is also an Affiliate faculty member in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Religious Studies, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs. Dr. Tarter has published and presented extensively on early American women’s writing, as well as on 17th – and 18th -century Quaker literature. She has co-edited three book collections: A Centre of Wonders: The Body in Early America (Cornell University Press, 2001); Buried Lives: Incarcerated in Early America (University of Georgia Press, 2012); and New Critical Studies on Early Quaker Women, 1650-1800 (Oxford University Press, 2018). Her most recent book project is about the memoir-writing program she established in 2001 at the maximum-security wing of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey.
Writing Memoirs Behind Bars: Teaching Students the Literature – 4/30/2026
America has become known as the “Incarceration Nation,” imprisoning more people than any other country in the world. Interdisciplinary in nature, this seminar will explore literature by and about prisoners, and address such themes as confinement, slavery and oppression, and most importantly, the power of the written word. We will consider many disciplines as we approach this topic: gender, criminology, psychology, sociology, and, most notably, literary analysis. Together, we will read groundbreaking, provocative material written by one of the most neglected, silenced, but all-too-critical sectors of our population– the incarcerated. This seminar will address ways to teach this material to middle- and high-school students, deciphering links to memoir-writing for all ages and offering
learning activities that address issues of humanity, survival, and redemption through the process of memoir writing.
Who should attend: Any Elementary, Middle School, or High School Teachers (very interdisciplinary—History/Social Studies, English/Language Arts, Creative Writing, Psychology, etc.)
Seminar Leader: Michele Lise Tarter is Professor of English at The College of New Jersey. She is also an Affiliate faculty member in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Religious Studies, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs. Dr. Tarter has published and presented extensively on early American women’s writing, as well as on 17th – and 18th -century Quaker literature. She has co-edited three book collections: A Centre of Wonders: The Body in Early America (Cornell University Press, 2001); Buried Lives: Incarcerated in Early America (University of Georgia Press, 2012); and New Critical Studies on Early Quaker Women, 1650-1800 (Oxford University Press, 2018). Her most recent book project is about the memoir-writing program she established in 2001 at the maximum-security wing of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey.
Language Acquisition and Brain Development in Young Learners – 11/18/25 VIRTUAL
This workshop, Language Acquisition and Brain Development in Young Learners, is designed for high school teachers seeking to better understand how students acquire language and how brain development shapes this process. It explores the neurological foundations of language learning, the differences between early and late bilingualism, and evidence-based teaching strategies that align with adolescent cognitive development. Teachers will gain practical tools to support language learning in diverse classrooms, with a focus on creating engaging, brain-friendly instruction that fosters both linguistic proficiency and cognitive growth.
Seminar Leader Ivan Andreu Rascon, Ph.D., is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Creighton University and former Adjunct Professor in the Department of World Languages at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), specializing in bilingualism and second language acquisition.
He earned his Ph.D. in Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition from Rutgers University. During his time at Rutgers, he served as Assistant Director of Spanish Instruction for two years and directed the Spanish Language Program during the summers of 2022 and 2023. In addition, he taught graduate-level courses in the Departments of Spanish, Education and Social Work.
Dr. Andreu Rascon also holds a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in pedagogy from Auburn University and a second master’s degree in Language Acquisition from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Spain. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Linguistics and Literature from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
His research focuses on second language acquisition through visual perception and articulatory cues, as well as high variability phonetic training in the acquisition of challenging L2 sounds.
Exploring Economic Justice through Games, Film, and Fiction! TBD
The post-2008 bailouts of Big Banking and Big Business, the recent moves to impose a $15 minimum wage, the criticisms of the elite “1%”, and the moves by the Trump administration to “protect” American jobs and American workers by imposing tariffs on foreign goods and restricting immigration, and the perception that while the rich are getting richer the poor are getting poorer have all led to increasing interest in the question of what a just society should look like. This question is not just of theoretical interest for it encompasses issues whose outcomes can be affected by engaged citizens. Does justice require that businesses be required to pay their workers a minimum wage? Should a just society provide should its citizens with access to healthcare? Does justice require that off-shoring be limited—or does it require open immigration? Can serious economic inequality ever be just—and, if so, under what conditions?
In this seminar we will first explore the underlying question of what a just society should look like, drawing on the opposing views of the welfare liberal philosopher John Rawls, and the free market philosopher Robert Nozick. We will then explore the implications of both of these views for contemporary debates over practical matters, including (but not limited to) the issue of the justice of the minimum wage, the justice of universal healthcare, and the justice of laws prohibiting price-gouging in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. But we will not limit ourselves to exploring these issues through philosophical theory. We will also explore them through simple (but extremely enjoyable and engaging!) economics experiments (i.e., games!) that will shed insight as to how different ways of approaching these issues will actually play out in the real world, and we’ll also draw on works of both film and fiction that address these issues. These will include Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the science fiction of Robert A.Heinlein, and the films Other Peoples’ Money, Wall Street, and It’s a Wonderful Life. We will engage with them, identifying both the explicit and implicit messages that they convey…. And seeing whether on reflection (and in the light of the results of the games we played) we agree with them.
Seminar Leader: James Stacey Taylor
James Stacey Taylor is a Professor of philosophy. An Anglo-Scot, he holds an MA and and M.Litt degrees from St Andrews University, Scotland, and an MA and a Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University, OH. He is the author of five books: Stakes and Kidneys, Practical Autonomy and Bioethics, Death, Posthumous Harm and Bioethics, Bloody Bioethics, and Markets with Limits. His award-winning Op-Eds on issues of ethics, justice, and economics have appeared in many publications ranging from USA Today to the Los Angeles Times, as well as Forbes.com. He has also been quoted in The New York Times and is a contributor to NPR.
Mathematics/Science
Sequencing for Success: Developing Teachers’ Skills in Linking and Organizing Mathematical Ideas – 12/10/2025
This professional development session focuses on enhancing teachers’ ability to recognize and make connections between mathematical ideas and concepts across grade levels. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how mathematical concepts are interrelated and how these relationships evolve throughout the educational journey. Teachers will explore strategies to strengthen their awareness of these connections, enabling them to link concepts and procedures effectively. The session will also address how to anticipate the hierarchical structure of mathematics, recognizing the increasing complexity of ideas as students progress. Through discussions and practical exercises, participants will develop the skills to make informed decisions about sequencing mathematical content in ways that promote student understanding and facilitate meaningful learning. The aim is to equip educators with the tools necessary to support students’ long-term mathematical development by fostering a cohesive and integrated approach to teaching mathematics.
Seminar Leader: Judit Kardos is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at TCNJ. She earned her B.A. in Mathematics and M.S. in Philosophy from Eötvös University in Budapest, followed by a Ph.D. in Mathematics with a focus on Real Analysis. As a mathematician, her research interests include the study of space-filling curves. As a teacher, she enjoys exploring innovative ways to connect mathematical ideas across various problems, areas of the curriculum—such as geometry, combinatorics, and algebra—and throughout the entire mathematical journey.
Teaching students to think as a Mathematician using the Pósa Method – 3/3/2025
Born in 1947, Pósa was a child prodigy, silver and gold medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiads in 1965 and 1966. He was only 15 years old when he wrote his first research paper with Paul Erdős, one of the most celebrated mathematicians of the 20th century. Pósa was Erdős’ favorite and most talented “epsilon” (Erdős called all kids “epsilons”). After finishing his Ph.D. in Mathematics, Pósa stopped writing research papers in mathematics and, instead, he became a full-time teacher in high school. Using his boundless mathematical creativity, Pósa developed unique sequences of math problems that taught students how to think like a mathematician. His problem sets pose and abandon, repeat or vary different mathematical ideas. Different threads of problems run parallel for a while but then at the next level they also intersect, intertwine. Fundamental mathematical ideas return in various forms and at various levels over multiple years in Pósa’s method, enabling students at the end to think freely and creatively. In this workshop, we will immerse participants in the Pósa method as a student, using problem sets of Pósa. Then we will look at the problem sets from a teacher’s perspective and learn how to apply Pósa’ s discovery method in one’s own teaching.
Impacts of Infectious Disease – the Positives and Negatives – 3/11/2026
Throughout history, humans have been burdened with countless infectious diseases. Some of these, due to their lethality or their insidious spread, have become legendary. We will examine the societal impact of, and science’s response to, history’s most significant diseases, including COVID-19, plague, influenza, tuberculosis, smallpox, polio, cholera, malaria, syphilis, HIV/AIDS and Ebola. We will explore the effects of each disease on two levels: the biological (microbiology, pharmacology, and immunology) and the societal (epidemiology and sociology). The ethics of infectious disease monitoring and control, including quarantines, mandatory health department notification, and the use of experimental drugs, will be explored. Learn the biology of each disease while also learning its historical framework.
Seminar Leader: Rita King Ph.D. in Microbiology from St. John’s University. Teaching biology courses at TCNJ for over 30 years – including general biology, environmental science, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology and the history of disease.
Teaching Science through Issues to Increase Engagement, Meet the NGSS, and Prepare Citizens. TBD
Traditionally, the goal of science courses has been to teach students the important concepts in the discipline, often leaving students wondering about the relevance of the material to their lives (i.e., why do I need to know this?). By engaging students in relevant
and current societal issues (e.g., climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic) or personal decisions (How much water should I drink in a day? Do I need to take all my antibiotics?), we give students a reason and a desire to learn scientific concepts. In addition to increasing student interest, the issues approach allows teachers to meet all three dimensions of the NGSS. Thoughtful choice of the issues explored in a course is all that is required to ensure coverage of the essential concepts in a discipline. The issues approach also prepares our students to use science in their everyday lives. Nationally, only 6% of high-school graduates go on to earn a bachelor’s or higher in STEM and are employed as STEM professionals, yet all students need to incorporate high-quality scientific information into the decisions they make in their personal, professional, and civic lives. As the pandemic has demonstrated, all persons, not just practicing scientists, need a high-quality science education if they are to engage effectively with our most pressing societal issues, and the issues approach trains students to do just that. At the conclusion of Teaching Science through Issues, you will have a thorough understanding of the issues approach and its benefits. You will identify an issue and the disciplinary content relevant to that issue for one of your classes, develop activities that connect the issue to NGSS standards and disciplinary content, and identify real-world scenarios to which students will apply the content knowledge related to the issue. You will leave the seminar with all the skills necessary to implement the issues-based approach in your classes.
Seminar Leader: Christopher Murphy, Ph.D.
Christopher Murphy is the Associate Provost for Curriculum and Liberal Learning and a Professor of Biology at The College of New Jersey. He taught his first class of general education biology 30 years ago as a post-doctoral associate, and since then, over 95% of his teaching has been with this population. For much of this time, he has used an issues-based approach to help students become interested in science and develop into empowered citizens capable of using reliable scientific information to make reasoned decisions. He conducts research in both biology and college education.
Multi Language Learners
The Bilingual Mind: Understanding Cognitive Flexibility – 12/2/25 Virtual
The Bilingual Mind: Understanding Cognitive Flexibility is aimed at high school teachers interested in how bilingualism enhances students’ cognitive abilities. It examines how managing two languages strengthens executive functions such as attention control, problem-solving, and mental flexibility. Teachers will learn how bilingualism shapes brain development and classroom behavior, and how to leverage these advantages to support all learners. The workshop offers practical strategies to create inclusive, cognitively stimulating environments that recognize and build on students’ bilingual strengths.
Seminar Leader Ivan Andreu Rascon, Ph.D., is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Creighton University and former Adjunct Professor in the Department of World Languages at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), specializing in bilingualism and second language acquisition.
He earned his Ph.D. in Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition from Rutgers University. During his time at Rutgers, he served as Assistant Director of Spanish Instruction for two years and directed the Spanish Language Program during the summers of 2022 and 2023. In addition, he taught graduate-level courses in the Departments of Spanish, Education and Social Work.
Dr. Andreu Rascon also holds a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in pedagogy from Auburn University and a second master’s degree in Language Acquisition from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Spain. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Linguistics and Literature from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
His research focuses on second language acquisition through visual perception and articulatory cues, as well as high variability phonetic training in the acquisition of challenging L2 sounds.
Supporting Bilingual Students in a Monolingual Framework – 12/11/25 Virtual
Supporting Bilingual Students in a Monolingual Framework is a designed to help high school teachers navigate the challenges of educating bilingual learners in predominantly monolingual school systems. It focuses on identifying barriers these students face and equips teachers with inclusive strategies to validate and build upon students’ home languages. The workshop highlights the limitations of assessing bilingual students using monolingual, L1-based tests, which often fail to capture their full linguistic and cognitive abilities. Participants will explore practical approaches for adapting instruction and assessment, fostering cultural responsiveness, and promoting equity in classrooms where English is the primary language of instruction.
Seminar Leader Ivan Andreu Rascon, Ph.D., is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Creighton University and former Adjunct Professor in the Department of World Languages at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), specializing in bilingualism and second language acquisition.
He earned his Ph.D. in Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition from Rutgers University. During his time at Rutgers, he served as Assistant Director of Spanish Instruction for two years and directed the Spanish Language Program during the summers of 2022 and 2023. In addition, he taught graduate-level courses in the Departments of Spanish, Education and Social Work.
Dr. Andreu Rascon also holds a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in pedagogy from Auburn University and a second master’s degree in Language Acquisition from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares in Spain. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Linguistics and Literature from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
His research focuses on second language acquisition through visual perception and articulatory cues, as well as high variability phonetic training in the acquisition of challenging L2 sounds.