Wakonse is a word from the Lakota Indian language that means “to teach… to inspire,” and eight Iowa State faculty members were recognized for their skills of instruction by being named 1996 Wakonse Fellows.

The Wakonse Foundation, in Columbia, Mo., brings together people who find that inspiring and helping others to learn is what lead them to the field of higher education. The foundation runs an annual conference on college teaching at which colleagues learn about themselves as teachers, explore new methods of teaching and join a growing network of dedicated professionals who can share resources while offering mutual support.

“We’ve been sending ISU faculty to the conference for the past five years,” Steven Richardson, ISU Wakonse liaison and director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, said.

“This is a great opportunity for excellent teachers to learn new techniques and influence others around them.” This year’s conference was held over the summer in Michigan.

Wakonse Staff provide stimulating presentations to help set an appropriate tone, but the essence of the conference comes from the participants.

Members are asked in a pre-conference survey to tell the staff what they need and can contribute. Members are then assigned to be presenters, discussants, panel members, resource persons, reactants and role models.

“The conference is a great way to revitalize and share ideas. It also helps build communication of ways to teach scholars on campus and award those on campus after a long year,” Richardson said.

Richardson said the conference isn’t a competition and one doesn’t need to apply. Selection is made by the Center for Teaching Excellence after consulting with people from different disciplines across campus about exemplary teachers in their department.

Wakonse Fellows are expected to profit from this experience. The process of becoming a Wakonse Fellow happens with little fanfare and no dues. Members are asked to give as much as they can, even if that means simply being an observer in the conference.

“Many are surprised to see what talents emerge and how readily they become a part of it,” Richardson said.

Paula McMurray-Schwarz, ’96 Wakonse Fellow and professor in human development and family studies said, “Wakonse was unlike any conference I’ve participated in before. It was completely informal and the emphasis was on sharing information and learning from one another.”

She said the conference was a great way to network with other university teachers and administration. “We exchanged new and different teaching strategies with each other. For me, Wakonse was about how to be better at what we do.”

Because of her Wakonse experience, McMurray-Schwarz plans to implement the goals she set for herself.

“My goal is to take my early childhood education night class on a video tour of different child care centers. This would be the only way for these students to see the different child care center settings because the class is in the evening.”

Dom Caristi, ’96 Wakonse Fellow and professor in journalism and mass communication, described his Wakonse experience as “…borderline roughing it.”

“The conditions were spartan-like. The food was adequate, we had no vehicles or TVs and every morning I had to hike 1/2 mile to get a newspaper,” he said. “But it was a great experience, even though we weren’t staying at the Holiday Inn.”

Caristi said the conference had a four-fold mission. There was a physical, mental, social and spiritual mission in order to maintain a balance.

“Our schedule was full from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. We would walk trails, horse back and attend lively sessions. We didn’t spend 14 hours in seminar which was the whole idea behind keeping a balance,” he said.

Caristi was exposed to a strategy called Think (contemplate different ideas), Pair (collaborate ideas) and Share (discuss and share new ideas with class mates). The main objective of this activity is to have students become active participants which excludes no one and enhances the learning experience.

Another important strategy Caristi learned is recognizing attitudinal shifts when dealing with students.

“Before, I always assumed students learned in the same way. Wakonse changed my way of thinking by calling attention to the fact that students actually have many learning styles and needs,” he said.

As a result of what he learned during the conference, Caristi uses the Think, Pair and Share method and varies his methods of teaching so everyone is included in the learning process.

ISU sends a team of new Wakonse Fellows to the Conference on College Teaching each year, joining approximately 100 faculty members from other colleges and universities across the Midwest. Wakonse Fellows are identified not only as exemplary teachers, but also as teachers who inspire other faculty to enrich their own teaching.

The other ’96 ISU Wakonse Fellows are Sandra Hendrich, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition; Brian Keller, assistant professor of mathematics; Donna Kienzler, associate professor of English; Russ Mullen, professor of agronomy; and Ron Myers, associate professor of veterinary pathology.