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  Birds, Beasts, Bugs, and Little Fishes

  Michael Day

  For the past ten or more years, Michael Day's daily ritual has been to walk along the Kishwaukee River through the NIU campus and Prairie Park, watching and listening, trying to capture what he sees—in light, color, and form. Through his work, he shares the many faces of nature, the wildness of spirit, and the interplay of light and shadow woven into the tapestry of the natural world. In this talk, he discusses his artistic philosophy and process, including influences on his work, his meanderings through the landscape, and his photographic techniques.

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  Gems of Inestimable Value

  E. Taylor Atkins

  Contrary to "populist" opinion, we still need expertise; but experts must recognize their own limits with humility and be open to the "gems" students bring to the classroom, which can enhance our own understanding and the ways we communicate our knowledge to others. On the best days in the classroom, the learners teach, and the teacher learns.

  In this seminar, E. Taylor Atkins shares two quotations that form the core principles of my teaching philosophy and practice. As much as he enjoys the performative aspects of teaching, he is guided by the belief that all students possess "gems of inestimable value" within themselves, many of which they do not realize are there. He works to identify those and help pull them out. He shares some of the assignments and activities he has created (or in some cases, borrowed and adapted) to mine those gems.