Events
- Annual Convention
- Great Teaching Round-up
- Leading from the middle
- fall conference for faculty leaders
- Webinars
"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision."
Events: 2010 General Session & Banquet
Thursday, March 4th, 6:30 p.m.
Keynote Speaker: Mr. Ori Brafman
on Swaying Students to Become Better Learners
Why do perfectly rational people make irrational decisions? And how can the psychology of decision-making improve the teaching experience?
Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, this presentation will reveal dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
We will examine, for example:
- Why merit pay for teachers and rewarding students for performance can have unexpected negative consequences.
- How relationships can be a driving force to improve the classroom experience.
- What lessons we can learn from the US Supreme Court about using dissent to make better decisions.
Reserve your spot by February 26th!
Bestselling Author Slated as Convention Keynoter
TCCTA members are urged attend the general session of the TCCTA annual convention, on Thursday, March 4, 2010, at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston.
The keynote speaker will be New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ori Brafman, co-author of Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. In the book Mr. Brafman considers the various factors that go into making decisions—factors that are not always rational, and that sometimes interfere with rational thought processes—and discovers key ingredients for healthy decision making. In his convention remarks, Mr. Brafman will discuss the implications of his research on teaching, including how students make decisions about studying, about choosing which courses to take, and about paying attention in class.
Born in Israel and raised in El Paso, Mr. Brafman has been a lifelong entrepreneur in business, government, and the nonprofit sector. His projects include launching healthy fast food restaurants, leading political and advocacy campaigns, and co-founding Courtroom Connect, a wireless network company. He holds degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University.
Sway, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller draws on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, to reveal dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
In an exclusive online interview with TCCTA executive director Richard Moore (linked below), Mr. Brafman describes how, in any organization, it is advisable to actually structure dissent into the system to get the best decisions. He relates how “blockers,” (those whom some would label as naysayers) are extremely important players in a constructive dialogue. He also describes how efforts at financial rewards for students and teachers are often misguided.
TCCTA Online exclusive with Ori Brafman!
Banquet Tickets:
Your presence is requested
at the TCCTA Keynote Banquet
Speaker: Mr. Ori Brafman
on Thursday, March 4, 2010
Westin Galleria Hotel
$35.00 Each