The Learning Commons presents its first Kean Talk
By Tiye Bracy | Published by December 6, 2019
On Thursday, Nov. 21 during college hour, the Learning Commons presented the first Kean Talk. This year’s Kean Talk was a “Ted-talk-style presentation featuring seniors, who shared what they wish they knew when they were first-year students,” according to the flyer.
“The promotion flyer of Kean Talk” Photo courtesy of Charles Bivona
The librarians collectively initiated the idea of Kean Talk last semester. Their initial goal was to get students engaged and acquainted with the Learning Commons.
“They are just coming into campus and we want them to get involved with the learning commons,” said a support staff member.
Michelle Fabio, the new Writing Center Director, asked if I would be interested in being a presenter. My topic was student engagement at Kean University. As a second-semester junior, I wanted to provide first-year students the GUIDE to the essential resources available to students.
So, I created a powerpoint outlining what the learning commons has to offer: clubs, internships, and chances to connect and network with others. In my talk, I emphasized the locations of the career and tutoring services, Miron Student Center, Writing Center, public speaking lab, study cubicles, computer, and printing areas.
What I wish I knew as a freshman was how to get involved. It’s important for incoming students to know how to get engaged on campus. Events like Meet the Greeks and Kean Day are viable to freshmen, I explained. In addition, students should feel comfortable to go to advisors, deans, and professors in their department for guidance.
“Tiye Bracy from the Writing Center talks about networking” Photo courtesy of Charles Bivona
Daniel Salamon, who was the other presenter, agreed.
“Students should participate, raise your hand, and talk in class,” advised Salamon. “When you have a project, start it early and find a way to make it something that you will actually benefit learning about.”
Then he told the audience what he wished he knew as a freshman.
“How useful all the skills or bits of information that were presented to me would be down the road,” he said before shifting his focus to mindfully learning information that can be used in future employment. “When we split our attention in a learning environment like that, we miss the opportunity to really engage and build those bridges in our mind.”
It was an honor to participate in the first Kean Talk and to represent the Learning Commons. This opportunity allowed me to help students transition to college life by showing them how to be an engaged student.
“Daniel Solomon from Learning and Tutoring support talks about retaining knowledge”
Photo courtesy of Charles Bivona
“Kean Talks give the seniors a chance to pass on their academic wisdom to incoming freshmen while also giving them a chance to practice public speaking–a valuable skill in today’s job market,” Academic Specialist Charles Bivona said. “Kean Talks are valuable and should be a recurring event.”
Kean Talk is in the works for the semesters to come. However, no official meetings are in place as of yet.
“We’re thinking about bringing it back in the future,” said two librarians who asked not to be named.
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