Workshops on Teaching

This workshop is designed to help GSIs understand the character and consequences of microaggressions, and to help them begin to develop the tools to address them in their role as instructors. For those who attended any one of the similarly-themed workshops during the Fall or Spring conference for first-time GSIs, this will be an opportunity to revisit some of the topics discussed there, as well as to address any issues that may have emerged in the course of teaching since. For other GSIs, this workshop will provide a basic understanding of microaggressions and an opportunity to reflect on them in the context of their own teaching. Fulfills a Category 2: Strategies for Teaching and Learning workshop requirement.

Do you ever have trouble eliciting student participation in class? Do some consistently take the floor while others rarely speak up? Do you wish you had more strategies to get students involved with the course material? In this workshop we will discuss reasons students may tend to hold back and practical strategies to encourage them to participate more fully. Fulfills a Category 2: Strategies for Teaching and Learning workshop requirement.

While graduate students do not need to become experts in how students learn, a basic understanding of the research on learning can enable GSIs to make informed teaching decisions. Drawing on research findings from neuroscience, anthropology, and cognitive and social psychology, this workshop will enable GSIs to consider ways to apply research-based principles to the learning environments they create for their students. Fulfills one of the four required workshops.

Are you responsible for designing a course and syllabus for next semester? Are you interested in developing a syllabus for the academic job search? In this workshop, participants will learn ways to turn their syllabus ideas into integrated courses and will work out criteria for selecting course materials, assignments, and methods of assessment. Fulfills one of the four required workshops.

In this workshop participants will learn how to create and use grading rubrics as a means to grade efficiently, give students targeted feedback on their learning, and align grading with learning outcomes articulated in assignments. Fulfills a Category 1: Grading and Assessment workshop requirement.

Improve your teaching and prepare for the academic job search. Come find out what is typically addressed in a teaching philosophy statement and participate in activities that will help you get started. Fulfills one of the four required workshops.

This workshop is designed for graduate students who are interested in improving their statements of teaching philosophy through feedback from peers. Workshop participants will exchange statements of teaching philosophy and provide and receive input. Participants must bring two copies of a draft of their statement of teaching philosophy to participate in the workshop. Fulfills one of the four required workshops.

It’s very likely that there are more neurodiverse students in our classes than we are aware of. This is one reason that it’s essential to use teaching practices aimed at supporting all of our students. In this workshop, we will explain how neurodiversity can impact learning experiences, identify concrete ways you as GSIs can support the strengths of your learners, and brainstorm neuroinclusive solutions to student scenarios. Fulfills a Category 2: Strategies for Teaching and Learning workshop requirement.

Public speaking, conveying complex information to non-experts, managing teams, evaluating the work of junior colleagues — these are among the many skills GSIs develop in their teaching, and these skills are eminently transferable to career settings in higher education, private industry, non-profits, or governmental agencies.

Deepen your knowledge of inclusive teaching practices by exploring the Universal Design for Learning framework. Join us to learn more about how to center inclusion in your pedagogy, and apply this understanding by evaluating examples and using new resources. Fulfills a Category 2: Strategies for Teaching and Learning

Are you responsible for designing a course for the upcoming summer sessions? This workshop will review integrated course design while shedding light on the particular challenges of designing and teaching compressed courses. Specifically, you will learn to apply pedagogical principles to determine the appropriate pacing, content, and types of activities, assignments, and assessments to use within your summer course.

Learn about the role teaching plays in applying for faculty positions and how to prepare for this aspect of the academic job search from graduate students who have accepted positions at a variety of colleges and universities.