Graduate Student and Postdoc Workshops

Graduate Student and Postdoc Workshops

Workshops draw on the most recent educational research and are facilitated by professional Center for Teaching and Learning staff. Workshops are 90-minutes in length and they focus on a range of foundational topics and advanced-level topics which will help graduate students and postdocs building their teaching knowledge. These workshops are offered throughout the academic year on both the Danforth and Medical campuses.

Advanced registration is required for all workshops. Registration opens approximately two weeks prior to the date of the workshop. For more information on upcoming workshops or to register for a workshop, please visit the events page.

Foundations in Teaching Workshops

The Center for Teaching and Learning provides Foundations in Teaching (FIT) workshops that are designed to introduce participants to evidence-based teaching strategies that are applicable across varied disciplines and teaching contexts. These workshops allow participants to begin to engage with current research and best practices in teaching and learning through a student-centered and highly active workshop design. Participants who attend FIT workshops gain exposure to important vocabulary, concepts from educational research, and strategies for implementing effective teaching practices. Workshops cover a variety of topics relevant to teaching in all disciplines including: providing effective feedback, increasing student participation, and negotiating your authority in the classroom.

Goals:

In every Foundations in Teaching workshop, our staff will:

1. Introduce graduate students and postdocs to evidence-based teaching strategies that are fundamental for effective teaching across disciplines and course contexts.
2. Model strategies for facilitating effective collaboration, promoting active learning, and developing inclusive classroom practices.
3. Display a growth mindset.
4. Encourage participation in the process of reflective teaching.

In every Foundations in Teaching workshop, participants will:

1. Learn about foundational concepts in educational pedagogy and develop strategies for encouraging student participation, engaging in inclusive teaching practices, and establishing effective classroom management.
2. Consider the benefits of developing reflective teaching habits, and begin implementing reflective strategies in regards to their own teaching contexts.
3. Recognize teaching as broadly encompassing many experiences they will have as graduate students and postdocs (e.g. research mentorship, tutoring, traditional classroom teaching, presentations).

Sample Topics:

• Providing Verbal Feedback to Students
• Teaching a Diverse Student Population
• Asking Questions to Improve Learning
• Planning and Organizing a Class Session
• Increasing Student Participation
• Who’s In Charge Here? Negotiating Your Role and Establishing Authority in the Classroom

Advanced-Level Workshops

The Center for Teaching and Learning also offers interactive, advanced-level workshops that build on the foundational knowledge gained through the FIT workshops. Advanced-level workshops introduce participants to research findings on student learning from the cognitive and learning sciences, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and discipline-based pedagogical research. They cover a wide variety of topics including: inclusive teaching practices, active learning, critical reading skills, collaborative learning, designing course materials and assessments, and composing teaching-related job market materials.

The Center for Teaching and Learning also offers interactive, advanced-level workshops that build on the foundational knowledge gained through the FIT workshops. Advanced-level workshops introduce participants to research findings on student learning from the cognitive and learning sciences, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and discipline-based pedagogical research. They cover a wide variety of topics including: inclusive teaching practices, active learning, critical reading skills, collaborative learning, designing course materials and assessments, and composing teaching-related job market materials.

Advanced-level workshops are suitable for those who are currently teaching or have taught as part of their graduate training or professional program. Typically, graduate students in their third year and beyond begin taking advanced-level workshops. These workshops fulfill requirements for the Professional Development in Teaching Program.

The three advanced-level workshop series include: STEM Pedagogies; Pedagogies in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and Job Market Series.

STEM Series and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Series

Goals:

In every STEM or Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences series workshop, Center for Teaching and Learning staff will:

1. Introduce graduate students and postdocs to evidence-based teaching strategies that are fundamental for effective teaching across disciplines and course contexts.
2. Model strategies for facilitating effective collaboration, promoting active learning, and developing inclusive classroom practices.
3. Display a growth mindset.
4. Encourage participation in the process of reflective teaching.

In every STEM series or Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences series workshop, participants will  build on what they’ve learned from FIT workshops as well as:

1. Practice applying evidence-based teaching strategies from SoTL or disciplinary research to common instructional contexts in their respective disciplines.
2. Explore strategies for facilitating effective collaboration, promoting active learning, engaging students in metacognitive practice, and developing an inclusive classroom climate.
3. Refine reflective teaching habits, and begin implementing reflective strategies for learning through feedback in their teaching.

Sample Topics:

STEM Workshops

• Applying Cognitive Science to Improve Teaching
• Classroom Assessment Techniques
• Inclusive Teaching in STEM
• Writing Assignments in STEM
• Mentoring Undergraduate Research
• Introduction to Pedagogical Scholarship

Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Workshops

• Designing Effective Writing Assignments
• Facilitating Challenging Conversations
• Facilitating Engaging Discussions
• Fostering an Inclusive Classroom Climate
• Responding to Student Writing

Workshops in both series

• Constructing Effective Collaborative Learning Opportunities
• Developing Students’ Disciplinary Critical Reading Skills
• Developing Effective Summative Assessments
• Incorporating Active Learning During Lectures
• Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Job Market Series

Goals:

In every Job Market series workshop, Center for Teaching and Learning staff will:

1. Define common features of teaching-related job market materials and/or activities.
2. Offer strategies for effectively documenting past and current teaching experiences in terms of future career goals.
3. Provide suggestions for discussing past and current teaching experiences in terms of future career goals.

In every Job Market series workshop, participants will:

1. Investigate common features of teaching-related job market materials and/or activities.
2. Explore strategies for effectively documenting past and current teaching in terms of future career goals.
3. Practice discussing and writing about past and current teaching experience in terms of future career goals.

Sample Topics:

• Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
• Addressing Inclusion and Diversity in Job Market Materials
• Preparing and Delivering a Teaching Demonstration
• Creating a Teaching Portfolio