We’re occasionally asked if we offer spring versions of our day-long Associate Instructor Orientation or Classroom Climate Workshop. While we don’t replicate these programs at the start of the spring semester, we are offering various workshops in early January that will introduce graduate student instructors to some foundational skills for teaching. If the following options… Read more »
Inclusive Teaching
Resources on Inclusive Teaching, Stereotype Threat, and Bias
Instructors often ask us questions about how to build more inclusive classrooms, and what we know about these topics from research in the field. We are fortunate to have a rich body of literature in this area, and here are a few resources that instructors might find enlightening. Introductions and Overviews Here are several good… Read more »
Classroom Climate and Building a Sense of Belonging
Over four years of study, Kevin Binning and co-researchers replaced student doubt about “Do I really belong here?” with the belief that adversity is universal and temporary. Their 30-minute exercise includes narrative writing, peer testimonials, and small group discussion that not only closes performance gaps between underrepresented and majority groups, and between genders, but also… Read more »
Acknowledging Indigenous Peoples’ Day
I am proud to live in a city that officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that celebrates the history and contributions of indigenous peoples of North America. I am a bit saddened, however, that we still recognize Columbus Day as a federal holiday, given what we know about his “discovery” of America—the start of… Read more »
The ways in which hunger and homelessness may affect our classrooms
When we consider the ways in which our classrooms are diverse, many of us first think of what we consider to be “visible” identities. These often include identity factors such as race and gender, both of which may or may not be “visible” depending on a variety of contexts. Many people may not consider students… Read more »
How can we engage in rigorous and respectful SoTL work on inclusive teaching and learning?
As a white, female, first generation scholar, disciplinarily trained in experimental psychology as well as curriculum and instruction, currently working in faculty development, I am a pragmatist. Rather than holding firmly to a particular theoretical paradigm or research design, I choose the best theory and approach for the question of interest. Currently, this has me… Read more »