Teaching + Learning Lab

Registration for IAP 2023 TA Days NOW OPEN.
2023-08-14 08:00 - 2023-08-31 16:00 (America/New_York)
Summer 2023 TA Days: Monday, August 28, through Thursday, August 31.

Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs to help them prepare for the roles and responsibilities of the position of teaching at MIT. Topics include giving feedback, presenting a class session, and facilitating office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our TA Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops. Registration is now open via Canvas. (Link below.)

Please note that the Summer 2023 TA Days schedule includes a mix of in-person and online sessions. All workshops held on campus will take place in 2-190.

NOW OPEN! Application Period for the Fall 2023 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP)
2023-08-01 12:00 - 2023-08-20 23:59
The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT.

The application includes these two short-answer questions. You may wish to draft your answers (1500 character limit for each) before beginning your application.

Describe your teaching responsibilities in the next two semesters (If applicable).

What are two teaching practices or skills you hope to learn by completing this program?

To learn more, review the program schedule, and find answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated KTCP page.

Priority will be given to applicants who will have fewer future opportunities to participate in the program (e.g., final year grad students, postdocs, etc.)

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on August 20.

If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli. (Please note that the application button will not work until the application period begins.)

Application Period for the Summer 2023 Subject Design Track
2023-06-23 12:00 - 2023-06-29 23:59
About the Program

The Subject Design Track is a sequence of three interactive 2-hour workshops focused on course design. Participants will learn to build a course by first identifying goals and then organizing assignments and content to align with these goals. Over the course of the program, participants will develop a syllabus for a course of their choice with feedback from the instructor. All workshops will take place on Zoom.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks learn more.

Workshop TitleIntended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)Date & TimeDefine Your Goals and ScopeDescribe the elements of the backward design process.Identify and articulate learning outcomes for a course you wish to teach.Identify evidence of a supportive learning environment in existing syllabi.Tue, Jul 25, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Plan Your AssessmentsOutline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Identify an appropriate summative assessment method that aligns with discipline priorities and the intended learning outcomes of the unit.Design assessments that support belonging and equity. Outline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Tue, Aug 1, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Draft Your SyllabusDescribe how a student-centered syllabus differs from a content-centered syllabus.Articulate course policies that align with learning outcomes and teaching philosophy.Write a student-centered syllabus based on components developed over the course of the Subject Design Track.Tue, Aug 8, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Friday, June 23, through 11:59 pm Thursday, June 29. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Apply

2023-2024 Teaching Development Fellows
2023-05-22 23:59
Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 Teaching Development Fellows Cohort. The deadline for applying is Monday, May 22, at 11:59 pm (ET)

Information Session

If you were unable to attend this year’s information session, you can view the recording below. If you have additional questions, contact Ben Hansberry, Associate Director for Graduate Student Teaching, or your department’s current fellow.

About the Fellowship

Fellows work within an interdisciplinary network of peers dedicated to teaching and learning. They receive training and mentorship in teaching from TLL in order to design and lead independent, department-based workshops and events (in-person or remote) aimed at improving teaching skills among MIT’s grad students.

Fellows should plan to commit approximately 8-10 hours per month from August to May to achieve the work associated with this program. Their work is supported by each fellow’s department with a total stipend of $2,100. There are also a number of at-large positions available, supported directly by the TLL.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be graduate students in good academic standing with at least one semester of teaching or TA experience. Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to developing a community of evidence-based and reflective teaching in their departments, have additional teaching experience, and/or have already completed the Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP), Grad Teaching Development Tracks, or equivalent training.*

Selected applicants who have not previously completed KTCP will receive additional training during summer, 2023 before beginning the program.

*Examples of equivalent training are achieving an undergraduate or graduate degree in education, or completing the CIRTL MOOC, NSF GK12 program, or MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program.

Application Details

The online application will ask you for the following:

Contact and department information

Previous participation in teaching development programming

Short answer questions on the following topics:

Challenges to developing teaching skills for graduate students in your department and proposals for how a fellow might address these challenges

Description of teaching philosophy and teaching methods currently in use or planned

Description of teaching training

Description of prior leadership experience

Applicants must also upload a current CV which includes teaching experience

We are also excited to announce several at-large positions for fellows who design programs to support graduate students across the entire Institute and focus on a particular audience or topic.

If you are interested in being considered for this kind of position, please also identify what topics or audiences you would be interested in supporting. Previous at-large fellows have included:

Supporting English-as-a-second-language TAs. This at-large fellow supports the particular challenges of ESL TAs, including supporting communication skills, challenges of teaching as a non-native English speaker, and social aspects of teaching in your non-native language.

Supporting graduate student mentors. This at-large fellow supports the teaching activities of graduate student mentors, working in collaboration with the UROP office. Past projects have included running grad student mentor trainings, supporting mentor-mentee communication, and contributing to a mentoring handbook.

Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. This at-large fellow supports DEI initiatives across the Institute in collaboration with the TLL. Projects could include designing inclusive teaching workshops or identifying systemic barriers to inclusive teaching that graduate students can help to address.

Supporting peer observation. This at-large fellow conducts teaching observations for graduate students and provides feedback. Projects could also include coordinating peer-observation programs or designing observation protocols.

Upon completion of the application, your advisor or graduate officer (identified in the application) will be contacted to confirm good academic standing and to acknowledge prospective participation. A letter of reference is not required.

Fellows are selected by a committee of TLL staff and former fellows in consultation with their departments. All materials must be received no later than Monday, May 22, 2023.

Apply Here

Supporting Student Learning Through Metacognitive and Motivational Strategies
2023-05-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Join us for the last talk in our 2022-23 Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

Supporting Student Learning Through Metacognitive and Motivational Strategies

Dr. Cristina D. Zepeda, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

As students advance in their educational trajectories, there is an increasing demand for them to independently monitor and control their own learning. Two complementary constructs that inform how students regulate their learning are their metacognitive and motivational processes and strategies. Metacognition consists of knowledge and skills that enable learners to monitor their thoughts and take action when they are not learning effectively. Likewise, motivation is also integral to how learners think about their abilities and motives, which can impact their learning trajectories through persistence and effort or lack thereof. But how do we support students in engaging in these strategies effectively?The goals of this talk are to:

Describe how students metacognitively and motivationally regulate their learning.

Provide concrete examples of how to support these two types of learning strategies in and out of the classroom.

Highlight how we can equitably and inclusively support students in these endeavors.

All are welcome!

About the Speaker

Cristina D. Zepeda, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, where she directs the Advancing Learning Lab. Dr. Zepeda received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018, where she worked at the Learning Research and Development Center. From there, she went on to complete her postdoctoral training in Education and Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. In her research, Dr. Zepeda applies theories of cognition and motivation to educational practice and investigates how students regulate and adapt their learning processes. In particular, she examines how metacognition, motivation, and other instructional techniques can inform our understanding of learning and transfer with the goal of making education more equitable.

Application Period for the Spring 2023 Lesson Planning Track
2023-04-17 12:00 - 2023-04-23 23:59
About the Program

The Lesson Planning Track is a sequence of 3 workshops focused on preparing an effective lesson plan for a class session or recitation, developing skills for classroom presentation and effective classroom activities, and giving formative feedback to students. Over the course of the workshop track, participants develop a detailed lesson plan on a topic of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Workshop Schedule

Facilitating Learning

Tuesday, May 9, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the benefits of implementing ILO-aligned active learning strategies in the classroom.

Identify the specific benefits and challenges of implementing a particular active learning strategy

Design opportunities for practice that engage students cognitively and align with desired ILOs through the use of active learning strategies.

Reduce barriers to inclusion by intentionally using a variety of active learning techniques with attentiveness to implementation details.

Planning for Learning

Tuesday, May 16, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the impact that prior content knowledge, previously mastered skills, and beliefs about learning have on how students learn

List some strategies to ascertain students’ prior knowledge, skills, and beliefs.

Use scaffolding and an understanding of prior knowledge and skills to sketch an outline of a class session that includes active learning.

Feedback

Tuesday, May 23, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the characteristics of effective feedback.

Explain how cultivating a growth mindset in your students can foster resilience and increase academic performance.

Provide targeted and growth-oriented feedback.

To complete the track and receive a letter of completion, participants must attend all three workshops and complete the required out-of-class work.

How to Apply

Any graduate student is welcome to apply. Participants from previous workshop tracks have priority. After that, applicants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply early. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Applications for the Spring 2023 session of the Lesson Planning Track open at 12:00 noon ET on Monday, April 17, and close at 11:59 pm Sunday, April 23. (Please note that the Apply button will not work until applications open.)

2023 Spring Lecture on Graduate Student and Postdoc Well-Being
2023-04-06 15:00 - 16:30
Thursday, April 6, 2023; 3pm – 4:30pm; Virtual Session

Dr. John Lloyd from MIT Medical will discuss issues of depression, anxiety, and relational challenges inherent to the graduate student/postdoc experience from a developmental perspective. Dr. Lloyd will take a clinical approach to the topic, use examples, and draw from his experience working with MIT graduate students. He will also discuss effective ways of managing these challenges and mental health treatment offered at the MIT Student Mental Health and Counseling Services.

This CAPD event is open to MIT graduate students & postdocs. Please register via Handshake.

Teaching in the Artificial Intelligence Age of ChatGPT
2023-03-22 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Image generated by DALL-E using the prompt “a friendly robot writing a paper using unexpected tools”

Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

With the advent of easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) text generation tools like ChatGPT, educators must grapple with this question and what it means for their course and assignment designs. In this practical session, Dr. Derek Bruff will briefly survey the landscape of AI tools for generating text and other media, then dive into the teaching choices they present:

What changes do we need to make to our learning objectives, if any, in light of ChatGPT, and other AI tools?

How can we design assignments that either integrate, disallow, or minimize AI tools to meet those learning objectives?

What new norms and policies for academic integrity do we need to develop in an age of AI?

This session will feature teaching principles and examples of practice to help answer these questions.

About the Speaker

Derek Bruff is an educator, author, and higher ed consultant. He directed the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching for more than a decade, where he helped faculty and other instructors develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. Bruff consults regularly with faculty and administrators across higher education on issues of teaching, learning, and faculty development. Bruff has written two books, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching (West Virginia University Press, 2019) and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments (Jossey-Bass, 2009). He writes a weekly newsletter called Intentional Teaching and produces the Intentional Teaching podcast. Bruff has a PhD in mathematics and has taught math courses at Vanderbilt and Harvard University.

Arrangements for the appearance of Derek Bruff made through RedBrick Agency, NY, NY

Students' Sense of Belonging Matters: Evidence from Three Studies
2023-02-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

Over the last decade, research examining and documenting the importance of students’ sense of belonging in college has increased substantially. In this workshop, Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan, Assistant Professor of Education & Policy, Penn State University, will provide a broad overview of this research and the accumulating evidence regarding the critical role that feelings of belonging play in helping students thrive in college. Specifically, Dr. Gopalan will present examples from three studies she has conducted to unpack the various facets of belonging among college students with a specific eye toward highlighting practice and policy-relevant insights for higher education, this includes:

Their significance and linkages with academic outcomes as well as mental health.

How students’ sense of belonging has been conceptualized and defined in the literature within the post-secondary context, and how it varies by student and institutional characteristics.

A summary of the evidence from particular approaches and interventions used to foster student belonging in colleges.

Reflections on some of the open questions for the field when it comes to fostering students’ sense of belonging in college.

All are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please register via Eventbrite below.

About the Speaker

Maithreyi Gopalan is an Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy at The Pennsylvania State University. She earned a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington. Broadly speaking, her research interests center on bringing social psychological insights to bear on education and social policy, writ large. She uses experimental and quasi-experimental research methods to conduct interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, research that has a strong focus on examining the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes.

Festival of Learning 2023
2023-02-01 09:15 - 14:00 | MIT Stata Center
The Festival of Learning is a yearly free event for MIT faculty, students, and staff to engage with each other regarding innovation in teaching and learning. The Festival of Learning is co-sponsored by MIT Open Learning and the Office of the Vice Chancellor.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bror Saxberg

The keynote will address what we know from the learning sciences and lessons learned in supporting learners across settings, including higher education. Dr. Saxberg will share insights from his time as Chief Learning Officer at Kaplan, Inc, helping convert Kaplan into a “learning engineering” organization. Using those lessons, Dr. Saxberg will end with what we can do based on results from e-learning, instructional design, motivation, deliberate practice, and Learning Engineering communities.

This event is open to all. Registration is not required.

For more information and to view the schedule, click the button below.

Polish your Syllabus: Increase Transparency & Purpose to Support Student Belonging
2023-01-24 13:30 - 15:00 | 56-180
In this interactive workshop facilitated by the Teaching + Learning Lab (TLL), and Student Support Services (S3), participants will consider and discuss the importance of transparency, purposefulness, and supportiveness in student learning. There will be opportunities for participants to revise their existing syllabi to incorporate these attributes that center learning, equity, and wellbeing.

Space is limited for this in-person workshop, and registration is required.

How the Pandemic has shaped Leading Universities’ Integration of Digital Learning
2023-01-21 17:30 - 18:30 | Silver Lining for Learning (Online)
How the Pandemic has shaped Leading Universities’ Integration of Digital Learning with Bharat Anand, Cindy Behrtram, and Janet Rankin

How is the pandemic changing the ways leading universities integrate digital education into their institutional strategies? This episode of Silver Lining for Learning features TLL’s Director, Janet Rankin, joining guests from Harvard and Stanford to discuss their recently published reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning — and the lessons learned from emergency remote instruction during that period. While much has been made of the difficulties students experienced after they left campus, this show delves into the potential for innovations and advances in learning that this disruption helped to reveal. Guests will share their thoughts on how digital education could transform their universities over the next decade.

Each report is unique in its genesis and design, and each offers a unique perspective on the impact of the pandemic. The authors will discuss the process of planning and developing their reports and the impact these reports have had, including how higher education might move forward from the pandemic with a renewed focus on meaningful and impactful transformation.

Janet Rankin, Ph.D.,

Director, Teaching +Learning Lab

Bharat N. Anand, Ph.D.,

Vice Provost for Advances in Learning at Harvard University and the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Cindy Behrtram

Associate Director of Project Management for Digital Education at Stanford University

Registration for IAP 2023 TA Days NOW OPEN.
2023-01-17 00:00 - 2023-02-02 23:59
IAP 2023 TA Days: Monday, January 30, through Thursday, February 2.

Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs to help them prepare for the role and responsibilities of the position of teaching at MIT. Topics include how to give feedback, present a class session, and facilitate office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our TA Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops. Registration is now open via Canvas. (Link below.)

Please note that the IAP 2023 TA Days schedule includes a mix of in-person and online sessions. All workshops held on campus will take place in 1-190.

Leveraging Best Practices to Support Community, Wellbeing, and Belonging
2022-12-15 14:00 - 15:00
Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning.

During the pandemic, many instructors realized the importance of community, wellbeing, and belonging in student learning, and the central role that they themselves played in developing the structures and processes to create supportive and inclusive learning environments.

In this talk, members of the RIC16 Ad Hoc Committee* will discuss their year-long work to understand and document how MIT instructors and faculty fostered community, wellbeing and belonging during remote teaching and how these strategies continue to be used in classrooms and other learning spaces across campus. TLL’s Director and member of the committee, Janet Rankin, will moderate.

All are welcome!

For Zoom details, please register via Eventbrite below.

Panel

Katrina LaCurts Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Officer, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. (EECS) Katrina’s academic interests lie in the intersection of computer systems and society. She specializes in teaching large undergraduate systems courses. and currently, teaches 6.02 (Introduction to EECS via Communication Networks), 6.033 (Computer Systems Engineering), and 6.S057 (Computer Systems and Society). LaCurts received the inaugural School of Engineering Distinguished Educator Award. LaCurts received her MS and PhD in CS from MIT.

David McGee, Associate Professor, Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Science. (EAPS) David came to MIT in 2012 after graduate studies at Tulane and Columbia Universities and a postdoc at the University of Minnesota. Prior to grad school, he taught secondary school science for 6 years. Outside of the lab group, he directs the Terrascope first-year learning community and serves as the departmental faculty lead for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Meghan Perdue, MITx Digital Learning Scientist, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. (SHASS) Meghan Perdue is the Digital Learning Scientist for the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. She works to produce innovative massive open online courses for SHASS. She also works with faculty to incorporate best practices from digital learning technologies into residential courses. She does research on a variety of topics looking at improving pedagogy in online learning, and is currently finishing a Doctorate in Education at Northeastern.

Krishna Rajagopal, William A. M. Burden Professor of Physics. Professor Rajagopal’s research areas are quantum gravity and field theory, strong interactions and Nuclear Theory. Professor Rajagopal did his undergraduate work at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He then spent one year at Caltech before coming to MIT in 1997. He became the Associate Head of the Department of Physics in 2009, served as the Chair of the MIT faculty from 2015 to 2017 and as MIT’s Dean for Digital Learning from 2017 to 2021.

*The committee was formed in response to a recommendation from RIC16 (Undergraduate and Graduate Living and Learning Refinement and Implementation Committee) of Task Force 2021 and Beyond.

The full report of the ad hoc committee is available on TLL’s website, and is featured in a recent MIT News article about the work of the committee.

Application Period for the IAP 2023 Subject Design Track
2022-12-14 12:00 - 2022-12-18 23:59 | Zoom
About the Program

The Subject Design Track is a sequence of three interactive 2-hour workshops focused on course design. Participants will learn to build a course by first identifying goals and then organizing assignments and content to align with these goals. Over the course of the program, participants will develop a syllabus for a course of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks learn more. All workshops will be held on Zoom.

Workshop TitleIntended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)Date & TimeDefine Your Goals and ScopeDescribe the elements of the backward design process.Identify and articulate learning outcomes for a course you wish to teach.Thu, Jan 12, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Plan Your AssessmentsOutline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Identify an appropriate summative assessment method that aligns with discipline priorities and the intended learning outcomes of the unit.Design assessments that support belonging and equity.Outline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Thu, Jan 19, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Draft Your SyllabusDescribe how a student-centered syllabus differs from a content-centered syllabus.Articulate course policies that align with learning outcomes and teaching philosophy.Write a student-centered syllabus based on components developed over the course of the Subject Design TrackThu, Jan 26, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Wednesday, December 14 through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 18. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Apply

NOW OPEN! Application Period for the Spring 2023 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP)
2022-11-28 12:00 - 2022-12-11 23:59
The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT.

The application includes these two short-answer questions. You may wish to draft your answers (1500 character limit for each) before beginning your application.

Describe your teaching responsibilities in the next two semesters (If applicable).What are two teaching practices or skills you hope to learn by completing this program

To learn more, review the program schedule, and find answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated KTCP page.

Priority will be given to applicants who will have fewer future opportunities to participate in the program (e.g., final year grad students, postdocs, etc.)

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on December 11.

If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli. (Please note that the application button will not work until the application period begins.)

Inclusive Teaching Track
2022-10-14 12:00 - 2022-10-20 23:59
Application Period

About the Program

The Inclusive Teaching Track is a sequence of two interactive workshops focused on cultivating equitable and welcoming classrooms where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Participants will practice reflecting on their own educational experiences and perspectives while learning effective strategies to be responsive to the diversity in their classrooms. By the end of the track, participants will have a framework for promoting inclusive classroom dynamics and specific strategies to make classrooms more equitable in future teaching or education-related careers in higher education.

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Friday, Oct 14 through 11:59 pm Thursday, Oct 20. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks learn more. All workshops will be held in person.

WORKSHOP DATE & TIMEDESCRIPTIONWorkshop 1: Personal and Social Identities in the ClassroomDate: Thursday, Nov 3, 1:00-3:00 pmLocation: On campusWe will define inclusive teaching and use it to evaluate common approaches to teaching in our disciplines. We will learn about specific strategies to be responsive to the diversity in the classroom and to students’ learning experiences. We will practice skills in evaluating a teaching practice to promote more inclusive classroom dynamics and to consider how your own identities impact your perspectives on teaching.Workshop 2: Principles and Strategies in Inclusive TeachingDate: Thursday, Nov 10, 1:00-3:00 pmLocation: On campusWe will discuss research that informs key principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how we will clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of these key principles, we will design structured learning activities that create an equitable and welcoming classroom in which all students can learn.

Facilitator

Ben Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching, TLL

APPLY

Rigor as Inclusive Practice
2022-10-06 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Jamiella Brooks (U Penn) and Dr. Julie McGurk (Yale) will discuss how inclusive teaching, by definition, promotes academic rigor.

Do you worry that you need to forfeit rigor to create an inclusive learning environment? Evidence suggests that true inclusion necessitates rigor to empower all of our students to grow, build on their strengths, and learn. Incorrect assumptions that rigor and inclusion are in opposition lead to teaching practices that are neither inclusive nor equitable and that lead to unnecessary stress. This interactive workshop will illuminate the ways that the term “rigor” is often misused or misunderstood, and will guide participants to a more inclusive, substantive, (and dare we say, more rigorous!) enactment of rigor in their teaching.

This event is hosted by the Teaching + Learning Lab

Guest Speakers

Jamiella Brooks, Ph.D., brings over ten years of professional experience at the intersection of higher education and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through training, outreach, scholarship programs, and affinity groups. Currently, she is the Director of Student Equity & Inclusion Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Jamiella earned her Ph.D. in French Literature at University of California, Davis and has served as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in France, and was a scholar in both McNair and Mellon Fellows programs.

She is the author of several articles, including “Dissertating While Parenting: Not a Contradiction;” “Academia as Violence,” in the 2020 second edition of Presumed Incompetent: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia; and an article in Faculty Focus, “A Call to Interrogate Educational Development for Racism and Colonization.”

Julie McGurk, Ph.D., is currently the Director of Faculty Teaching Initiatives, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale University, where she consults with faculty and runs various teaching workshops in collaboration with the rest of the Faculty Teaching Initiatives team. She is a Neuroscientist by training, with a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. As a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, Julie taught at Rutgers-Camden through the PennPORT program, a program dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM through teaching. Julie then worked at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Teaching and Learning for 9 years, where she taught large lecture, small active learning, and online courses.

Fall 2022 KTCP
2022-08-14 00:00 - 23:59 | Virtual
Applications for fall 2022 OPEN NOW through August 14

The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT. The program was named in 2014 to honor Stephen P. Kaufman, a long-time supporter of the Teaching + Learning Lab.

The application includes these two short-answer questions. You may wish to draft your answers (1500 character limit for each) before beginning your application.

Describe your teaching responsibilities in the next two semesters (If applicable).In addition to learning about teaching practices in general, what are two specific goals that motivate you to apply for this program?

To learn more, review the program schedule, and find answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated KTCP page. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli at book@mit.edu.

Priority will be given to applicants who will have fewer future opportunities to participate in the program (e.g., final year grad students, postdocs, etc.)

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on August 14. To apply, click on the button below.

APPLY

Teaching Development Fellowship 2022-2023
2022-05-15 23:59 | Virtual
Photo by Yuhan Du

Application deadline:

Applications are now open for the 2022-2023 Cohort of Teaching Development Fellows. The deadline for applying is Sunday, May 15, at 11:59 pm (ET).

Information session:

The video below is a recording of a recent information session on the Network and the application process. Sides for this session can be accessed here.

About the fellowship:

Fellows work within an interdisciplinary network of peers dedicated to teaching and learning. They receive training and mentorship in teaching from TLL in order to design and lead independent, department-based workshops and events (in-person or remote) aimed at improving teaching skills among MIT’s grad students.

The Fellowship requires a time commitment of 8-10 hours/month. Fellows are appointed for one academic year and receive a $200/month stipend supplement for 10 months (September 2022 – June 2023) for their contributions to the program.

Eligibility requirements:

Applicants must be graduate students in good academic standing with at least one semester of teaching or TA experience. Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to developing a community of evidence-based and reflective teaching in their departments, have additional teaching experience, and/or have already completed the Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP), Grad Teaching Development Tracks, or equivalent training.*

Selected applicants who have not previously completed KTCP will receive additional training during summer 2022 before beginning the program.

* Examples of equivalent training are achieving an undergraduate or graduate degree in education, or completing the CIRTL MOOC, NSF GK12 program, or MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program.

Application details:

The online application will ask you for the following:

Contact and department informationPrevious participation in teaching development programmingShort answer questions on the following topics:Challenges to developing teaching skills for graduate students in your department and proposals for how a fellow might address these challengesDescription of teaching philosophy and teaching methods currently in use or plannedDescription of teaching trainingDescription of prior leadership experienceApplicants must also upload a current CV which includes teaching experience

Upon completion of the application, your advisor or graduate officer (identified in the application) will be contacted to confirm good academic standing and to acknowledge prospective participation. A letter of reference is not required.

Fellows are selected by a committee of TLL staff and former fellows in consultation with their departments. All materials must be received no later than Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Apply here

Social Class and Peer Collaboration in Elite Engineering Schools
2022-04-27 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Professor Anthony Johnson (The Ohio State University) will discuss the role of social class in shaping students’ interactions with peers.

Photo by Jeremy Thomas

About the Online Presentation

The MIT Teaching + Learning Lab is very pleased to welcome Anthony M. Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, at The Ohio State University. Professor Johnson shares an abstract of his April 27 presentation:

“Although scholars have extensively documented social class differences in students’ relationships with educational institutions through their interactions with authority figures and the unequal institutional advantages these interactions yield, little is known about the role of social class in shaping students’ interactions with peers in ways that produce unequal institutional advantages.

Drawing on a qualitative case study of an engineering school at an elite private university—including interviews with six administrators and 88 undergraduates, as well as participant observation—I show that the social class context of students’ high schools, a proxy for social class, shapes the peer help-seeking and help-giving (collaborative) strategies they use in college, which can create inequalities in the institutional advantages they secure, e.g., academic help, support, and learning opportunities.

Compared to their less privileged counterparts, privileged students, who come from socioeconomically advantaged contexts where they become familiar with collaboration and upper-middle-class cultural signals, more readily collaborate with their classmates in college and are more likely to display signals communicating that they are “good” collaborators.”

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About the Speaker

Anthony M. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University. His research focuses broadly on the cultural mechanisms of inequality reproduction in education. His current work explores new forms of inequality among peer groups in the wake of the widespread adoption of collaborative learning approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

His current book project, Engineering Advantage: How Inequality Persists in an Era of Collaborative Learning, examines the disparate collaborative experiences of college students in elite engineering schools and the role of the culture and structure of these programs in reproducing these disparities.

Professor Johnson’s research has most recently appeared in Sociology of Education and has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, and the Mindset Scholars Network. He completed his PhD in Sociology at Northwestern University and postdoctoral training with the Inequality in America Initiative at Harvard University.

Creating Learning Environments to Support Student Motivation Post-Pandemic
2022-03-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Professor Carlton Fong (Texas State University) will discuss evidence-based strategies to maximize student confidence, learning, and belonging.

Photo by Julian Paolo Dayag

About the Online Presentation

The MIT Teaching + Learning Lab is very pleased to welcome Carlton Fong, assistant professor in the Graduate Program in Developmental Education and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University. Professor Fong will discuss his work which explores student well-being.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid shifts in students’ lives profoundly affected their well-being, mental health, and academic motivation. Research shows that students were most worried about staying motivated to do their academic work during the pandemic. Grounded by meta-analytic research in educational psychology, this talk will unpack ways to think about student motivation, particularly for those experiencing difficult transitions. It will emphasize evidence-based strategies for a post-pandemic reality that maximizes motivation by helping students build confidence, find value in learning, seek help, and feel like they belong.

It’s important to note that these strategies could be applied in classrooms as well as in lab, mentoring, and advising work with undergraduate and graduate students.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND BY ZOOM

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About the Speaker

Dr. Carlton J. Fong is an assistant professor in the Graduate Program in Developmental Education and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University.

As a scholar-practitioner at the intersection of educational psychology and higher education, Dr. Fong uses a sociocultural lens to study motivational factors influencing postsecondary student engagement, achievement, and persistence. He is also an expert in meta-analysis and research synthesis and is currently the chair of the Motivation in Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

In 2021, he was recognized as an Association for Psychological Science Rising Star and an AERA Deeper Learning Fellow.

How the Pandemic Changed My Teaching - The Moral Dilemma of Going Back
2022-02-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Professor Eric Mazur will discuss his recent insights and innovations from teaching during the pandemic.

Photo by Nate Dumlao

About the Online Presentation

The MIT Teaching + Learning Lab is very pleased to welcome Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics and Academic Dean for Applied Sciences and Engineering at Harvard University, who will discuss his recent insights and innovations from teaching during the pandemic.

Traditionally education has been constrained by the walls of the physical classroom, requiring education to be synchronous and at a pace set by the instructor. The pandemic, however, opened the door to learning outside of the physical classroom, hinting at a future where students are engaged across time and space in a blended environment.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND BY ZOOM

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About the Speaker

Photo by Stu Rosner

Eric Mazur is the Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics and Academic Dean for Applied Sciences and Engineering at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science at Harvard University, Member of the Faculty of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Past President of Optica (formerly The Optical Society).

Mazur is a prominent physicist known for his contributions in nanophotonics, an internationally recognized educational innovator, and a sought-after speaker. In education he is widely known for his work on Peer Instruction, an interactive teaching method aimed at engaging students in the classroom and beyond. In 2014, he became the inaugural recipient of the Minerva Prize for Advancements in Higher Education and has received many awards for his work in physics and in education and has founded several successful companies.

Mazur is widely published in peer-reviewed journals and holds numerous patents. He has also written extensively on education and is the author of Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997), a book that explains how to teach large lecture classes interactively, and of Principles and Practice of Physics (Pearson, 2015), a book that presents a groundbreaking new approach to teaching introductory calculus-based physics.

Mazur is a leading speaker on optics and on education. His motivational lectures on interactive teaching, educational technology, and assessment have inspired people around the world to change their approach to teaching.

Reinventing Education Post-Pandemic
2021-12-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Healing, Community, and Humanity: How Students and Teachers Want to Reinvent Schools After the Pandemic.

In this session, Professor Justin Reich will discuss his research on how the experiences of students and teachers during pandemic schooling are vital to educational recovery and building back better.

Three research exercises were conducted in spring 2021:

200 teachers were invited to interview their students and share their findings about the past year,50 classroom teachers were interviewed, and10 multistakeholder design charrettes were held with students, teachers, school leaders, and family members to begin planning for the 2021-2022 recovery year.

Together, these findings form a “view from the ground” during pandemic schooling.

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About the Speaker

Justin Reich, Ed.D.

Justin Reich is an associate professor of digital media in the Comparative Media Studies/Writing department at MIT and the director of the Teaching Systems Lab. He is the author of Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education, and the host of the TeachLab Podcast. He earned his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was the Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow. He is a past Fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society. His writings have been published in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other scholarly journals and public venues. He started his career as a high school history teacher, and coach of wrestling and outdoor adventure activities. Follow Justin on Twitter or Google Scholar.

Trauma-informed Teaching
2021-10-26 15:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
Learn about the neuroscience of toxic stress and how to increase engagement, connection, and healing in the classroom.

In this talk, led by Dr. Mays Imad, we will consider the notion of psychological trauma — why it happens and how it impacts our body and brain.

Specifically, we will examine:

the principles and practical examples of trauma-informed approaches and reflect on the connections between trauma-informed education, healing, and restorative justice;the connections between stress and trauma and how stress can become traumatic when not managed; andthe neuroscience of traumatic stress and its impact on our ability to engage, connect, and learn.

This virtual presentation will be followed by a live audience Q&A and is open to all members of teaching and learning community. We invite you to join the discussion as we reflect on the following key questions:

(1) How are we welcoming our students and colleagues back into our institutions and classrooms this fall and beyond?

(2) As educators, what can we do to help support students’ mental health and ameliorate their exhaustion and distress, while at the same time, intentionally engaging in self-care?

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This event is hosted by the MIT Teaching + Learning Lab with the support of Student Support and Wellbeing (MIT Division of Student Life) and MindHandHeart.

Guest Speaker

Mays Imad, Ph.D.

Mays Imad received her undergraduate training from the University of Michigan–Dearborn where she studied philosophy. She received her doctoral degree in Cellular & Clinical Neurobiology from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. She then completed a National Institute of Health-Funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona in the Department of Neuroscience. She joined the department of life & physical sciences at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona as an adjunct faculty member in 2009 and later as a full-time faculty member in 2013. During her tenure at Pima, she taught Physiology, Pathophysiology, Genetics, Biotechnology, and Biomedical ethics. She also founded Pima’s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC).

Mays is a Gardner Institute Fellow and an AAC&U Senior Fellow within the Office of Undergraduate STEM Education. Dr. Imad’s research focuses on stress, self-awareness, advocacy, and classroom community, and how these impact student learning and success. Through her teaching and research she seeks to provide her students with transformative opportunities that are grounded in the aesthetics of learning, truth-seeking, justice, and self-realization.

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Imad works with faculty members across disciplines at her own institution and across the country to promote inclusive, equitable, and contextual education–all rooted in the latest research on the neurobiology of learning. A nationally-recognized expert on trauma-informed teaching and learning, she passionately advocates for institutions to make mental health a top priority and to systematically support the education of the whole student.

Fresh Perspectives panel discussion #2
2021-10-05 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Join MIT educators for this panel discussion covering insights gained from teaching virtually through the pandemic.

About this event

While the pandemic constrained and limited our MIT community in various ways, it also forced us to reflect on and rethink our assumptions about effective teaching and learning.

During the spring 2021 semester, we interviewed MIT faculty, instructors, and lecturers to explore their insights from teaching through a pandemic. Join us for this panel discussion and live Q&A with MIT educators who participated as interviewees in the Fresh Perspectives video series.

MIT Panelists

Associate Professor Michael Short, 22.01 Introduction to Nuclear Engineering and Ionizing RadiationLecturer Bruno Verdini, 11.011 The Art and Science of Negotiation & 11.111/17.381 Leadership in NegotiationVisiting Scholar Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou, MAS.S69 Constructive Communication Systems: Facilitated Dialogue, Technology, and Design Lecturer and Curriculum Designer Rea Lavi, SP.248 Discover the Magic of the Ways of Thinking

About Fresh Perspectives

“Fresh Perspectives” is a new ongoing video and audio series launched Summer 2021 with “Insights from Teaching through a Pandemic,” a set of interviews meant to capture some of the effective teaching techniques adopted during the 2020-2021 school year that could translate well to post-pandemic education.

The interviews with MIT faculty, instructors, and lecturers that comprise this series explore universally important educational goals. These include building community, designing effective course components, and creating clear two-way communication with students about their learning. They offer perspectives on ways to continue these practices in our physical classrooms and learning spaces moving forward.

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

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Teaching philosophy statement peer review
2021-10-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
In this structured peer review exercise, you will give and receive feedback from your peers on your teaching philosophy statement drafts.

After completing this session and incorporating feedback, participants are eligible to schedule a consultation with a TLL staff member for additional feedback on their teaching philosophy statement.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

Recognize characteristics of what resonates with you as the reader and those that resonate with peersReflect on and revise your statement in consideration of peer feedback

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

Facilitator

Ben Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching, TLL

This peer review session is open to MIT students and postdocs who participated in the Crafting your teaching philosophy statement workshop or who graduated from KTCP.

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Fresh Perspectives panel discussion #1
2021-09-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
Join MIT educators for this panel discussion covering insights gained from teaching virtually through the pandemic.

About this event

While the pandemic constrained and limited our MIT community in various ways, it also forced us to reflect on and rethink our assumptions about effective teaching and learning.

During the spring 2021 semester, we interviewed MIT faculty, instructors, and lecturers to explore their insights from teaching through a pandemic. Join us for this panel discussion and live Q&A with MIT educators who participated as interviewees in the Fresh Perspectives video series.

MIT Panelists

Director & Lecturer Luis Perez-Breva, MIT Innovation Teams 10.807/15.371 Senior Lecturer Maria Khotimsky, 21G.613 Russian III (and others)Associate Professor Arthur Bahr, 21L.705 Major Authors: Chaucer’s Canterbury TalesLecturer Jennifer French, Math (supported all instructors)

About Fresh Perspectives

“Fresh Perspectives” is a new ongoing video and audio series launched Summer 2021 with “Insights from Teaching through a Pandemic,” a set of interviews meant to capture some of the effective teaching techniques adopted during the 2020-2021 school year that could translate well to post-pandemic education.

The interviews with MIT faculty, instructors, and lecturers that comprise this series explore universally important educational goals. These include building community, designing effective course components, and creating clear two-way communication with students about their learning. They offer perspectives on ways to continue these practices in our physical classrooms and learning spaces moving forward.

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

Register

Crafting your teaching philosophy statement
2021-09-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
The teaching philosophy statement is a required part of most academic job applications and is often required in the faculty tenure and promotion process.

By articulating your motivation for and perspective on teaching, you can surface the underlying assumptions you have about teaching and learning—a critical step in developing your teaching skills. This workshop seeks to demystify this process by providing strategies and structured activities that you can use to craft your teaching philosophy statement.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to

Describe what a teaching philosophy statement isIdentify aspects of your teaching or personal experience and beliefs that could be a part of a teaching philosophy statementIdentify features of teaching philosophy statements that resonate with you

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

Facilitator

Ben Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching, TLL

Please note: This workshop is open to MIT students and postdocs only.

Related Sessions

This session is part 1 of a 2-workshop series to help you prepare for the faculty job market.

Teaching philosophy statement peer review on Monday, October 4 @ 2 – 3 pm

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Teaching & Academic Career Panel with ESL Profs
2021-06-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
For non-native English speakers at MIT, the MIT Teaching + Learning Lab is hosting a Panel with English-as-a-Second-Language Profs on June 16 from 1 to 2 PM (EST), where 4 ESL professors from MIT will share their stories and answer your questions on teaching. We will cover topics such as teaching as an ESL instructor, the role of teaching in academic job search, and the relation between teaching and academic research.

RSVP here to reserve a spot, and ask your questions! Grad students, postdocs, and undergrad students are all welcome. The Zoom link will be shared with RSVP’ed participants one day prior to the event.

Panelists:

Assoc. Prof. Jinhua Zhao (MIT Urban Studies + Planning and IDSS, MIT PhD)Assoc. Prof. Caroline Uhler (MIT EECS and IDSS)Asst. Prof. Mingda Li (MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT PhD)Asst. Prof. Albert Liu (UMich Chemical Engineering, MIT PhD)

This event has been organized by the Teaching Development Fellowship Network.
