What Happens in the Classroom is the Main Event
2026-02-24 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Photo: MIT Image Library

Dr. Carlo Rotella, Professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College

Description

What happens in the classroom is getting more, not less, cutting-edge all the time. Face-to-face teaching and learning become rarer and more valuable with each advance in educational technology. At the same time, the higher-ed classroom is a black box in our culture. There’s no lack of strong opinions about what happens or doesn’t happen there, but not enough practical discussion of the details. This talk is about those details, especially the mechanics of classroom citizenship and the importance of building a community of inquiry.

About the Speaker

Dr. Carlo Rotella, Professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College

Carlo Rotella is a professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College. He writes regularly for the New York Times Magazine — most recently an essay on teaching English in the age of AI — and his work has also appeared in the New Yorker and Best American Essays. A recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, U.S. State Department grants to lecture in China and Bosnia, and the Whiting Writers Award, he has written books about the postindustrial city, boxing, blues, and urban literature and film, among other subjects. His latest book, What Can I Get Out of This?: Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics, is about what happens in the classroom.

Application Period for the Spring 2026 Inclusive Teaching Track
2026-03-02 12:00 - 2026-03-08 23:59
About the Program

The Inclusive Teaching Track is a sequence of two interactive workshops focused on cultivating equitable and welcoming classrooms in which all students can learn and reach their potential. Participants will reflect on their own experiences and perspectives and learn evidence-based strategies to design structured and relational learning experiences. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply principles of inclusive teaching to plan a teaching practice or learning activity that will make classrooms more equitable in future teaching or education-related careers in higher education.

Workshop Schedule

Inclusive Teaching as a Mindset

Thursday, April 2, 1 – 3 pm

In the first workshop, we will define inclusive teaching and use it to evaluate common approaches to teaching in our disciplines. By introducing specific strategies, we will learn ways to invite students into the learning experience to be responsive to the diversity in the classroom. 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.

Principles and Strategies in Inclusive Teaching

Thursday, April 16, 1 – 3 pm

In this workshop, we will discuss research that informs students’ sense of belonging and delve into principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how to clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of key principles of inclusive teaching, participants will identify concrete strategies to create a structured and relational classroom in which all students can learn and reach their potential.

How to Apply

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 8, to be considered. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Ben Hansberry.

Please note that the Apply button will not work until the application is open.
