COURSE DESCRIPTION

Before beginning to teach, teachers need to be equipped with at least two things if they are to be successful. One, is conceptual and ethical recognition of the importance of good teaching. The other, is the skills and knowledge drawn from up-to-date pedagogical research. This course asks students to engage with complex questions about the purposes of higher education and their role in it to better understand their own beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding higher education. It also introduces students to best practices in teaching and learning while providing a low-stakes environment to practice and receive feedback on their performance of those skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Ability to design curriculum for undergraduate courses in their areas of expertise and competence.
2. Fosters ethical and professional conduct.
3. Ability to engage in high quality undergraduate instruction in their areas of expertise and competence.

DETAILED COURSE GOALS

1. Students will be able to write a thoughtful teaching philosophy statement that is genuinely reflective of their personal beliefs and attitudes towards teaching.
2. Students will be able to identify and compassionately discuss and evaluate diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in education.
3. Students will come to understand and value the importance of good teaching, including its relationship to student achievement.
4. Students will be able to describe and evaluate key pedagogical concepts and how they relate to effective teaching practices.
5. Students will practice using good design principles to create learning activities and assessments.
6. Students will develop and practice habits of reflective teaching.

ASSIGNMENTS

Readings

Most of the readings will be available on the Canvas site. You will have to get hold of two books: Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges (Princeton, 2006), and Dee Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences (Jossey Bass, 2004)

Teaching Journals (15%)

Each week you will write a 500 word (or more) journal on your teaching. If you are not currently teaching, you will write your journal about another teacher you can observe. You will be graded on the thoughtfulness, honesty, and relevance of your journal to class topics.

Observations (5% each)

Three times throughout the semester you will do a guided observation and reflection of a class. You should approach this as an opportunity to engage with a professor about their teaching. You will be graded on the completeness and thoughtfulness of your observation sheets.

Learning Activity Design (15%)

Following our unit on designing learning, you (in pairs) will design a learning activity and accompanying assessment which you will present to the class (more details will be given later). You will be graded on the creativity, efficacy, and transparent alignment of your activity and assessment.

Mini Teaching Demos (15% each)

Twice in the semester you will be responsible for researching and teaching a concept to the class. This is a chance to practice your teaching skills and receive feedback in a low stakes environment. For each demo you will write a one page summary of your learning activity, including how you designed the activity and your goals for the lesson. You will be graded on your use of effective teaching strategies in the preparation and execution of your lesson.

Teaching Philosophy Statement (25%)

During the class you will write a preliminary teaching philosophy statement. At the time of the final you will turn in the revised statement. It will be graded on its authenticity and clarity in articulating your beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding teaching your subject.

OUR CLASS

Teaching is not an easy thing to do, and can be very personal and emotional for all teachers, but especially for new teachers (who also happen to be new graduate students) just learning how to handle any number of situations. Because of this, it is crucial for the success of this class in particular that all members be thoughtful and supportive of the learning environment. In particular, teaching challenges and performances that are confided to the class should not be discussed elsewhere. In order for students in this course to really focus on growing as teachers, each one must be able to trust the learning environment as being focused on honest and constructive feedback, not demeaning judgement.