Are we ever really taught "how" to teach? I freely admit that I was never trained "how" to teach, but after two years of full-time teaching I acquired a copy of Ken Bain's classic What the Best College Teachers Do and I was pleasantly surprised with how much my teaching practices aligned with Bain's suggestions. Who knew? Ultimately, I credit keeping an open mind and asking others for help as keys to my own success.
Interestingly, higher education professionals may often be placed at the front of a classroom without any formal development or training to prepare themselves for their teaching work. Surely, we can rely on our own experiences as a past student or TA - or even our acquired abilities to talk about our dissertation work from conference presentations - but these strategies are rather exclusive in that they depend on our own personal experiences and may exclude thoughtful reflection of how others might learn best, a key hallmark in inclusive pedagogy.
To support inclusive teaching practices within STEM, I continue to educate myself about inclusive pedagogy and I share this knowledge in the format of informal workshops, discussion groups, and one-on-one meetings with faculty, postdocs, and graduate TAs. Below are a few examples and resources for inclusive teaching practices that interest me.
Interestingly, higher education professionals may often be placed at the front of a classroom without any formal development or training to prepare themselves for their teaching work. Surely, we can rely on our own experiences as a past student or TA - or even our acquired abilities to talk about our dissertation work from conference presentations - but these strategies are rather exclusive in that they depend on our own personal experiences and may exclude thoughtful reflection of how others might learn best, a key hallmark in inclusive pedagogy.
To support inclusive teaching practices within STEM, I continue to educate myself about inclusive pedagogy and I share this knowledge in the format of informal workshops, discussion groups, and one-on-one meetings with faculty, postdocs, and graduate TAs. Below are a few examples and resources for inclusive teaching practices that interest me.
Biology & STEM Pedagogy
STEM educators may face unique challenges in teaching spaces that tend to require specialized support and intervention. In support of this initiative, I am convening a Biology Pedagogy "Lunch & Learn" series for Fall 2020 at Temple University to support faculty challenges related to navigating online courses, student engagement, and issues related to COVID-19. More details are forthcoming as we finalize the workshop plan - stay tuned for details.
Equity, Identity, and Inclusive Pedagogy
Much of the faculty development work I am interested in relates to equity, identity, and inclusion in the classroom and beyond. Below are resources that I developed as part of workshops for faculty to better understand their own identities and the identities of their students.
There a host of resources for inclusive teaching online, but one article I recommend appears in The Chronicle here.
- Identity Mapping Exercise, part of the workshop "How to Share Aspects of Your Identity and How to Create a Classroom Environment that Welcomes Diversity" at Haverford College, supported through the Lumina Foundation. For more information on the Lumina Foundation and its work in support of access to higher education, please visit their website.
- Advanced Topics in LGBTQ+ Health, part of the workshop "Understanding Health & Wellness in the LGBTQ+ Community" at Lock Haven University, supported by the SafeZone Program and the President's Commission on LGBTQ+ Affairs at Lock Haven University. For more information on the SafeZone Program, including Ally Trainings, please visit their website.
There a host of resources for inclusive teaching online, but one article I recommend appears in The Chronicle here.