Kaneb Center Newsletter: Difficult Conversations in the Classroom & more

[ND Learning Kaneb Center]

Home      About      Blog The Kaneb Center is pleased to invite you to take part in all of our activities this semester. This week's email includes information about the Graduate Peer Observation Program, the Instructors of Color Learning Community, and our upcoming workshops. To view our full fall workshop schedule, visit our Events page.  Graduate Peer Observation Program Have an experienced graduate student observe your class/tutorial/discussion section in this confidential, low-stakes opportunity for formative feedback! All observations will be scheduled before fall break, and on a first come, first served basis.                       Fill out this form  to send us your teaching schedule and preferred dates for observation. A trained graduate associate of the Kaneb Center will contact you and observe a day of your class. After the observation, you will meet for a short discussion on what went well and suggestions for improvement. TAs and Graduate Instructors of Color  Learning Community Graduate students of color are invited to take part in the TA and Graduate Instructors of Color Learning Community. This ongoing, biweekly conversation creates space for TAs and Graduate Instructors of color to share their experiences with teaching and learning, work/life balance, and power differentials. We discuss the challenges of navigating a predominantly white institution and student body, while also developing teaching strategies, discussing diversity and inclusion in academia, equity, and more. In this intellectual community of peers we support each other’s formations as teacher-scholars by listening to and affirming classroom experiences, discovering and sharing skills, and learning from diverse pedagogical perspectives. This program is co-sponsored by The Graduate School.  If you are interested in joining this group, please fill out this form. You can also contact Dominique Vargas (dvar...@nd.edu) for more information. If you’ve already signed up on the form, we will be in touch soon. Upcoming Workshops We invite you to sign up for any of the following pedagogy workshops this fall. For more information and to register, click here.   Gathering Early Semester Feedback Research indicates that ongoing formative feedback from students and colleagues is the best way to improve teaching (National Research Council, 2003). Early semester feedback offers an opportunity to collect detailed information from students about how well your course is working. During this workshop participants will discuss the value of early semester feedback and review sample feedback forms. Participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm possible questions and begin crafting their own feedback forms. Date: Thursday, September 16  Time: 3:30 - 4:45 p.m.  Presenter(s): Kristi Rudenga, Director of Teaching Excellence, ND Learning | Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence Difficult Conversations in the Classroom This workshop will provide strategies for converting difficult conversations into productive exchange within the classroom. As students face contentious elections, racial justice protests, and language surrounding COVID-19, we will also introduce resources to help them respond to potentially charged topics. Date: Friday, September 17  Time: 9:00-10:15 a.m. Presenter(s): Julian Chike, Kaneb Center Graduate Associate and Emily Pitts Donahoe, Notre Dame Learning Postdoctoral Fellow Using Canvas to Implement Instructional Strategies and Enrich Your Course Wednesdays, throughout the semester Interacting Meaningfully with Texts Using Perusall Thursday, September 23 What Inclusive Instructors Do – virtual book talk/workshop with Tracie Addy Friday, September 24  (Inter)active Learning Tuesday, September 28  Cultivating Attention in the Classroom Thursday, September 30 Panel: Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation Monday, October 4 Public Writing as a Tool for Learning Thursday, October 7 Facilitating Discussion in Humanities and Social Sciences Friday, October 8 Incorporating Active Learning Techniques into Tutorials to Improve Student Learning  Monday, October 11 Transparent Assignment Design Tuesday, October 12 Faculty Panel: Enhancing Learning with Low Stakes Assessments Wednesday, October 27 Using CIF Questions as a Tool to Improve Teaching and Learning Thursday, October 28 Decolonizing Your Curriculum I: Overview of Practice Monday, November 1 Selecting/Creating Asynchronous Content Wednesday, November 3 Motivation & Learning Tuesday, November 9 Improve Your Teaching & Student Learning With Classroom Research Wednesday, November 17 Decolonizing Your Curriculum II: Syllabus Workshop Tuesday, November 18 Useful resources Teaching Certificates Events Teaching Resources Services for Graduate Students and Postdocs Services for All Instructors Contact Information 353 DeBartolo Classroom Building, Notre Dame, IN 46556  Phone (574) 631-9146  ka...@nd.edu  To unsubscribe from this list, please send a blank email to kctl-announce-l...@nd.edu.