Teaching and Learning Center Programs
Conversations about Teaching: New TLC Program!
Given the many demands on our time, it’s difficult to find an opportunity to talk with other faculty members about what goes on in the classroom. Conversations about Teaching, a new Teaching and Learning Center program for the spring semester, provides just that opportunity. At each session, a faculty member(s) will bring a question or an idea about teaching to a small group of colleagues for discussion. All sessions will be held in Reynolda Hall room 308, from 12:00 to 1:30. No preparation is required, and for once there really is such a thing as a free lunch! Please register with Sue Rupp (rupp@wfu.edu) at least one day prior to a session if you are interested in attending. We also encourage faculty to contact Sue if you would like to serve as a facilitator or have an idea for a future session. Hope to see you soon!
Wednesday, February 22: Lauren Pressley (Z Smith Reynolds Library), One Course, Many Levels of Preparation
Wednesday, March 21: Susan Rupp (History), The Challenges and Rewards of the First Year Seminar
Thursday, April 12: Hugh Howards (Mathematics) and Monique O’Connell (History), Grading Across the Disciplines
Prior Conversations:
Tuesday, January 31: Kristin Bennett (Education) and Steven Giles (Communication), Preventing and Responding to Electronic Distractions in the Classroom
TLC Faculty Lounge Wednesdays
Starting February 1, come by Reynolda Hall 308 each Wednesday morning between 8:30-11:00am for our new “TLC Faculty Lounge Wednesdays.” Enjoy coffee, snacks, and an informal opportunity to say hello to colleagues or to catch up on work .
Pedometers and Pedagogy: walk while talking about teaching!
We all know that getting outdoors and exercising are good for both our bodies and our brains, but we also know how hard it can be to get away from the desk to take that walk or even just to stretch and breathe deeply! The Teaching and Learning Center is now offering you an excuse to get outside and walk while talking about teaching. We will meet in the lobby of the ZSR Library every Wednesday at 1:00pm beginning Wednesday, January 18 (with the last walk of the semester scheduled for Wednesday, May 9) for a 40 minute walk around campus that provides an opportunity to share teaching ideas and talk about teaching issues. Catherine Ross and Dee Oseroff-Varnell will be your "walk and talk" leaders, and you can bring a teaching question with you or we will provide topics for discussion as we walk. Cancellations due to weather or other unforseen circumstances will be announced on our website.
Individual Consultations
Individual consultations can be arranged at any time by emailing or calling Catherine Ross, Managing Director of the TLC, at rossce@wfu.edu or x4559. What can you do in a consultation? A consultation can be anything from a five minute chat about a specific question or topic, to a meeting to go over student feedback and strategize a pedagogical plan, to ongoing meetings to design/rework a course, and also includes class observations and debriefing for those who want that type of feedback. Consultations are designed to fit individual needs and interests. The important thing to know about these consultations is that they are always non-evaluative and always confidential. We are here to support and nurture your talents and skills as teachers to help you achieve your teaching goals.
Teaching to Go: departments can design their own workshops!
- Choose any topic from the list to arrange a workshop during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting or at your department’s convenience.
- Choose your time frame for the workshop. The workshops can be a quick introduction to a topic (5-10 minutes), an extended exploration and discussion (2 hours), or anything in between.
- Email Catherine Ross at rossce@wfu.edu to request the workshop.
- Formative Feedback: Getting it efficiently and using it effectively.
- Evaluation of Teaching: Student, Peer and/or Self
- Inclusive Teaching: What it means in practice
- Engaging Students
- Leading discussion
- Writing and using course learning objectives
- Designing and using effective rubrics
- Testing and Grading: The Dark Side of Teaching?
- Troubleshooting: A general discussion of teaching issues
- Designing a Better Syllabus
- Incivility in the Classroom
- Department’s choice! Don’t see the topic you want here? Just ask!
Topics:
Faculty Funding Opportunities
See our Awards, Grants, and Funding page for information on Teaching and Learning Center funding opportunities available to Wake Forest University faculty, including the Teaching Development Fund. The Teaching Development Fund assists faculty in enhancing teaching skills or in developing innovative teaching projects. Applications will be accepted from August 1, 2011 through June 1, 2012.
Handouts and PowerPoint Presentations from 2011-2012 Workshops
"The Interactive Lecture: Turning Lecture into an Active Learning Experience." Discussed during the TLC workshop, "The Interactive Lecture," January 25, 2012. Andrew Engel (TLC Instructional Developer).
"Learning from Students: Aligning Our Teaching and Their Learning," Catherine Ross (WFU Teaching and Learning Center) and Gabriele Bauer (University of Deleware), September 7, 2011.
