Teaching institute

Facilitated by: Dan Apple

This online event is asynchronous (participants complete interactive learning activities in our web-based learning management system) except for a 1-hour Zoom meeting each Wednesday at 4:30pm Eastern. Teams are encouraged to find time to meet on their own as well.

A Teaching Workshop is our foundational faculty development event. This event offers institutions or individuals interested in converting from a traditionally-oriented classroom to one that is learner and learning-centered, providing a base for further growth and development. Attendees actively participate in a learning community that mirrors a Process Education (active learning, process-oriented) classroom. Participants leave with renewed enthusiasm for teaching and a strong motivation to mentor the growth of their students and themselves.

During a Teaching Workshop, participants observe and learn the professional practices of an educator from the perspective of a student. They experience what it feels like to analyze, learn, and apply new material. At the same time, participants are asked to routinely reflect on what it is like to be a learner in this environment. How easily does understanding come? What does it feel like to be a student in this situation? What would I do if I were a teacher in this situation? Often when teachers learn new content, they can do so without having to reflect on their own learning processes. Similarly, when teachers practice a new teaching technique, they often practice it using material with which they are comfortable. This event uses challenging content that requires participants to cognitively explore the learning process as well as the affective issues associated with learning.

Outcomes:

• Each participant experiences learning within a team environment by contributing to the achievement of a set of team learning outcomes
• A wide variety of techniques and tools for teaching and student learning are used during the institute. Participants act as researchers, deciding which strategies, tools and techniques might work well (or not) in their particular learning environments.
• Participants value the importance of self-assessment in the growth process and identify ways to make better use of specific assessment tools with students and themselves
• Participants develop an understanding of an instructional design process that supports active learning, critical thinking, and assessment