Important Dates
I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist… Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. (John Steinbeck)
Now in its second year, the Art of Teaching Lunchtime Seminar Series continues to inspire by featuring faculty from across the disciplines sharing their thoughts and strategies about the art and science of teaching and learning. In the first semester (Spring 2021) we showcased CITL Faculty Fellows and some of the excellent research they have been conducting on their own teaching. In the second semester (Fall 2021) we featured faculty who are early in their careers sharing tools and strategies they are still developing.
This semester (Spring 2022) we’ll shine a light on alternative approaches to teaching and learning by featuring faculty who are paving new pathways in social justice, game-based pedagogy, and alternative forms of assessment. Join us ONLINE on the first Thursdays of the month from 12pm-1pm as we welcome new faculty, new stories, and new ways of thinking about the art of teaching. All sessions are recorded and presenter materials can be found here. For more information, or to suggest a speaker for the series, please contact: Ava Wolf at arwolf@illinois.edu.
Critical pedagogy includes developing inclusive curricula, encouraging critical thinking, de-centering teacher authority, facilitating student-centered learning, and maximizing access to instructional resources for all students. In this presentation Billy will explore how sociopolitical relations are reflected in educational practices and offer strategies for supporting social justice in the classroom.
View recording of Billy's presentation here.
The un-essay is an assessment strategy that challenges students to interact with course content in meaningful ways and demonstrate their creativity, as well as their understanding of concepts. This progressive pedagogy fosters creativity, strengthens memory retention, and leads to greater learning outcomes. Petra will discuss the un-essay, share a few examples of student work, and offer a rubric to guide student success in this assignment.
View recording of Petra's presentation here.
Laura will describe gameful strategies she's added to her course including a nontraditional, additive grading system where students build up their grade from zero, assignment choice, and opportunities for practice and recovery within the learning environment. These pedagogical changes support learner autonomy, and allow students to take risks and practice resiliency in the face of classroom challenges.
View Laura's presentation recording here.
Conversation with Technology Services CIOs Interim CIO Scott Genung and Interim Deputy CIO Drew MacGregor. Find out what you need to know about teaching technologies on campus, including the move to Canvas, and what's on the horizon. How has the pandemic shaped our use of technology, and how are the CIOs thinking about campus needs going forward? Join the conversation as we conclude the series for the semester.
All Speaker slide presentations from past semesters are stored in Box
Video recordings of all presentations are stored in Mediaspace
May 6th, 2021
Presenter: Faculty Panel
Senior Associate Director Robert Baird will moderate a panel discussion on using multi-modal assignments in teaching. See inspiring examples of faculty who successfully encouraged students to demonstrate content mastery through AR, graphic novels, games, portfolios, and other media.
April 1st, 2021
Presenter: Lawrence Angrave (CS)
Students may present a wide range of hidden and non-hidden physical, emotional, and learning disabilities. Lawrence will highlight principles of universal design, and offer effective strategies for making your classroom and course materials accessible and welcoming to all types of learners.
March 4, 2021
Presenter: Shelly Schmidt (FSHN)
Shelly will describe her work on the impactful connections between emotion and learning, and discuss ways to make our college classrooms a safe and authentic place for students to learn and grow, and where they can feel empowered to do their best work.
February 4th, 2021
Presenter: Emily Knox (iSchool)
Teaching is a skill acquired over time, often through the development of tacit knowledge, and can be difficult to articulate. Emily will tease apart this process and describe a variety of techniques for making teaching more effective, and helping students be more successful.
December 3rd, 2020 Presenters: Judith Pintar (iSchool) & Dan Steward (Sociology)
Judith and Dan will discuss the ways they use games to enhance learning, including table top role-playing to teach about propaganda and media interference, and "Sociopoly" to teach about social inequality
November 5th, 20210
Presenter: Leon Liebenberg (MechSE)
Concerned by a growing sense of emotional disconnect among his students online, Leon responded by developing a series of scaffolded mini-projects as a way to encourage higher engagement and self-directed learning.