This Week for Faculty: ❤️ For the love of teaching
What do you love about teaching?
Teaching gives us the opportunity to be part of our students’ learning journey; experiment with new teaching strategies, instructional technologies, and engagement activities; learn from and with our students; and connect with them in ways that make a lasting impact.
Tips for finding joy in teaching
Reflect on your teaching. Think of the moments in your teaching this semester that filled you with joy. Think of a student or class session that inspired you recently. Think about past students who have reached out to say how your teaching impacted them and the difference you made in their lives. Principle 5 of the Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia encourages instructors to reflect on their beliefs about teaching and their actions in the classroom. Invite a CTL consultant to observe your class and share formative feedback. Request a CTL teaching observation.
Try something new. Explore a new teaching method or try out a new active learning strategy that aligns with the learning goals of your course. Find inspiration from TeachingTalks, Faculty Spotlights, Teaching Transformations, Teaching in the Age of AI, Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning podcast episodes, recordings of past Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposia and the latest Science of Learning Research at Columbia. The CTL is here to help as you experiment!
Connect with colleagues around teaching. Teaching can feel isolating especially when teaching in times of stress and challenge. Finding a community in which to discuss teaching, learn from peers, brainstorm solutions to challenges, and celebrate successes, can help invigorate and remind us of what we love about teaching. Participate in CTL events to find community across the University. Check out the CTL Events calendar for upcoming offerings or bring the CTL to your department, program, or school through our CTL To Go offerings.
Upcoming workshops
Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Course
February 11, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Related resource: Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia
Entering Mentoring: Fostering Independence
February 13, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Find more resources: Advancing Mentorship Practices: Supporting Mentors of Graduate Students and Postdocs at Columbia
Navigating HOT Moments in the Classroom
February 27, 12:00 PM – 1:00PM
Related resources: Navigating Heated, Offensive, and Tense (HOT) Moments in the Classroom
The CTL is here to help!
Connect via Zoom or over the phone
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered.
Schedule a consultation
Schedule an in-person or virtual consultation to discuss any teaching and learning need by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu or email the CTL Learning Designer assigned to your school or department.