Teachers’ Lounge

Spring 2022 Teachers’ Lounges: Intercultural Pedagogy Now

Intercultural Pedagogy and the Pandemic
Thurs. Feb. 3, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom 

In this session we reflected on assumptions about teaching that we may have formed due to our respective cultural backgrounds, reviewed key elements of intercultural pedagogy, and considered challenges and opportunities for this kind of interaction due to disruptions of COVID-19. We also connected actual moments of cultural difference experienced in the classroom to a model of “intercultural competence”. Session slides, handout: Inclusive Teaching: Strategies towards an Intercultural Pedagogy (accessible to Columbia affiliates).

Intercultural Pedagogy Now: Instructor Perspectives
Thurs. March 3, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, 212 Butler Library  

This session featured informal conversation with international TAs and instructors, discussing pedagogical experiences and discoveries in US classrooms. A panel of five doctoral students (represented disciplines: Civil Engineering, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Latin American Languages and Culture, Marketing, Theater) described specific challenges that they have experienced while working with students at Columbia, and shared insights about ways to navigate such experiences – deepening capacities for inclusive teaching along the way. Session slides and notes (accessible to Columbia affiliates).

Intercultural Pedagogy Now: Student Perspectives
Thurs. April 7, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, 212 Butler LIbrary

This session featured informal conversation with international Columbia undergraduates, discussing their experiences and discoveries as learners in US classrooms. This session revisited topics and suggestions generated in 2016 by students on the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), and invite undergrads to consider what has changed for them as learners – and what hasn’t – since then. Session slides (accessible to Columbia affiliates).

(Re)Locating Teaching

After a sudden shift to remote teaching last year, this semester found many of us stepping back into physical classrooms. How did the pandemic sharpen or renew our understanding of the value of in-person teaching? In Lounges this semester, we shared perspectives from the front lines of teaching during this unsettled but generative moment.

(Re)learning to Be Present
Tues, Sept. 28, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, 212 Butler Library 

After over a year of remote teaching and learning, along with various constrictions of public interaction, we may well find ourselves unsettled when stepping back into the classroom. In this session, we had an open conversation about anxieties that may be triggered by classroom set-ups and activities. We also considered ways that our appreciation of in-person teaching may be refreshed, specifically how physical senses may be engaged in the service of learning objectives in a way that is not possible online; this discussion drew on concepts in the field of embodied cognition, and in particular Susan Hrach’s Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning (2021). Session slides and further resources (accessible to Columbia affiliates). 

Evolving Teaching Spaces
Tues, Oct. 26, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, 212 Butler Library  

The pandemic has driven rapid reconfigurations of public spaces. In addition to educational institutions, offices, government services, museums, and entertainment venues now operate very differently from the way they did in 2019. What inspiration might we take from such spaces for rethinking classroom logistics and engagement? What approaches to community-building, information-sharing, and public safety might we bring back into the classroom in the service of more effective learning? In this session we looked closely at recently designed libraries, museums, public spaces, and offices to consider what we might bring back to the comparatively unchanged spaces of university classrooms. Session slides and further resources (accessible to Columbia affiliates).

Choreographing Teaching in Artifacts
Tues, Dec. 7, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom  

The recent wave of online instruction, abetted by technologies supporting collaboration, has led many instructors to (re)focus on documents and artifacts as sites of live, formative, strategically choreographed instruction. In what ways are instructors orchestrating and monitoring learning as it imprints itself on artifacts? Our conversation considered ways in which learners encountering objects can pursue multiple points of entry and engagement, be spurred to metacognitive reflection, and led to consider material conditions and effects. We particularly thought about collaborative sense-making and sharing around objects, and we looked at several examples of object analysis in Mediathread, CTL’s multimedia analysis platform. Session slides and resources (accessible to Columbia affiliates).

Teaching Online

Since many classes shifted to online or hybrid formats this year, Teachers’ Lounges linked theories and models of online instruction to insights derived from working in digital learning spaces with Columbia students.

Fall 2020

Presence and Engagement in the Online Class
Thurs, Oct. 8, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom  

In this session (the first virtual Teachers’ Lounge), we considered how the online learning environment affects the ability of instructors and students to be fully present and engaged. There are, of course, many challenges – how specifically might they be overcome? And in what ways are we finding online interactions to be *more* engaging than traditional face-to-face instruction? We collectively generated a number of ideas for increasing participation and engagement that can drive learning online. Resources referenced in the session included CTL’s Supporting Hybrid and Online Learning and Teaching and Michelle Miller’s Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology.  Session materials (UNI log in required). 

Cognitive Overload for Students in the Online Class
Thurs, Oct. 29, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom  

In this session, we considered the often competing demands on attention when learning in the online environment, and discussed their impact on retention and understanding. What can instructors do to focus and pace the attention of their students while interacting with them in digital spaces? How can supplemental or asynchronous materials help? Participants shared tactics for lessening extraneous cognitive load on students. Session slides, videos, and resources (UNI log in required).

Cognitive Overload for Instructors Teaching Online
Thurs, Nov. 19, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom 

In this session, we considered the often competing demands on attention faced by instructors in the online environment and their impact on instructional efficacy and authority. What are some common distractions and areas of overload that hamper desired instructional attention? What can instructors do to incorporate new technologies and pedagogical approaches, while at the same time minimizing the cognitive load associated with each? Participants shared and listed various tactics. Session slides and resources (UNI log in required).

Spring 2021

Lessons from a Pandemic: Productive Participation
Wed, Jan. 27, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom  

Given the conditions of learning during a pandemic, how have we been redefining class participation so that it is meaningful, relevant, and tailored to the needs of our students? How are we giving feedback to students about the quality of their participation? In this session, we discussed ways to inspire and assess student participation in online or HyFlex classes–and thought about what might map over and enrich in-person instruction. Session slides and resources (UNI log in required).

Lessons from a Pandemic: Testing and Trust
Wed, March 3, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, via Zoom   

How has the experience of running classes online clarified what is important about traditional ways of measuring our students’ knowledge and capacities? What adjustments have we needed to make when designing and giving tests for students in order to navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of this difficult and unsettled time? This Lounge was a frank discussion of topics such as proctoring, maintaining or relaxing standards, accommodations, and trust. Session slides and resources (UNI log in required).

Accessibility in Teaching and Learning

Teachers’ Lounges this year consisted of a series of conversations about what it means to make teaching and learning more accessible within a class. Providing multiple ways for students to engage with course materials and register their learning is an important inclusive teaching practice. This year’s discussions helped us consider aspects of accessibility in learning environments and share tactics for flexible instruction.

Making Assessments Accessible
Tues, Feb. 25, 12:10 – 1:25 pm, 212 Butler
How can we ensure that the ways we assess learning are clear and accessible to all  of our students? In this Lounge, we thought about making our values for assessment transparent to students, discussed the application of some Universal Design principles to the evaluation of student performance, and thought about ways to design and offer multiple modes of assessment. Resources, references, and videos incorporated into the Lounge are available in session slides (available to Columbia University affiliates).

Learning Preferences and Universal Design – Oct. 9
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a movement helping educators to offer students multiple pathways for pursuing learning objectives. In this session, we looked at definitions and frameworks for UDL, and thought about ways to diversity engagement, content representation, and student activities in our own classes. The session drew on CAST’s UDL guidelines and Sheryl Burgstahler’s Checklist for Inclusive Teaching. More resources and references are in the session slides (available to Columbia University affiliates).

Banning, Allowing, and Needing Devices in the Classroom – Nov. 6
In an effort to cut down on distraction and focus attention on learning, some instructors forbid or strongly discourage the use of electronic devices during class. Is this an effective practice? This Lounge looked at some research on this topic, considered when devices may be desirable and even necessary for some or all students, and discussed effective and inclusive ways to frame policies in this area. Resources, research references, and ideas from participants are available in session slides (available to Columbia University affiliates).

Language Lounges

Language Lounge: Accessibility and Language Instruction – Oct. 23
Visual media, movement, and sound are ubiquitous elements of an engaging language learning environment, but what opportunities do these tools have to be disinclusive or to create unanticipated barriers to entry for our students? In this session we kicked off a yearlong exploration of how questions of accessibility intersect with language instruction. We considered first what it means to make teaching and learning more accessible within a classroom space and introduced the field of Universal Design for Learning to see how it might help us consider strategies that minimize the unanticipated hurdles we create for our students.

Language Lounge: Making Classwork Accessible – Nov. 20
Building on the discussion at this year’s first Language Lounge, we examined the intersections of evidence-based language instruction and the frameworks presented by Universal Design for Learning to consider ways to make classwork more accessible to all students. In particular, we’ll think about the ways we engage audiovisual materials and handouts in the classroom to align with evidence-based practices without sacrificing the inclusion of all students.

Metacognition: Cultivating Expert Learners to Maximize Equity in the Classroom

Teachers’ Lounges this year centered on a series of conversations around the benefits of helping students assess and monitor their own learning, a process known as metacognition.  As we discussed tactics to help students take ownership of the learning process, we paid special attention to ways that this can increase equity and inclusion in the classroom.

Identity, Inclusion, and How We Know What We Know – September 26
In this session, we explored ways in which various identities and affinities may connect to learning habits and assumptions about the learning process. We discussed questions such as, How do one’s various identities affect the way a learning task is regarded and worked through? How might we as instructors encourage students to recognize aspects of themselves that are pertinent to the way they think about learning and the way they confront challenges intrinsic to our given discipline? Slides: Columbia affiliates can access session presentation slides. Resources informing this session: CTL’s Metacognition portal, Tanner (2012), “Promoting Student Metacognition“,  Lee et. al. (2017),Teaching Interculturally, and Oyserman & Yan (2017), The World As We Know It: The Culture – Identity – Metacognition Interface.

Motivation & Agency in the Learning Process – October 24
In this session, we discussed how to motivate students to take ownership of their learning processes. We first considered metacognitive impediments that may be experienced by students in a class they do not consider valuable, welcoming, or a setting in which they expected to be efficacious, We then ran through a number of pedagogical strategies to help motivate students and help them develop productive metacognitive habits, such as self-gauging of actual understanding, goal-setting, and a growth mindset. Handouts: The session made use of a student motivation grid adapted from Ambrose et. al. (2010), and strategies and resources are on the session handout. But documents may be accessed by Columbia affiliates.

Bridging the Expert/Novice Divide
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 12:10 PM – 1:25 PM, 212 Butler Library  
This session began with a discussion of the divide between instructors and students as expert and novice learners, respectively. What frustrated us as students when learning a new subject? What are instructors’ blind spots when teaching novice learners? We then sampled the Decoding the Discipline process, which entails instructors identifying bottlenecks in student learning, and conversing with peers outside their discipline to define mental operations that can be modeled for students. Here are slides and the session handout (CU access only).

Teaching Students How To Teach Themselves
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 12:10 PM – 1:25 PM, 212 Butler Library 
In this session, we explored ways to enable students to take firmer control of their learning. What tools, attitudes, and resources do students need to drive their own learning processes? How can instructors equip students to recognize shifts in their metacognitive abilities? Our conversation was coordinated to the Cycle of Self-Directed Learning outlined in Ambrose et. al., (2010), How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Many specific tactics generated by participants and CTL are included in the session slides (CU access only).

Metacognition: Creating Expert Language Learners

Knowing What You Know
October 10, 2018

This session focused on you, the instructor, in two ways. First, we’ll explore what opportunities you give your students to check in on their own progress and explore how helping your students recognize what they know (and what they don’t know) can help you as an instructor. Second, we reflected on the strategies you use to identify gaps in your knowledge and think about how we might share those strategies with students.

Teaching Students To Know What They Know
November 7

In this session, we explored how we teach metacognitive (self-monitoring) strategies to our students to help them build agency and control around their learning and success. We discussed tools to build students’ self-awareness of their language abilities and strategies for cultivating student buy-in to reflective processes like these. In the next session, we’ll explore how issues of identity (e.g. novice or beginner, native speaker or non-native speaker, etc.) factor into the motivations and roadblocks students face.

Growth Mindset and Self-Motivation
Tuesday, February 26, 2019

In this session, we explored through the lens of growth mindset how issues of identity (e.g. novice or beginner, native speaker or non-native speaker, etc.) factor into the motivations and roadblocks students face and how to support students through these hurdles to maximize equity in the classroom. In the next session, we will concentrate on students’ reflection and language practice. How do we cultivate student-driven habits of practicing language skills beyond class time?  

Guiding Language Learning Beyond the Classroom
Tuesday, April 2, 2019

In this session, we focused our discussion on students’ reflection and language practice. How do we cultivate student-driven habits of practicing language skills beyond class time? What role does reflection play in students’ language learning, awareness of their successes, and shifting student self-identity over time?  

Emotions in the Classroom

Instructors and students carry into the classroom a range of emotions, moods, and attitudes that have direct and subtle impact on what students learn and who feels included. What strategies can we adopt to to ward off boredom and discomfort – and instead cultivate enthusiasm, pleasure, and even awe?  Join us to consider experiences from our own classrooms and explore models of motivation, belonging, and marginalization.

Student Emotions in the Classroom
Wednesday, February 14, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
In this session, we considered how the the emotions and motivations that students bring into the classroom directly impact their learning. We discussed findings from research as well as what we’ve seen in our day-to-day experiences to arrive at ways to support students’ emotional development alongside their intellectual growth. Session slides (CU access only)

Instructor Self-care, Full Presence, and Pleasure
Wednesday, March 21, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
In this session, we turned to the emotional life of an instructor leading a class. What can we do to maximize our attention, derive satisfaction, and find pleasure in the act of teaching? We looked at several models and shared insights among ourselves. Session slides and worksheet (CU access only)

Teaching When Marginalized
Wednesday, April 18, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
In our final consideration of emotions in the classroom this semester, we focused on situations when an instructor may feel marginalized in particular classroom settings. In what ways might we assess, acknowledge, and even leverage such feelings of marginalization? Session worksheet (CU access only)

Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Language Classroom

We embrace the diverse identities our students bring to the classroom. How then do we work with our students, their genuine motivation to learn a new language, and their enthusiasm to dive into the cultural products enveloped in that language, when their identities are not represented in our textbooks and class materials? How do we help students navigate a new culture, prepare them for studying abroad, or even prepare them to represent their own identities, if and when the second language lacks the linguistic choices available to them in English.

Part I: Wednesday, February 28, 12-1:30pm in Butler Library Room 212

Part II: Wednesday, April 11, 12-1:30pm in Butler Library Room 212

The theme for Fall 2017 Teachers’ Lounges was Inclusive Grading. All too often, grading is exhausting for instructors – and intimidating or ineffectual for learners. This semester our conversations explored creative approaches to grading that lessen burdens on graders and increase student agency and morale. These Lounges fit broadly into the CTL’s focus this year on ways to inspire students to take more ownership over their own learning.

Inclusive Grading: Leveraging Peer Assessment 
Wednesday, October 11, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
This session focused on peer editing and peer review activities as drivers of learning. After a meta-taste of peer assessment, during which participants reviewed and offered comments on each other’s written statements about the benefits of peer assessment, we shared thoughts and discussed research in this area. In particular, we considered the learning benefits of offering feedback to a peer as well as receiving feedback from a peer. We then turned to consideration of variables in the design of peer assessment activities. Slides: the session presentation slides include a list of pertinent resources. Handouts: Flavors of Peer Review, drawn from John C. Bean’s Engaging Ideas (2011), and Peer Assessment of Group Work, guidance from CTL’s Collaborative Learning workshop series.

Inclusive Grading: Drawing Students into Assessment 
Wednesday, November 8, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
In this session, we considered ways to actively involving students in the assessment of their own work, through tactics such as creative test design, open discussion of the criteria for participation and discussion, and the co-construction and co-application of rubrics or other grading criteria. Slides: the session presentation slides are rounded out with a list of pertinent resources, including AAC&U Value Rubrics. Handout: Building a Rubric, which adapts guidance from Stevens and Levi’s Introduction to Rubrics (2nd ed., 2013).

Inclusive Grading: Trusting Students to Assess Themselves
Wednesday, December 6, 12:00-1:15 pm in Butler Library Room 212
This session will rounded out our conversations for the semester with some thoughts about academic integrity and the advantages (and perils) of giving students control over assessing their own work in a class. After a consideration of the level of trust we have in students’ ability to accurately assess their own work, we considered the efficacy of honor codes (include Columbia College’s honor code), models for student self-grading (such as specification grading and exam self-grading), and the exhortations of educators who have gone gradeless. Slides: the session presentation slides include a list of pertinent resources.

Continuing our exploration of inclusive teaching techniques and challenges, Spring 2017 Teachers Lounges considered approaches to class discussion that genuinely engage a diverse range of students. In what ways can class discussion move beyond a simple call-and-response pattern? When and how can an instructor let students take conversation into unpredictable directions? How do we manage offensive or divisive comments? This semester’s Lounges drew on the work of Stephen Brookfield, Donald Finkel, the University of Michigan’s Center for Research in Learning and Teaching, and the Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education series.

February 15: 50 ways to hold discussion

In this session we may not have gotten through 50 techniques, but we did sample some (Minute Paper, Snowball, Catch the Mistake, Circular Responses, Chalk Talk, Discussion Reflection) from a kaleidoscope of tactics promoted by Stephen Brookfield and Stephen Preskill in Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for University Teachers. Our discussion also referred to research showcased in Jay Howard’s recent. Discussion in the College Classroom: Getting Your Students Engaged and Participating in Person and Online. Session handout: 50 ways to hold discussion

March 1: Beyond ground rules: Cultivating honesty and risk in class discussion

In this session we considered models for priming forthright conversation and licensing intellectual risk-taking during class discussions. What does educational literature suggest — and what do we see really working here at Columbia?  During our meeting we drew up a collective set of ground rules, thought about the virtues of discussing the purpose of discussion at the beginning of a class, considered Columbia’s recently adopted Affirmative Statement regarding freedom of expression, and looked at tactics for facilitating and reframing controversial conversation. Session handout: Facilitating and reframing controversial discussion

March 22: Making the best of difficult discussion

In this session we considered times from our own experiences when class conversation has turned painful or offensive, and looked at situations described by participants in the February, 2016 Inclusive Teaching Forum at Columbia University. Drawing on tactics for planning discussions on controversial topics published by the University of Michigan’s Center for Research in Learning and Teaching as well as the Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education series, participants considered ways to manage difficulties described in these Columbia scenarios — and even leverage them for increased learning.

In Fall 2016, Teachers’ Lounges considered Engaging International Perspectives in the Classroom from various perspectives. Participants considered opportunities and challenges presented by the increasing presence of international instructors, students, and curricula at Columbia and other global universities.  The CTL coordinated with faculty and campus organizations supporting international instructors and students, such as the American Language Program and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, on Teachers’ Lounge conversations about the way global perspectives are facilitating and shaping learning at Columbia. Topics and session materials are below.

• Sept. 28: Perspectives of International Teaching Assistants at Columbia. A discussion of experiences, discoveries, and teaching strategies of international graduate students. What has been surprising about the habits and assumptions of Columbia undergraduates? And how can the insight of international instructors help develop critical perspectives on the American classroom? Alan Kennedy, International Teaching Fellow Coordinator in the American Language Program, joined us for this open conversation. Session slides, scenarios, intercultural pedagogy strategies.
• Oct. 19: Bringing Students into International Spaces. This session discussed the extension of learning activities into “international spaces”. Erica Avrami, Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, shared insight from bringing Columbia students to sites in Haiti, Uganda, and elsewhere; and Reyes Llopis-Garcia, Lecturer in the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, discussed extending international language study into engagement in the ‘super-diverse’ environment of New York City. Our conversation was framed by consideration of what it means to ‘internationalize’ the learning experience. Related resource: Schoorman, D. (2000). What really do we mean by ‘internationalization?’. Contemporary Education, 71(4), 5-11.
• Oct. 26: Academic Ethics across Cultures. This session focused on academic ethics across cultures. Special guest Chia-Ying Sophia Pan, Director of Education, Outreach and International Student Support at the Office for Multicultural Affairs, discussed tactics for clarifying definitions of plagiarism, as well as ways of perceiving and responding to culturally-based confusion around process, values, and authority in the Columbia classroom. Session slides
• Nov. 16: Perspectives of International Undergraduates at Columbia. In this final session, the Lounge will be visited by undergraduate students on the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB). They prepared a video ahead of time, and two ISAB members shared perspectives on being an international College or SEAS student at Columbia these days. Since this Lounge is our first meeting after the 2016 presidential election, we also checked in on that front and previewed upcoming conversations.

In Spring 2016, Teachers’ Lounges were organized around Observing Models of Pedagogy. Participants observed footage of university educators who are noted lecturers and pedagogues, and then reflected on and critiqued their practices. We considered what can be gleaned from how these model instructors engage with a class, and how their particular pedagogical techniques do or do not map over to various disciplines. Watch the model instructors at work and access related materials:

• Michael J. Sandel, Professor of Government at Harvard University – Putting a Price Tag on Life
• Michael Wesch, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University – A Vision of Students Today and From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able
• David Malan, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences – The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth
• Elisa New, Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature at Harvard University – Looking (And Loafing) with Whitman

This semester Teachers’ Lounges were organized around discussions of identity, inclusion, and diversity in the classroom. We are discussing topics such as inclusive curricular design, stereotype threat, social environments in the classroom, disabilities and learning, and the interplay of various identities (race, gender, sexuality, nationality, class) with instruction in various subject area domains.

Instructors and Inclusivity
In the first Lounge of the semester, we thought about how instructors define inclusivity in the classroom, reveal or hide aspects of their own identity, and try to avoid playing favorites. Discussion touched on the Project Implicit website, the newly released study TAs Like Me: Racial Interactions between Teaching Assistants and Undergraduates, and ‘A Little More Every Day’: How You Can Eliminate Bias in Your Own Classroom, a recent advice piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Building Community in the Classroom
During this Lounge, we discussed approaches to building a sense among students of inclusivity, investment, and community in a class. Discussion referred to models promoted by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins in Understanding by Design and by Carol Dweck in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Loungers discussed specific tactics for drawing diverse students into full participation in class, noting complications and perils along the way.

Stereotype Threat
This Lounge considered stereotype threat and its effect on learning. After watching a video of Dr. Claude Steele discussing his research at Columbia University, we discussed visible and invisible identities, and how these identities are affected by threatening and reassuring contingencies in the classroom. Our talk drew on resources available at http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org. Slides accompanying this Lounge are available to Columbia affiliates here.

Documenting Inclusivity
The timing of this Lounge inspired us to tackle strategies for effectively documenting diversity and inclusivity on the academic job market. After sharing some inclusive teaching practices we’ve implemented in our own classes, we considered entry points for writing a diversity statement with our guest facilitator, Isabel Geathers, GSAS Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity. Slides that draw primarily from resources developed by Dean Geathers are available to Columbia affiliates here.

Inclusive Assessment
At a time of the year when many of us were thinking (too much!) about grading, our final Lounge of the semester considered ways to honor variation and difference in the grading process. Our discussion touched on values emerging from the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education, as well as practical ways they can shape ways to assess our students’ learning. Slides from the session drawing from these UDL resources are available to Columbia affiliates here.

In Spring 2015, Teachers’ Lounge discussions focused on unpacking educational buzzwords that find their way into conversations about instructional practices and statements of teaching philosophies. What do we really mean by them? How do they actually apply to specific disciplines? Our conversation moved between published theory and what we have actually observed in classrooms at Columbia and elsewhere.

Read descriptions of the Spring 2015 Teachers’ Lounge gatherings and access relevant resources:

Critical Thinking
A critical look at the term “critical thinking,” with discussion of how this skill is imparted in actual classes across disciplines. Our conversation drew on Stephen Brookfield’s 2012 monograph Teaching for Critical Thinking.

Inclusive Teaching
What do people mean by this term? In what ways do we see it being practiced in classrooms — and in what ways is it not? This discussion helped inform planning for a workshop track series on this topic in the Teaching Center. Our conversation touched on Claude Steele’s 2010 book Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do, as well as resources from the University of Michigan on inclusive teaching.

Teaching Personae
In what ways is teaching performative, and how is authority projected in the classroom — particularly by new teachers? A discussion of the way stereotypes, affect, and various signals of a teacher’s identity shape the learning environment. Some of the conversation drew on Parker Palmer’s 1998 book The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. This Lounge will inform a follow-up faculty panel on the topic in April.

Digital Natives
Do we believe in the notion of “Digital Natives”, and to what extent? Does a student population swaddled in broadband and smartphones learn differently? We will debate claims made by Marc Prensky and others, glance at more recent research on computers and cognition, and trade observations about how technology is affecting classroom interaction. Our conversation drew on Michelle Miller’s 2014 book Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology.

Understanding
The last Teachers’ Lounge of the semester considered the utility of final exams, papers, and project. Why do we put students through these paces? Do they really measure what we mean to teach? Do they show us what students truly understand? Our conversation will draw on claims about ‘understanding’ that are made in Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.