‘Teaching Difference and Power’
Teaching in Response to the Election
Nov. 10, 2016—by Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director Before and certainly after Tuesday’s election, there has been much discussion in higher education about the incivilities and conflicts of this electoral season, and the potential impacts they are having on our students, particularly those students who are least represented on our campuses and most vulnerable to trauma. Many...
Claiming Your Authority in the Classroom
Sep. 28, 2016—by Cynthia Brame, CFT Assistant Director One of the most persistent questions about college teaching is how to establish authority while being student-centered and giving your students voice. It ranks right up there with—and is related to—questions about how to engage students. For a scholarly perspective, we can turn to a model proposed by Paul...
New and Continuing Learning Communities at the CFT
Aug. 16, 2016—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director The CFT hosts a number of learning communities, intended for members of Vanderbilt’s teaching community interested in meeting over time to develop deeper understandings and richer practices around particular teaching and learning topics. This year’s learning communities are: Teaching and Social Class – The CFT continues its attention to issues...
Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit with Dr. Lisa Guenther: Tuesday, Oct 20th
Oct. 14, 2015—Lisa Guenther, Associate Professor of Philosophy PHIL 2110: Contemporary Philosophy: Critical Responses to Mass Incarceration Lisa Guenther is Associate Professor of Philosophy. In PHIL 2110: Contemporary Philosophy: Critical Responses to Mass Incarceration, she engages students in critical discussions of the issues raised by mass incarceration in the US, and as she states, “asking both what...
From the Director
Sep. 11, 2015—Think, Pair, Share. It’s a simple approach to engaging students in class discussions. Instead of asking a question of your class and waiting for a few students to respond, ask students to think about the question silently for thirty seconds, then pair up and discuss their responses for a minute or two. When you ask...
Be Part of the Teaching, Gender, and Sexuality Learning Community
Sep. 4, 2015—All year, the CFT continues its attention to issues of teaching, difference, and power by organizing a learning community on Teaching, Gender, and Sexuality. The hope for the group is to have a dynamic discussion of, both the many issues that arise when teaching a student body of varied gendered and sexual identities, and how...
A Panel Discussion on Diversity in STEM, June 2nd, 2:30-4:00pm
May. 28, 2015—Next week, the Black Engineering PhDs project is hosting a multi-disciplinary panel discussion on diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). From the announcement: “On June 2, 2015, at 2:30 pm, there will be an all-star group of scholars assembled for an open conversation on the challenges and the potential solutions to address diversity...
CFT Teaching Guides Week: Day 2
May. 19, 2015—Day 2: Teaching Students with Disabilities Students of all abilities and backgrounds want classrooms that are inclusive and convey respect. For those students with disabilities, the classroom setting may present certain challenges that need accommodation and consideration. – “Teaching Students with Disabilities” CFT Teaching Guide Today’s featured teaching guide is “Teaching Students with Disabilities“,...
CFT Teaching Guides Week: Day 1
May. 18, 2015—Here at the Center for Teaching, we’re always having conversations around best teaching practices that promote student learning, and we look to develop content that shares these reflections and conversations in the form of our teaching guides and blog posts. Now that the academic year has come to a “close”, we’re excited to look back...
From the Director: Teaching, Difference, and Power Symposium in Review
May. 11, 2015—By Derek Bruff, CFT Director On April 21st, the Center for Teaching held a symposium as the final event in our “Teaching, Difference, and Power” theme year. The CFT selected this theme for 2014-15 as a way to explore the challenges all educators face in negotiating difference and power in their classrooms. When we selected...