LC, Sess 1: Access, Activism, & Teaching Research to Undergrads (GR)

CTLgrads Learning Community (for graduate students): Access and Activism: Teaching Research Skills in the Undergraduate Classroom, Session 1
Understanding and practicing academic research is central to the work of any graduate student. Yet it is rarely explicitly an element of our pedagogy. Why is that? What’s lost when we overlook the radical potential of research in our teaching practice? What implicit assumptions shape our teaching of research skills, and how can a more capacious idea of research challenge these assumptions in support of students developing their own research practices for understanding themselves and the world?

This Learning Community explores the pedagogical benefits to be gained from explicit reflection on how we teach research methods–broadly defined–in undergraduate courses. These two sessions will focus on two important elements of teaching research in the classroom that apply across disciplines and fields. In the first session, we will talk about access: how might our current (perhaps implicit) research pedagogies limit student access, or close off student experiences and knowledge? How can we teach research through a non-punitive methodology that builds on students’ existing abilities and empowers them to join an academic conversation? Our second session will focus on the larger stakes of teaching research skills. Why is it important for students to learn research skills? What relevance does it have for students’ lives? How can instructors resist the de-politicizing way in which research is typically taught to and understood by undergraduates? We’ll consider these questions, and more, in a Learning Community focused on both reflective discussion and practical teaching strategies. This Learning Community is designed and faciliated by Kevin Windhauser and Yarran Hominh, Senior Lead Teaching Fellows at the Center for Teaching and Learning.

This is a two-part Learning Community; Session 2 will convene Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 2:40-3:55pm. Attendance at both sessions is strongly encouraged. As a complement to these sessions, participants will be asked to complete self-guided, asynchronous materials online prior to each session. Additional information will be shared with registrants at least 2 weeks in advance of Session 1.

This session counts as a pedagogy workshop for the Teaching Development Program (TDP).

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu for accommodations. During this online event, CTL staff may take screenshots. For concerns, contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu.

Event Contact Information:
CTL Graduate Student Programs and Services
CTLgrads@columbia.edu