Leveraging Learning Spaces Seminar (for grad students)

Though the realm of the senses, movement, and the physical spaces in which we teach and learn may feel beyond the purview of our own instructional design and control, in fact, learning spaces and the bodies that inhabit them exert powerful influences on learning. This in mind, instructors can make intentional interventions to their pedagogical practices, classrooms, and syllabi to foster student learning and engagement (Hrach, 2021).

What might it look like to intentionally engage this physical context of learning (Huse, 2005) in our instructional design? If this question interests you, we encourage you to join the CTL for a novel seminar, Leveraging Learning Spaces, in order to:

• Explore how the body affects learning by discussing concepts such as embodied cognition, sensory learning, and the relationship between physical health, context, and learning outcomes
• Observe and critically reflect on the ways in which the design and use of learning spaces can support–or hinder–pedagogical goals and interventions and identify strategies to engage or interrupt what Monahan (2005) terms the “built pedagogy” of a learning environment
• Consider possibilities and resources for learning beyond the classroom; and articulate a range of strategies to employ and advocate change-oriented practices in your future teaching assignments

In this novel offering, participants will engage in activities designed to both reflect on and experience the physical context of learning, including individual exercises, group discussions, and focused observations. Through these activities, participants will articulate dimensions of a pedagogical practice that is both emplaced (i.e., one that recognizes, leverages, and intervenes in the physical setting of learning) and embodied (i.e., one that is responsive and sensitive to the physical and sensorial contexts of cognition).

This seminar, designed and facilitated by Caitlin DeClercq, Senior Assistant Director of Graduate Student Programs and Services at the CTL, will meet five successive Mondays beginning Monday March 25 (all dates: Monday March 25, April 1, 8, 15, and 22), 10:10am-12pm, in room 212 Butler Library. Due to space constraints, participation in this seminar is by application only. Applications will be available on the CTL website beginning Monday, February 19 and will be due Monday March 4, 2024. Please contact the CTL with any questions in the meantime: CTLgrads@columbia.edu.

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This workshop counts as an Intensive Seminar for participants enrolled in the Teaching Development Program. 

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu for accommodations. This event may be photographed. For concerns, contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu.