Foundations of Pedagogy Program

The Foundations of Pedagogy is a program designed for UBC graduate students and postdocs from all disciplines. At the end of the one-term course, participants will be able to use concepts in evidence-based teaching to effectively teach a lesson in an undergraduate classroom, with an emphasis on alignment of learning objectives, activities and assessment. UBC graduate students and postdocs from all disciplines are invited to participate. 

Successful completion involves participation in 7 out of 8 classes including pre-work, teaching one 10 minute mini-lesson and writing a first draft of your teaching portfolio. Upon completion, you will be awarded CIRTL Associate status.

Max group size is 20. Sign up by August 22, 2020. If your application is successful and you are selected as a participant you will be contacted by email with more details to attend the course. 

Course Schedule

Exemplary course schedule from September 2018. Final schedule subject to changes.

Week 1: Introduction to STEM teaching

Learning Objectives:

• Formulate your individual teaching development goals
• Reflect on your teaching teaching philosophy

Week 2: How People Learn (Theories of Learning)

Learning Objectives:

• Relate theories of learning to your own experience.
• Contrast novice and experts approaches to learning
• Describe how students’ prior knowledge and metacognition influence learning

Pre-Reading:

• Bransford (2000) Learning: From Speculation to Science
• Ross (2006) The Expert Mind
• Dweck (2015) The Remarkable Reach of Growth Mindsets

Week 3: Designing Well Aligned Lessons

Learning Objectives:

• Formulate a learning objective for your STEM mini lesson
• Develop well aligned active learning and assessment techniques
• Give and receive meaningful feedback on any lesson plan

Week 4: Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives:

• Design realistic, achievable, measurable and student-centered learning objectives
• Analyze any learning objective with respect to Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Pre-Reading:

• Ambrose (2010) How Learning Works Appendix D
• O’Neill (2010) Biology Implementation of Blooming Tool
• Dunham (2015) Statistics Implementation of Blooming Tool
• Simon & Taylor (2009) What is the Value of Course-specific Goals?
• Krathwohl (2002) A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Week 5: Active Learning

Learning Objectives:

• Describe several common STEM active learning strategies
• Evaluate active learning strategies in light of theories of learning

Pre-Reading:

• Freeman (2014) Active Learning Increases Student Performance in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
• Jones (2007) Reconsidering the Lecture
• Wieman (2014) Large Scale Comparison of Science Teaching Methods Sends Clear Message
• Hake (1998) Interactive engagement vs traditional lecture – a six-thousand student survey

Week 6: Assessment that Support Student Learning

Learning Objectives:

• Describe several assessment techniques and recognize their alignment with particular types of learning goals.
• Evaluate assessment techniques as learning/feedback opportunities

Pre-Reading:

• Key points from Gibbs and Simpson (CWSEI, 2015) Assessments that Support Student Learning
• Gilley and Clarkston (2014) Collaborative Testing: Evidence of Learning in a Controlled In-Class Study of Undergraduate Students
• WNCP (2006) Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind; Section II

Week 7: Learning Through Diversity

Learning Objectives:

• Define diversity, equity and inclusion, and their implications for the classroom
• Implement strategies for creating equitable and inclusive classrooms

Pre-Reading:

• Kivel (2004) The Culture of Power
• Tanner (2013) 21 Teaching Strategies to Promote Inclusivity
• Winkelmes (2016) A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Student’s Success

Week 8: Teaching Portfolio

Learning Objectives:

• Refine your statement of teaching philosophy
• Identify at least one idea for each component of your teaching portfolio
• Define at least 1 next-step to preparing your teaching portfolio

Pre-Reading:

• Grundman (2006) Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
• Vanderbilt University Online Guide on Teaching Philosophy Statements
• White & Conrod (2016) pIs nothing sacred? Our personal teaching philosophies have been plagiarized

Instructors:

• Joseph Topornycky, Manager, Graduate Student Program
• Katharina Rothe, Postdoctoral Fellow, BC Cancer Agency

REGISTRATION

Sign up by August 22, 2020. If your application is successful and you are selected as a participant you will be contacted by email with more details to attend the course.