Faculty Discussion Series on Difficult Conversations in the Classroom
Tuesday, February 27, Noon - 12:50 PM
(720 SciLi only)
Lunch available at 12:50 PM

We teach in difficult times. Using Parker Palmer's The Courage to Teach, this series will engage Brown instructors in reflecting on why we teach, who we are as teachers, and how we can engage our students in sometimes difficult conversations in our classrooms. Participants are welcome to attend just one meeting of the series or all of them. Each meeting will be co-facilitated by Mary Wright (Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning and Professor [Research] in Sociology) and a guest facilitator. We will reflect on purpose-related themes raised in the book -- why we teach and who we are as teachers -- while "trying on" different discussion approaches. 

On Tuesday, February 27, please join us for a discussion co-facilitated with Rashid Zia (Dean of the College and Professor of Engineering and Physics). Participants are encouraged to read a chapter from The Courage to Teach in advance but prior reading is not required. (Reading information will be emailed in advance to registrants.) Brown community members can find an electronic copy of the book in Brown's library.
Space is limited - please register.

CIRTL Series: Research Mentor Training
This series is sponsored as part of Brown’s participation in CIRTL, a national network of research university online professional development programs. In this program, postdocs and graduate students will work with a community of peers and facilitators to develop and improve their research mentoring skills. This five-week seminar, which starts February 21, is built on the evidenced-based Entering Mentoring curriculum course that is offered by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). To register or check out other CIRTL programs, please see: https://cirtl.net/events/.

Decolonizing STEM Reading Group
Open to all members of the Brown community

To advance equity and inclusion in STEM, we need to focus on anti-racist and decolonized pedagogies to reach those students who are marginalized by systems of oppression. The goals for this reading group are to:

• Begin to develop a theoretical foundation on how to decolonize STEM learning spaces

• Integrate new decolonization concepts into current STEM programming and teaching

• Develop new programming that explicitly addresses how to decolonize our STEM teaching

The book we will be reading for the Spring 2024 term, which will be provided at no cost to participants through a grant from the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, is "Native presence and sovereignty in college: Sustaining Indigenous weapons to defeat systemic monsters" by Dr. Amanda R. Tachine.

Please sign up by February 19 so we can start at the beginning of March!

STEM Ed Fridays
Fridays, Noon - 1:00 PM
SciLi 720 (lunch provided) and Zoom

Are you interested in discussing STEM education at Brown? STEM Ed Friday is a vibrant learning community where STEM instructors and staff members share ideas, experiences, and challenges related to STEM education. 

Friday, February 9: What would change in your course if you stopped giving grades on assignments? In this session, Dr. Monica Linden will share her experience implementing ungrading in her courses and the impact it has on student learning. We recommend you read this article in advance: A professor shares the benefits and drawbacks of ungrading (opinion). Register here.

Friday, February 23: In this session, we will discuss a recent article on humanizing STEM education. We recommend you read this article in advance: Humanizing STEM education: An Ecological Systems Framework for educating the whole student. Register here.

For more information, please contact sheridan_center@brown.edu.

Faculty Writing Group

Open to all faculty and staff
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:50 AM; Starts February 9
Zoom

Faculty of any rank and staff are invited to participate in a Faculty Writing Group. Writing groups can be an invaluable source of motivation and accountability, and the Faculty Writing Group is a “guilt-free” group that prioritizes spending time in community and goal-setting together. Each group meeting begins with a brief goal-setting exercise and concludes with a short reflective conversation. Writing projects can be any works in progress and historically have ranged widely from articles to dissertations to letters of reference. Questions can be directed to Jeremy Lehnen (Center for Language Studies; Provost’s Faculty Teaching Fellow) at jeremy_lehnen@brown.edu.
Please register.

Large Class Learning Community

The Large Class Learning Community is an interdisciplinary group of faculty members that meets monthly to discuss issues surrounding the teaching of high-enrollment classes. If you are interested in joining these conversations, please contact Provost Faculty Teaching Fellow and Economics Senior Lecturer Brad Gibbs (bradford_gibbs@brown.edu) to be placed on the contact list. You'll also be added to the group's shared Google Drive which contains notes from previous year's meetings.

Creating a Teaching Portfolio

This online, self-paced Canvas workshop from the Sheridan Center guides participants through the process of writing a teaching statement and creating a teaching portfolio. This workshop culminates with the opportunity for graduate students and postdocs to receive peer feedback on a draft teaching portfolio.

Designing and Teaching for Online

This online self-paced Canvas tutorial guides Brown instructors through the design or redesign of an online or hybrid course. There are three pathways (Developing an Online Course, Structuring an Online Course in Canvas, and Teaching an Online Course) that allow instructors to work through the sections at their own pace based on their own needs and interests. The tutorial can be accessed anytime with this direct link (you must be logged into your Brown Canvas account): Designing and Teaching for Online