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Pedagogy

Learner-centered approaches to learning and teaching that engage lived experiences and social identities in meaningful ways throughout the curriculum.

Overview

Pedagogy, broadly speaking, refers to the methods, theories, and practices of learning and teaching. At the Searle Center, we specifically ground our practices, programs, and events within the principles of inclusive pedagogy—the approach to learning and teaching that centers learners’ lived experiences and social identities when developing teaching methods, assessments and evaluations, and other elements of course design.

Programs

Our programs offer the Northwestern community a variety of ways to develop teaching skills, enhance student learning, and find community. The following programs will spark your curiosity about pedagogy.

CDI logo on rainbow tile banner

Course Design Institute

An annual immersive three-day course design institute centered on developing a new Canvas-ready syllabus for the upcoming academic year, driven by inclusive, evidence-based practices, iterative discussion, and reflective learning communities.
Learn More and Register

Reflective & Effective Teaching

Reflective & Effective Teaching offers a unique cohort-based learning community for graduate students and postdocs who aspire to improve student learning in their disciplines. Applicants, who are selected as teacher-scholars, can choose from our traditional three-quarter sequence of seminars and special-topics workshops or engage on a quarterly basis, selecting seminars and artifacts that align with their stage of teaching, availability, and goals.

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Reflective Teaching Guides

Reflective Teaching Guides further their pedagogical development by mentoring their peers in Reflective and Effective Teaching (RET).

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Formative Feedback Partners

Formative Feedback Partners are graduate students, postdocs, and faculty trained in leading Small Group Analyses, conducting Teaching Observations, and facilitating End-of-Term Focus Groups to provide evidence-based, formative feedback on teaching. Throughout the academic year, Formative Feedback Partners participate in a learning community in which they engage in discussions and activities to deepen their skills in providing written and verbal formative feedback.

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Academic Kickoff

The Academic Kickoff features interactive, informative sessions designed to facilitate graduate student and postdoc transitions to teaching roles at Northwestern University. Kickoff events are held every fall and spring.

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Supporting Student Success

Part of of the University Practicum,initiative, the Supporting Student Success Practicum (SSSP) is a flexible, three-week online program designed for instructors of all levels, backgrounds, and teaching contexts. More information about this year's iteration coming soon.

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Learning & Teaching Guides

Guides created by or in collaboration with the Searle Center to help educators explore and advance their pedagogies.

Explore our Open Educational Resources for in-depth, on-demand pedagogical development.

In Our Library

A curated list of recommended books related to pedagogy available at the Menges Library, located in the Searle Center.


Further Resources

Our current recommendations for both foundational and leading-edge content related to pedagogy.

  • “Developing a Pedagogy That Supports Intercultural Competence.” ASHE Higher Education Report, 38(2), 45–63.’

Awards & Grants

Northwestern University recognizes educators and researchers doing innovative work. The following list includes opportunities which we believe dovetail with work related to pedagogy.

Calendar of Events

Below are all of our upcoming events related to pedagogy.

Jan
24
2025

Efficient and Equitable Grading and Feedback for STEM TAs

1:00 PM627 Dartmouth Place, 627 Dartmouth Place
Are you interested in gaining more skills around generating rubrics and grading schemes and how to apply existing gradin...
Feb
4
2025

2025 Supporting Student Success Practicum (SSSP) Pre-Practicum Keynote

All day
This virtual event (open to Northwestern University faculty, staff, and students) kicks off the 2024-25 Supporting Stude...
Feb
4
2025

2025 Winter Supporting Student Success Practicum (SSSP)

All day
The Supporting Student Success Practicum is an online series of sessions designed to deepen understanding of the multipl...
Feb
6
2025

Inclusive Teaching Reading Group (Principle 1: Social Identities)

10:00 AM
During the month of February, the Searle Center is hosting an inclusive teaching reading group online from 10:00-11:00am...
Feb
13
2025

Inclusive Teaching Reading Group (Principle 2: Clear Standards & Expectations)

10:00 AM
During the month of February, the Searle Center is hosting an inclusive teaching reading group online from 10:00-11:00am...
Feb
20
2025

Inclusive Teaching Reading Group (Principle 3: Varied Ways to Demonstrate Learning)

10:00 AM
During the month of February, the Searle Center is hosting an inclusive teaching reading group online from 10:00-11:00am...
Feb
20
2025

Strategies for Providing Feedback in the Humanities and Social Sciences

11:00 AM627 Dartmouth Place, 627 Dartmouth Place
Interested in learning about and discussing evidence-based strategies for providing student feedback? During this worksh...

Campus Partners

We are proud to collaborate with and work alongside the following Northwestern University offices and organizations on pedagogy.

Contact Us

Reach out to us at teach@northwestern.edu.