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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.

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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Quarterly Academic Kickoff Events

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

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STEM Teaching MOOC-Centered Learning Community

Learn about STEM teaching through online courses and a campus learning community. Graduate students, postdocs, and faculty are invited to concurrently participate in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and MOOC-Centered Learning Community (MCLC).

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Mentored Discussions of Teaching

Mentored Discussions of Teaching (MDT) is designed to engage STEM and SBE graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in discussions with faculty about teaching and learning.

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Universal Design for Learning Practicum

This is a three-week, cohort-based online program designed for participants to reflect on the evolving needs of students and instructors, with an emphasis on mental health.

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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.

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.

Apr
3
2024

Facilitating Inclusive Discussions

10:00 AM627 Dartmouth Place, 627 Dartmouth Place
This workshop will help participants develop strategies for facilitating inclusive discussions, both in terms of encoura...
Apr
8
2024

2024 Spring RAP Learning Lab: Alternative Grading for Course Design

All day
Interested in developing or redesigning an assignment or course using contract grading, ungrading, specs grading, or a c...
Apr
8
2024

2024 Spring Reimagining Assessment Practicum (RAP)

All day
The Reimagining Assessment Practicum is a three-week online series of sessions designed for participants to learn more a...
Apr
29
2024

Providing Effective Feedback to Students: STEM and Social Sciences Perspectives

12:00 PM627 Dartmouth Place, 627 Dartmouth Place
During this workshop, participants will consider different methods of providing effective feedback on a variety of stude...

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.