Reflective and Effective Teaching (RET)
Reflective & Effective Teaching offers a unique cohort-based learning community for graduate students and postdocs from any discipline who aspire to improve student learning.
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.
Overview
Our revamped and reimagined Teaching Certificate Program (TCP), Reflective & Effective Teaching offers a unique cohort-based learning community for graduate students and postdocs from any discipline who aspire to improve student learning. 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 the development of artifacts that align with their stage of teaching, availability, and goals. In either approach to participation, teacher-scholars are supported by both peer and faculty mentoring. Graduate students who are accepted into the program can opt to receive a zero-credit course notation on their transcript upon completion of the quarterly requirements for each quarter they enroll through TGS.
In the first quarter of the program, teacher-scholars will reflect on different pedagogical frameworks and what it means to create an inclusive, learner-centered course design and learning environment. In the following quarter, they will examine the components of an effective course design and teaching plan. Teacher-scholars will also discuss the everyday practices employed in their classrooms by exploring the learning process and how to facilitate it using various methods of teaching. Finally, they will focus on developing meaningful and manageable assessments to gauge student learning and motivate students' engagement with course material.
Throughout the program, teacher-scholars will read and discuss literature on learning and teaching, meet in small disciplinarily aligned project groups led by a Reflective Teaching Guide, meet with their chosen faculty mentor, attend workshops focused on specific aspects of learning and teaching, and participate in seminars to guide the development of their authentic artifacts (e.g., teaching statement). By the end of each quarter, participants will have developed and received feedback on their artifacts associated with the quarterly themes, which models the practice of “authentic assessment” developed by educational reformer Grant Wiggins. These implementable artifacts will demonstrate emerging understanding of approaches to learning and teaching. Participants will have the opportunity to develop an e-portfolio that showcases their approaches and philosophies regarding learning and teaching.
Graduate students or postdoctoral fellows from any program may apply. Participants will derive the most benefits when they:
- Are in residence at Northwestern for the quarter they will participate in Reflective & Effective Teaching
- Engage in a substantive teaching experience at some point during or soon after the program OR have a potential teaching context (e.g., course you might teach someday) they could focus on during Reflective & Effective Teaching
Faculty Mentors
Mentoring is an important aspect of Reflective & Effective Teaching. Participants are required to work with a faculty mentor throughout the quarter to discuss issues related to learning and teaching in their disciplines.
Contact Us
Erika Nadile, Assistant Director of Interdisciplinary Connections
Erika.Nadile@northwestern.edu