AFVS 330R: Teaching Workshop
Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
5:00–7:00 p.m. in CCVA 402 (see Schedule below)
Facilitator:
Mahan Moalemi <mahanmoalemi@g.harvard.edu>
Pedagogy Fellow in Art, Film, and Visual Studies
AFVS 330R is something between a forum, a workshop, a brainstorming session, and group therapy; it is an opportunity to practice, to kvetch, to imagine, to debrief, to steal, and otherwise manage the often daunting task of starting to become the teacher we want to be, as well as to become a better version of the teacher that we already are. The aim is to facilitate cohort- and community-building among peers and hold space for face-to-face communication with as little institutional filtering as possible.
This Teaching Workshop is structured loosely to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for responding to the challenges and fears that Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants confront in (and around) their classrooms. It is also a place for exploring professional development at the intersection of teaching and research as well as considering pedagogy as an area of critical reflection and engagement in the arts and beyond.
In addition to TAs and G3+ student workers, G1s and G2s are also welcome and encouraged to participate in the workshop as there are many generative overlaps and reciprocities between the teaching and learning sides of the academic life. It should also not go unmentioned that, in the spirit of collegial informality, refreshments and snacks will be provided during the workshop sessions.
Objectives: During these workshop sessions, TFs and TAs will have the chance to
- connect with each other in person and grow a network of peers.
- learn tips and tricks for many aspects of teaching, including lecturing, leading discussions, grading, providing feedback, and meeting with students.
- learn tips and tricks for many aspects of teaching and assisting with studio art and filmmaking courses.
- share successes and challenges from their classrooms.
- seek peer-to-peer advice on potential challenges and conflicts with the course head.
- share and discuss strategies for approaching professional opportunities in and beyond academia, including how to design syllabi and write teaching statements or curatorial cover letters.
Primary Resources: Linked below are helpful materials that you can consult on your own at any and every stage of your journey as TFs and TAs. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions about additional resources.
- Where Do I Go? is a roadmap/quick guide to know where to go for your different teaching needs and support.
- Hit the Ground Running is a centralized repository designed for TFs and TAs, also available as a handbook.
- Teaching Timeline is a step-by-step guide with supplemental resources for navigating the teaching process, from pre-term to after the course ends.
Class/Video Observation
The PF in AFVS provides peer observations and video consultations to TFs and TAs in the department. These are voluntary, non-evaluative opportunities for you to learn how someone standing in the role of a student experiences your teaching and classroom environment. In a peer observation, the PF shadows a class in person; in a video consultation, you record a class, and we watch it together. In both cases, the goals are for you to
- learn how to read your class and understand how your students are learning.
- expand your pedagogical repertoire by brainstorming additional approaches and techniques you might use.
- walk away with one or two things to work on; and 4) see what’s wonderful about your teaching, so that you can make a conscious choice to keep doing those things.
To schedule a peer observation or video consultation, please send me an email or fill out this form: https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/class-observations-grad
Microteaching / Knowledge Drop
Participants will have the opportunity to practice teaching a concept, image, film clip, or tidbit of information for five to ten minutes; the topic can be a slice of the course content you’d like to test-run in advance of teaching it to undergraduates, or can relate to your current research and reading. As each participant takes their turn to practice, others play the role of students and later share their feedback regarding the clarity or efficacy of the microteaching presentation. The role of the PF is to help with preparing for the exercise and facilitate the following discussion. These knowledge drops are not assignments to be evaluated, but rather low-stakes opportunities to try something out among friends and colleagues, to develop pedagogical skills and build confidence. Please get in touch with the PF if you’d like to sign up for a microteaching exercise.
Schedule
Fall 2023
August 22 - September 8
September 12
How to facilitate group discussions
September 26
How to facilitate group crits in studio art classrooms:
Workshop with Kianja Strobert, Assistant Professor of AFVS
October 10
How to help students read
October 24
How to help (studio art) students with the analysis of art:
Workshop with Matt Saunders, Professor of AFVS
November 7
How to collect and incorporate student feedback
November 28
How to help students with the analysis of film:
Workshop with Tom Conley, Abbott Lawrence Lowell Professor of AFVS and of Romance Languages and Literatures
December 5
How to grade papers and provide written feedback:
Workshop with Jonah Johnson, Assistant Director of Writing Pedagogy at the Bok Center
Spring 2024
February 26
How to design a syllabus (Introduction):
Workshop with Chloe Chapin, Assistant Director of Course Development at the Bok Center
March 18
How to write a Teaching Statement:
Workshop with Rebecca Miller Brown, Assistant Director of Graduate Student Programming at the Bok Center
March 25
How to write a Diversity Statement:
Workshop with Ashlie Sandoval-Lee, Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion at the Bok Center
April 9
How to design a syllabus (Exercise):
Workshop with Chloe Chapin, Assistant Director of Course Development at the Bok Center