Teaching Gradually

“The authors in this volume are generous in offering readers a seat in their classrooms. Their willingness to share their insights, innovative practices, perspectives on how best to promote learning, and useful 'hacks' will invigorate your teaching wherever you are in the career span.

What I find so persuasive about this volume is that it lifts the conversation on teaching development from a unidirectional expert-to-novice perspective to a side-by-side one of peers. And, by bringing together a wide array of contributors representing a range of institutions, they reshape the community from intra-institutional to inter-institutional membership.

The editors and authors of this volume are generally starting out now on their teaching careers and already deeply embrace the power of a community of teachers. The genesis of this collection came out of the values they found they shared as a graduate students and post-doctoral fellows preparing for their careers: curiosity about learning, mutual support, and shared love of teaching as they each experimented, innovated, and evolved. With this volume, they invite us to join this community, as well.

With this collection we move from others writing about the graduate student experience in learning to teach to hearing graduate student teaching assistants speaking for themselves. Together, they invite the reader into a collegial and generous dialogue that I believe will resonate with readers across disciplines, career stages, and institution types.”

Mathew L. Ouellett - Executive Director, Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University

"Teaching Gradually is a unique resource for graduate student instructors at all levels. In brief, highly readable chapters, the authors draw on the wisdom of their practice grounded in pedagogical research and the unique positionality of graduate students as teachers. Readers will find themselves returning regularly to this volume for field-tested discussions of teaching contexts as varied as discussions, labs, field experiences, and undergraduate research, with a welcome and timely emphasis on diversity and inclusion."

Matt Kaplan - Executive Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan

“The most important reform of graduate education over the past three decades has been the increased preparation of graduate students planning careers in the professoriate in the teaching and mentoring of undergraduate students. Both inspiring and practical, Teaching Gradually is a sophisticated work and evidence itself of how far the movement to prepare future faculty has progressed. This thoughtful, well-planned volume will be an indispensable companion on the journey to becoming a professor ready to engage today’s students.”

Leo M. Lambert - President Emeritus and Professor, Elon University

"Grounded, engaging, and thorough! Teaching Gradually provides a plethora of evidence-based strategies for any new (or even seasoned) instructor. The example teaching practices and professional development approaches apply across the disciplines, and are made even more powerful coming from graduate student teachers who understand that context best. The diverse voices and chapter formats make for an interesting read. An excellent resource for a college teaching course or for supervisors to read with their graduate students. Thank you for this book!"

Donna Ellis - Director of the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and Past President of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network

"Teaching Gradually is an exciting collection of essays about the theory and practice of teaching in higher education, written for graduate students (who are new to teaching) by other graduate students (who have become experienced teachers). The book includes 42 chapters addressing critically important teaching topics, ranging from ways to implement effective pedagogical practices relevant to a wide array of learners and contexts to assessment of student learning and strategies for self-reflection. As near-peers, the chapter authors speak directly from their various disciplinary perspectives, discussing what they know from theory, research, and practice, and providing specific practical examples from their own teaching experiences. I highly recommend this book to all graduate students who are eager to be effective, stimulating, and innovative teachers. This engaging and well-written book is filled with evidence-based strategies that will help teachers in higher education excel!"

Ann E. Austin - University Distinguished Professor of Higher Education and Interim Dean, College of Education, Michigan State University

Foreword—Mathew Ouellett
Preface
Introduction

Part One: The Science Behind Learning

1) Opportunities and Precarities of Active Learning Approaches for Graduate Student Instructors — Diana Rose Newby
2)  Introducing Metacognition (or Thinking About Your Thinking) in the Classroom — Stephany Santos
3) Teaching Students How to Effectively Take Notes — Julia Nolte and Hamid B. Turker
4) What Do They Already Know? Tackling Differences in Students' Prior Knowledge —Aditya Anupam

Part Two: The Instructional Role of Graduate Student Instructors

Developing a Teaching Identity
5) The Not-So-Smooth Transition From Teaching Assistant to Instructor of Record — Becky Tang
6) Teaching Practices Advocating Against Gender Bias and Combatting Impostor Syndrome — Sarah Klanderman and Reshma Menon
Leading Discussions and Holding Office Hours
7) Using Deliberate Practice to Help Students Learn From Discussion — Cory Davia
8) Standing-Room-Only Office Hour Strategies — Rachel Bristol
Conducting Lab Sessions
9) Supporting Inquiry and Inclusion in Science Labs —Danny Doucette
10) An Innovative, Interactive Class Design for an Engineering Laboratory — Amir Saeidi
Navigating Studio-Based Pedagogy
11) Teaching History for the Studio: Engaging Studio-Based Students — Athanasiou Geolas
12) Teaching Interdisciplinary Travel Studio Courses: Practical Experiences From the Urban Humanities —Jonathan Banfill
Serving as an Instructor of Record
13) Creating New Courses Using Backward Design — Jessica Kansky and Jessica Taggart
14) Teaching in the Moment: Lessons From Improv — Alexander Bower
15) The Power of Productive Struggle — Arielle Grim-McNally
16) Using Mastery Objective to Foster Inclusive Teaching — Sean Colonna
17) Making Groupwork Work — Valentin B. Küchle and Jihye Hwang
18) Is This Above My Pay Grade? Turning a Cheating Scandal Into a Teaching Moment — Dean Jordan
19) Difficult Conversations in Class: How Not to Panic — Kirsten Darby Smith
Incorporating Technology in the Classroom
20) Tackling the Challenges of the Online Classroom: Student Motivation and Active Learning — Dana Simionescu
21) Facilitating Meaningful Interactions in Synchronous Online Courses — Jack Ryan Sturm
22) Setting Digital Projects in Undergraduate Courses — Krithika Vachali and John Wyatt Greenlee

Part Three: The Inclusive Classroom
Empowering All Learners

23) Building Rapport: How Active Learning Strategies Create Inclusivity in the First-Year Classroom — Stephen Reaugh
24) Transparent and Flexibile Teaching for the Inclusive Classroom — Dana Mirsalis
25) UDL Practices: Contextual Difference and the Difference It Makes — Maya Hey
26) Beyond Group Discussions: Differentiated Instruction in the College Writing Classroom —Sara Lovett
Utilizing the Strength of a Diverse Classroom
27) Increasing Diversity, Decreasing Alienation: Teaching Liberal Arts Courses to Diverse Student Bodies — Lindsey Peterson
28) Embracing the Value of Cultural Wealth From Underrepresented Groups — Edgar Virguez
Overcoming Instructor Challenges
29) Renegotiating Power in Teaching and Learning: Feminist Pedagogical Practices for an Inclusive Composition Classroom — Alex Brostoff and Marlena Gittleman
30) Making My Classroom Accessible for Me: Digital Practice as Inclusive Pedagogy — Andrew Jenks
31) Positions in Communication: Creating Space for International Graduate Students and Teachers — William Kingsland

Part Four: Assessment of Teaching and Learning

32) Engaging and Assessing Gen Z — Alisha Nypaver
33) Reframing Learning Goals Through Assessment — Rachana Bhave
34) Accretive Method: Feedback for Student Writing Growth — Kailana Durnan and Ariel Martino
35) What Is a Participation Grade? Inclusive Strategies for Engaging Students and Assessing Participation — Valeria Bondura

Part Five: Research Skills for Students

26) Teaching Your Students How to Critically Read the Primary Literature — Lauren A. Genova and Kacie L. Armstrong
37) Multiple Modes of Learning, Multiple Means of Belonging: Special Collections and the Undergraduate Classroom — Gina Marie Hurley
38) Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs): Scaffolding Research and Writing — Lindsey Hendricks-Franco

Part Six: Professional Development and Reflection 
39) Learning by Observing: The Art of an Effective Teaching Observation — Zachary Domach
40) Mentoring Undergraduate Students — Eugene Law
41) Queer Graduate Pedagogies: Destabilizing Power Binaries and Negotiating Authority — Ruth Book and Alex Gatten
42) Feedback: Why You Need It, How to Get It, and What to Do With It —Emily Kerr

Index
Editor and Contributors


 

Kacie L. Armstrong

Kacie L. Armstrong is a visiting assistant professor of psychology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She holds a BA in media and communication studies and a BS in psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, an MA with distinction in film and visual studies from Queen’s University Belfast, and an MA and PhD in psychology from Cornell University. As a researcher, her work focuses on face perception and the emotion of nostalgia. As an educator, her teaching practices are grounded in civic engagement as she guides students in using the power of prose and dialogue to drive social change. Her dedication to innovative and inclusive teaching has been recognized through a dean’s prize for distinguished teaching at Cornell University and the Buttrick-Crippen fellowship, which supported her in developing a new 1st-year writing seminar titled “Promoting Progress Through Psychology.” Outside of academia, she enjoys hiking, writing, and hygge.

Lauren A. Genova

Lauren A. Genova is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. She holds an honors BS degree with distinction in chemistry from the University of Delaware and MS and PhD degrees in chemistry and chemical biology from Cornell University. In addition to conducting research in single-molecule biophysics, she is trained in STEM education research. Over the years, she has facilitated learning in numerous capacities, ranging from instructing undergraduates to leading pedagogy workshops for graduate students, postdoctoral students, and faculty. Her deep commitment to improving the educational experience of undergraduate students has motivated her to serve on chemistry curriculum and diversity committees at both her undergraduate and graduate institutions. She is passionate about using evidence-based teaching strategies to cultivate a welcoming and empowering learning environment for students from all backgrounds.

John Wyatt Greenlee

John Wyatt Greenlee holds a BA in history from Hamilton College; master’s degrees in public affairs (Park University), history (East Tennessee State University), and medieval studies (Cornell University); and a PhD in medieval studies (Cornell University). He studies cartographic and spatial history, and his current research examines the role of eels in medieval and early modern English cultural history. A varied employment history includes a stint with the Pete Seeger–founded quarterly publication Sing Out! Magazine, several summers as a white-water rafting guide, and a decade coaching collegiate volleyball. While at Cornell he was a fellow with the Center for Teaching Innovation for 3 years, and he is particularly interested in kinetic learning techniques and pedagogical innovation as a way to improve students’ interaction with historical materials.

Derina S. Samuel

Derina S. Samuel is the associate director for graduate student development at the Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI), Cornell University. In this capacity, she provides leadership for a variety of graduate programs, including the CTI Graduate Teaching Fellows program and the Teaching Portfolio program. Her teaching experience spans various institutions and courses. Most recently, she led the development and successful launch of a university-wide online orientation for new teaching assistants, as well as a teaching guide designed as a resource for all Cornell University instructors. She holds a PhD in biochemistry, an MA in public administration from Syracuse University, and a BSc and an MSc in chemistry from the University of Zambia. Her research and teaching interests focus on supporting the professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

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