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Building 5-122
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307

tel. 617.253.2850
fax. 617.258.8792

Programs and Services

Grad Student Teaching Certificate Program
(Program Enrollment is now CLOSED for AY 2009-10)

The Grad Student Teaching Certificate Program will be offered in AY 2009-10 to MIT graduate students who wish to develop their teaching skills. The program is designed for students with a variety of interests and career goals: from those who wish to develop better skills to support their teaching at MIT, to those who are planning careers in academe. Read what past program participants have to say below.

"I'm really glad I took this program. It's great to talk to people at MIT who think teaching is of the utmost importance. I am always fascinated by hearing other points of view."

"This program far exceeded my expectations. It really changed my mind about 'how to teach' and I found these workshops to be some of the most useful I've taken at MIT."

"I cannot recommend this program enough! It allowed me to spend time reflecting on and improving my teaching, which is not a normal activity during grad school."

To earn a certificate, students must attend all workshops listed below, submit assignments, and be videotaped teaching. Registration for this program is required, and sessions must be completed within two academic years. Click here to download a printable brochure, TAs @MIT: Developing Teaching Skills. If you have additional questions about the program, please contact leann@mit.edu by email or by phone at x3-3371.

To register for this program, click here and submit a Request for Service form. Check the box and you will be contacted to confirm registration and schedule your class videotaping session.

*Workshop offered as part of the IAP "Better Teaching @MIT" lunchtime series

 

Students as Learners, You as Teacher / Mon Sept 21 OR Fri Jan 15, 12-2 PM

Research into how college students learn has grown enormously over the last twenty-five years, and the field continues to expand. We know, for example, that students are not passive recipients of information, but, instead, actively construct their own knowledge and understanding. We also know that instructors who have a good sense of themselves as teachers—their instructional preferences, their beliefs about teaching—are particularly effective in the classroom. This session will provide an introduction to how people learn, and an opportunity to explore your own philosophy about teaching and learning. (return to top)

Designing a Course and Constructing a Syllabus / Wed Oct 28, 12-2 PM

Thoughtful course design begins with the articulation of goals and learning outcomes. When preparing to teach a course, you should ask: "What do I want the students to know and what skills do I want them to have when they finish my course?"  Once those questions are answered, the next step is to identify the specific ways in which students will achieve those goals. What "big ideas" should students understand? What topics will be covered? What pedagogies will you employ? Finally, you need to think about assignments and exams that will further student learning and help you determine if the desired learning has been achieved. With these decisions made, it becomes relatively straightforward to write a syllabus that clearly describes your expectations and the requirements of the course. (return to top)

Constructing Effective Assignments, Problem Sets & Exam Questions / Wed Dec 2, 12-2 PM

This session highlights ways in which exams, problem sets and homework assignments can be designed to best support student learning and understanding. Participants identify positive and negative attributes of sample homework problems and work collaboratively to redesign these problems in order to more effectively reinforce desired learning objectives. (return to top)

Interactive Teaching and Active Learning/ Tues Jan 26, 12-1 PM

Asking students questions based on key concepts engages students’ interest and intelligence. Instructors also learn what concepts students find most confusing. This session discusses the reasons for interactive teaching and provides examples of questions and techniques that can be used or adapted for teaching a variety of courses and topics. (return to top)

Planning and Presenting a Lecture/ Wed Jan 27, 12-1 PM

This session will explore how to organize a lecture or recitation. It will help you understand how to craft the messages you are delivering and understand how they affect your audience. By the end of the workshop, you will have a better sense of how to use more of your expressive capacity to keep a group engaged.(return to top)

Special Considerations for Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom / Fri Jan 29, 12-1 PM

MIT’s cultural diversity is an exciting resource. In this seminar, participants will discuss strategies to increase understanding in, and effective management of multicultural classrooms. (return to top)

Articulating Your Teaching Philosophy / Fri Mar 12, 12-2 PM

The teaching philosophy statement is a required component of most academic job applications, and is often required as part of the faculty tenure and promotion process.  For many, the act of articulating a teaching philosophy can be daunting.  This session seeks to demystify this process by providing a variety of strategies and approaches that participants can utilize in the creation of their own teaching philosophy statements.  . (return to top)

Videotaped Microteaching Session / scheduled during the academic year based on student schedules

Participants give a short presentation in thier own field to other workshop members who role play as students. Audience members, including faculty members, provide feedback to the microteacher. (return to top)

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