Led by:
Tamara Brenner, Executive Director

Growth mindset—the belief that your skills and intelligence are malleable and can be improved with hard work and practice—has been shown to be a vital aspect of learning. In this session, we will focus on developing a growth mindset for ourselves and for our students, and why both are important. You will leave with concrete strategies for helping students focus on how to thrive—rather than just survive—in their college classes by considering themselves on a journey towards developing new skills and knowledge in...

Led by:
Ashlie Sandoval, Assistant Director, Equity & Inclusion

Are you a teaching fellow who could benefit from a moment to slow down, relax, and recharge? Come join us in this mindfulness session. Mindfulness is about cultivating the ability to be fully present, observing the moments of your life with curiosity and openness, without being distracted by regrets of the past or worries about the future. For this session, we’ll explore the concept and practice of mindfulness by engaging in guided mindfulness meditations, and we’ll conclude with tips on...

Led by:
Pamela Pollock, Director of Professional Development

Are you a new Teaching Fellow, wondering how to prepare for your first semester of teaching? PhD students who have completed the self-study modules on our Hit the Ground Running Canvas site are invited to this interactive workshop where we will review key components of each core module, starting with ...

Interested in applying to facilitate a Mini-Course during January @GSAS, or just interested in learning how to design a good syllabus? We've got you covered! Pamela Pollock, Director of Professional Development, will be hosting this session to go over key ideas in course design and planning and give prospective applicants a chance to workshop and think through their ideas for mini-courses. Instructors at all stages of planning—from articulating ideas and motivations to polishing syllabi and everywhere in between—are welcome!

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Led by Pamela Pollock, Director of Professional Development, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Sponsored by the GSAS Student Center, GSAS Student Council, and the Derek Bok Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

How do you respond when someone asks you what you are working on? How can you describe your high-level research to introductory students,...

Led by Ashlie Sandoval, Assistant Director for Equity and Inclusion, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Though an increasing number of faculty search committees ask candidates to submit diversity statements, guidance about how to compose an effective statement—indeed, even about what they are and why they can be valuable to institutions and candidates’ own professional development—remains scarce. How can you approach writing a diversity statement, considering your own identity and motivation in the context of sharing how you can...

Do you want to learn more about undergraduate experiences, practice your English, and meet new people? Bring your coffee and join the Bok Center’s undergraduate Culture and Communication Consultants (CCCs) for drop-in conversations! No RSVP needed.

Additional times and locations will be added throughout the semester:...

Led by Ashlie Sandoval, Assistant Director for Equity and Inclusion, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning

Though an increasing number of faculty search committees ask candidates to submit diversity statements, guidance about how to compose an effective statement—indeed, even about what they are and why they can be valuable to institutions and candidates’ own professional development—remains scarce. How can you approach writing a diversity statement, considering your own identity and motivation in the context of sharing how you can...

Led by Adam Beaver and Eleanor Finnegan

Are you on or near the job market? Enthused or concerned about the prospect of assembling a teaching portfolio or writing a syllabus? Wondering what, exactly, a “teaching philosophy” is, and how you get one? While Harvard hopefully has given you opportunities to practice and receive feedback on your teaching, it is often the case that your career as a TF is shaped by forces beyond your control: that is to say, that you’ve taught in courses, in modalities, and with assignments set by someone else, which may or may not reflect your own...

Led by Pamela Pollock

Are you interested in applying your teaching experience to educational program planning? Are you organizing a workshop, conference, or other program in your role as a TF or PhD student? In this seminar, we will consider the nuts and bolts of program planning for adult learners, from the initial idea to the assessment stage, using readings and sample programs for discussion. We will learn and explore the different stages of the program planning process as we work step by step on drafting a proposal or plan for a program. This seminar is designed for...

Led by Marlon Kuzmick and Christine D’Auria

21st century teachers and scholars communicate their ideas in a wide array of media for a diverse array of audiences. When we think about honing our communication skills, we may think about improving public speaking or learning how to design better slides. In this course we’ll do this -- but we’ll also go further, training you in a diverse set of communication media, but also focusing on a key set of patterns and techniques for teaching and storytelling that hold true across the wide array of communication scenarios you encounter (...

Led by Ashlie Sandoval

Inclusive, anti-racist, and decolonial pedagogies are not necessarily mutually exclusive frameworks, but their pedagogical approaches and theories can express different understandings of and approaches to addressing power and privilege, creating class community, acknowledging students’ social identities, and fostering student learning. In this seminar, through weekly readings and course discussions on case studies, syllabi statements, and class activities, we’ll explore key theories within and across these pedagogical frameworks, considering how they...

Led by Rebecca Miller Brown and Emily Epperson

How can you lead an exciting discussion and keep participants engaged from beginning to end? Which strategies can you use to help you and your students achieve your discussion goals?  This seminar offers a hands-on approach to leading discussions and encouraging student participation from all corners of your class. To that end, we will examine the pros and cons of various methods of how to start, structure, and conclude a discussion; strategize how to deal with moments of tension in the classroom; explore tools for conducting...

Led by Sarah Emory

How do our cultures inform how we communicate, how we learn, and how we teach? New international PhD students navigate communication at Harvard on multiple levels: as students, as scholars, and as future teachers. In this interactive seminar, we will explore how our cultural values influence our communication in a range of academic and classroom situations. You will have the opportunity to learn, practice, and get feedback on cross-cultural communication skills for Harvard classrooms and beyond, with sessions devoted to academic culture, undergraduate...