Teaching

Becoming an academic involves much more than just conducting research and writing articles, it also entails learning to become an effective and confident teacher. As a Graduate Student at Brown, you will have your first opportunities to teach the skills and subject matter of your discipline. Standing in front of a classroom full of eager Brown undergraduates, you will quickly realize that teaching for the first time can be an exciting and challenging experience.

Questions about pedagogy, potential course designs, and syllabi form a crucial terrain of the academic job interview, particularly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Learning how to talk about your pedagogical choices and your achievements in the classroom can enhance your standing as a job candidate. This is particularly true at smaller liberal arts colleges, which often value teaching as their main vocation.

Featured Article: "How to Get All-Important Teaching Experience" by Richard Reis, Chronicle of Higher Education.

Surveys the different kinds of teaching opportunities available to graduate students.

Teaching Resources at Brown University

The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown

A fantastic resource for Graduate Students who want to perfect their teaching skills! The Sheridan Center offers the following:

Teaching Certificate Programs

  • The Sheridan Teaching Seminar: Certificate I Program - a year-long series of seminars and workshops on basic pedagogical issues and practices.
  • The Classroom Tools Seminar: Certificate II Program - a year-long multi-session seminar exploring advanced pedagogical tools for reaching the broadest possible learning population.
  • The Professional Development Seminar for Advanced Graduate Students: Certificate III Program - a year-long multi-session seminar focused on key elements of preparing a Teaching Portfolio and other critical aspects of professional development that help prepare participants for the academic job market.

Seminars

Including the Brown-Wheaton Teaching Laboratory in the Liberal Arts, teaching in Summer Studies, and creating and grading meaningful writing assignments across the disciplines.

Individual Teaching Consultation

Including Individual Teaching Consultation and Presentation Consultation.

Pedagogical Resources

Including a Resource Library, electronic pedagogical workshops on syllabus construction and cognitive diversity, teaching handbooks, as well as links to other teaching resources on the web.