Teaching Circles

Every semester, the Sherrerd Center sponsors a variety of Teaching Circles in which faculty and teaching staff come together to discuss a teaching topic of shared interest. These have proven especially useful over the past several years, and we encourage faculty and staff members to consider leading or participating in a Teaching Circle this semester. The Sherrerd Center arranges for Teaching Circles to meet on some specific Fridays from 12:15 until 1:15 p.m with lunch available at noon, so please RSVP on the forms provided (when posted), as it will help provide a more accurate count for lunch and seating.

Spring 2024 Teaching Circles

Note: circles will meet in Neilson Browsing Room, the Campus Center, and other locations.

  • February 16th
  • March 15th
  • April 26th
     

Please note that some Teaching Circles may meet on other dates/times and that circles are still being added and more details will be posted as available.

Spring 2024 Teaching Circles: Locations include Neilson Library Browsing Room, the Campus Center, or other specified locations, 12:15-1:15 pm with lunch available beginning at noon.

Big Questions Circle 

with Patty DiBartolo
During these sessions, we will listen, reflect, and share ideas about key questions that are essential to thoughtful design of every learning environment. Hopefully, this circle will provide space and support to help faculty engage in deliberate curricular planning that centers essential principles of effective teaching.
RSVP.

Let’s Talk OERs!

with Elise Gowen, Jessica Ryan, and Abril Navarro
What do you know about OERs? Have you heard about the new grants available to Faculty for adopting or creating OERs? In this circle we will discuss the experience from Faculty who have adopted these resources at Smith. We encourage Faculty to bring their questions and/or ideas about OERs.
RSVP

NTT Faculty Circle

with Mona Kulp (CHM), Reid Berone-Johnson (LSS), and Atsuko Takahashi (JPN)
Please note: this circle will meet on Friday, February 16th, Wednesday, March 27th, and Thursday, April 25th.
The NTT teaching circle will offer an informal space for NTT faculty across disciplines at Smith to make connections, build community and share helpful resources. Additionally, we hope to build consensus and serve as an advocacy group for NTT faculty as a whole at Smith. We hope this will provide a space for new and veteran NTT faculty to connect.
RSVP.

Teaching Languages Circle

with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES) and Maureen DeNino (FRN)
The language teaching circle provides an informal space for language educators to share tips and techniques and discuss ongoing challenges related to teaching in these times. Participants meet and stay connected with colleagues from outside their own departments and develop ways to promote world language learning further at Smith.
RSVP.

Ungrading Teaching Circle

with Magdalena Zapędowska (Jacobson Center) 
Have you heard about “ungrading”? It is a method of assessment that replaces instructor-assigned grades with deep feedback and students' self-reflection. As such, it promotes intrinsic over extrinsic motivation and helps advance equity and justice in the classroom. Join our informal conversations to learn more about ungrading, explore how you can incorporate elements of ungrading in your classes, and share ideas on how to cultivate a healthy balance between shifting agency to the students and maintaining structure.
RSVP.

Past Teaching Circles

Fall 2023

  • Algebra Skills Across the Curriculum
    with Jen Beichman (MTH) and Cat McCune (Dir., Spinelli Center)
  • Big Questions Circle​ 
    with Patty DiBartolo and Kate Queeney
  • Let's Talk OERs! 
    with the OER Team: Kevin Shea, Elise Gowen, Jessica Ryan, Abril Navarro
  • NTT Faculty Circle
    with Mona Kulp (CHM), Reid Berone-Johnson (LSS), Christiane Métral (FRN), and Yalin Chen (CHI)
  • Teaching Languages Circle
    with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES) and Maureen DeNino (FRN)
  • Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: A Practice for Equity, Inclusion, and Resilience
    with Kelly Vogel (Integrative Studies)

Spring 2023

  • Integrating Disability Inclusion Components into Your STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities Courses Teaching Circle with Shiya Cao (SDS) and Caroline Melly (ANT)
  • Reclaiming Grading: Fixing the worst part of our job with Jennifer Beichman (MTH) and Marney Pratt (BIO) 
  • Teaching in the Time of ChatGTP with Miranda McCarvel (Jacobson Center)
  • Teaching Circle for NTT Faculty with Mona Kulp (CHM), Joyce Palmer-Fortune (PHY), Christiane Métral (FRN), and Yalin Chen (CHI)
  • Teaching Languages Circle with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES) and Maureen DeNino (FRN)
  • Trauma-informed Pedagogy: a Path towards Inclusion and Resilience with Kelly Vogel (Integrative Studies)
  • Creative Writing Salon/Circle with Gillian Kendall
  • Humanities and Social Science (HSS Labs) Teaching Circle with Joshua Birk

Fall 2022

  • Antiracist Learning Community (ALC) Teaching Circle with Floyd Cheung (OEI) and Hélène Visentin (PDOF)
  • Conversations about Advising Teaching Circle with Fraser Stables (Associate Dean of Integrative Learning), Adela Penagos (Associate Dean of the College for Advising and Mentoring), and Sarah Moore (Faculty Director of Liberal Arts Advising)
  • Exploring Metaphors in Teaching Circle  
    with Nick Howe (Computer Science)
  • Teaching Languages Circle with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES), Maureen DeNino (FRN)
  • Trading Teaching Tips with Miranda McCarvel (Jacobson Center)
  • Trauma-Informed Pedagogy for the Resilient Classroom with Kelly Vogel (Lecturer in Integrative Studies)
  • Ungrading Teaching Circle with Magdalena Zapędowska (Jacobson Center)
  • Creative Writing Circle for Faculty and Staff Who Teach with Gillian Kendall (ENG)
  • Teaching Circle for NTT Faculty with Mona Kulp (CHM), Joyce Palmer-Fortune (PHY), Christiane Métral (FRN), and Yalin Chen (CHI

Spring 2022

  • Special Event: Sherrerd Center Teaching Circle on Teaching in this Momentw ith Sara Pruss and Patty DiBartolo 
  • Exploring Alternative Grading Methods with Marney Pratt (BIO) and Magda Zapędowska (Jacobson Center)
  • Executive Functioning in our Students Amidst the Pandemic with Kelly Vogel, Lecturer in Integrative Studies and former Learning Specialist for the Jacobson Center
  • Antiracist Learning Community (ALC) Teaching Circle with Floyd Cheung (OEI) and Hélène Visentin (PDOF)
  • The Small Teaching Circle with Caroline Melly (Sherrerd teaching mentor) and Miranda McCarvel (Jacobson Center)
  • Teaching Languages Circle with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES), Maureen DeNino (FRN)
  • Humanities and Social Sciences Labs Teaching Circle with Josh Birk (MED/HST), Christine Reynolds (Kahn Institute)
  • Science Ethics Circle with Betsy Jamieson (CHM)
  • Creative Writing Circle for Faculty and Staff Who Teach with Gillian Kendall

Fall 2021

  • Teaching Ideas for Team-based or Heavy-project-based Applied Courses (in person) with Susannah Howe (EGR), Megan Lyster (Wurtele Center)
  • Teaching Languages Circle (in person) with Ilona Sotnikova (REEES), Maureen DeNino (FRN)
  • The New Normal? Teaching in Fall 2021 with a particular focus on equitable and inclusive pedagogies (in person) with Patty DiBartolo (PSY)
  • The New Normal? Teaching in Fall 2021 with a particular focus on disabilities and learning differences (over Zoom) with Caroline Melly (ANT)
  • Science Ethics Circle (in person) with Betsy Jamieson (CHM)
  • Faculty-and-Staff-Who-Write Creative Writing Salon Teaching Circle (in person) with Gillian Kendall (ENG)
  • Humanities and Social Sciences Labs Teaching Circle (in person) with Josh Birk (MED/HST)

Spring 2021

  • Creative Writing Salon with Gillian Kendall
  • This Week in Teaching with Alicia Grubb and Miranda McCarvel
  • Lab Instructors Circle with Marney Pratt
  • Talking Through Remote Teaching: Creating Community, Accountability, Flexibility with Caroline Melly
  • Language Teaching Circle with Ilona Sotnikova
  • Africana and African Studies Course Teaching Circle with Daphe LaMothe
  • Contingent Faculty Teaching Circle with Bona Kang and Caitlin Shepherd

Fall 2020

  • Talking Through Remote Teaching: Creating Community, Accountability, Flexibility with teaching mentors, Liz Pryor (HST) and Caroline Melly (ANT)
  • Contingent Faculty Teaching Circle with Bona Kang (EDC) and Caitlin Shepherd (PSY)
  • First Year Seminar Faculty Teaching Circle with Alice Hearst
  • Laboratory Instructors Teaching Circle with Marney Pratt (BIO)
  • Talking Through J-term Teaching with Sara Pruss (GEO), Liz Pryor (HST), and Caroline Melly (ANT)

Spring 2020

Zoom Weekly Teaching Circles Beginning on Friday, April 3–Friday, April 24 via Zoom

  • Pedagogy through Zoom with Liz Pryor (History)
  • The SOCIAL constructivist hour with Al Rudnitsky (Education and Child Study)
  • Considering student well-being in the "remote" classroom with Sara Pruss (Geosciences)
  • Teaching in/with crisis with Caroline Melly (Anthropology)
  • Critical conversations in online classrooms with Peggy O’Neill (School for Social Work)
  • Remote teaching while contingent with Tian An Wong (Math and Statistics) and Bona Kang (Education and Child Study)