Looking for a supportive place to try out instructional approaches? This Practice Teaching session (formerly known as “Microteaching”) will pair you with a trained peer facilitator and a group of 3-4 other graduate students. Together, you and your fellow participants will take turns delivering short (<10 min.) samples of instruction to each other. After each teaching sample, your facilitator and your peers will offer structured feedback to support your teaching. Whether you are currently teaching at Columbia or not, all graduate students looking to practice teaching are welcome to attend this Practice Teaching session.

Some teaching skills you could practice at this session include:

• Introducing new content, concepts, or skills to students (i.e., an engaging mini-lecture)
• Testing new and varied modes of student engagement to boost participation and inclusivity
• Using of visuals (blackboard, whiteboard, slide decks, handouts, etc.) to bolster learning
• Facilitating discussion (i.e., posing discussion questions, monitoring student engagement, attention, and learning, etc.)

Participants should determine which skill they wish to focus on and come prepared with something to teach their peers in an active and engaging way. Registrants will be provided additional guidance to help prepare for Practice Teaching in the week prior to the session. 

Practice Teaching sessions are facilitated by CTL's trained graduate student Teaching Consultants. These sessions satisfy the “Application and Practice” requirement in the Teaching Development Program. 

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Contact [email protected] or 212.854.1692 for accommodations. This event may be photographed. For concerns, contact [email protected].