Own Your Future: May Conference on Teaching
DESCRIPTION
The Future is Now: Designing the Future of Teaching: In 2021, higher education found itself at a tipping point yet again. There is no time like the present to develop teaching skills that will impact your practice of teaching and learning within and outside of academia. This conference brings together forward-thinking educators at different stages of their graduate and postdoctoral studies across campus to connect and design the future of teaching together.
The Own Your Future: May Conference on Teaching is a special half-day event. Participants are invited to join one or more conference sessions to enhance skill areas related to teaching, set personal goals for growth as instructors, and connect teaching experiences to their overall professional development as graduate students.
2022 Synchronous Conference Schedule
Onsite Preconference: May 6, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
1:00 - 3:00pm: YOUR CHOICE OF TWO WORKING GROUPS
Teaching with Neurodivergence in Mind
(Room 120, The D.B. Weldon Library)
How can we best support neurodivergence in our classrooms and at our university? This working group invites those who identify as neurodiverse to share resources and strategies that they have found useful, both as teachers and as students. Together we will discuss practices we can put in place to support our students in the short term and brainstorm resources and supports we can work towards to create thriving and diverse classrooms.
OR
Anti-Racist Teaching Across the Disciplines
(Room 121, The D.B. Weldon Library)
What does anti-racism look like in your classroom? In your field? This discussion session invites those who identify as racialized to share anti-racist teaching strategies and resources. Together, we will discuss what classroom practices we can put in place immediately to support student thriving, and brainstorm resources and supports we can work towards an anti-racist future at Western.
3:00 - 3:30pm: GET TO KNOW YOUR CAMPUS AND EACH OTHER
(Meet in Room 122, The D.B. Weldon Library)
All graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are invited to join us for an interactive campus scavenger hunt to get reacquainted with our beautiful campus and each other!
3:30 - 4:00pm: TA PROGRAMS MEET-AND-GREET
(Middlesex College, Room 19)
Meet your TA Programs team at an informal reception at the Grad Club.
online Conference: May 7, 9:00am - 12:00pm
9:00 - 10:30am: WELCOMING REMARKS & WELCOME TO MY CLASSROOM
Explore best practices from a cross-disciplinary perspective. TAs from Languages and Cultures, Biomedical Engineering, and Education invite you to their classroom simulations to get a taste of how your colleagues from other departments use forward-thinking ideas to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to thrive post-graduation.
10:30 - 10:40am: BREAK
10 minute break before the next session.
10:40 - 11:35am: YOUR CHOICE OF TWO PANELS
Media literacy in the (mis)information age: Come see how TAs and Instructors across the disciplines are teaching students to critically evaluate digital sources and narratives, navigate online communication, and combat misinformation.
OR
Humanizing concepts beyond the Humanities: Explore examples of TAs and Instructors using human connection to make abstract or intimidating concepts more immediate for their students, bridging the divide between theory and practice.
11:35 - 11:45am: BREAK
10 minute break before the next sesssion.
11:45am - 12:00pm: CLOSING REMARKS & G.I.F.T. AWARD CEREMONY
We’ll close with a reflection on the themes emerging from the day’s discussions and announce the winner of the Great Ideas for Teaching (G.I.F.T.) Award
Conference Information
Upcoming Conference
Not offered in 2023. Join us at the Spring Perspectives on Teaching Conference this year!
Audience
This conference is part of the Own Your Future doctoral professional development program. Master's students and postdocs are also welcome to attend.
Registration
Registration Instructions
Note: Registration for this event is not available in 2023
- Login to Western Connect using your Western username and password.
- Go to the Centre for Teaching and Learning section. Select Event Calendar and select each session you wish to register in. Details and a description of the program will appear.
- Select the Register for this Event button. If the event has reached capacity, you may have the option to register on the waitlist.
- You will receive an automated confirmation email to your Western email account.
If you have any questions or problems registering for an event, please consult our help guide or contact ctl@uwo.ca.
Offered
Annually in May.
