Faculty Learning Communities

Princeton is not only a community of research scholars, but a community of educators as well. We invite faculty to join the following groups to discuss their teaching practices and philosophies, to problem solve about challenges in the classroom and to share new ideas with one another. McGraw facilitates the organization of various faculty teaching communities and welcomes suggestions from faculty for new groups of special interest.

Teaching in Community

These informal lunches provide a venue for sharing questions, experiences, and teaching "best practices" with supportive colleagues while exploring solutions to common challenges. 

  • Developing Students as Readers
    Wednesday, February 5, 2025 from 12:00 to 1:15 PM in 329 Frist Campus Center
    RSVP – Lunch will be provided. 
    What kind of reading do we assign in our classes–textbooks, journal articles, book chapters, books? How do we expect students will do that reading? Are we observing changes in our students' ability to read in a sustained or critical way? What knowledge must they have in order to meet our expectations? Nic Voge, Senior Associate Director at the McGraw Center, discusses strategies for helping students develop the skills they need to successfully “do the reading” in classes of all kinds.
      
  • Developing Students as Writers
    Wednesday, March 5, 2025 from 12:00 to 1:15 PM in 329 Frist Campus Center
    RSVP – Lunch will be provided.
    What are our goals when assigning writing in our classes? How do we help students to achieve those goals? What can we learn from the Princeton Writing Program’s (PWP) curriculum about supporting students' development as writers? In this workshop, Shaofei Lu, Assistant Director, Learning Programs at the McGraw Center, and Marina Fedosik, Lecturer in the Princeton Writing Program, will share insights from their experiences teaching in PWP, and offer opportunities for participants to reflect on, revise and refine your writing prompts.

     

Teaching Pairs Program - Launching in Spring 2025!

Use our form to express interest by January 31st. 

The Teaching Pairs Program is an opportunity for faculty members to work closely with a colleague on their pedagogy by observing each other teach and getting formative feedback on their practice. 

Would you like the opportunity to observe a colleague in the classroom? Would you benefit from non-evaluative feedback on your own teaching? If so, we invite you to join our Teaching Pairs Program. Participants in this new program will attend a kick-off session in early February, in which we will pair you with another faculty member, observe and be observed by your partner, participate in pre- and post-observation meetings, and join us for an end-of-semester wrap-up. To learn more about the program and the benefits of peer observations, see the McGraw Center’s website. 

Inclusive Teaching Book Club

Recurring, use our form to express interest by January 31st.

Tracie Addy, founding director of the Institute for Teaching, Innovation, and Inclusive Pedagogy at Rutgers University, will be on campus this April to offer a workshop on inclusive teaching. Join faculty from across divisions to read and discuss excerpts from her books, What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching and Enhancing Inclusive Instruction: Student Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Advancing Equity in Higher Education in advance of her visit.

STEM+ Teaching Group

Aimed at Princeton faculty in science and engineering, this informal monthly gathering over lunch includes discussions of teaching in STEM+ spaces and learning from both research literature and shared classroom experiences. The group is particularly relevant to those teaching undergraduate courses in STEM, but all engaged in STEM teaching are welcome. Faculty interested in joining should email Colleen Richardson, Associate Director of the Undergraduate Learning Program,  for further details and to join the listserv.

Alternative Grading Faculty Group

For Princeton faculty interested in learning about and/or using innovative methods for grading students, including collaborative grading, specs grading and ungrading techniques. Meetings occur on an ad hoc basis. Email the McGraw Center for more information.