What We're Learning About Learning

Call to mind an occasion when you felt out of your depth or unsure what to do in an encounter or engagement with religious or spiritual diversity inside or outside the classroom. What did you do in that situation? What do you wish you had done in that situation? We asked these same questions of three clergy from Georgetown University’s Campus Ministry. In CNDLS’ latest podcast episode of What We Are Learning About Learning, Rabbi Rachel Gartner, Imam Yahya Hendi, and Brahmachari Sharan talk about the good and bad experiences students regularly share with them, and how faculty can listen, reflect, and grow to better serve students.

Interviewed for this episode:

Campus Ministry 

Your Guide to Religious Services at Georgetown University

Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS)

Georgetown’s Student Outreach and Support (SOS Care Team)

Georgetown’s Mission and Information about Cura Personalis

The Doyle Engaging Difference Program

The Prospect blog

“‘I think it, therefore it's true'’: Effects of Self-perceived Objectivity on Hiring Discrimination” (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 9/7/07)

“To fight hate and stereotypes, students and parents turn to textbooks” (The Washington Post, 6/15/19)

No Longer Invisible: Religion in University Education (Oxford Scholarship, 2012)

“Spiritual and Religious Diversity,” teaching tips from the University of Denver’s Teaching Center

“Religious Literacy,” (Inside Higher Ed, 8/24/20)

Cuyjet, M. J., Howard-Hamilton, M. F., Cooper, D. L., & Linder, C. (Eds.). (2016). “Religious and Spiritual Diversity Among College Students” in Multiculturalism on campus : Theory, models, and practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Students everywhere have experienced the brunt of the pandemic not only through learning loss but also through extended, well-documented mental health issues. Research has found that that students struggle to cope with coursework and the pressure to excel in school, especially as their priorities have shifted to maintaining personal relationships and mental health. In CNDLS’ latest podcast episode of What We Are Learning about Learning, hear how staff and faculty at Georgetown have fostered trust and belonging and motivated students by opening up to those students and creating a shared space of vulnerability and whole-person learning in the classroom.

Interviewed for this episode:

Statements from “The Engelhard Project 2005 - 2015: Voices From a Decade of Connecting Life and Learning” (video):

During this pandemic, faculty and students alike have had to continually pivot between virtual and in-person learning. This has caused much stress — for students who have to miss class due to contraction or exposure and for faculty, who are struggling to find ways to teach students who cannot physically be there. One solution is for faculty to teach to students in person and over Zoom simultaneously. This can be daunting, but it really is doable! In this episode you’ll  hear from three faculty and one of their TAs who will share their insights about how to prepare, deliver, and problem-solve in the hybrid classroom.

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This two-part episode features conversations among faculty at Georgetown University about some of the most pressing challenges they faced while teaching during the Fall 2021 semester.  Part I features three faculty who discuss ways in which they fostered inclusivity and equity in their classes by leveraging technology and other strategies.  In Part II, five faculty share assessment strategies that they used for reducing student stress and anxiety among their students.

Bios

Part I:

Part II:

Resources

This two-part episode features conversations among faculty at Georgetown University about some of the most pressing challenges they faced while teaching during the Fall 2021 semester.  Part I features three faculty who discuss ways in which they fostered inclusivity and equity in their classes by leveraging technology and other strategies.  In Part II, five faculty share assessment strategies that they used for reducing student stress and anxiety among their students.

Bios

Part I:

Part II:

Resources

In this episode, GU History professor Adam Rothman talks with us about his work studying and teaching about the history of slavery at Georgetown and draws on his teaching and research expertise on the history of the United States from the Revolution to the Civil War andthe history of slavery and abolition in the Atlantic world. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Atlantic history, 19th century U.S history, and the history of slavery. Adam was the principal curator of the Georgetown Slavery Archive — a repository of materials relating to the Maryland Jesuits, Georgetown University, and slavery.  In his comments, Rothman also shares why it’s important for faculty and students to know and grapple with the history of their own institutions.

Show Notes

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Featuring faculty and staff who build awareness of best practices and advocate for students with disabilities, this episode focuses on accessibility and practices that meet the needs of all learners. While we learn that there are more students with learning disabilities or differences, or other forms of 'neurodivergence,' than many faculty assume, these ideas also provide ways to meet the new normal where we all need some flexibility! Tune in for helpful info and strategies on how to design your courses and policies to support all your students.  Click here for the episode's show notes or see below.  

Show Notes

Episode transcript (coming soon)

Links to Faculty/Staff Bios

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In the latest episode, we look back at lessons learned from pandemic-era teaching in order to start creating a new, better normal this fall. We gathered ideas from two groups of educators: Georgetown University staff and administrators, whose experience with our students last year demonstrated what our continuing students are going through and what they’ll need, and a panel of high school educators who have a lot to teach us about the first-year students we’ll be welcoming into the community this year. Click here for the episode's show notes. 

Graduate students are in a unique position in higher education, both teachers and students, mentors and mentees. Their dual roles come with challenges, tensions, and competing demands, but the proximity of these differing roles of graduate students leads to important revelations, insights, and personal growth.  This episode features their unique perspective on what students want and need from their professors, as well as how professors can approach their teaching in order to promote greater learning. They also offer a compelling reminder about why teaching is so important. Click here for the episode's show notes. 

This episode, we feature faculty who engage active strategies to create inclusive, anti-racist classrooms. We grounded this episode in the events of the past year on the Georgetown campus and across the country, as well as the results of our Campus Climate Survey. The goal is to learn from colleagues how to foster a sense of belonging for all students, even when the conversations get tough. Click here for the episode's full show notes.

Show Notes

Episode transcript

Special thanks to the Georgetown students who contributed to the “I Can’t Breathe” Video:

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