Pedagogical Partnership

What a Faculty Member Should Do

1. Identify a course and/or pedagogical area where they think an informed student perspective could help them think about their teaching in new ways.

2. Identify a student with whom the faculty member would like to partner. These may be students who have taken the course before; there are also models where the student is a novice to the material. This would be up to the faculty member.

3. Identify a weekly meeting time when the student(s)/faculty partners will discuss the course.

4. Decide what aspect of teaching (e.g., classes, labs, discussions, assessments, group work) to focus on at the outset of the partnership. Confirm the schedule requirements.

5. Decide whether the student(s) will be compensated (e.g., a work/study job) or if a Special Studies may suit the partnership better. The Sherrerd Director and Teaching Mentors can help in this decision.

What the Sherrerd Center Will Do

1. Begin the semester with a faculty/student partners event where we will share what we’ve learned about partnerships, help you set goals, and help get your partnership off to a good start.

2. Begin the semester with a student-focused workshop where we will facilitate a conversation with students about pedagogy.

3. Set monthly meeting times for all student partners to share their experiences in the classroom.

4. Support faculty partners with consultation, monthly group meetings and informal discussions.

5. Pay the students an hourly wage for their time spent with their faculty partners and in the classroom (up to 6 hours a week).

Perhaps you are planning or considering exploring new pedagogical ideas, such as the importance of having students be active and reflective learners, or introducing new content into your courses (e.g., issues around climate change during the Year on Climate), or you want to work on creating a more inclusive learning community; student partnerships could work well for you.

Spring 2020

Past Partners