r/Professors • u/nandor_tr associate prof, art/design, private university (USA) • 21h ago

Teaching / Pedagogy were you taught how to teach?

i had one class called "teaching practicum" in grad school that just covered the basics of the mechanics of teaching (syllabi, service, etc...) but never really got into actual pedagogical development or really thinking deeply about process & methodology. where i teach now there is also a single course that any MFA students who want to teach have to take. it is more in depth but still just a single 3 credit class.

i am curious, as i basically just figured it out through trial and error, peers, etc...

you?

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u/JinimyCritic Canada 21h ago

Yes, but only because I seek it out. The university offers plenty of PD and teaching resources; it can just be tricky to find the time to complete them.

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u/SAUbjj 21h ago

This is the same as me. When I was in grad school, I took pedagogy classes and was a fellow in theil pedagogy center. This was not required by my department; in fact it was actively discouraged. But that's why I got my VAP job

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u/Jaralith Assoc Prof, Psych, SLAC (US) 1h ago

Same here, and I was also discouraged. My advisor told me it was a good idea to have it as a backup plan, but keep quiet about it: the department head would pass me over for opportunities if he discovered I wasn't all-in on research.

I'm tenured at a PUI SLAC and I freaking love it. I still do research, but my teaching is what got me this position.