Active Learning and Inclusion: Using Student Gender, English as an Additional Language, and Neurodivergence Case Studies

Eligibility: The TA Institute is open to undergraduate and graduate TAs, and all graduate students who are interested in teaching. This session is not open staff, or faculty.

This session will prepare teaching assistants with strategies that support students with diverse identities and learning needs when participating in interactive active learning activities and assignments. Through an interactive approach, participants will explore neurodivergent conditions, gender, and the needs of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students and how those identities interact with different active learning strategies, especially in their own discipline. To do this, participants will explore Universal Design for Learning principles and other general findings in the literature with the goal of developing practical techniques for creating active learning activities that support inclusivity.

Facilitator:

• Natalie Westwood, CIRTL Program Developer, PhD Candidate Zoology

Themes:

If you wish to complete this workshop as part of either of the themes below to receive a Letter of Completion, you must complete a theme completion form by January 22nd, 2025 at 11:59 PM (only complete this form once—make sure to indicate all themes and all sessions that you have completed).

This session falls into the following themes:

• Experiential and Transformative Learning
• Exploring and Supporting Inclusivity, Equity, Accessibility and Wellness

TA Institute

This year, workshops in the TA institute are organized into 3 themes. If you complete all the workshops in a theme, and submit a theme completion form, you are eligible for a Letter of Completion that you can include in your Teaching Portfolio and CV. The Letter of Completion will include a brief description of the theme(s) that you completed, and how the work you did in the theme(s) support your development as a teacher.