Learning circles are groups of 6-12 participants who meet to discuss topics or books related to the profession of teaching. Open to faculty and staff, groups typically meet on a regular schedule for 3-6 sessions over the course of a semester.

Current Year Learning Circles

Reading Group: Pedagogy toward Equity and Justice

Facilitated by Betsy Towns, Division of Liberal Arts
Meets monthly on selected Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m.

Each month during the semester, we’ll choose a book, essay, or series of essays to consider together. Possible themes include: building trust and community in the classroom, identifying structural barriers to equitable teaching and learning, recognizing and managing bias in our teaching spaces- any topics related to high school and undergraduate teaching and learning in our time.

• September: Selections from Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom, by bel hooks from 2009.
• October: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, by Kevin Gannon from 2020
• November: No Study without Struggle: Confronting Settler Colonialism in Higher Education, by Lee Patel from 2021 (texts provided to the first 20 registrants)
• From there, participants will work together to choose readings.
  
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Learning Circle: Student Disengagement and Faculty Burnout

Facilitated by Elizabeth Klaimon and Janna Levin, Division of Liberal Arts.

In this Learning Circle, we will read about and discuss student disengagement and faculty burnout around the country – its causes, effects, and possible solutions. Meets monthly; date and time to be determined based on participant availability.

Register

Book Study: Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (Issues of Our Time) by Claude Steele

Facilitated by Jill Lane, Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

This book study is offered in preparation for the free lecture by Claude Steele sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Wake Forest University. Books will be provided free to those who register by Oct. 1, 2022. Meets once, prior to the lecture; date and time to be determined based on participant availability. Read more about the "Stereotype Threat and Identity Threat: The Science of a Diverse Community" lecture .

Register

About Learning Circles

Learning circles may be facilitated by the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (OATL) or by faculty or staff volunteers. Facilitators and participants are learners; no one is expected to be an expert. All members are encouraged to share, listen, reflect, and enjoy connecting with colleagues.

Learning circles meet in Teaching and Learning Center. OATL will purchase books, supply readings, and provide refreshments for learning circle members. Learning circle members decide as a group their meeting format and schedule. Upcoming learning circles topics are typically announced via campus-wide email immediately before or at the beginning of each semester.

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