Instructors invited to submit applications to teach in Taylor Institute learning spaces

“My experience at the Taylor institute has made me think about building more opportunities for small group discussions and more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback in the future,” says Kristine Bauer, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Bauer recently taught a highly flexible course called Mathematical Explorations in the Taylor Institute’s forum, one of three dynamic learning spaces in the building. The course required students to produce team projects exploring how mathematical topics could be used to develop deeper understanding of recent media articles. Bauer found the forum particularly conducive to the course’s design.

“One of the most exciting consequences of a space designed in a forum style to encourage discussions is that the students engage in discussions! Not only do they work productively in teams during the class, but the students often gather before or after class to work together,” she notes.

Joty Das, a second-year student pursuing concurrent bachelor of arts degrees in French and education, testifies to the course’s collaborative nature. She also makes note of its unique technological access, which enriched her learning experience. 

“The neat thing that makes the forum stand out is how interactive it is. We can either sync our phones or our laptops to individual stations to project data or a presentation,” she explains. “Although we had a class of 100 students, I don’t think I ever felt that there were 100 students, because we weren’t so close to each other, unlike in other classrooms.”

Group learning in the Taylor Institute

Teaching a physics course on harmonic motion, waves and rotations in the Taylor Institute’s studios D and E, instructor Ania Harlick also praises the building’s community-building possibilities. As with the forum, these learning studios are equipped with interactive audiovisual technology, whiteboards and movable tables and chairs.

“The arrangement of the furniture, which allows students to face one another rather than facing me, makes for a very collaborative learning environment,” Harlick says. “I have also discovered (and am still surprised I didn’t realize this earlier) that replacing a worksheet with a white board invites everyone to contribute, as nobody can take ownership of the medium. Students seemed to be more encouraged to grab markers, add their corrections/ideas without feeling like they are invading someone's personal space and property. This created some very animated and heated group work sessions.”

Teaching in the Taylor Institute has also given Harlick some takeaway ideas that she hopes to apply in future courses.

“One thing I will take away from the space is that I will never again be afraid to make my students move in the classroom,” she says.

As Bauer and Harlick’s experiences show, the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning lends itself to collaborative and student-driven classroom approaches. Thanks to unique technological features and movable furniture, the building’s learning spaces lend themselves easily to a variety of disciplinary contexts.

“Overall, this building is a pleasure working in because of its spacious settings and up-to-date technology, which students can use or observe as an alternative to what they typically use,” Joty Das reflects.

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