Pratt's Faculty Learning Communities
Pratt’s Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) are multidisciplinary research collaboratives with a strong commitment to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Examining complex and pressing issues in academia, FLC participants engage in research-based implementations of models for responding to the complex dynamics in their classrooms and beyond through the lens of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), culminating in a research project ready for publication through the CTL. Throughout the two semesters, participants continuously engage in conversations with and support each other. Beyond the CTL publication, FLC participants share their research findings in conferences, presentations, and/or outside publications, not only with the Pratt community but beyond.
Faculty Learning Communities… “develop empathy among members; operate by consensus, not majority; develop their own culture, openness, and trust; engage complex problems; energize and empower participants, have the potential of transforming institutions into learning organizations; and are holistic in approach.
- CTL.FLC.DC – Difficult Conversations – 2023/24
- CTL.FLC.RL – Reflection Lab – 2022/23
- CTL.FLC.RP – Seeding and Growing your Radical Pedagogies – 2021/22
- CTL.FLC.UGF – Ungrading and Embracing the Flux – 2020/21
- CTL.FLC.EIP Exploring Inclusive Practices – 2019/20
- Transfer of Learning FLC – 2016/19
- Crit the Crit FLC – 2016/19
- Learning in the First Year FLC – 2016/19
- Learning Through Narrative – 2016/19
FLC 23/24: Difficult Conversations
Difficult Conversations: What happens when a challenging topic comes up in the classroom? How can we work together to develop possible strategies for navigating these conversations?
When a topic comes up during class discussions that polarizes the classroom community, pushes back against established beliefs, addresses real-life issues that impact some students more than others, or otherwise challenges the classroom environment, how can we, as educators, continue maintaining the classroom community while encouraging the investigation of difficult conversations?
We present our upcoming Faculty Learning Community: Difficult Conversations (FLC.DC) as an opportunity to reflect on times when difficult topics have come up, within larger class topics or as part of the unplanned generative discussions in the classroom. We hope that you’ll join this community with openness, as we work together to research possible modes of engaging with challenging topics ourselves and in the classroom while maintaining empathetic and inclusive environments for all students.
This FLC aims to collaboratively develop a resource that examines possible modes of engaging with challenging topics in the higher ed classroom and studio space. As a requirement of completion, each participant will contribute to this collective resource.
Previous Faculty Learning Communities:
FLC 22/23: Reflection Lab – Call for Applicants
We are excited to announce that applications are open for the 2022-2023 FLC: Reflection Lab. Click here for more information, and to apply!
FLC 2021-2022
CTL.FLC.RP- Seeding and Growing your Radical Pedagogies
Academic Year 2021/22
What are you radically curious about?
Pratt’s upcoming Faculty Learning Community (FLC) for the 2021-22 academic year is going to take shape through a new, experiential model of building a virtual garden of our collective curiosities. Though a self-directed and self-determined project shared within a collaborative space, in this new FLC we will be working together to pose questions and ‘plant the seeds’ of creative ideas for new pedagogies to support learning in the post-pandemic world. We will be watering and tending our ‘plants’ together as well as individually, and watch them blossom into research-based collections of alternative approaches to art and design education. We’ll encourage FLC participants to use the Spring 2022 semester to engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and through reflection, create and share their take-aways. These reflections will be published in our CTL Journal.
The structure of the FLC this year will not exactly follow the traditional approach for learning communities. Instead, we will be implementing a new online structure for collaboration, and building and exploring ways of tending to multidisciplinary connections and community. FLC participants should still expect to participate, share research, use examples from their classroom or studio teaching, share and receive feedback from colleagues. In the Spring 2022 we will engage in writing, peer feedback, and producing a scholarly piece for publication.
Participants:
Joelle Danant, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, SCPS
David Smucker, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, SSCS
Bethany Ides, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities & Media Studies
Lex Braes, School of Architecture, Interior Design
Chelsea Limbird, School of Design, Interior Design and PIC
Sebastian Kaupert, School of Design, UG ComD
Layla Zami, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities and Media Studies
Kim Bobier, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, History of Art & Design
Analia Segal, School of Art, Fine Arts
Fanny Krivoy, School of Design, COMD
Shireen Soliman, School of Design, Fashion Design
Julie Pochron, School of Art, Photography
Clelia Pozzi, School of Architecture, GAUD – GCPE
David Thomson, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences,Performance Studies
Chloe Smolarski, School of Art, DDA – Digital Arts
Dominica Paige Giglio, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences , HMS
Brian Brooks, Foundation
Kelly Gawel, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, SSCS
Rebecca Krucoff, School of Art, Art and Design Education
Maura Conley, CTL
Holly Adams, CTL
Judit Török, CTL
Past FLC Projects and Initiatives
CTL.FLC.UGF – Ungrading and Embracing the Flux
Academic Year 2020/21
Ungrading Practices, is a multidisciplinary research collaborative with a strong commitment to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The Ungrading Practices FLC will initially be focused around the provocations by Stommell in his article ‘How To Ungrade’, such as: 1/ Why do we grade? 2/ How does it feel to be graded? 3/ What do we want grading to do (or not do) in our classes? 4/ What would happen if we didn’t grade? Participants will engage in research-based implementations of alternative approaches to grading and assessment through the lens of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Embracing the Flux: Responding to Complex Dynamics in Academia, is a multidisciplinary research collaborative with a strong commitment to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The Embracing the Flux FLC will examine ideas of belonging, building communities within a diverse classroom or studio, the influence of intersectionality and culture on the episteme within different spheres of the academia. Participants will engage in research-based implementations of models for responding to these complex dynamics through the lens of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
Due to the pandemic and the need to consolidate resources and personel, these two FLCs now function as one group, now called Ungrading and Embracing the Flux Faculty Learning Community.
Participants:
Bethany Ides, Humanities & Media Studies, WAC
Christian Rietzke, Interior Design
Christopher Lee, Undergraduate Communications Design
Kim Bobier, History of Art and Design
Kim Sloane, Foundation
Robert Lee Brackett III, Undergraduate Architecture
CTL.FLC.EIP – Exploring Inclusive Practices
Academic Year 2019/20
Pratt’s Faculty Learning Community (FLC) for the 2019-20 academic year, Exploring Inclusive Practices, followed the tradition of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to faculty development, emphasizing learning through community-building and action-research. The FLC participants engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as they posed problems about teaching and learning issues related to diversity, equity and inclusivity in the classroom and studio.
Click here to view the latest updates about CTL + FLC Exploring Inclusive Practices.
Participants:
Fanny Krivoy – Undergraduate Communication Design
Ane Gonzalez Lara – Undergraduate Architecture
Gaia Hwang – Graduate Communication Design
Migiwa Spiller – Foundations
Natalie Moore – Foundations
Kimberly Bobier – History of Art and Design
Mrinalini Agarwal – Fine Arts
Pirco Wolfframm – Undergraduate Communication Design
Erica Morawski, History of Art and Design
Judit Török, Director of Pratt’s Center for Teaching and Learning
Academic Years 2016-19
Transfer of Learning
Considered how the Pratt curriculum might be optimized in order to foster transfer of learning between all facets of the undergraduate art and design majors.
Click here for more information.
Publication:
The Art of Designing a Curriculum
Crit the Crit
Explored studio-based critique typologies and methodologies used at Pratt, faculty considerations of pedagogical approaches, and the various methods used to perform critiques in different fields.
Click here for more information.
Publication:
Learning in the First Year
Considered the following inquiry questions: What classroom strategies promote learning how to learn, how can we effectively promote students’ integration of skills and concepts?
Click here for more information.
Learning Through Narratives
Explored how narratives allow us to explore and create shared realities and often the underlying structures of reality.
Click here for more information.