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.

Cox, 2001

 

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:  

Critique Catalogue

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.

Latest FLC Articles and Projects

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