CIRTL - Considering the Whole Self in Teaching and Learning: Mental and Physical Wellbeing in the Classroom - Webinar

03-26-2021 12:00 PM

It is no secret that stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges are prevalent in higher education. In fact, in recent years, more students have reported experiencing negative academic impacts from stress than from the common cold and flu (c.f., NCHA, 2019). Yet the standard mental health policies we include in our syllabi often frame these experiences as something to be addressed solely outside of the classroom. This two-part workshop takes a different approach, recognizing that instructors and TAs have the power to support and prioritize students’ (and our own) physical and mental wellbeing in the classroom, and that doing so can foster student learning. This re-centering of health and wellbeing is crucial now more than ever, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic intersect with and amplify pre-existing stressors for teachers and learners, including but not limited to anti-Black racism, political turmoil, and increasingly common climate disasters.

In this two-part workshop, participants will explore the relationships between mental and emotional health, the human body, and learning. Through a combination of asynchronous modules and synchronous workshop and discussion sessions, participants will frame the literature of mental health and bodily awareness in the classroom with their lived experience and leave with concrete methods of incorporating new insights into their own practice, with a particular focus on creating learning objectives and designing assessments that consider and support the whole student. These novel approaches will help students and teachers to experience more positive, rewarding, and healthy class spaces, and to support each other in working toward this vision.

Workshop Schedule
This two-part workshop meets online on Friday, March 12 and Friday, March 26 at 2-3:15 PM AT / 1-2:15PM ET / 12-1:15PM CT / 11AM-12:15PM MT / 10-11:15AM PT.

Workload
Participants have the option of completing asynchronous modules outside of workshop sessions.

Registration & Enrollment
This workshop is limited to 40 participants. As of January 8 this workshop has reached its capacity and is closed for registration.

Accessibility
We strive to be inclusive of anyone interested in participating in our activities. If you have specific accessibility needs, please contact us at info@cirtl.net in advance so that we may make the necessary accommodations.

Learning Outcomes
Associate: Evidence-Based Teaching
Describe several known high-impact, evidence-based effective instructional practices and materials and recognize their alignment with particular types of learning goals.

Associate: Learning Community
Describe several techniques for creating a LC within a learning environment, including strategies that promote positive interdependence between learners so as to accomplish learning goals.

Wellness