Yale’s postdoctoral community is a critical partner in the university’s research efforts. The Poorvu Center offers tailored resources and consultations to support your professional growth and development as an instructor. We look forward to working with you to prepare for a career in teaching.
Certificate of College Teaching Preparation
The Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP) is an opportunity for Yale Graduate Students, Professional Students, and Postdoctoral Scholars to complete a comprehensive training program in effective college teaching. The goal of this certificate program is to equip Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows with transferable skills that are valuable both on the academic job market and in a wide range of careers involving teaching and mentoring. The experience culminates in the production of a portfolio showcasing their teaching development.
Intermediate and Advanced Teaching Workshops
Programs to help postdoctoral and teaching fellows gain critical skills to transition into a faculty position.
If you are teaching regularly as an instructor-of-record, you may also find our faculty events series to be relevant and supportive of your teaching here at Yale.
Postdoctoral Scholars Teaching Communities
Structured space to share experiences, reflect on teaching practices, and refine ideas with peers and colleagues.
If you are teaching regularly as an instructor-of-record, you may also find our faculty teaching communities to be relevant and supportive of your teaching here at Yale.
Teaching Consultations and Observations
Confidential, individual consultations for you and a member of the Poorvu Center team to discuss course goals, semester plans, teaching practices, and course issues or concerns.
Teaching Programs
Specialized programs to support your teaching development with a focus on community-building and reflection.
Programs for You
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Writing Workshops and Panels
Workshops, information sessions, and panel events to help you grow your writing practice and expand your writing and presentation skills.
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Writing Resources for Graduate Students
A range of online writing resources, handouts, model texts, and writing exercises to help you grow as a writer.
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Academic Job Search Workshops
Explore essential strategies for navigating the academic job market, from showcasing your teaching experience in an application to preparing for interviews with confidence.
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Spring Teaching Forum
Designed to encourage interdisciplinary conversation and community, these events address timely topics about teaching at Yale, ranging from AI to grading.
Resources for Postdoctoral Scholars
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- Teaching
A Guiding Framework for Teaching: Resource Page
Instructors can use the framework to guide their teaching choices about assignments, assessments, and classroom facilitation.
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- Teaching
Active Learning
Active learning is instruction that creates opportunities for students to actively participate in the knowledge-making process.
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- AI
- Teaching
AI Guidance for Teachers
A guide and list of Yale-related AI resources for faculty instructors interested in using or discussing AI in the classroom.
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Upcoming Events
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Curious Conversations
What makes a constructive conversation? How can curiosity shape classroom interactions and help us learn? This workshop explores theoretical frameworks for thinking through classroom conversations, analyzes how curiosity can foster meaningful dialogue and learning, and empowers participants with practical strategies for facilitating difficult conversations with confidence and care. -
Mental Health in the Classroom (Online)
How do you respond when a student shares they are struggling with barriers that affect their ability to thrive in your classroom? With anxiety, depression, grief, or other illnesses and hardships? This workshop invites graduate student instructors across the disciplines to develop skills and strategies for supporting students’ mental health. We will learn how to apply principles of accessible d… -
Linked ITW-ATW: ATW - Care and Repair (2 Parts; 11/10 & 17)
As educators, we have an immense responsibility to cultivate student’s intellectual development, yet our position also offers a profound opportunity to foster care and connectedness. Opening learning spaces to authenticity and vulnerability can enrich the classroom community and establish a lasting practice of care in students and educators. This practice of care in turn promotes resiliency, be… -
Linked ITW-ATW: ITW - Care and Repair (2 Parts - 11/10 & 17)
As educators, we have an immense responsibility to cultivate student’s intellectual development, yet our position also offers a profound opportunity to foster care and connectedness. Opening learning spaces to authenticity and vulnerability can enrich the classroom community and establish a lasting practice of care in students and educators. This practice of care in turn promotes resiliency, be… -
Universal Design for Learning
Does creating a rigorous classroom necessarily come at the cost of accessibility and equity? In this Intermediate Teaching Workshop (ITW), we’ll investigate the meaning of Universal Design for Learning, use this framework to identify the barriers present in the traditional classroom model, and explore ways to incorporate rigor without sacrificing access. If you have any questions, please contac… -
Teaching International Students
While international students bring valuable perspectives and experiences to the classroom, they may also encounter academic and socio-cultural barriers shaped by unfamiliar institutional norms, language differences, and the hidden curriculum. In this Intermediate Teaching Workshop (ITW), we will examine common challenges international students face, reflect on how cultural and institutional dif… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Equitable Pedagogy (Online) (4 Sessions - 10/12, 19, 26, & 11/2)
Are you aiming to foster an equitable and supportive classroom environment? Are you hoping to design lesson plans, assignments/activities, and student feedback modalities that are accessible and engaging to a wide breadth of students? Reflecting on the historical and structural contexts of the classroom, in this four-part (online) series, we will learn to apply evidence-based teaching strategie… -
Lecturing for Active Engagement
How can we keep students engaged while delivering content efficiently in a large lecture class? In this ATW, we will explore strategies for enhancing lecture effectiveness that maintain student interest and promote active learning. Participants will develop practical tools and strategies for equitable and effective teaching and time management. We welcome teaching fellows and instructors at all… -
Mentoring Undergraduates (Online)
While mentorship is critical to researchers’ personal and professional development, effective mentorship is often a neglected facet of pedagogical training. In this Intermediate Teaching Workshop (ITW), we will discuss how to establish clear mentor-mentee expectations, support mentee career/research goals, and facilitate independent thinking. Finally, we will discuss equity in mentorship and ex… -
Disability Justice as Pedagogy (4 sessions - 10/28, 11/4, 11/11 & 11/18)
This learning community invites instructors from across disciplines to explore how the principles of disability justice can shape our teaching. We will start by introducing concepts and vocabulary from disability justice, drawing on readings from both the scholarly disciplines of critical pedagogy and disability studies, and from grassroots disability justice organizers and culture workers. We … -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Sciences (Online) (4 Sessions - 10/28, 11/4, 11, & 18)
Are you interested in improving your science teaching skills this year? Join us in this four-part workshop on the Fundamentals of Teaching in the Sciences (online)! In this workshop, we will introduce pedagogical principles and tools you can use to improve student engagement in a variety of science classrooms. Participants will walk away with a comprehensive overview of the skills and tools nee… -
Grading and Rubrics
Assessment shapes learning, but can feel particularly daunting within today’s educational climate. How can you implement grading and rubrics in ways that are clear, fair, and actually support student learning (without overwhelming you)? This workshop is designed to focus on the traditional A–F grading system and examine the role rubrics play as one of the tools that can be used to increase tran… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Equitable Pedagogy (Online) (4 Sessions - 10/12, 19, 26, & 11/2)
Are you aiming to foster an equitable and supportive classroom environment? Are you hoping to design lesson plans, assignments/activities, and student feedback modalities that are accessible and engaging to a wide breadth of students? Reflecting on the historical and structural contexts of the classroom, in this four-part (online) series, we will learn to apply evidence-based teaching strategie… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Social Sciences (4 Sessions, 9/16, 23, & 30, and 10/7)
Are you teaching a class or section in the social sciences this year? Join us in this four-part workshop series of the Fundamentals of Teaching in the Social Sciences! This workshop is designed to help instructors build confidence in the classroom and critically reflect on their pedagogical practices. Through engaging in pedagogical theory, group discussions, personal reflections, and case stu… -
Teaching First Generation & Low Income Students
First generation and low income (FGLI) students form a diverse and rapidly growing student population. Like many non-traditional student groups, FGLI students face challenges and barriers in college settings not necessarily designed for them. In this workshop, we will analyze first generation and low income students’ experiences and the strengths they bring to learning. We will examine first-pe… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Sciences (4 Sessions- 9/14, 21, 28 & 10/5)
Are you teaching a class, section and/or lab in STEM this year? Join us in this four-part workshop series of the Fundamentals of Teaching in the Sciences! Throughout the series, participants will learn to recognize and navigate common challenges in STEM teaching, explore strategies for creating equitable and supportive learning environments, and develop fair and effective grading and assessment… -
Leading Effective Discussions
What practical strategies exist to feel more confident facilitating classroom discussions? Why does equitable teaching matter to leading thoughtful and rigorous student conversations? In this workshop we will examine what produces effective discussions, identify interdisciplinary techniques to foster productive conversations in your classroom, and discuss common challenges and strategize ways t… -
Office hours (Online)
Office hours can be much more than a place for students to ask last-minute homework questions. When framed intentionally, they can support deeper learning, foster stronger connections, and promote equity by reaching a broader range of students. In this workshop, we will discuss how to effectively communicate to students the purpose and benefit of your office hours and how to use it to enhance t… -
Classroom Observation (Online - 9/29)
Would you like to improve your own pedagogy while supporting fellow instructors through classroom observation? This workshop will equip you with the tools to provide constructive, equitable feedback on the teaching of both your peers and your mentors across a variety of classroom formats. We also will review the observation requirements for the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP)… -
Participation and Equity
Are you having trouble getting all of your students to participate? Do you ever wonder how to define or even grade participation, while still creating an equitable classroom environment? This workshop explores the meaning of “participation” and the diverse ways in which it can appear in the classroom. We will also discuss why participation is so important to student learning, and the challenges… -
Cognition of Learning (Online) (4 Sessions - 9/22, 10/6, 20, & 11/3)
Unlock the science behind effective learning with a community of cross-disciplinary scholars. During this four-week learning community, we will read both qualitiative pedagogical literature as well as scientific literature, allowing participants to understand the cognition of learning and apply those concepts to their teaching. We will discuss topics such as memory, problem-solving, metacogniti… -
Evidence-based undergraduate learning (Postdocs) (online - 9/21, 28, 10/5, 12, 19, & 26)
What does it mean to foster an engaging and supportive teaching environment in our classrooms? In this learning community, we will explore this question through discussing evidence-based equitable teaching philosophies and practices. This learning community is open to all postdocs, associate research scientists (ARS) and Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNPs) and is aimed to be complementary to the… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Humanities (4 Sessions, 9/17 & 24, and 10/1 & 8)
Are you preparing to teach in a college classroom this year? Looking to explore practical strategies and core pedagogical approaches to teaching humanities courses? Instructors, TFs, and interested graduate students are invited to join us for a four-part workshop where we will introduce you to the fundamentals of teaching in a humanities classroom. We will offer strategies for equitable and eff… -
Classroom Observation
Would you like to improve your own pedagogy while supporting fellow instructors through classroom observation? This workshop will equip you with the tools to provide constructive, equitable feedback on the teaching of both your peers and your mentors across a variety of classroom formats. We also will review the observation requirements for the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP)… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Sciences (4 Sessions- 9/14, 21, 28 & 10/5)
Are you teaching a class, section and/or lab in STEM this year? Join us in this four-part workshop series of the Fundamentals of Teaching in the Sciences! Throughout the series, participants will learn to recognize and navigate common challenges in STEM teaching, explore strategies for creating equitable and supportive learning environments, and develop fair and effective grading and assessment… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Physics (4 Sessions - 9/8, 9, 14 & 15)
This mandatory four-part workshop series is designed to provide new physics graduate students with an introduction to pedagogical practices, supporting their development as effective and engaging educators. The workshops will discuss various fundamental teaching practices with examples pertaining to physics subject matter, such as session preparation, in-classroom strategies, and appropriate gr…
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AI-Resilient Assessments: Reworking a Vulnerable Assignment
This ninety-minute hands-on workshop invites instructors to (re)design assignments to be more responsive to generative AI. There is no silver bullet for learning loss, and no easy way to know where AI can support learning. We can however focus on best practices: simulating AI responses; clearly defining AI policies; establishing AI literacy and citation; foregrounding and assessing process rath… -
Fundamentals of Teaching, Chemistry (4 Sessions, 8/ 21, 24, 25 & 27 - note: time slots vary, see description)
How do we become excellent and effective Chemistry teachers? Together, we’ll explore resources and strategies to make your first time teaching Chemistry at Yale a successful and productive venture. This four-part workshop series will dive into research-backed teaching strategies designed to create an active and engaging learning environment through the lens of equitable practices. This series w…
We’re here to help!
Reach out to the Poorvu Center team if you have any questions or to learn more about our programs.