Graduate Teaching Showcase

Mojan Esmaeillou, Department of Chemistry  
“Cultural Bridges in Education”

When I started teaching in the U.S., I wondered how to connect with students from different cultures. In my home country, teaching was formal, but I always tried to engage students. On my first day as a TA, I introduced myself beyond my role—sharing my culture, travels, and interests. Then, I asked students to say their names, leading to an unexpected discovery: some names had identical meanings in different languages. This sparked curiosity and deeper connections. Through storytelling, interactive discussions, and group activities, this talk explores how small efforts in teaching can build cultural bridges.

Celeste Flores, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs 
TGIF—Thank God It’s Foreign-Affairs: Engaging Students through Interactive Learning

In this talk, I’ll share how I transformed a traditional Friday afternoon into an engaging, interactive learning experience for students in US Foreign Policy. With a diverse group of students, I moved beyond lectures and introduced creative exercises: crisis simulations, role-playing, and debates, that brought global issues like nuclear deterrence and economic sanctions to life. Respect and compassionate learning were at the forefront of every session. I didn’t just want students to learn; I wanted them to want to learn and, above all, to feel safe and welcomed to share their perspectives. By allowing students to step into roles like national security advisors and world leaders, I aimed to make them not just learn, but live these topics, encouraging critical thinking and real-world application of foreign policy concepts.

Jo Hurt, Department of Rhetoric and Writing 
Resisting Suspicion: Encouraging Student Engagement through Contract Grading

 Our assessment structures often try to combat suspicions we have about students’ motivations, communications, and work ethic by articulating rewards for some and punitive measures for others—frequently related to grading. In this presentation, I’ll talk about how using a contract grading system in one class not only allowed me to adopt an educational justice framework for assessing students with different backgrounds, experiences, and resources, but also resisted narratives of suspicion that circulate about students by encouraging creative, energetic, and mutually respectful engagement.

Áine McGehee Marley, Department of African and African Diaspora Studies 
Using Art to Build Scholarly and Interpersonal Connection

My time as an educator at the Blanton Museum of Art has taught me the benefits of using art and embodied learning to promote mindfulness, critical thinking, curiosity, and compassion. The practices pull from the repertoire at the Blanton and taught to me by Siobhán McCusker--partially inspired by Harvard's School of Education "Project Zero." Through my experience working with hundreds of students in an array of UT’s various colleges, implementing art-based learning has added depth and creativity across disciplines. In this session, I will share my experience using these practices to engage students.

Celine Norman, Department of Curriculum and Instruction 
Pedagogies of Emotion: Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences through Love, Discomfort, and Laughter

Emotions and the affective experiences of students are often neglected as a core essence of learning. This talk will explore how to engage with critical pedagogies that engage with emotions, such as love, discomfort, anger and laughter in order to create a classroom environment that is engaging and meaningful. I share how I put into practice these philosophies of emotions within an undergraduate sociocultural foundations of education course for pre-service teachers. This talk will feature specific examples of how I engage with emotions pedagogically, paired with some helpful reflections and learning experiences that I have encountered along the way.

Jessica Peña Torres, Department of Theater and Dance 
Folklórico Dance Class: Pedagogy, Research, and Community

I’m teaching a folklórico dance class this spring. Through verbal and embodied practices, we explore identity, history, and traditions—what in the field of performance studies is referred to as Practice-as-Research. This unique pedagogical strategy involves students as researchers, examining the adaptation of traditional dances to the concert stage and reflecting on community dance practices. By sharing family stories and memories, students investigate identity through dance, fostering connections to their roots and creating community in an era of artificial intelligence. 

Ursula Cimone Walker, Department of Curriculum and Instruction 
Zip Zap Zop: Centering Joy and Connection in Learning

Grounded in an effort to bring connection and joy into the learning environment, participants are invited into an interactive opening circle that will explore creative restorative practices through a game called Zip Zap Zop. Though silly in nature, this game will push participants to connect with one another through tactics such as direct eye contact, intentional communication, and energetic exchange—which together create a deeper foundation for present awareness and openness. The speaker will also lead the group in a moment of stillness and deep breathing, as well as a space for group reflections.

Michael DeWhatley, Department of Theater and Dance 
“The Present-ation of Theatre History”

In my Theatre History Since the 18th Century class this semester, I am designing my course with experiential and collaborative learning that helps illustrate how the artistic practices, events and ideas of the past are directly connected to our contemporary moment. Through in-class activities and site visits, I amplify my lectures with experiences that put history into action. Small group projects, like case study presentations and adapted performances, ask the students to work together to bring historical production practices to life. Theatre is ephemeral, and our study of its history can use that as an opportunity to create unforgettable experiences.

Leah Hummel, Department of Theater and Dance 
Beauty, But First—-Joy": Creating Accessible Textile Education Spaces

How can we shift focus from product-driven to process-driven education in sewing? What could an inclusive textile education space centered on exploration look like? These were the questions that guided me through my thesis research, and the installation of a prototype communal sewing space as part of UT Theatre & Dance Studio Series. In this session, I will share how the intersection of inclusive, active and constructivist education practice converged to help me and my collaborators create this unique learning space.

Hannah Neuhauser, Butler School of Music 
Finding Fun in Failure

 In school, we are told that failure is the WORST and must be evaded at all costs, imposing tons of pressure. But what if you were told that failure is the BEST? Join my improv troupe and learn how you can embrace the fun of failure by encouraging your students to play in a safe, inclusive environment.

Sinjini Sinha, Department of Geological Sciences 
Learning About Extinction and Evolution by Playing Educational Board Games

Learning by playing educational board games is gaining popularity, because they enhance learning through fun and encourage students to interact with their peers to understand the topical concepts in a relaxed classroom setting. In this presentation, I will share how incorporating two educational board games, namely “Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized,” and “Reef Survivor'' led to higher learning gains and more classroom engagement, with over two-thirds of the students mentioning that they would play the games instead of a traditional lecture. In addition to educational gains, students also formed connections with their peers when playing, and were more interactive in the classrooms.

Saket Sripada, Department of Biomedical Engineering 
Student Inclusive Teaching

My favorite childhood teachers (and thus subjects leading all the way up to grad school) encouraged engaging intimately with concepts through peer-lectures, science fairs, etc. As a TA for BME students of diverse career-aspirations, cultural and educational backgrounds -  my success in reaching the students arises from doing my best to help students better/personally engage with new concepts. I adopt simple changes to 1) timing, location, and agenda of my office hours to ensure maximum convenience for student accessibility.. 2) help each student build a bridge from their known-prior comfort topics to new-uncomfortable concepts.. 3) facilitating collective problem solving ensuring no student feels fallen/left behind.

Erin Wheeler Streusand, Department of Anthropology 
From Caseworker to UT Instructor: Creating Safe Classroom Environments for All

How can an instructor create a safe classroom environment for students who have experienced trauma and mental health issues? In my previous job as a caseworker for recently-arrived refugees to the United States, I developed strategies for working with people who often struggled to adapt to new cultural settings while managing serious life challenges. Today, these strategies form a foundational part of my teaching practices at UT. In my presentation, I will discuss tools I use to assist all students and particularly those with trauma and mental illness, demonstrating the importance of balancing professionalism and vulnerability to develop effective pedagogy and positive learning experiences.

Ajna F. Kertesz, Department of Psychology

I know I sound different, so I talk about it

Accent biases are strong and pervasive in our everyday lives, and the classroom environment is no exception. As a foreign-accented graduate student, studying accented speech processing, social preferences, and cross-cultural differences, I decided to treat my classroom as a naturalistic study. I told students about studies suggesting that foreign-accented speakers are often judged as less trustworthy or knowledgeable. In this session, I share two of my observations thus far: 1) how my presence has made foreign-accented students feel included, and 2) how my early address of accent bias has led to a supportive and respectful learning environment for all students.

Nigel O'Hearn, Department of English

In-class performance as analytical method: Teaching dramatic literature through student-generated performance

When teaching dramatic literature, it is common to direct students to watch professional theater performance as a model that deepens the student’s critical ability and cultural competency. But what deeper critical skills might be gained from a more active approach, where the students generate those performances themselves? My students are engaging in this practice, which centers their own memorization, staging, and in-class performances of scenes from the plays we are reading. My talk will share some pedagogical parameters, triumphs, and challenges of this classroom practice – ultimately encouraging wider adoption of student-generated performance in the dramatic literature classroom.

Andrea Gray Perry, RN, School of Nursing

Empowering healthcare students using Boal’s Forum Theater model

Students in healthcare disciplines confront dynamic ethical dilemmas from the moment they first set foot in clinical settings, yet our pedagogy often limits students’ acquisition of confidence and competence they can leverage in their interventions. Following a handful of other researchers and educators, I use Boal’s Forum Theater to foster students’ skill in the interpersonal and interprofessional environment. By making a staged ethical dilemma the shared responsibility of the class (“spect-actors,” as Boal calls them) to resolve, this model encourages students to experiment with interventions, learn from their peers, and begin to imagine themselves as confident changemakers and advocates.

Sarah Racz, Department of Physics

The physics of spaghetti breaking: Relearning physical intuition through inquiry-based methods

Every student learning physics comes to the classroom with some physical intuition whether they are a studio arts major or student athlete. I will discuss how, through inquiry based methods, I teach students to connect their practical knowledge of the world around them to the material covered in an introductory physics course. Topics students have approached through the lens of mechanics range from the forces present in various kinds of sports to how musical instruments make sound, and even how to perfectly break a piece of spaghetti in half.

Katie Steele, Department of Psychology

Assessing student learning through interactive museum activities

In the classroom, one of my goals is to foster science literacy by leveraging students' passions and interests. In this talk, I share one way to assess science literacy: asking students to design a research toy. Research toys are fun, hands-on activities that translate science into an interactive museum exhibit to educate the public about the scientific process or a particular scientific discovery. In my classes, I have found that research toys are fun and exciting for students, encourage creativity while integrating multiple psychological concepts, and sharpen students' ability to communicate ideas from the course to a more general audience.

Paige-Erin Wheeler, Department of Linguistics

Successfully failing: How shifting my mindset changed my classroom

This presentation discusses my experience teaching an introductory course in linguistics during spring 2022. During the return to primarily in-person instruction, my students struggled unexpectedly with many ‘invisible’ classroom skills, prompting me to implement new assessment and teaching strategies to accommodate their changed needs. This presentation reflects on the benefits of this flexibility for both my students and myself, focusing specifically on our first major failure (and subsequent success).

Abigail Adams, Department of English

Why I've Given Up Grading

Though initially skeptical of nontraditional grading practices, I have found both myself and my students transformed by the freedom to collaborate more equitably, to focus on growth through revision, to take risks, and to assess our success in the classroom based on our personal goals. The significant barriers to education access for the students I have taught for the past two years both in prison and online amidst pandemic lockdowns have made clear to me the importance of using assessment styles that allow all students to pursue creative and risk-taking work. Perhaps above all, I have found that contract grading has shifted my relationship with my students, allowing us to work together as collaborators. By sharing my experiences with contract grading I hope to inspire others to give up the anxiety that often comes with assessment for both students and instructors and embrace modes of assessment that foster flexibility, collaboration, and creativity.

Cat Gallegher, Department of Geography and the Environment

Title: Applied Inclusive Teaching (Or, My Classroom Was A Zoo!)

Abstract: Rabbits, snakes, and chinchillas, oh my! Before attending graduate school and working as a Teaching Assistant, I worked in Conservation Education at the Prospect Park Zoo, teaching zoo birthday parties to children. In my time there, I learned many valuable lessons about inclusive teaching and creating engaging lesson plans that I use when teaching undergraduate students every week, and in this session, I will share how I apply what I learned to the college classroom.

Aruna Kharod, Department of Rhetoric and Writing

Write On: Bolstering writing through student-centered, technology-efficient strategies

In this talk, I present three student-centered strategies that guide my writing pedagogy and provide key insights for instructors who want to create meaningful, effective, and equitable writing assignments. By using reflective note-taking and teaching students self-advocacy in the writing process, I illustrate how writing is integral to creating vibrant classrooms and enriching learning environments. These student-centered strategies are technology-friendly and easily incorporated into one-on-one and small-group settings across a wide range of disciplines. I will share how instructors can employ these insights to make their classrooms more equitable, growth-oriented spaces for all students.

Simon Lee, Department of Molecular Bioscience

Title: Teaching and Learning: Not just a requirement

Abstract: "Be the TA that you wish to have.” These words from the office of undergraduate studies to potential TAs changed the way I thought about teaching. Teaching was a requirement for my degree program, and the course I taught was a requirement for my students’ degree programs, but our interests could not be more different. I am a research scientist while they were pursuing careers in medical fields. Over the course of teaching, my struggle was how to make the course interesting to students whose approaches were so different from my own. In this presentation, I will talk about how I changed my thinking (and my students’) to engage their interests in the scientific process. Teaching and learning can be a requirement for the TA and students, but there is a lot beyond the requirement.

Mohit Mehta, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Center for Asian American Studies

Title: Community Based Learning: Engaging UT Students in Relationships of Care and Reciprocity

Abstract: The need for undergraduate students to be engaged in the community is greater than ever before. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, but with a concerning rate of gentrification and displacement. At the same time, new students and communities, including Central American (im)migrants and new refugee families, are arriving to gentrified neighborhoods. In our capstone course in the Race, Indigeneity and Migration program, one of UT's newest majors, students interact with newcomer students in a local elementary school and think critically about what it means to perform community-based learning (CBL).

James Montaño, Department of Theater and Dance

Escaping the (Class) Room: Gamifying Group Learning in History

How can our pedagogy structurally reflect the subject we teach? As a graduate instructor of theater, my pedagogy is designed to reflect the ethos of performance-making. For theater history, I have aimed to take this further by crafting exams as immersive digital escape rooms, which ask students to be performer-collaborators and share knowledge to solve a variety of puzzles to "escape the exam." This form of knowledge sharing provides students with a space to practice processes of collaboration and provides the instructor with a space to create narrative, rethink teachable knowledge, and have fun—all at the same time.