Events Calendar

18 Feb
Teaching Abstract Concepts
Event Type

Trainings & Workshops

Target Audience

Faculty, Graduate Students

University Unit
University Center for Teaching and Learning
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Teaching Abstract Concepts

This is a past event.

Dark Matter. Gender. Nation. Time. Class. Schrodinger’s Cat. Have you ever attempted to teach abstract concepts in your class and been met with blank stares from your students? Grasping abstract concepts is challenging for students, and so too is teaching such concepts. Often, students feel more comfortable learning—and we feel more comfortable teaching—concrete facts, the kinds of concepts bearing strong connections with reality. But mastery of abstract concepts is critical in many of our disciplines, and often provides the necessary framework within which to make sense of the phenomena we analyze as disciplinary scholars—furthermore, it is often mastery of such concepts which can prove most engaging and inspiring to our students. This workshop provides strategies for effectively teaching abstract concepts to your students, and for assessing student mastery of such concepts.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Effectively deploy strategies for teaching abstract concepts.
  • Address common challenges which students face when learning abstract concepts.

Registration for University Center for Teaching and Learning workshops is mandatory. Registering for workshops ensures the distribution of pre-workshop materials and helps maintain the integrity of our attendance records.

If you have any special accommodation needs, please contact us at workshops@teaching.pitt.edu in advance.

Monday, February 18 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

David Lawrence Hall, 211
3942 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Teaching Abstract Concepts

Dark Matter. Gender. Nation. Time. Class. Schrodinger’s Cat. Have you ever attempted to teach abstract concepts in your class and been met with blank stares from your students? Grasping abstract concepts is challenging for students, and so too is teaching such concepts. Often, students feel more comfortable learning—and we feel more comfortable teaching—concrete facts, the kinds of concepts bearing strong connections with reality. But mastery of abstract concepts is critical in many of our disciplines, and often provides the necessary framework within which to make sense of the phenomena we analyze as disciplinary scholars—furthermore, it is often mastery of such concepts which can prove most engaging and inspiring to our students. This workshop provides strategies for effectively teaching abstract concepts to your students, and for assessing student mastery of such concepts.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Effectively deploy strategies for teaching abstract concepts.
  • Address common challenges which students face when learning abstract concepts.

Registration for University Center for Teaching and Learning workshops is mandatory. Registering for workshops ensures the distribution of pre-workshop materials and helps maintain the integrity of our attendance records.

If you have any special accommodation needs, please contact us at workshops@teaching.pitt.edu in advance.

Monday, February 18 at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

David Lawrence Hall, 211
3942 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Target Audience

Faculty, Graduate Students

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