With a new approach, the Teaching Commons' annual pan-University Teaching in Focus (TiF) conference is calling for proposals for re-imagined roundtables that will explore this year’s theme “Why Teaching Matters in 21st Century Learning” and bring educators together.
As teaching is not a static practice but an evolving craft that requires continuous adaptation, TiF has sought to serve as a platform since 2013 to navigate the ways in which teaching shapes and is shaped by broader societal and educational shifts.
The conference serves as a collaborative initiative, inviting educators to explore the practical and philosophical aspects of pedagogy by sharing first-hand successes, engaging with innovative teaching strategies and critically reflecting on the evolving landscape of higher education.
It also had another key goal. “This is an opportunity to come together for those who support teaching and learning work across our community,” says Mandy Frake, interim director of Teaching Commons.
With current challenges in the education sector, Frake says that opportunity seemed more important than ever going into the 2025 iteration of the conference to be held on May 8 at York University’s Keele Campus, within the Life Sciences Building.
That’s why organizers decided to take a different approach to the roundtables that will be part of its schedule this year.
TiF is inviting faculty members and graduate students to submit proposals to lead a facilitated, and strategically informal, roundtable discussion. The sessions will be 30 minutes each and can be done through multiple formats: open dialogue with colleagues, sharing of experiences or pedagogical strategies, discussing an article or book related to teaching and more.
The goal is for facilitators and participants to connect in informal conversations that provide them with the chance to engage in communal dialogues that they may not get to have in their everyday work.
Participants will be provided with a list of roundtables and related topics, allowing them to pick and choose where they want to be involved. “You’re going to sit at a table or a topic of your choosing. You're going to talk with colleagues for half an hour. Then you can get up and move on to the next one,” says Frake. “It's very fluid. It’s entirely designed for participants to engage and have good conversation with colleagues.”
Among the topics that Teaching Commons suggests could be explored include e-learning and digital pedagogy, experiential education, sustainable development goals in teaching, decolonization and Indigenization in pedagogy, as well as equitable, accessible and inclusive teaching. However, Frake calls these “gently suggested topics” and encourages those who submit proposals to remain open to exploring what is of interest to them and others.
"The roundtable sessions will be a mainstay of TiF 2025 as we believe that there is more to learn together as a community of scholarly teachers than we could possibly do on our own," says Frake. "Additionally, we will be exploring other aspects of 21st century learning through keynotes, workshops and panel sessions. TiF is an opportunity to celebrate the important work of teaching and learning at York and we hope to see many members of our community on May 8."
Proposals for roundtable sessions must be submitted by April 4 at 11:45 p.m.