Call for Contributing Writers!

Image released into the public domain by its owner, Tom Scoglund
Image released into the public domain by its owner, Tom Scoglund

The Graduate Centerโ€™s Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is seeking contributing writers for its new project, Visible Pedagogy. ย We are looking for up to three bloggers who will write a series of posts during the Spring 2017 semester on teaching and learning in the CUNY context.

The choice of topic is open, but the proposed series of posts should be linked by some unifying theme or rationale. For instance, new instructors might reflect on their first year of teaching, while more experienced ones might be interested in thinking anew about some aspect of their pedagogy, including their instructional methods, approach to assessment, or use of digital technologies. Alternatively, there could be a particular question or challenge within higher education that writers would like to explore in relation to their classroom practices.

Selected writers will commit to writing 6 posts of approximately 500-750 words between February and May, 2017, to be published as part of the blogโ€™s Reflective Practice series. Writers must be interested in producing writing for a general audience and willing to engage with the TLC Staff in the editorial process. Interested applicants should email the following materials to TLC Assistant Director Elizabeth Alsop at tlc@gc.cuny.edu by January 15, 2017:

  • a 250-500 word description of your proposed series of posts, its rationale, and your reasons for wanting to write it
  • a sample of your non-academic writing (preferably, a previous blog post or other public-facing writing on a digital platform), not to exceed 1500 words
  • a brief 2-page CV

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • The clarity, creativity, and feasibility of the proposed series
  • The style and quality of the writing sample
  • The originality of the viewpoint being represented

To qualify, applicants must be enrolled at the Graduate Center during the Spring 2017 semester. Writers will receive an honorarium of $1000 (to be disbursed as financial aid). In addition, they will have the chance to participate in public conversations about teaching at CUNY; to share their work with a community of fellow instructors; and to contribute to the scholarship of teaching and learning in an open and networked space.

Selected writers will be asked to meet with TLC Director, Luke Waltzer, and Assistant Director, Elizabeth Alsop, to determine a publishing schedule. TLC Staff will also be available to provide training in WordPress, if writers are not already familiar with the platform.

About VP

Visible Pedagogy is a blog dedicated to advancing and expanding conversations about teaching and learning at CUNY, edited by the staff of the Teaching & Learning Center at The Graduate Center, and collaboratively authored by CUNY faculty, staff, and students.

We are interested in both the theory and practice of teaching and learning. In our Reflective Practice series, youโ€™ll find more of the former: CUNY instructors reflecting critically on ideas, issues, or challenges theyโ€™ve encountered in their teaching careers and their classrooms, in the context of brief essays of 750 words or less.

The Teach@CUNY series is all about pedagogy in action, and spotlights actual assignments, activities, resources, and approaches being used by instructors at CUNY. ย We will put out regular calls for contributors to the seriesโ€”each on a single topic or themeโ€”inviting those interested in contributing to submit a 200-300 word descriptive post along with an illustrative artifact; selected responses will be published sequentially over the following 1-2 weeks.

In addition, VP will also feature the writing of TLC staff, recipients of TLC Grants, and participants in TLC programs such as the Open Teaching Initiative. Our aim is to solicit and curate contributions that represent the diversity of the CUNY teaching body: both full- and part-time instructors, from 2- and 4-year colleges, and from a range of disciplines. So, if thereโ€™s an idea or subject you would like to explore, including one that does not fit into the categories described above, pitch us at tlc@gc.cuny.edu.

Visible Pedagogy will launch in Spring 2017!