CogTeacho: Teaching Philosophy as _______

Cogteacho

CogTeacho is the 7th workshop in Cogtweeto's philosophy workshop series since its start in January, 2021. This 2-day workshop is all about what it means to teach philosophy, including teaching & public philosophy talks, panels, lightning talks, & more. Visit http://cogtweeto.com for more information, sessions, and registration.

CogTeacho will begin at 8:00 am PDT, August 5th and end at 3:00 pm PDT, August 6th. All sessions will be held via Zoom and will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Whether you have decades of experience & wisdom to share, an innovative pedagogy idea, are looking for feedback on your teaching, want a chance to discuss an issue in teaching philosophy, or just want to join to learn about some philosophy topics, you're welcome at CogTeacho!

Sessions

"TeachTok" (Teaching / Public Philosophy Demonstration)

     - Time: 1 hour total (30 min teaching/activity, 5-10 min Q&A, 20-25 min feedback)

     - Purpose: opportunity to practice teaching a philosophical topic in an engaging, accessible, and public-facing way; receive feedback on what did and didn't work. 

     - Intended Audience: philosophy instructors; public (little-to-no experience with philosophy required)

     - Submission: short, written proposal or 3-minute video proposal

"New Takes on Old Ideas" (Innovative Teaching Presentation)

     - Time: 50 min total (30 min presentation, 20 min Q&A/discussion)

     - Purpose: share a new way of presenting a philosophical topic (either by demonstration or discussion of it)

     - Intended Audience: philosophy instructors; public 

     - Submission: short written proposal

"Ok, but can we talk about ______" (Panel or Roundtable Discussion)

     - Time: 1 hour total (5-15 min per presenter, 30 min disscussion)

     - Purpose: discuss an issue, topic, or challenge related to teaching philosophy/teaching in academic philosophy (e.g., inclusivity, ChatGPT, balancing workloads, political issues, etc.); consider potential solutions or ways forward.

     - Intended Audience: instructors; public

     - Submission: short written proposal

"Teaching Philosophy as _______" (Metaphilosophy & Pedagogy Talk)

     - Time: 50 min total (30 min presentation, 20 min discussion/Q&A)

     - Purpose: What is philosophy? How do we communicate the nature of philosophy, its value, expertise, methods, & practitioners through our teaching? These talks should expand & challenge how we think of the aims, possibilities, values, & nature of teaching philosophy.

     - Intended Audience: instructors; those with backgrounds in philosophy; public

     - Submission: extended abstract 

Course Narratives & Design (Pedagogy Talk)

     - Time: 30 min total (10-15 min presentation, 15-20 min discussion/Q&A)

     - Purpose: present, compare, & discuss what makes for a good philosophy course; propose different through-line narratives for framing courses; promote ways of moving beyond the canon & organizing classes merely according to discrete content-units.

     - Intended Audience: philosophy instructors

     - Submission: short written proposal (Re)Assessing Assessment(Pedagogy Talk)

     - Time: 30 min total (10-15 min presentation, 15-20 min discussion/Q&A)

     - Purpose: present and discuss an alternative approach to grading/assessment or a particular activity or assignment; share experiences and challenges with alternative grading/assessments

     - Intended Audience: philosophy instructors

     - Submission: short written proposal   Life Pro Tips: Teaching Philosophy Edition

     - Time: 30 min total (10-15 min presentation, 15-20 min discussion/Q&A)

     - Purpose: share a bite-sized easy-to-implement "pro tip" or learning tool to improve teaching in philosophy

     - Intended Audience: current & future philosophy instructors

     - Submission: short written proposal  

Cogtweeto    

Cogtweeto's aim is to create a friendly, radically accessible space for philosophy. Cogtweeto ("I tweet therefore I am") Workshops is a free, fully-virtual workshop initiative developed to promote open and constructive engagement with contemporary philosophical research. Inspired by and originally built for "Philosophy Twitter," Cogtweeto invites all members of the online philosophy community—students, professors, independent scholars, and the public alike—to enrich their philosophical engagement with one another in an open and low-stakes way. Our aim is to bring the standards and conversations of academic philosophy beyond its walls, leaving the barriers of those walls behind.