Student learning and student interaction with teachers are among the main goals of the TLlab. This necessarily requires a complex multilevel approach.
What tools, what spaces, what teaching techniques can we use? Balancing these aspects can boost effective teaching.
Higher Education throughout the world is moving to a more global vision with a mobile student population which is increasingly international. The increasing number of courses taught in English at Politecnico is driving a need for the development and transformation of teaching practice. Support is available at the TLlab for lecturers who are involved in teaching in an international classroom.
The literature highlights 3 areas to consider in this new international teaching context:
- language and the role it plays in transmitting and learning new knowledge both for the teacher and the learner;
- culture such as institutional expectations/practices as well as students’ academic background and expectations;
- teaching which involves examining current teaching practices and their effectiveness in the international classroom.
Classroom 8N:
Classroom 8N is designed to encourage student participation rather than for transmissive teaching. It is a flexible space equipped with modular desks that can be moved to create groups of varying numbers in order to break with the traditional frontal approach and encourage group work and project development based on sources and tasks assigned by the lecturer.
8N is located on the 1st floor of the N classroom complex of the Cittadella Politecnico. The entrance is in Via Piercarlo Boggio. It has a capacity of 64. The classroom is equipped with special equipment: 2 clickshares, 2 microphones, 2 screens, whiteboards on 2 sides.
TLlab Palazzina:
The TLlab building (called “Palazzina”) is located in Via Pier Carlo Boggio 5D. It is the "house of teaching": a place dedicated to Politecnico faculty to improve and enhance the effectiveness of their teaching. The goal is to bring lifelong learning and research on teaching issues under one roof, supporting a number of initiatives and boosting collaboration among teaching staff.
The building is arranged on three levels:
- On the ground floor - the living room:
- an informal space where the faculty community can meet, exchange ideas and socialize;
- equipped with: Smart TV (connectivity: Internet, Android app, HDMI cable and USB port); 1 whiteboard.
- On the first floor - the meeting space:
- where teaching staff can share studies, tools and experiences with colleagues and the TLlab staff;
- where teachers can try out new techniques, including hybrid
- where teaching staff can take part in the training activities organized by the TLlab and connect with other colleagues;
- equipped with: 2 displays (connectivity: HDMI cable, USB-C cable, USB-C wireless "Barco Clickshare" connector); a WACOM Cintiq Graphics Tablet (connectivity: USB-A cable, USB-C cable); a video-recording system (suitable for group video conferences); an ambient microphone (connectivity: USB-A cable, USB-C cable); 2 whiteboards:
- On the second floor to the left there is the one-to-one space:
- where teaching staff can meet their mentors for discussion and support on teaching practices, experiments, classroom problems;
- where they can meet and be supported by language experts for their work in international classrooms;
- where teachers can meet with colleagues for collaboration and discussion on specific teaching projects;
- is equipped with a Smart TV (connectivity: Internet, Android app, HDMI cable and USB port); 1 whiteboard
- On the second floor there are two identical makerspaces:
- where teaching staff can experiment with non-transmissive teaching based on student participation. It is a flexible space equipped with modular desks that can be moved to encourage group and the development of different ideas;
- equipped with: 2 Displays (connectivity: vHDMI cable, USB-C cable, USB-C wireless "Barco Clickshare" connector); a WACOM Cintiq graphics tablet (connectivity: USB-A cable, USB-C cable); a video-recording system (suitable for group video conferences); an ambient microphone (connectivity: USB-A cable, USB-C cable); 2 whiteboards.
Regolamento per la richiesta e l’utilizzo della Palazzina.
