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Teaching Commons Conference 2024

Join us for the Teaching Commons Conference 2024 – Cultivating Connection. Friday, May 10.

Registration and more information

TEACH Framework

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When we teach, whether in person or online, it can be easy to think instrumentally about the content we want students to learn and the tools needed to deliver that content. But it's equally important to align what and how we teach with why we teach. 

Developed by Lauri Dietz, Associate Director of Introductory Seminars & Faculty Development, the TEACH framework offers a values-based framework to advance our teaching mission. 

Screenshot of PDF infographic shows Stanford logo, "TEACH Framework: Developed by Stanford Teaching Commons" with the letters TEACH on left next to description. Text is the same as text on page below.

What core values should we center in our teaching at Stanford?

Timely teaching is responsive to students’ and instructors’ current social, emotional, and intellectual needs with consideration for the extraordinary circumstances that may influence the teaching and learning context so that everyone is in the best position to succeed. 

Engaging teaching invites students to tap into their internal motivation to learn more through doing, creating, and reflecting. 

Accessible teaching explicitly welcomes all students to bring their whole selves into the learning community and intentionally creates an inclusive learning environment that respects the dignity of each student by providing the tools and support necessary for as many students as possible to achieve the learning goals. 

Connected teaching encourages students to situate their learning within the class community as well as surrounding communities (e.g., familial, social, civic, residential, disciplinary, professional, etc.) and to integrate what they learn across curricular and co-curricular contexts. 

Humane teaching is compassionate teaching in that it prioritizes the personal over the perfect. 

Altogether, the TEACH framework is what allows us to set lofty learning goals that can feel out of students’ reach because we have faith in our students to rise to the occasion, knowing that we are providing the guidance, resources, and flexibility they need to succeed.