Would you like to gain experience in teaching but are unsure how to get started?
Are you looking for a space to share your own experiences and learn from others navigating similar challenges?
Or perhaps you’re searching for new techniques and fresh ideas to bring into your classes?
The Teaching Interest Network is designed to provide a supportive community where postgraduate students can explore these questions together, exchange strategies, and build confidence in their teaching practice.
Join the Teaching Interest Network, a new student-led community within the Social Sciences Division.
About the Network
The Teaching Interest Network offers DPhil students a supportive forum to explore, discuss, and develop their teaching practice at Oxford and beyond. Through a series of guided conversations and peer exchange, it helps participants navigate every stage of the teaching journey, from identifying opportunities to honing effective classroom strategies.
We begin by addressing a key challenge for many: how to gain experience when you have not yet taught before. Members will share strategies for finding and approaching opportunities within departments, as well as explore the value of non-traditional pathways such as mentoring, internships, guest lecturing, or teaching assistant roles.
Then, we will turn to the complexities of designing and delivering your first course. Sessions will focus on aligning learning outcomes with materials, integrating theory with real-world case studies, and balancing teaching with doctoral research commitments.
Participants will also consider the evolving role of technology in higher education, examining the potential and limitations of digital tools and artificial intelligence in enhancing learning, while remaining mindful of the risks of over-reliance.
Recognising the specificities of Oxford, we will explore the challenges of teaching high-achieving students, fostering inclusivity, and creating classrooms where all voices are heard. Alongside this, discussions will highlight practical strategies for engaging diverse learning styles and supporting students with different motivations and needs.
Finally, the Network will consider the role of teaching in shaping academic and professional trajectories, reflecting on the skills and experiences that translate into future careers both within and beyond academia.
About the Convenor
Judit Molnar is a final-year DPhil candidate of Anthropology focusing on migration. She holds an undergraduate degree in Language Pedagogy and has worked as a teacher of languages for many years and as tutor of Anthropology and Migration Studies at Oxford more recently. She is passionate about creating a supportive community where postgraduate students can exchange tips, teaching strategies, and resources, and where peers can find practical answers to their teaching-related questions.
How to Join
Membership is free and open to all postgraduate students and early-career researchers.
Though the network primarily focuses on Social Sciences, students from other fields are welcome to join.
To sign up, just fill out the form, and you'll be added to the mailing list and TIN Teams group for event updates. As this is a peer network, attending events is entirely optional, so feel free to sign up to the network using the link below regardless of your availability.
JOIN HERE
