HGSE Announces Master Class Series

Dean James Ryan has announced that Master Class, a new series celebrating inspiring teaching, will launch this week at HGSE.

The Master Class series, which is open to the entire Harvard community, will be 90 minutes in length and will involve a demonstration of teaching followed by a reflective discussion with the participants. The inaugural Master Class entitled, "The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth," will be held on Thursday, February 27, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Askwith Hall and highlight Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Senior Lecturer David Malan, an expert in computer science, instructional technology, and pedagogy. HGSE Assistant Professor Karen Brennan will lead a discussion following Malan’s demonstration.

“Malan is a brilliant teacher who has opened up the world of computational thinking to thousands of students at Harvard and around the world,” Ryan said. “Through his magnetic teaching, David has effectively torn down old notions about who can and should do computer science and has demonstrated, at scale, that computer programming can and should be for everyone.”

During the demonstration the master teacher will offer an authentic experience of learning for the audience on his or her chosen teaching approach and topic. Directly following the demonstration, the master teacher will reflect on pedagogical assumptions, intentions, moves, and discuss with the audience.

“The Ed School is about fostering effective and inspiring teaching and learning – that’s what we want for children and adults alike in the world. But it’s also something that we want to celebrate here at Harvard,” said Matthew Miller, associate dean for academic affairs. “There are so many amazing teachers in our midst. We want to create a genuine opportunity, in a 90-minute intensive experience, for people to be learners taught by a faculty member and then ‘unpack’ what the faculty member was doing, how, and why.”

The idea for the series initially was proposed under former Dean Kathleen McCartney’s leadership. Ryan, who became dean this past year, championed the creation of the classes and anticipates they will be offered a few times each semester.

“We see Master Class as a way to celebrate and explore excellent teaching from across the many disciplines and domains represented at the university,” said Ryan. “We are thrilled to have the chance to bring the entire university community together to focus on an issue — what makes for great teaching — that is a crucial part of our school’s mission.”

The second Master Class is scheduled for May 1 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and will feature Harvard College Professor Jennifer Roberts from the Department of History of Art and Architecture. She has made significant contributions to humanities education at Harvard, including her design of one of the new Humanities Frameworks courses, The Art of Looking, and is well known for her extraordinary attention to the temporal experience of student learning.