It can be argued that the acquistion of expertise in teaching derives less from command of a given subject matter than from long experience teaching that subject to a variety of students. Thus, while the basics of good teaching are much the same across institutions and disciplines, learning to adapt to a particular institutional settings can take time. Most new faculty arrive at the University of Chicago with little teaching experience and some with extensive experience. We know even the most seasoned veterans appreciate testing their own insights against those of other experienced teachers. In order to serve all faculty interested in improving their classroom teaching, this section of our website presents a handbook of practical advice collected by Diane Enerson in 1990 under the title of "Teaching at Chicago". Those who offer their advice in this section are distinguised faculty whose pedagogical skills were honed in "Core" classes.

Since its institution in 1999, the Center for Teaching and Learning has provided resources for beginning and experienced teachers, as well as hosting workshops on pedagogy. In these programs, the Centers is continuing the work begun under the auspices of the Chicago Teaching Program which initiated pedagogical instruction for advanced graduate students in 1986. Much of the material in this section is drawn from CTP workshops and other fora, as well as a series of conferences held by the CTP. Much of this material is inflected by a peculiarly Chicago flavor, as the concerns and methods described here, while general, are also derived from extensive experience teaching in the College of the University of Chicago.