Dr. Cait S. Kirby

I am! It looks like it's going to be a small group. Yes, my session focuses on the ways group work requires students to do lots of thinking/regulating unrelated to content, elevating their cognitive load. This is especially true for ND students. I'm also happy to tailor to folks' interests.

This is happening this Friday! If you use group work or are considering using group work, this is a great session for you!

Mask solidarity!! Masking is community care.

I led a session this week on the window of tolerance.

While you absolutely should not try to be your students' therapist -- really, don't do that!! -- it can be so helpful to recognize that your students have nervous systems and those nervous systems are not doing well rn.

Workshops — Cait Kirby Consulting Workshops for professionals, leaders, academics, teachers, and graduate students to hone your teaching, mentorship, leadership, and neuroinclusivity skills.

Registration link: bit.ly/AW-2025

Use AUGUST25 at checkout for 50% off if you're contingent, a grad student, or just not in a stable financial situation. Link to register in comments (so I can have an image in this post!). 5/5

These strategies work if you're an educational developer and you lead sessions with faculty.

So, whether you teach early-career learners or senior faculty educators, I would encourage you to check this session out. 4/5

The cognitive load of group work is enormous and varied.

Having considered these factors, there are some important approaches we can take for designing and assessing group work.

Next Friday, Aug 1, 2025 from 2-3:30pm ET I'm offering a session with some strategies you can employ for group work. 3/5

But our students are typically not seasoned professionals: they're often (though not always) in the first few decades of their lives, still figuring out some core aspects of their identities, and they're navigating a lot of social chaos in the classroom and on campus. 2/5

A colorful advertisement that says: Making group work work, a virtual workshop for educators. If you’ve ever worked in a group, you likely know how difficult it can be to manage the work and distribute tasks equally or equitably. At the same time, assigning group work in classes can be meaningful and edifying, so you have good reason to continue incorporating group work in your courses. In this session, we’ll discuss challenges and solutions for making group work effective, and strategies to mitigate some of the excess cognitive load that students can experience when working in groups. AUG 1, 2025, 2-3:30pm ET, contingent or a grad student? Unstable or inadequate income? Use code “August25" for 50% off. Register: bit.ly/AW-2025. Workshops will have auto-captions. Participation in activities will be optional: you won’t be required to talk in breakout rooms or keep your camera on the whole time. Sessions will not be recorded. Cait S. Kirby, PhD - educational developer."

Making group work work can be hard...

Using group work in your classes can be so effective. But, if you've ever worked in a group before, you know that it can also be a nightmare.

Group work can be a nightmare when you're an adult with a degree and decades of emotional regulation practice... 1/5

This is absurd, and I'm so sorry. I'm also sorry that they gaslit you (?!) in their response. I'm so grateful for all the work you do.

I recently led a session on moral injury and the pandemic. If you're feeling like you're being forced to do things that violate your moral code or witness your moral code being violated, you might be experiencing moral injury.

Educators, this applies to you, too.

You are not alone.

People are used to assuming that college-educated professionals will be able to find another job if they lose theirs. But when essentially all medical research in this country depends on federal funding, just at various levels of remove, there *are no other jobs* for everyone who just got fired.

Workshops for Educators. Virtual professional development that builds community and belonging.Virtual professional development you actually enjoy. A color-coded calendar of the month of August, with dates shaded to match the events listed below. The colors themselves don’t mean anything. 8/1/25 - 2-3:30pm ET Making group work work: Strategies for making groups work effectively. 8/5/25 - 2-3:30pm ET The window of tolerance & the classroom: Impacts of stress on student behavior. 8/13/25 - 2-3:30pm ET Revealing the hidden curriculum: Supporting students with clarity. 8/21/25 - 2-3:30pm ET The journey to an accommodation letter: A convoluted process and how to help. 8/25/25 - 2-3:30pm ET Mentoring for belonging: Leveraging psychology to mentor well. If you are contingent faculty, a grad student, or have unstable or inadequate income, use coupon code “AUGUST25” for 50% off. Register: https://bit.ly/AW-2025 Workshops will have auto-captions. Participation in activities will be optional: you won’t be required to talk in breakout rooms or keep your camera on the whole time. Sessions will not be recorded. Cait S. Kirby, PhD - educational developer Follow me for more workshops: @caitskirby on Twitter/X, BlueSky, Instagram, caitkirby.com

August is a fantastic time to get ready for the upcoming semester. Looking ahead, I've planned workshops all month.

Topics include group work, window of tolerance, hidden curriculum, accommodations, and mentorship. Sessions are designed for connection.

#EduSky #AcademicChatter

bit.ly/AW-2025

Bright colorblock-y background with plain black text that says: Contents. Then a list of the contents with page numbers: Contents This guide’s author: Cait How to use this guide Okay, but you’re busy Your goals and responsibilities My proposed timeline An academic cover letter Step 1 - Start with a job ad Step 2 - Pair skills with examples Step 3 - Write an outline Step 4 - Make a patchwork Step 5 - Weave the patchwork into a narrative Step 6 - Flow sentences and paragraphs Step 7 - Pepper in descriptive adjectives Step 8 - Align numbers from job ad Step 9 - Check for SECCC and personality Teaching statements Cover letters v teaching statements Make reading easy Bonus: What to do next 1-on-1 consultations Connect with Cait

If you're wondering what's in this guide, here is the table of contents. You'll notice something called SECCC, which is a framing I created.

This pairs really nicely with my next upcoming guide: "Interviewing for academic jobs," with an interviewing method I designed.

Academic job search - how-to guide for written materials — Cait Kirby Consulting This guide provides writing tips to help you develop engaging and compelling written materials for the academic job market.

July is a really good time to start honing your cover letter and teaching statement.

For the month of July, I'm offering my 38-page how-to guide for just $10 to help you to start early.

Next tweet for table of contents #AcademicChatter #PhD #EduSky

www.consulting.caitkirby.com/shop/p/acade...

Thank you, Tolu!! I definitely have plans to keep exploring and expanding this notion of ideal and never feeling like we're enough.

Ahhh this one is so good!!!

Virtual Gathering June 2025 The Virtual Gathering team (made up of disabled educational developers and allies) is happy to announce that registration is now open for the June 23-25, 2025 Second Annual Virtual Gathering! Registra...

There are SO MANY people registered for the virtual gathering. We're getting close to 600 people now. This is incredible. #Gather2Resist25

If you haven't registered yet, there is still time! Go here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Step 6.3 - Flow sentences and paragraphs. In this section, we’re going to apply the idea of connecting our sentences together from our previous puppies and kittens example to your actual skills and work examples. You’re going to daisy chain your sentences and paragraphs together, linking them by moving from one idea to the next. Let’s try an example, using our supervision and Drosophila. Old Version. I have leveraged my mentorship skills in supervising more than twenty students in conducting research in my lab, where we use the model system Drosophila melanogaster to understand toxins. Students from my lab have gone on to graduate school at an exceedingly high rate. One even published as first author in my lab. New Version. I have leveraged my mentorship skills in my research lab, where we use the model system Drosophila melanogaster to understand toxins. To do this, students expose flies to chemicals, resulting in a publication for my student. Students who graduate from my lab have gone on to graduate school, medical school, and to work in labs. Academic Job Search - Page 19.

Here's a sneak peek into the guide with a page about flowing sentences and paragraphs together to make it easier on the reader. If this seems useful to you, follow the link for more!

www.consulting.caitkirby.com/shop/p/acade...

Academic job search - how-to guide for written materials — Cait Kirby Consulting This guide provides writing tips to help you develop engaging and compelling written materials for the academic job market.

Halfway through June?! This is a good time to start working on your academic job materials.

Here's a resource to help you write your materials, with insight I've gained while supporting early career faculty land their next role.

#HigherEd #EduSky

www.consulting.caitkirby.com/shop/p/acade...

A promotional graphic that says “Preorder today!” at the top. Below is the cover of Tolu’s book, Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality: A Guide to Crafting Engaging Professional Learning Experiences in Higher Education.”

TODAY’S THE BIG DAY! My book, Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality, is now available for preorder! To learn more about the book, bonus item, & launch party, visit:
www.tolunoah.com/workshop-boo... 


#HigherEd #FacDev #EdDev #EduSky #Facilitation #BookLaunch #TheWorkshopWheel

a colorful flyer, with squiggles and flowers in orange, blue, and pink on a pale beige background. The text says: "A virtual workshop for folks seeking accommodations. Requesting workplace accommodations. In this session, we will discuss the typical accommodations process, documentation, resources, and what to do if your request is denied or refused. Jun 7, 2025. 2-3pm EST on Zoom. $15 USD. Register: bit.ly/RequestAccomms. Cait S. Kirby, PhD - disability activist. Follow me for more workshops: @caitskirby on Twitter/X, BlueSky, Instagram, caitkirby.com"

This Saturday, June 7th at 2pm ET I'm offering a workshop about requesting workplace accommodations. I'm here to support you in making requests, responding to denials, and documenting to protect yourself. #Disability #Disabled #Accommodations

Link: bit.ly/RequestAccomms

June 2025 Professional Learning Opportunities Each month, I curate lists of professional learning opportunities and calls for proposals that may be of interest to higher education instructors and educational developers. You can access the lists b...

June 2025 professional learning opportunities for higher education instructors and educational developers: www.linkedin.com/pulse/june-2...

#HigherEd #FacDev #EdDev

Academic job search - how-to guide for written materials — Cait Kirby Consulting This guide provides writing tips to help you develop engaging and compelling written materials for the academic job market.

👍 Early feedback is it's the most comprehensive guide those on the job market have seen!

Link to buy it:

www.consulting.caitkirby.com/shop/p/acade...

It's currently on sale AND it contains a discount so if you decide you want to do a consult with me, you'll pay less for the consult. 4/4

📑 I've put together a 38-page how-to guide for writing cover letters and teaching statements. I've helped many grad students and temp faculty secure their next role, and I've distilled my best tips in this guide. I made it motivational so you don't feel alone! 3/4

🗓️ Instead of waiting to start drafting your materials, grab an ideal job ad or two from last year and start putting together your cover letter and teaching statement. Trust me, it will pay off. Instead of starting from scratch, you'll be able to iterate on your drafts. 2/4

Academic job search thread:

🌞June is the perfect time to start drafting up job search materials. While this year's academic job ads won't be out for a few months, the time when those job ads are released is busy. Start of the semester, mid-term season, when you're grading. 1/4

a colorful flyer, with squiggles and flowers in orange, blue, and pink on a pale beige background. The text says: "A virtual workshop for folks seeking accommodations. Requesting workplace accommodations. In this session, we will discuss the typical accommodations process, documentation, resources, and what to do if your request is denied or refused. Jun 7, 2025. 2-3pm EST on Zoom. $15 USD. Register: bit.ly/RequestAccomms. Cait S. Kirby, PhD - disability activist. Follow me for more workshops: @caitskirby on Twitter/X, BlueSky, Instagram, caitkirby.com"

I will be offering some pedagogy-related workshops this summer, which I'll post about soon.

Saturday, June 7th at 2pm ET I'm offering a workshop about requesting workplace accommodations. My goal is to make this process less opaque. #Disability #Disabled #Accommodations

Link: bit.ly/RequestAccomms

The session is US-centric, and will focus on accommodations under the ADA/ADAAA, but is open to anyone who thinks they might benefit from this information, the resources, or the community. If you have questions, please reach out.