The Center for Teaching Excellence invites you to join our Fall 2008 Teaching Circles

What is a Teaching Circle? 

A Teaching Circle is a group of six to eight faculty members who commit to work together for a semester towards the goal of enhancing and improving teaching and learning.

Why Join A Teaching Circle?

Teaching circles provide a non-evaluative environment where faculty can share ideas and techniques, receive informal feedback, and even undergo peer observation with feedback in a non-judgmental setting separate from merit or yearly reviews.  This allows us to focus on teaching, reinvigorate ourselves, and hone our techniques.

“The academy has come to realize that we can gain a great deal simply from having instructors sit around a table and talk about teaching. The resulting conversations, “teaching circles,” ... improve classroom teaching and, ultimately, student learning. Teaching circles facilitate this improvement by encouraging frank, experience-based discussions about what works and doesn’t work in classrooms and laboratories. Most importantly, teaching circles invite faculty to reflect on our practice.” (Cessna and Graf, NEA, 2000)

What would be discussed in a Teaching Circle?

Teaching circles can be specific or general, focused on a single topic or range across a variety of topics.  Teaching Circles give participants the freedom to choose the direction which is most valuable to the group.

Topics for teaching circles might include:

• Active learning methods
• Measuring learning: effective assessment
• Effective class management
• Getting student feedback on learning
• Developing critical thinking
• Effective use of technology
• Incorporating experiential experiences
• Mentoring students
• Service learning
• Peer teaching observation and feedback

What are the Details?

The Center for Teaching Excellence plans to sponsor at least four teaching circles for the 2008-2009 academic year—two in the fall and two in the spring. Circles are open to all Suffolk University teachers. The Center for Teaching Excellence will help the circles define their goals and devise plans of action.

Each circle will receive a $250 expense account for reading materials, lunches, etc. It is anticipated that each circle will meet approximately four – six times throughout the semester and after successful completion will file a brief report of activities.

How do I apply?

Send an email to Christina DiRico at cdirico@suffolk.edu  at the CTE and request a Teaching Circle application.

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