Are you curious about how your colleagues approach their teaching? Interested in seeing how (and what) other faculty members teach? Several Champlain faculty members, including some who have taught many years, have expressed interest in the idea of having a glimpse into each other’s teaching practices and content areas. In response, the Center for Learning and Technology is initiating a pilot program this spring to explore how this might work for anyone who is interested.
How does it work? Use the link below to let us know that you are interested in participating, and whether you’d prefer to work with someone within your own division or in a different division of the college. We’ll do our best to match faculty pairs based on that preference. Each pair will identify a class session when they will visit each other’s classrooms, and also a time to chat after both visits are complete. If you plan that chat around lunchtime and let us know your schedule, we’ll treat the pair of you to lunch at the cafeteria to exchange your observations and ideas.
What’s the purpose? The purpose of this pilot program is to provide an opportunity for faculty to:
- Sit in on a colleague’s class with an eye to seeing how someone else approaches their classroom and content
- Have that colleague sit in on one of your class sessions
- Engage and explore with your colleague on topics related to teaching and learning
This is an opportunity for conversation between pairs of faculty members without any context of evaluation. All conversations about the classroom visits will remain private within each pair. This pilot is consciously set up so that participants will both “host” and “visit,” so that both colleagues can benefit from seeing how other instructors approach their courses. We believe that this will deepen the follow-up discussion.
What factors will enrich the experience? Some suggestions based on programs at other colleges include:
- Schedule both classroom visits, as well as your conversational lunch, within a short period of time: ideally, within the same week or two-week period. This increases the likelihood that logistics will work smoothly (e.g. that the visits and discussion will actually happen) and also keeps the conversations fresh.
- Briefly discuss hopes and expectations ahead of time. Is there any aspect of teaching that you are particularly interested in? Anything you would like to hear feedback on?
- The Center will provide handouts and worksheets which some pairs may find useful.
- As a pair, agree that all observations and reflections will remain confidential.
What is the Center’s role? The Center will act as a facilitator in setting up pairs of colleagues and sponsoring lunch for each pair, and can also contribute ideas or materials to foster conversation. The Center will not be involved in the actual visits or reflections; these remain private within each faculty pair. Late in the semester, the Center may invite participants to reflect on the pilot program itself, in order to gain insight into whether to continue (or adapt or abandon) the pilot project.
Interested in participating? Use this form to sign up: https://goo.gl/forms/Rx2Ytfgd3SgLQoeF2