Professional Development Communities

Purpose: to enhance teaching and professional development among graduate teaching assistants, instructors, lecturers, and faculty through conversations focused on issues of interest among the community. The primary goal for TAs and faculty in these communities is to emphasize multiple views and methods for teaching in the lower division, both composition and literature.

Conversations will include: observations and feedback, teaching portfolios, annual reports, general and specific conversations about teaching, learning, building syllabi, assessment, lessons and teaching activities, as well as how to juggle teaching and professional writing, getting a job, etc.

The Plan: to construct small groups that include a faculty member, two or three experienced TAs, a few TAs who have been teaching for a year or so, and new/potential TAs. Lecturers and instructors will also be included in the communities. The faculty member and experienced teachers will facilitate the conversations.

The communities will meet at least once a month during the academic year at a time and place convenient to the community. Each semester, the community will include the following in its discussions:

• Sharing of syllabi, teaching goals, outcomes, assessment, and ideas for classroom activities
• Organize observations of teaching whereby each TA observes another member of the community and is observed by at least one other member of the community. Each observation will be described in writing and discussed in the group.
• Review teaching portfolios and annual reports and suggest revisions
• Discuss issues of professional development and teaching important to members of the community
• Write a response at the end of each semester reflecting on the community's experience.

Lower Division: The Lower Division Committee will meet during the semester to construct and revise suggestions for observation report forms, portfolio inclusion, the annual report, and proposals for the teaching theory/pedagogy conferences held several times a year (as well as other business pertinent to the committee).

Teaching theory/pedagogy conferences: Instead of many teaching seminars held during the semester, four 2-day mini conferences will be organized (two each semester at the beginning and at mid-point). Faculty and TAs will be invited to submit a 250 word proposal to the Lower Division Committee. The conferences will include concurrent and general sessions. The GEA will be invited to help organize these conferences as well.