COntinuous Development in TEaching
Workshops
The Walker Center for Teaching and Learning is an excellent professional development resource on campus at UTC. I have regularly attended, and sometimes presented at, their annual Instructional Excellent Retreat, I have participated in several grading sessions for the Critical Thinking Assessment Test, and I have attended numerous other workshops. Some of the workshops I've attended include: Online Discussions for Critical Thinking, Advisement Skills, UTC Learn Grade Center, Course Redesign, and Encouraging Critical Thinking.
Text reviewing
Since joining the faculty at UTC I have participated in the review process for three textbooks. Two of those texts (linked below) moved into production while another, an online format text for Adult Development and Aging, did not.
The Certificate in University Teaching is designed to assist graduate students in developing the teaching skills that will be required in a career in academia. This program has been a key contributor in the development of my confidence and effectiveness in the classroom. As part of this program, I attended a series of workshops related to teaching, like Course Design, Understanding the Learner and Teaching Large Classes, had my teaching observed and critiqued on three separate occasions and developed a short workshop in which I instructed my peers on a key teaching-related concept.
certificate in university teaching
Teaching Assistant Developer
For seven semesters I developed and delivered several one to two hour workshops on teaching in the university setting. Some of these workshops included: Teaching Large Classes, Dealing with Classroom Disruptions, Interactive Teaching Activities, Designing Exams, Teaching Dossiers and A Matter of Style: Learning from Ontario’s Best Lecturers. Facilitating these workshops also included a responsibility to assess thought papers that were written in reaction to the workshops.
Another key aspect to my role as a Teaching Assistant Developer was observing the teaching of fellow graduate students. Following a teaching observation, I would meet with that graduate student to review a written report in which I would give feedback on his/her strengths in the classroom and also provide suggestions and strategies for their improvement. During my time in this role, I observed the teaching of approximately 100 graduate students. While my role was certainly to provide them with feedback and suggestions, I myself learned a lot about teaching with a variety of methods and in a variety of situations.