Teaching Circles
What is a Teaching Circle?
A Teaching Circles offers faculty and staff the opportunity to meet regularly with colleagues in an informal and open setting. Teaching Circle members share experiences teaching and working with today’s students. Circles can be organized around specific topics (like inclusive teaching practices, generative AI, anti-racist pedagogy, grading practices, and more) or around particular groups ( online teaching, new faculty). Teaching Circles encourage members to have conversations that reflect on their teaching practices, connect their teaching practices to the wider issues and goals in contemporary higher education, engage the wisdom and best practices in the field that lead to community resources for the University.
What are Teaching Circles Like? What will happen in a Teaching Circle?
Teaching Circles will consist of 5-8 members (which can be made up of faculty, staff, or both), and will meet at least 4 times in the semester (once every 3 weeks or so). Teaching Circle members will be able to determine their own process and other particulars for their group. The general expectation is that members meet to discuss designated topics in their area, around a particular practice, a set of readings, experiences, and more. For example, one Teaching Circle meeting might be organized around sharing thoughts on a reading or an article, the next organized around sharing and workshopping course materials with each other, and so on. Members of the Teaching Circle source materials and facilitate the discussion amongst themselves. Meetings should last at least 1 hour but no more than 90 minutes.
Why should I join a Teaching Circle?
Teaching Circles give faculty and staff the unique opportunity to share experiences in an informal setting with colleagues and to engage in open and vulnerable conversations about teaching and student support challenges in a rapidly changing culture and higher education environment. They will also provide you with a structure to learn from colleagues about their experiences, techniques, and strategies when working with students. By creating a space and context for meaningful conversation about our shared work, Teaching Circles will help us find community and support for the important, but often difficult and complicated, mission of keeping students at the center of all we do.
Who is in charge of the Teaching Circle I joined? Who leads the discussions?
That is up to the participants of the Teaching Circle. It is recommended that the group select someone (or a team) as a facilitator or point of contact. It is important to remember that no single person is in charge of bringing content to the group. That is the responsibility of everyone. It is about seeking resources and sharing expertise, experience, and insight through shared conversation and exploration. The Teaching Hub will launch the circles and provide administrative support as needed.