Foundational beliefs about teaching
The purpose of the Teaching Academy is to establish a network of colleagues who can collectively develop teaching and learning expertise at the University of Calgary. This purpose is driven by the following foundational beliefs about the scholarship and practice of teaching:
- Knowledge and understanding of excellent teaching is informed by research, but driven by practice;
- Teaching expertise is shared across disciplines and across campus;
- Teaching is a developmental skill that can be deliberately strengthened; and
- Opportunities for teaching feedback and development need to be offered in a low-risk and encouraging manner.
Open Classroom Week
Open Classroom Week gives instructors the opportunity to observe what others are doing in their classrooms and engage in conversations about teaching with their colleagues. A number of instructors will open their classroom doors to allow their colleagues to watch them teach and observe their approaches to different classroom settings, teaching practices, technology applications and learning experiences. The week wraps up with a themed discussion on making teaching public.
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Peer-to-peer mentoring
The Teaching Academy is piloting a peer-to-peer mentoring initiative in fall 2015. The Teaching Academy Peer Support program is open to all instructors at the University of Calgary. Participants will be matched with a member of the Teaching Academy; the participant and mentor will work collaboratively to determine the nature of the mentoring relationship and the kind of teaching development that will take place.
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