Teaching Circles are small groups of faculty from various disciplines who come together to discuss matters related to teaching and learning.  Members meet every other week to dive deeply into a topic as well as develop relationships with faculty across campus.  The discussion is centered around one focal book (provided free of charge to participants) which guides the conversation.  Members serve as informal “discussion leaders” each week but the conversation is typically guided by the group at large.

We always accept suggestions for future teaching and learning books to read!

For the Fall Semester of 2023, three teaching circles will be offered.

Collaborative Learning Teaching Circle

This teaching circle will share readings and discussions about core practices to empower students to enter, nourish, and sustain collaborative learning.  The text “Learning with Others: Collaboration as a Pathway to College Student Success” by Conrad & Lundberg outlines how to blend the roles of faculty, staff, and students; how to adopt best practices for receiving and giving feedback on problem-solving; and how to anchor a curriculum in shared problem-solving. Faculty of all career stages (new, mid-career, and senior) are welcome to join! Members serve as informal “discussion leaders” for each meeting but the conversation is typically guided by the group at large.

Sessions will take place in the Faculty Resource Center (LC-202). The schedule for this teaching circle is below. To reserve your space and reading material

  REGISTER

Mondays from 1:00 – 2:00pm

October 2, 9, 23
November 6, 27
December 11

Student Engagement Teaching Circle

Readings for this teaching circle will come from Bean & Melzer’s updated edition and highly celebrated “Engaging Ideas.”  Faculty will discuss encouraging students to come to class better prepared, how to study more purposefully, and how to submit higher-quality work.  The following sections will be covered with the goal of capturing the attention of your students and accelerating their growth as writers and critical thinkers:

·       Designing Tasks to Promote Active Thinking and Learning

·       Helping Students Read Mindfully across the Disciplines

·       Using Small Groups to Coach Thinking and Teach Disciplinary Argument

·       Bringing more critical thinking into Lectures and Discussions

Faculty of all career stages (new, mid-career, and senior) are welcome to join! Members serve as informal “discussion leaders” for each meeting but the conversation is typically guided by the group at large.

Sessions will take place in the Faculty Resource Center (LC-202). The schedule for this teaching circle is below. To reserve your space and reading materials

 REGISTER

Wednesdays from 11:00 – 12:00pm

October 11, 25
November 8, 29
December 13

Grant Writing Circle

The Grant Writing Circle will guide participants through the grant writing process, from defining your funding needs through the development of the project description and drafting of a budget.  Participants will have the option to share their proposal with the group in exchange for feedback. This workshop is co-sponsored by the FRC and the Office of Grants and Special Programs.

Sessions will take place in the Faculty Resource Center (LC-202). The schedule for this workshop is below.

REGISTER

Thursdays from 1:00 – 2:00pm

October 5- Defining your funding needs and the proposal summary
October 12- Finding your funder
October 26- Developing a timeline and budget
November 9- Writing your proposal narrative
November 30- Curating supplementary information
December 14- Next steps