Teaching Squares: Celebrate, Grow & Reflect on Teaching with Colleagues!

Kick-Off Meeting:
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
1:00pm- 3:00pm

Wrap-Up Meeting:
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
1:00pm - 3:00pm

Delivery Mode:Online Synchronous

While the Kick-Off and Wrap-Up are online synchronous, the classes participants observe may be either in person or online, and the mode in which a Teaching Square meets otherwise is up to participants within that Square.

Facilitators: Bettina Boyle & Lydia Watson

Celebrate & Reflect on Teaching with Colleagues!

Do you want to connect more with colleagues, become more deliberate in reflecting on your teaching, and gain new motivation and inspiration for your classrooms?

Teaching Squares give faculty a chance to gain new insight into their teaching through a non-evaluative process of classroom observation and self-reflection. A Teaching Square consists of four faculty members who, in a mutually supportive and respectful manner, will:

Observe at least one class taught by each square partner

Reflect on the class observation experience

Share reflections with square partners

Share general reflections and observations with all participants at the end

Teaching Squares are meant to spur personal reflection rather than peer evaluation. The program offers guidance and a gentle structure. This ensures that participants focus their conversations on what they’ve learned about their own teaching from the observation process and avoid commenting directly on their colleagues’ performance.

Commitment:

Teaching Square members commit to attending an initial meeting early in the semester to discuss logistics and establish expectations with the others in their square. They also commit to visiting the other members’ classes at least once, and then to meet again for a follow-up meeting.

*Note: Teaching Squares qualifies as an elective for the Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (CUTL) for those participants who are interested in completing the certificate.

To find out more about this certificate, please visit https://cte.capilanou.ca.