Teaching Cells
- What is a Teaching Cell, anyway?
- Why would I want to be in a Teaching Cell?
- What is the composition of a typical Teaching Cell?
- Why call them Cells?
- How are Teaching Cells formed?
- How long does a Teaching Cell last?
- Does the administration expect me to belong to a teaching cell? Will membership add to my tenure portfolio?
- Does a typical Teaching Cell have a leader?
- How does a typical teaching cell meeting go?
- What?s next?
1. What is a Teaching Cell, anyway?
A small group of the teaching faculty who have committed themselves to talk together about teaching and learning for one hour a week.
2. Why would I want to be in a Teaching Cell?
Most teaching faculty are intense about their work, concerned about how students are responding to planned lessons and hopeful that learning is taking place in their classroom. As with any deeply held commitment, exploring its dimensions with others in a safe and open manner fosters personal satisfaction and professional growth. Teaching Cells can be a site for such explorations.
3. What is the composition of a typical Teaching Cell?
Usually composed of no more than 5 members, the best Teaching Cells have a range in the rank and fields of the members. So, if at all possible, members should come from each rank and every academic school. Cells function very well if each member has at least one other member of the Cell whom they don?t know at all and if no one in the Teaching Cell is a close chum.
4. Why call them Cells?
Why not quincuncial, or something less shady than cell? A cell can be many things: a small, basic unit of the whole, a building block, a quiet and private place?each of these captures the intention behind a teaching cell.
5. How are Teaching Cells formed?
To date, Cells have arisen from the initiative and interests of individuals who have wanted to have a time to talk with other faculty about teaching issues, have sought like-minded individuals and formed a Teaching Cell. Several members of the Committee on Teaching and Learning have been members of a Teaching Cell and see them as of quiet but significant merit for individuals and believe the Center ought to foster the spread of teaching cells among the faculty, where individuals want the opportunity to join up.
6. How long does a Teaching Cell last?
Since the Teaching Cell is, essentially, a private matter, it lasts as long as individuals meet together. The longest-running Cell to-date functioned for about five years, finally petering out when its members assumed responsibilities that made it impossible to meet; the shortest lasted two months, largely because its purpose was essentially social.
7. Does the administration expect me to belong to a teaching cell? Will membership add to my tenure portfolio?
No and not directly. The Deans generally don?t know that Teaching Cells exist, save when a cell asks for resources to attend a meeting, etc. Cells function poorly if individuals see it as a method to ?pad-the-resume? for personal advancement. The Teaching Cell is a private gathering, unsupervised by external parties. Conversations undertaken at a Teaching Cell are private but, generally, quite helpful to individuals as they add new ideas to their teaching quiver and solve classroom problems.
8. Does a typical Teaching Cell have a leader?
Not really. Cells function best if there is no self or group-designated ?significant other?. However, they also function best as individuals in the Cell take responsibility to gather information about or guide the discussion of a group-decided topic or concern.
9. How does a typical teaching cell meeting go?
This depends a lot on the group of faculty who are meeting, what they choose to do. In general, conversation begins with a summary of how the week has gone, any high points or low points or problems. Sometimes that?s all that is covered. Often, Teaching Cells have an on-going subject or experience they are pursuing. These have included taking the Myer-Briggs Personal Inventory and Kolb Learning Style Inventory and discussing the results; visiting each others? classes on a regular basis and providing evaluative comments directed toward formative purposes; considering various techniques to advance group work in classes; looking at syllabi.
10. What?s next?
If you are interested in joining a Teaching Cell, the Center will work to create one. Seasoned faculty will be asked to serve as ?gatherers and pointers? and some private conversations with them and members of a potential Cell will be fostered so that all can locate the ?lay-of-the-Cell?s-land?.
Don Housley
Coordinator, Center for Teaching and Learning
September 2002
| 
Main Page