Teaching Squares at CSU
The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) has been offering the Teaching Squares program since 2018. Since that time, over 60 CSU instructors and graduate students have been a part of Teaching Squares. The Teaching Effectiveness Framework (TEF) is an integral part of Teaching Squares at CSU and provides faculty with a set of pedagogical competencies to help focus the development of their teaching practice.
The TEF is comprised of seven essential, interrelated domains of effective teaching practices (see Figure 2):
- Classroom Climate
- Curriculum & Curricular Alignment
- Feedback & Assessment
- Inclusive Pedagogy
- Instructional Strategies
- Pedagogical Content Knowledge
- Student Motivation
Each TEF domain is grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and includes a list of evidence-based practices faculty can use to hone their teaching practice.
The Teaching Squares Program allows anyone currently teaching (faculty, instructors, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), and post-docs) to observe, learn from, and support each other in their quest to become better instructors. The reciprocal nature of the program requires that all participants must be teaching either a face-to-face or online course during the observation period. The program takes approximately 16 hours over twelve weeks. Meeting times are scheduled at the start of the program to ensure that all participants can commit for the whole experience.
The program provides a forum to empower change, enhance innovation, and inspire growth in teaching. In addition to reflecting on and receiving feedback on teaching practices, participants make connections with colleagues, share ideas, reignite their passion for teaching, and discuss evidence-based instructional practices.
“Teaching Squares has had a real impact on my classroom programming and content development – all of which leads directly to boosts in student engagement and success. The feedback from other teachers in my group has been invaluable – and it carries forward! My Teaching Squares group has continued to work together and we have even participated in each other’s respective classrooms. Just today, in fact, one of my Teaching Squares ‘partners’ joined me in co-teaching a class session. Students have specifically stated that integrating content and teaching styles raises the bar for the classroom experience and directly boosts engagement and success. That traces back to the Teaching Squares program as well as other professional development support initiatives from TILT.” – CSU instructor
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