What are participants saying about the Teaching Certificate Program?

Posted by Rhett Mcdaniel on Monday, January 9, 2012 in News.

Sure you’ve heard about it. You’ve probably been at a workshop with others who are participating in it. You may have friends – or know of other TAs – who have benefited from it. But what are people really saying about the Teaching Certificate Program?

• Hearing different perspectives is useful
  “Gaining insights from objective, knowledgeable observers and discussing the experimental design and presenting findings along the way in cycle 3 to the working group yielded invaluable input on the project. Similarly invaluable input was attained from the GTF consultations regarding my Teaching Statement.” (Participant, 2009) 

  “It was nice to get different perspectives on my teaching from the consultations. I also really enjoyed working with the people in my group. Even though we were from very different disciplines, they shared really good ideas about teaching and gave good feedback on my project.” (Participant, 2009)

  In the program, participants interact with others from a variety of disciplines as they participate in workshops, attend the reading group and form a working group. Discussing differing teaching practices and teaching challenges that others face in their disciplines has proved to be of  great value to participants.

• Personalized feedback is valuable
  “The strongest aspect of the program is the feedback from classroom observations. In both cases this feedback was comprehensive, informative, and helped refine my pedagogical practices.” (Participant, 2011) 

  “I would say that individual conversations with GTFs have been most useful, followed closely by working group conversations. What makes these so useful is the focus the folks at CFT show to my individual problem.” (Participant, 2008)

  Participants in the program meet one-on-one with GTF consultants in the first two cycles of the program to receive personalized feedback on their teaching and to discuss any other teaching-related topic. This personalized attention allows participants to get specific feedback that can used right away.

• Exposure to teaching and learning literature is beneficial
  “The workshops and the reading groups were very beneficial. I had very little background in the field of education, but these two aspects of the TC program were able to provide me a strong base in the field of education.” (Participant, 2010) 

  Throughout the program, the CFT strives to share research-based best practices with participants, and in the second cycle, participants spend four weeks discussing teaching & learning literature with others. Often, participants haven’t examined research outside of their disciplines and in doing so discover a lot about how students learn.

• The Program is Helpful in the Job Hunt
  “Teaching Certificate Program is a valuable part of my CV. If I did not participate in the program, I would not have done the teaching observation or teaching project, which is of interest to potential employers. Completing the program also allowed me to have more chance to be an instructor in my department.” (Participant, 2011) 

  Repeatedly, former participants tell us that their participation in the program was a valuable part of their interview and application process. By working with the CFT, participants gain the language necessary to talk about their teaching in interviews as well as compiling documentation related to their teaching throughout the program that is often a required part of the application.

So what are you waiting for? Join the program today.

Tags: Teaching Certificate