Teaching Circles Description and Purpose: Teaching circles are informal and regular discussions among a group of colleagues who share common concerns and interests related to teaching. They are working groups in which colleagues (1) generate and share ideas related to teaching, (2) offer resolutions to problems, and (3) advise one another. Topics of discussion are driven by membership of the teaching circle and can be as varied as the backgrounds of the attendees. Topics should be free-standing such that a commitment to the entire series is not required. Below are some suggestions: •  How to engage students in large group settings •  How to implement small group work in class •  Do you teach to the median students in your class? The more advanced students? The slower students? •  Using technology and other instructional devices •  How to learn student names in large classes •  “Will this be on the test?”: How to deal with this question! •  Discussing and implementing one's teaching philosophy and goals •  Sharing materials such as syllabi and student work The faculty/staff of the teaching circle in the Center for Biology Education also include time for discussion of “immediate” teaching/learning issues. How to start a teaching circle Maybe you already discuss teaching issues with a few colleagues informally. Mention the idea of a teaching circle to them and see how the idea is received. Two or three people interested in starting a teaching circle can be enough to form a core and entice other people. Faculty/staff, and not department chairs, administrators or central faculty development professionals, should voluntarily start their own teaching circles. Faculty should lead and own the collaboration and shape it to suit their needs. The first meeting and beyond One person should agree to act as a coordinator/facilitator. This person's time and effort is minimal – set a time and place for the first meeting and encourage interested colleagues to attend. The agenda for the first meeting may include the following: What topics does the group want to discuss? Initially, topics may be suggested by the facilitator, and then by the rest of the group as the teaching circle establishes itself. Either way, for subsequent meetings the facilitator can come with a few questions to keep the discussion moving and focused on the concrete rather than on the abstract. How frequent should the meetings be? Meetings that are too frequent (e.g. once per week) may overwhelm members and lead to loss of interest. Meetings that are too infrequent (e.g. once per semester) may not generate enough momentum, enthusiasm, or follow-up. The main idea to get across in scheduling meetings is that the teaching circle will be interesting, educational, and a worthwhile use of its members' one irreplaceable resource: time. Therefore, the facilitator's main task is to set time limits and keep within them. Start with biweekly or monthly hour-long meetings, and go from there. What format should the meetings take? A “brown bag” lunch is an attractive option. No financial investment need be made, although refreshments during meetings are a pleasant incentive. What about guest speakers? Guest speakers may provide expertise in - or a different perspective of - a particular area, but may lend an air of formality that may discourage the group from having a more casual, idea-generating discussion. Membership. Whether a teaching circle is open to faculty/staff in one or many departments is up to the group. A small group of people with similar perspectives will find civility easy to maintain but may not generate many new ideas. A broad-based group may have diverse input, but may focus on the abstract and the theoretical rather than the concrete. Whichever approach is taken, an effort should be made to make nonregulars feel comfortable about dropping in and former participants feel comfortable about returning. In so doing, the group will always be adapting and changing. Benefits of teaching circles: Increased communication among faculty/staff . For a myriad of reasons, faculty are often unwilling or unable to communicate with one another. A teaching circle may help to overcome the fragmented communication patterns that may isolate individual faculty members and prevent them from interacting around issues of education and teaching. Shaw, Belcastro and Thiessen of the Mathematics Department at the University of Northern Iowa noted that their teaching circle increased communication between mathematicians and mathematics educators, tenured and untenured faculty, and traditionalists and reformers. Sharing ideas and approaches . Experienced faculty can see the worth of their experience and share it; likewise, less-experienced faculty can learn, and in doing so, suggest fresh ideas to their colleagues. At the very least, teaching circles can increase consciousness of teaching and at best, enhance the academic vitality of the department and its faculty/staff. Collegiality. Having a venue to discuss issues related to teaching allows ideas to emerge and be shared, implemented, and evaluated. Teaching circles may spark hallway discussions, even among those who do not attend, allowing bonds to develop between individuals and groups of faculty members. New faculty/staff orientation. Teaching circles may allow new staff to learn about their colleagues and to become familiar with the departmental teaching culture. As well, participation by faculty/staff in teaching circles may be recognized and rewarded in formal evaluations. That recognition may create incentives for professors to participate, particularly for young or new faculty who face imminent tenure decisions. References: Massy WF, Wilger AK, Colbeck C. Overcoming “hollowed” collegiality. Change. July/August 1994. pp.11-20 Quinlan KM. Promoting faculty learning about collaborative teaching. College Teaching. 46(2): Spring 1998. pp. 43-47. Shaw D, Belcastro S, Thiessen D. A teaching discussion group in your department – it can happen! College Teaching. 50(1): Winter 2002. pp. 29-33 University of Wisconsin, Center for Biology Education. Teaching circles. http://www.wisc.edu/cbe/teachingcircles/