The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) Teaching Partners Program matches two or three second- or third-year tenure and term faculty with a successful, experienced teacher from a different discipline. This partnership supplements the departmental mentor relationship with a focus on teaching and student learning from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Participants engage in meaningful conversations about teaching and learning with other faculty and make connections with colleagues from other disciplines.
Teaching Partners Program
This partnership runs for the entire academic year. The Teaching Partners Program includes the following responsibilities:
- Attending three CELT Teaching Partners Program events: a welcome gathering to meet all participants, a mid-year check-in to discuss progress, and a wrap-up gathering for reflection and celebration.
- Meeting monthly with your senior partner in your small group to discuss teaching topics. Conversations range from broad approaches to teaching to more focused discussions, such as implementing scaffolding in the classroom, developing learner-centered syllabi, and documenting reflective teaching practices.
- Visiting each other’s classrooms. Junior partners visit senior partners’ classrooms in the fall semester, and senior partners visit junior partners’ classrooms in the spring semester.
- Identifying and documenting one element of your teaching. (This can be used to demonstrate scholarly teaching and continuous improvement activities for teaching portfolios).
- Attending at least one CELT programming event each semester as a mentor group.
This program is a wonderful opportunity to gain from the experience and advice of successful ISU teachers and to meet others interested in the teaching and learning process outside of your discipline. Previous teaching partners have commented:
- “My senior partner observed my classroom teaching and wrote a letter that went into my 3rd year review. That alone was worth the participation!”
- “Having a knowledgeable, open sounding board for new ideas and the opportunity to share experiences with my mentor and the other participants in the program was valuable.”
- “The Teaching Partners program gave my small teaching appointment enhanced attention and boosted my self-confidence in teaching. It also gave me a plethora of ideas for incorporating different techniques to make my classroom more student-centered in its orientation.”
If you’re wondering who has participated in the Teaching Partners Program, you can look at our comprehensive list of participants (PDF) from 2004-present day.
Apply for the Program
Applications to apply for the Teaching Partners Program will be sent to eligible participants at the beginning of the fall semester.