The Centre celebrates its TLC program graduates
The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning celebrated its Teaching and Learning Certificate (TLC) program graduates on Monday, September 23rd.
The two-year TLC program is designed for faculty members who are in the early stages of their teaching career. In order to complete the program, participants must take part in an orientation, a teaching skills summer institute, mini-institutes and ten compulsory workshops. As well, a dedicated teaching mentor, assigned to each participant, meets with the participant regularly and conducts three classroom observations. Finally, participants must complete a teaching dossier and participate in community building events.
Linda Townsend, one of this year’s TLC program graduates, highlights the benefits of having participated in the program. “I gained the knowledge, skills and confidence to become a better teacher,” she says.
Darja Barr, an instructor in the Faculty of Science, was a teaching mentor in the program. “Mentoring with the TLC program has been a wonderful experience,” she says. “The time spent talking about teaching with my mentee, Masoud, also caused me to look at my own teaching in many different ways. Not only did we forge a relationship that will last for many years to come, but it was such a valuable learning experience as well. I highly recommend becoming a mentor to any faculty who are interested in sharing their wisdom and adding to it as well!”
Colleen Webb, team lead of development and consultation at The Centre, adds that the TLC program is more than just about teaching. “More than teaching knowledge, the TLC program provides participants with a supportive teaching community at the U of M,” she says.
The next TLC program intake will take place in August 2020.
This year’s graduates:
(absent: Ian Jeffrey, Faculty of Engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering)