The BMCC Teaching Academy is a four-semester program. By the end of two years in the Teaching Academy, participants will:
- Have increased awareness of classroom events, behaviors, and attitudes
- Engage in non-judgmental reflection and feedback on teaching and learning
- Engage in flexible, responsive teaching
- Participate in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) by:
- Reading books and articles and completing tasks related to teaching and learning
- Producing a culminating project
Below is an overview of each semester.
[hr]Semester 1
Participants read about and discuss theory, practices, and topics related to teaching at BMCC, observe one another and engage in non-judgmental feedback, and experiment with small changes in their teaching. Specifically:
- All participants attend an orientation (full-day).
- Master teachers work with teaching fellows to establish an observation and post-observation conversation schedule.
- Teaching fellows are observed twice by their group (including the master teacher). All members observe at the same time. Typically, there is one round before and one round after midterm.
- Groups meet for post-observation conversations (approximately four two-hour meetings).
- Teaching fellows complete short assignments and post them to Blackboard.
- Master teachers monitor teaching fellows’ completion of assignments and surveys.
- Master teachers meet together twice with the Teaching Academy directors (75 minutes each).
- All participants attend a final wrap-up session (approximately two hours).
Semester 2
The observation process and discussions from semester 1 continue. Participants videotape two lessons and discuss them with their groups. Specifically:
- All participants attend an orientation (approximately two hours).
- Master teachers work with teaching fellows to establish an observation and post-observation conversation schedule.
- Teaching fellows are observed twice by their group, as in the first semester. These lessons are also videotaped.
- Groups meet for post-observation conversations with the videos (approximately four two-hour meeting).
- Teaching fellows complete short assignments and post them to Blackboard.
- Master teachers monitor teaching fellows’ completion of assignments and surveys.
- Master teachers meet together twice with the Teaching Academy directors (75 minutes each).
- All participants attend a final wrap-up session (approximately two hours).
Semester 3
Teaching fellows begin to narrow their focus to one issue in their teaching to explore in some depth. Specifically:
- All participants attend an orientation (full day).
- Teaching fellows identify one aspect of their teaching or students’ learning to explore in depth, and propose a SoTL project.
- Groups meet four times (approximately two hours each) to discuss and refine SoTL projects plans.
- Teaching fellows complete short assignments and post them to Blackboard.
- Master teachers monitor teaching fellows’ completion of assignments and surveys.
- Master teachers meet together twice with the Teaching Academy directors (75 minutes each).
- All participants attend a final wrap-up session, at which time they present their SoTL project plans (approximately three hours).
Semester 4
In the final semester, they conduct classroom-based research, which will be developed into a presentation or publication. Specifically:
- All participants attend an orientation (approximately two hours).
- Teaching fellows carry out their SoTL projects.
- Groups meet four times (approximately two hours each) to discuss their SoTL projects.
- Teaching fellows complete short assignments and post them to Blackboard.
- Master teachers monitor teaching fellows’ completion of assignments and surveys.
- Master teachers meet together twice with the Teaching Academy directors (75 minutes each).
- All participants attend a final wrap-up session (approximately two hours).
All participants are encouraged to participate in the annual campus-wide SoTL Forum.
