Faculty Reflection on Self Growth
The Master Teacher Program (MTP) is a three-year professional development opportunity for new full-time faculty at Kirkwood. This program is built upon faculty’s strengths and it is an opportunity for the probationary faculty to reflect on their good teaching practices that lead to their student’s success in a non-evaluative setting. KCELT hosted an outstanding annual presentation of Year-one faculty professional growth on Monday, April 4th, 2016.
Through their presentations, faculty candidly shared some of the challenges that they faced in their first year teaching as full-time faculty, they also shared how they overcame the challenges or turned them into growth opportunities for their students.
It was an amazing and informative session to discover what other faculty teach, what some of their challenges are, and how they overcome challenges in order to prepare students for success in different fields. Faculty candidly advised the audience regarding how they grew in their first year, and what their plans are for the future for continued growth.
MTP Year 1 was co-facilitated by Dr. Theresa Moore and Sara Kepros, who mentor faculty as needed. Facilitators try to bring everyone together and form a personalized and on-going professional development community in which they share their experiences, reflect their growth, and inspire each other while being inspired. Theresa and Sara encourage faculty to apply the new insights on teaching into their teaching practices, to visit each other’s classrooms, and to design shareable learning solutions in collaboration with KCELT Instructional Designers.
The showcase of faculty growth was intended for an open audience at the college. Having some Kirkwood administrators – such as President Mick Starcevich, representatives from the Board of Trustees and Deans – made this experience even more valuable for those who presented and all who attended the session.