Graduate Institute For Teaching (GIFT)

History• Launched in May 2007

• Open to Tufts Arts, Sciences, and Engineering doctoral students, as well as post-doctoral students from five other Tufts schools.

• Includes summer workshops on teaching pedagogy and classroom teaching opportunities during the fall semester.

• Participating students (i.e., Teaching Fellows) receive $2,000 stipend and a transcript notation.

• Web url is http://gs.as.tufts.edu/GIFT

Phase I: Summer Workshops

Summer Workshops• Teaching Fellows (TFs) receive training in teaching pedagogy, focusing

on areas such as syllabus and course design, lesson planning, leading group discussions, and teacher-student relationships.

• Workshops are led by Tufts faculty, administrators, and staff.

• Fellows present a sample lesson and receive feedback from their peers during the summer workshops.

• The workshops provide participants with opportunities to work with and learn from doctoral students from different disciplines and schools.

• Woven into the workshop period are a series of social events, in which fellows can ask Tufts faculty typically “unasked questions” around issues such as tenure, balancing research and teaching, and finding the right college/university match.

Workshop Schedule

• WEEK ONE WEEK THREE• Inaugural breakfast Student–Teacher relationship• Triggers and hooks to engage Teaching in the lab set• Course design and planningLeading Discussions Diverse • Defining Learning Outcomes Presentation of post docs •  Writing a syllabus Presentation docs • Cognitive aspects of learning Inspirational Speaker Lunch• Public Speaking WEEK FOUR • Effective lecturing in large classes Presentation of students

Inspirational Speaker Lunch Presentation of students 13• WEEK TWO Presentation of students •  Designing writing assignments, grading Closing Dinner of Phase 1 • Teaching research-based writing • Different types of assessment Orientation Luncheon for Mentors• Assignments, supervising outside the class• Technology Resources for Teaching • Panel of Excellence Lunch  

Phase II: Classroom Experience

Classroom Experience• Teaching Fellows co-teach a Tufts course with a faculty

mentor, putting what they learned during the workshops to use.

• Fellows help their mentors prepare course syllabus, exam or essay questions, and lead at least two classroom sessions during the fall semester.

• Fellows receive feedback from their mentors and a final written assessment of their performance as fellows is sent to the director of the program.