| What is it? |
| It is a 2½ day break from normal teaching and meeting schedules and expectations. Participants are required to stay both nights. |
| How did it begin? |
| The Great Teaching Seminar style is based on 32 years of development in the National Great Teaching Seminar founded by David Gottshall of the College of DuPage in 1970, and in the statewide seminars in Iowa, the Pacific Northwest, California, Texas, and Hawaii. The seminar’s basic premise is that participants have the expertise necessary to teach and learn from each other. That, “in the long run, teachers learn to teach best from one another. Properly facilitated shop talk can be the highest form of staff development” (Gottshall). The diverse academic disciplines and backgrounds of the participants foster creativity and multiple perspectives. The focus of the seminar is on positive accomplishments in the classroom and on problem solving. Since the participants are the experts, they determine the topics for discussion. |
| How does it work? |
| The seminar has strict, yet minimal structure. Large group sessions, small group discussions, and relaxation are scheduled to provide a balanced rhythm of small group interactions, large group listening and presentations, and breaks for reflections and play. |
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| What is the agenda? |
- Identified by seminar staff.
- Use the expertise of the participants.
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| Other activities |
- Identifying important influences in the profession
- Readings from & descriptions of important and influential books in one’s discipline*
- Large group sharing (advice to new teachers, Day 1 activities, etc.)
- Values clarification exercises
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