Topic outline
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What is a Teaching Square?
A teaching square (or triangle) is a group of colleagues (4 for a square, 3 for a triangle), who agree to observe 1 hour of each others class across an agreed time period. The total time commitment for a square is 5-6 hours (1 hour to prepare the square, 1 hour of observation of each colleague, and 1 hour after all observations are complete to discuss). They can be done with colleagues from the same course, different courses, different programs and different disciplines.
Teaching Squares provide an opportunity to deprivatise the Teaching Space through observation. They also provide a space for colleagues to connect through a shared experience to then discuss Teaching and Learning in a supportive manner.
What is not a Teaching Square?
Teaching Squares are NOT for evaluation, promotion, review, critique, criticism or judgment.
This observation is non-evaluative and not done to provide feedback to the person being observed, but rather provide an opportunity for the observer(s) to witness differing approaches and styles. Importantly, at the end of the Teaching Square, colleagues meet to discuss what they observed and how they have changed or what they have learned for their own teaching from participating in the square.
Further Information
The Teaching Innovation Unit have created a video which describes teaching squares below: