The theme of this year’s retreat is “The Value of Reflection: True Stories from the Classroom.” The research on college pedagogy states that effective teachers continually reflect and improve their teaching practice, but reflection is not an automatic process for all teachers. What does it mean to be reflective? It is a process where teachers take the time to think thoughtfully and intentionally about their teaching and to examine the impact on student learning and well-being as evidence. This process moves from gathering and interpreting data to planning for the future. Sources of data can be: “students’ eyes, colleagues’ perceptions, personal experience, and theory and research” (Brookfield, 2017). Our campus considers reflection as a critical indicator of teaching effectiveness. Building reflection into our teaching practice is valuable for new and experienced teachers.

In this year’s retreat, we will hear stories from our colleagues who have engaged in reflective teaching practice. We will learn why and how they reflected as teachers, and the result of their reflection. The retreat will also provide opportunities for us to explore our roles and goals as teachers, and to learn from some of our colleagues who will share their journeys as teachers. As a hallmark of our retreats, there will be interactive activities to share ideas and questions with others.

Goals of the Retreat

The goals for the Annual Faculty Retreat are to build on our collective knowledge about teaching and learning, to share innovative ideas and approaches, and to promote partnerships within and beyond the campus community.