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The International Teaching Fellow (ITF) Pilot
Program
Supported by
The Graduate School
Application Deadline: 8 September
Following a successful 2008-2009 pilot year, we are pleased to announce a second year of the International Teaching Fellowship (ITF) for international graduate teaching assistants.
Notes from the 2008-2009 Fellows
“Being a part of this Fellowship Program, interacting with fellow peers, CTE staff and professors made me to actually able to identify ‘solutions’ that can take me a long way in my professional development as a teacher.”
“My professional world has certainly become larger because of the International Teaching Fellowship. I have encountered many persons whose experiences have informed and made my own experiences richer. I have also become aware of more professional support programs and opportunities that can continue to facilitate my growth.”
Program Description:
The International Teaching Fellowship (ITF) for International Graduate Teaching Assistants (IGTAs) assists IGTAs in their professionalization as college teachers and future faculty. The one-year program pairs first- and second-year IGTAs with a faculty mentor outside of their departments. Fellows regularly meet with their faculty mentors and as an ITF cohort and analyze their teaching progress. Fellows will dedicate approximately 20 hours per semester to the program. IGTAs participating in the program will receive a $500 stipend and a CTE certificate upon completion of the program.
Meetings
Mentor and IGTA will meet at least twice one-on-one each semester. (At least four meetings over the course of the program.)
ITF Peer Meetings
ITF participants will attend four ITF meetings (two per semester) arranged and facilitated by the CTE. During the meetings participants will share from their written reflections on teaching, meetings with mentors, and prior ITF peer discussions. The meetings will also serve to introduce ITF participants to various relevant teaching topics. Topics may range from developing successful discussions to enhancing critical thinking skills among students and documenting one’s teaching in a portfolio.
Fellow-Mentor-CTE Group Meetings
ITF participants will attend two meetings (one per semester), where ITF fellows, mentors, and CTE join together to discuss teaching and learning at the University of Maryland. These meetings serve to offer a breadth of perspectives and experiences on education that are central to the well-rounded professionalization of IGTAs.
Classroom Observation
The faculty mentor will observe the IGTA’s teaching at least twice during the course of the program. It is strongly suggested that the class be recorded (video equipment can be borrowed from CTE). If the mentor is unavailable for class observation, CTE will record the class for him/her. As a follow-up, the mentor will provide feedback to the ITF participant.
The ITF Portfolio
For program completion ITF participants will submit a portfolio for review. Upon successful completion, ITF IGTAs will receive documentation from CTE of their participation in the program. ITF portfolios include:
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A Worksheet: The worksheet keeps track of the TMP participant’s progress in the program. The participant indicates in the worksheet on what date s/he fulfilled each ITF requirement.
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Journal Entries:
The TMP participants will keep a journal, in which s/he reflects on his/her teaching experience, meetings with his/her mentor and ITF peers. Over the course of the program, the mentee will produce at least four journal entries, all of which will be subject of discussion during ITF meetings. Journal entries should each amount to about 500 words.
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Teaching Philosophy: The ITF participants will produce a teaching philosophy, where s/he outlines his/her main teaching goals and addresses how these are met in his/her classroom. The teaching philosophy builds on the conversations with mentors and CTE staff as well as practical classroom experience.
Eligibility and Nomination Process
The International Teaching Fellowship (ITF) is an honorific program. GTAs are nominated by their graduate directors and compete for one of eight fellowships. To nominate a student, we ask for a letter of recommendation addressing the student's potential and promise and articulating how participation in the International Teaching Fellowship will benefit the student and your program.
We are asking graduate program directors to nominate no more than one international graduate student for this pilot program. Nominations must be submitted electronically to cte@umd.edu (subject: ITF Nomination) by September 8, 2009.
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