By Zack Rogow August 27, 2013
Beginning in spring 2014, the School of Undergraduate Studies at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) will begin an Integral Teaching Fellowship (ITF) program. “The program provides a unique opportunity for CIIS graduate students who are interested in teaching at the college level and exploring liberatory teaching methods,” explains faculty member Isabel Garcia-Gonzales, who will be co-leading the ITF Program along with BA Completion (BAC) Program core faculty member Alec MacLeod. BAC core faculty member Sonya Shah, who initially envisioned the program and worked to secure funding for it, will also contribute to the program’s implementation. The ITF program will prepare graduate students to teach in college classrooms using innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
“The graduate fellows will take part in an intensive, semester-long experience during which they learn about cutting-edge teaching methods from experienced instructors in BAC classrooms, deepen their theoretical understanding of critical pedagogies, and explore and articulate their own insights regarding what it means to engage in an Integral Education,” Garcia-Gonzales elaborates. On completion of the program, Integral Teaching Fellows receive a stipend.
“The School of Undergraduate Studies at CIIS is very excited to launch the new ITF program this academic year,” Garcia-Gonzales says. “It’s an opportunity for the BAC program to share our innovative approaches to teaching and learning, while exposing graduate fellows to the critical, transformative, collaborative, and integral pedagogies that we draw from in our undergraduate program.”
The ITF program at CIIS creates a professional development opportunity for master’s and doctoral students, but it also offers opportunities in many areas. “The program benefits not only the fellows, but also the BAC program and CIIS, and ultimately the future students of the Integral Teaching Fellows,” Garcia-Gonzales says.
