
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
1981-1982
Each year, Gilman School offers fellowships to recent college graduates who have a strong interest in teaching. Fellows benefit from the coaching of a mentor teacher and a range of unique professional development experiences. They also participate in regular seminars dedicated to the exploration of critical issues in education. To help assess and demonstrate growth, fellows maintain a digital teaching portfolio that highlights the tools, documents, and experiences that both represent and inspire their learning.
Specific classroom responsibilities for fellows vary based on both divisional placement and demonstrated readiness. Some initially observe and shadow their mentor, gradually assuming instructional leadership as the fellowship unfolds. Other fellows, particularly those placed in the Middle or Upper School, teach a section or two of their own students for the duration of the fellowship.
Fellows coach interscholastic and intramural sports and support cocurricular programs, in addition to their work in the classroom. They often assist with advising as well.
Gilman is a partner in the Penn Fellows Independent School Teaching Residency (ISTR), an innovative collaboration between the Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania and a consortium of the nation’s leading independent day schools.
The other consortium schools include Greenwich Academy, Hopkins School, North Shore Country Day, Princeton Day School, Riverdale Country School, Roxbury Latin School, The Shipley School, St. Anne’s Belfield, and Trinity School.
Teaching Fellows receive support from experienced teachers and special programming throughout the fellowship year.
Mentors are veteran teachers who provide fellows support and guidance through cycles of feedback, observation, and conversation. Mentors organize and design curriculum and instruction effectively, and they have capacity to counsel, encourage, and assess their colleagues’ classroom skills. Most importantly, mentors model a dedication to students and the pursuit of mastery of the art of teaching.
Gilman's Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning oversees all components of the fellowship: the application process, the development of mentors, and the coordination of the fellows’ professional development. At the end of each year, the Assistant Head conducts a review of the fellowship experience, implementing appropriate enhancements to the program.
Fellows take advantage of professional development opportunities at Gilman:
Fellows benefit from instructional coaching rooted in cycles of observation, feedback, and conversation. Mentors regularly observe fellows teach, sharing constructive feedback during following coaching sessions. Conversely, fellows routinely observe their mentors employ effective classroom techniques in support of the boys’ learning.
Fellows gather for regularly scheduled seminars to share their teaching and professional development experiences as well as to discuss readings and case studies addressing many of the following topics:
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
1981-1982
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
1995-1996
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
2003-2004
Reginald S. Tickner Writing Fellowship
2004-2005
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
2005-2007
Class of 1955 Henry Callard Teaching Fellow
2007-2008
Class of 1955 Henry Callard Teaching Fellow
2008-2009
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
2008-2009
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
2009-2010
Class of 1955 Henry Callard Teaching Fellow
2010-2011
Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellow
2010-2011
Class of 1955 Henry Callard Teaching Fellow
2013-2014
Class of 1955 Henry Callard Teaching Fellow
2015-2016
Please click here to apply for a fellowship opportunity for the 2019-2020 school year.
For more information regarding Gilman Teaching Fellowships, contact:
Assistant Head of School
410-323-3800, ext. 177
bgriffith@gilman.edu
The Michael Howard Cooper New Teacher Development Fund supports one or more Michael Howard Cooper Teaching Fellows who serve for one year. Established by the Cooper family in 1981 as a memorial to Michael, a member of the Gilman class of 1985, Cooper Teaching Fellows are new to teaching, excel in both character and potential, and combine a concern for academic excellence with an appreciation of those personal and spiritual qualities that lead students to a mature respect for themselves and for all persons.
The Johnnie L. Foreman, Jr. Faculty Fellowship introduces aspiring teachers to careers in education by giving a recent college graduate the opportunity to explore the profession of teaching at Gilman School. The fellowship honors Director of Community and Diversity Johnnie L. Foreman, Jr., has taught, coached, mentored and advised generations of Gilman men. Mr. Thomas H. Broadus III ’86, P’20 and Mrs. Anne Eggleston Broadus P’20 established the fellowship in 2015.
The Reginald S. Tickner Writing Fellowship is an annual writer-in-residence position named in honor of Reginald Tickner, whose 41-year career at Gilman impacted thousands of Gilman students. The first fellow, poet Mary Azrael, taught at Gilman during 1995-96. Learn more about the Tickner Writing Fellow.
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