Our Mission
The Belmont Teaching Center cultivates human-paced, relationship-rich growth, supporting Belmont educators as they integrate faith, teaching, and scholarship to become skilled, caring, and reflective teachers and learners.
Guiding Principles
Teaching is a learned skill and craft that involves challenges, mistakes, vulnerability, and growth. In order to provide an environment for teachers to learn, our programs blend hospitality with an expertise in teaching and learning and a responsiveness to Belmont’s community needs. In our programs, we commit to being . . .
-
Faculty-focused. Our programs arise from deep listening to faculty needs and include faculty meaningfully in development and delivery.
-
Invitational. A hospitable learning environment is voluntary. Our programs are not required or used for administrative or review purposes.
-
Inclusive. Collective wisdom is cultivated when everyone is part of the conversation. We draw from the broadest range possible of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
-
Pedagogically Grounded. We engage participants by modeling best practices in pedagogy, including active learning.
-
Human-Paced Growth. Enduring transformation happens through incremental change; our programs provide actionable small-scale ideas that can be implemented into an ongoing teaching practice that enables teachers to develop throughout their career.
Our History
Housed in Belmont University's Janet Ayers Academic Center, the Teaching Center was established in 1994 from the growing belief that teaching requires both substantial effort and reflection for mastery.
Current Director
- 2025 to present - Jayme Yeo
Past Directors of the Teaching Center and their initiatives:
- 2012 to 2025 - Mike Pinter (Mathematics)
- 2009 to 2012 - Merrie King (Education)
Courage to Teach and Sloan-C Fellows - 2006 to 2009 - Kim Daus (Chemistry)
Community Garden and problem-based learning - 2003 to 2006 - Mike Pinter (Mathematics)
Collaboration with General Education to implement BELL Core and Faculty Cohort Groups - 2000 to 2003 - Pete Giordano (Psychology)
Work with faculty stages of career development and scholarship of teaching - 1997 to 2000 - Marcia McDonald (English)
Introduced Belmont to the work and ideas of Parker Palmer and service learning - 1994 to 1997 - Mike Awalt (Philosophy), Founding Director
Collaborative learning and peer tutoring, and technology and teaching
