Nomination Form for the Geoffrey J. Comber Touchstones Teacher of the Year Award 2024 Survey

ABOUT THIS AWARD

Cynthia M. Barry established this award in 2011 to recognize discussion leadership in schools located in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. This award was renamed the Geoffrey J. Comber Touchstones Teacher of the Year, in honor of Touchstones’ co-founder and unfailing champion of teachers, Geoffrey J. Comber, who passed away in late 2019.

Past winners include Touchstones teachers and administrators in public and private schools as well as Touchstones educators in community education programs. Learn more about the award and past winners on our website.

The Touchstones Teacher of the Year will be awarded a cash prize of $250 and will receive paid round-trip transportation to Annapolis, Maryland, and accommodations at a local hotel in order to attend the award ceremony scheduled for fall 2024.

If you have any questions about the award or the nomination process, please contact the Touchstones Discussion Project at schoolprograms@touchstones.org or (410) 604-3309.

ABOUT THE NOMINATION PROCESS: Any educator who uses Touchstones is eligible for the award. Educators may nominate themselves or be nominated by a colleague or supervisor. Please indicate below if you are nominating yourself or someone else.

1.Please indicate if you are nominating yourself or someone else. Then provide your name, the name of the nominee, your telephone number, email, and school or business address. If you are providing a home address, please also tell us where you and the nominee teach or the school with which you and the nominee are affiliated.(Required.)

2.What class(es) or course(s) does the nominee teach and with students at what grade level(s)?(Required.)

3.If you are nominating yourself, please provide the name and email and phone number of a supervisor or colleague who supports your nomination for this award. If you are nominating someone else, please describe your relationship to the nominee.(Required.)

4.For how many months/years has the nominee led Touchstones discussions with their students? Which volumes have been used, and approximately how many students total have been in those Touchstones classes over time?(Required.)

5.In a short paragraph, please describe how Touchstones has been a part of the positive changes in the nominee's students' discussions and collaborative activities within the school setting. You may also want to comment on the nominee's own dedication, commitment, and creativity in leading Touchstones discussions.(Required.)

6.How does the nominee encourage student participation and the asking of questions, speaking thoughtfully, listening actively, and enacting higher-level thinking skills and problem solving during Touchstones classes? How does the nominee encourage the broader application of those skills by students in their other classes and in their interactions overall? Please feel free to include one or two specific examples or stories.(Required.)

7.In what ways does the nominee exemplify the Touchstones ideal of a collaborator and leader within your school or the larger community or serve as a model of civic engagement for others?(Required.)

8.What would you most like to share with other educators about Touchstones?(Required.)

Thank you for completing this survey and for your nomination for the Geoffrey J. Comber Touchstones Teacher of the Year Award in 2024. The nomination period will close on September 15, and the award will be announced soon after.
If you have any questions about the award or the nomination process, please contact Touchstones at schoolprograms@touchstones.org or (410) 604-3309.