Welcome to TA Day!

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Welcome to TA Day!

• Before we start, please say hello to some of
  your new colleagues

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• We hope today will build your confidence and
  success as a TA, by helping you
• Clarify your role as a TA
• Answer some of your questions about what to do in
  your first session with your students
• Plan your teaching efficiently and effectively
• Grade your students work and give them useful
  feedback
• Get to know your colleagues and about useful
  resources for your work as a TA

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Your roleWhat do good TAs do, and why is it so
important?
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• Have you ever had a great TA?
• What did - or didnt - they do that made them
  stand out?
• Have you ever had a lousy TA?
• What did - or didnt - they do that disappointed
  or frustrated you?

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• What do these ideas about great / lousy TAs tell
  you about your new role?

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Secrets of great TAsWhat to do to become one!

• How to get off to a good start in your first
  session

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• Take 30 seconds and jot down on a piece of paper
  some key points about your experience as a
  learner or as a TA about first days of class
• What were you hoping for?
• What concerns did you have?
• Is there a take home message you would want to
  share with other TAs as a result of this
  experience?
• Introduce yourself to the person next to you and
  describe the most important aspect of your
  experience and any take-home message to each
  other

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• Join with another pair of colleagues sitting
  close (in front or behind you).
• Introduce yourselves and create two quick lists
  of the issues you identified one of issues from
  the TA perspective, one of issues from the
  student perspective
• Decide which you think are the top two issues in
  each list, and your ideas about helpful
  strategies for addressing them.

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Key issues from session participants

• Recognize the importance of
• Community
• Communication
• Enthusiasm
• Maintaining the distinction between being
  friendly (working relationship with students) and
  being a friend (personal relationship)
• Concerns to address with students
• Fear of the unknown
• Expectations
• Evaluation
• Uncomfortable about participating in class
  discussion

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What can we learn from this list?

• Many of the issues reflect the importance of
  building positive relationships with and among
  learners. (We often overlook this when we get too
  fixated on content!)
• Many of us share similar fears about new
  environments and tasks! These anxieties can act
  as barriers to the participation and learning you
  want to achieve. It is helpful to take a little
  time to address and normalize these concerns
  (especially in the first class, and again as
  assignments and tests come up).
• Teaching strategies that help create a safe and
  supportive learning environment (perhaps some
  that we have used in this session!) are highly
  effective tools to help you engage your students.

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Common concerns for students, and TAs!

• Who are you?
• Will you be helpful?
• Will I be able to do the work? Will it be
  interesting? Why do I have to take this course?
• What do I need to know about this course? When
  and how will I be evaluated? What are the
  expectations and criteria for success?

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Common concerns for students, and TAs!

• Who are you?
• Introductions to you and each other
• Will you be helpful?
• When and where are you available, and what for?
• Should I be here? (Will I be able to do the work?
  Will it be interesting? Why do I have to take
  this course?)
• What is interesting and exciting about this
  course? What will they gain from it? How you will
  help them to achieve this?
• What do I need to know about this course? When
  and how will I be evaluated? What are the
  expectations and criteria for success?
• Clarify, reinforce info from outline /prof/your
  own and other TAs experience about expectations
  for student /TA roles and responsibilities. E.g.
  in- and out-of-class preparation, participation
  learning, assignments etc.

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The most important thing you can do in the first
class

• Be yourself!
• Use your enthusiasm to build
• comfort, clarity and confidence!

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Some strategies for your first class and beyond
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What kinds of activity / resource have helped you
learn most about your field?

• Make a quick list of everything that comes to mind

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• What kinds of activity / resource have helped you
  learn most about your field?
• Talking, asking questions, discussion
• Hands-on exploration
• Group problem solving
• Role play
• Observation
• Illustrations - examples, pictures, anecdotes
• Research
• Reading

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What can we learn from these suggestions?

• All these ways of learning are great potential
  teaching strategies, and can be adapted to many
  contexts
• There are many more (Im still learning new
  ones!)
• Think about which strategies will be most helpful
  for the kinds of learning that students need to
  do
• It is very effective to talk with students about
  different learning strategies they could use, and
  to point out how they can apply strategies you
  are using outside the classroom when they are
  learning independently

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• How can I use these strategies in my classes?
• Focus time and attention on ideas and skills
  students will have most trouble with
• Start by thinking about how you learned these
  difficult aspects of the subject, and talk to
  colleagues/students about how they learned them
  use these ideas to plan activities in the
  tutorial
• Start with strategies you are comfortable with,
  then gradually try new ones

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Key points to help learning

• Make thinking explicit
• how do you learn this material?
• How do you approach problems and tasks?
• Strategic feedback the most important things
  they need to do differently to do better in
  future.

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Review

• What is the most important thing this session has
  highlighted for you, and how will you use it in
  your first class?
• Start with something simple and interesting
• Build from there
• HAVE FUN!

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Other resources on the first class

• Centre for the Support of Teaching (2004). In
  your first class (pages 1-6). In So youre a TA
  A Handbook on Teaching and Learning for new TAs
  at York University.
• Auster, E.R., Grant, T.R. Wylie, K.K. (2005).
  Chapter 4 The first class an important
  opportunity (pp. 59-76). In Excellence in
  Business Teaching a Quick Start Guide.
  McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.