The experienced TA panel, from left, are: Scott Dirkse, Delores Mondragon, Patrick Mooney, Lumari Pardo-Rodrigues, Cynthia Flores, and Nathan Emery. Credit: Patricia Marroquin
On September 24, hundreds of new and returning graduate students filled the seats in Campbell Hall for TA orientation. Dr. Lisa Berry, an Instructional Consultant, welcomed the crowd and polled the audience about their teaching experience and confidence in their teaching abilities. Dr. Berry responded, “It looks like there’s a lot of experience, and still a lot more to learn.”
Chancellor Henry T. Yang (Credit: Patricia Marroquin)The theme of learning how to be a good teacher was prevalent throughout the general session and the workshops at TA Orientation. Chancellor Henry T. Yang shared his three tips for being a good teacher: 1) You have to be a good researcher and understand your content well, 2) You have to be a good lecturer, which means having a dialogue with students, knowing the students’ names, and making learning fun with humor, and 3) You have to be a good counselor during office hours, which requires exceptional listening skills, the ability to ask the right questions, and patience.
Equally important to the theme of learning how to be a good teacher was the theme of being knowledgeable about the campus resources and support services that can support TAs. A panel of experienced TAs emphasized the importance of knowing about the campus resources that are available to TAs and graduate students. These resources include: Instructional Development, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Office of the Ombuds, Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE), Office of Equal Opportunity & Sexual Harassment, and Office of Judicial Affairs.
After a short break for refreshments, the TA orientation attendees had the opportunity to attend 2 of the 17 breakout workshop sessions, which covered a wide range of teaching topics, from “Teaching Diverse Learners” to “Creative Section Activities.”
Dr. Roger Freedman presents his 5 recommended teaching strategiesOne of the workshops was hosted by Dr. Roger Freedman, the keynote speaker for the 2012 TA orientation. I found Dr. Freedman’s exceptional teaching skills and presence as a teacher leader on campus intriguing, so I decided to attend his session, titled: “5 Teaching Strategies to Embrace and 5 to Avoid in the Physical Sciences.” Dr. Freedman’s session did not disappoint. It seemed as though we were having more fun than learning, yet I came away from the session with many new ideas about how to engage students in problem solving. Dr. Freedman started the session with a video of a TA who was asked to provide the worst possible example of how to teach problem solving. Then, the audience was asked to list all of the things the TA did wrong. Dr. Freedman seamlessly wove together the audience’s responses into a list of key teaching strategies:
- Interact with students.
- Use the blackboard as a clear record.
- Clarify changes in representation.
- Be prepared.
- Have students work in groups of three.
Dr. Freedman’s session was a great example of how to make learning interactive, fun, and effective.
Overall, the key takeaways from TA orientation were:
- Learning to teach is an ongoing process, and
- Know the resources that are available to support you as a teacher.