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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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Teaching Practicum Models Strategies For Teaching Assistants
“Then it hits them. Teaching is hard work that requires a lot more than knowing the subject, and they realize they don’t know how to go about doing it,” comments Abel Franco, TA consultant with TA Services, an office providing support to TAs through the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE). Teaching assistants who enroll in the one- to three-credit University Teaching Practicum, taught by Carol Washburn, CIDDE instructional designer, find an opportunity to learn to apply teaching and learning theories. Cognitive psychology and learning theory serve as a foundation for the course, which emphasizes student engagement through real-life application. “In this course, theory is reflected in everything we do. We actually think by doing. Each class is centered around our experiences in the courses we are teaching, and it is taught in a way that models effective classroom strategies,” comments Franco, who assists Washburn with the class. The practicum also provides TAs with a collaborative atmosphere where
they can air concerns, get supportive feedback, and share what works
and what doesn’t. Washburn begins each session by inviting students
to share specific problems and issues. For example, being both students
and teachers themselves, many TAs find it difficult defining their relationship
with the students they are teaching. Attendance, class participation,
and grading create other common difficulties for TAs. “These kinds of
problems can affect their morale, their whole outlook on life,” says
Franco. “Although students in the course initially tend to be skeptical about the ability of peers from other disciplines to offer valid suggestions, by the end of the semester they highly value this feedback,” notes Washburn. Students even find that feedback from classroom observations by TAs from other disciplines is especially objective and valuable. “When the TAs observe people from other fields, their input is much richer, complete and useful” than that from observations by peers within the same departments. Furthermore, students are comfortable with the classroom videotaping and subsequent scrutiny of their teaching that precedes these observations, largely because it is conducted by TA Services consultants like Franco, who are themselves graduate students. Acknowledging that the students learn a great deal from one another, Washburn concedes she also learns from them. As a result, she systematically adds new ideas to her repertoire to share in future classes, explaining, “Good ideas perpetuate themselves.” Readings and activities have been evaluated and recommended by TAs who have previously taken the course. Likewise, consultants in TA Services draw ideas from the practicum, using them to plan workshops and orientation programs. Referring to her work with faculty, Washburn comments, “We give students
the same tools that CIDDE instructional designers give faculty across
the University. Even faculty who have worked here for years find these
tools extremely valuable.” Consequently, CIDDE instructional designers
observe a growing faculty interest in teaching pedagogies that engage
students; likewise, Franco sees this same awareness of good teaching
practices growing among the University’s TAs. | ||||||||||||||
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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for Instructional Development & Distance Education |
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Approximately
850 graduate students teach or assist in teaching undergraduate courses
at the University of Pittsburgh. These teaching assistants (TAs) excel
in their major areas of study, but many are teaching a college course
for the first time. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for TAs to receive
their teaching assignments just a few weeks before the semester begins.
Although some academic departments offer support, TAs may have time
only to prepare an outline of course content before plunging into their
new roles.