Making Workshops Worth the Time

“I wish I knew how to build a class web page for my students.”

“I didn’t expect to deal with so many diverse levels of academic preparation for my class. How do I keep my students engaged without losing half the class along the way?”

“I suspect some of my students have been cheating. How do I deal with it?”

Do these questions sound familiar? If you are a TA, you’ve probably wondered about issues like these at some point. Perhaps you have found an answer to your teaching question, or perhaps you are still struggling with it.

If you are a teaching assistant, you have also received a number of notices about various certificate programs offered by the TA Project. Sure, the titles seem to directly relate to common teaching issues, but with 15 hours of teaching, grading, office hours, not to mention research, graduate courses, and other responsibilities, the commitment of another hour of your already sparse free time is more than you may be willing to sacrifice.

So perhaps the better question is: “What exactly does the TA Project offer to TAs like me, and why should I take the time to use these resources?”

The TA Project offers workshops that are designed to address issues that TAs commonlyface. Instead of wondering what to do, you’ll be given access to an array of resources to help deal with your specific teaching question. You may learn classroom techniques and policy ideas that had not occurred to you before. Or, you may be affirmed in the way that you have chosen to deal with a situation. You will also meet other TAs who are dealing with the same issues as you.

When you attend four TA Project workshops on related issues, you will receive a certificate recognizing your commitment to teaching. This can be listed on your CV, and is an asset to your teaching portfolio when you apply for jobs in the future. We currently offer certificates in Class Management, Creative Teaching Practices, Teaching with Technology, and many others. You can find out more about the times and topics for this semester’s workshops here.

One of the best ways to learn to be a better teacher is to emulate the successful techniques of experienced instructors. The Master Faculty Observation Program is an opportunity to do just that. A number of faculty have volunteered to be observed. You may sit in on their lectures, and discuss their techniques afterwards.

Another good strategy to find ways to improve your teaching is to try to understand how others see you. To this end, the TA Project offers a microteaching course. Students will discuss aspects of clear classroom presentations, and then will teach minicourses while being videotaped. Afterwards, you may review your video to critique your presentation. Even aside from microteaching, the TA Project will videotape your current course on request.

Finally, the TA Project offers a semester long seminar called Introduction to College Teaching every Spring where you can continually dialogue with other TAs, learn from experienced faculty, and discuss the art of being an effective instructor. This course is a perfect chance to consider effective classroom policies and how to carry yourself in class. Due to popular demand, Introduction to College Teaching, has expanded to offer a fall semester course called College Teaching II, where students spend a semester designing a syllabus, assignments, and policies for their dream course.

Perhaps attending a workshop or observing others seems to not address your specific teaching problem. Then, the TA Project office provides confidential counseling to help address your specific classroom issue. Registration for all of these programs is easy: either email the TA Project at tapweb@rci.rutgers.edu, or call us at (732) 932-7747.

With such a wide array of continually growing programs, what benefit is there for you?

By considering the details of being a TA, you will learn how to fine-tune your teaching skills. This will improve the output of your efforts: your teaching and your students will profit from your work.

Often, new TAs and instructors are frustrated by the amount of preparation teaching requires. By learning tips of the trade, you can make yourself more efficient, and streamline your preparation time more effectively. You may actually save time!

Attending TA Project workshops can provide you with a certificate, or a course on your transcript that illustrates your dedication to teaching. Spending time thinking about your teaching will also allow you to more effectively communicate your teaching philosophy when you interview for jobs.

Thinking about teaching in a formal setting will equip you to better analyze your own teaching. In conjunction with student feedback, you will be able to better analyze yourself from lecture to lecture and find ways to improve your teaching from week to week.

Often, research and teaching may seem to be distinct issues. By participating in teaching workshops and dialoging with other TAs and faculty, you may learn much from others’ experiences, and you may also begin to see that teaching is actually a scholarly activity.

Think about it:

• You may understand ways to address your students’ issues in ways that help them learn more.
• You may learn to be more efficient with your teaching preparation time.
• You may gain valuable insights from experienced faculty.
• You may learn to better see how you project yourself in the classroom.
• You may learn more optimal policies for responding to your students.
• You will leave with concrete evidence of your commitment to teaching for future jobs.
• You will learn to better express your thoughts about your teaching when it comes down to applying for that next job.

Ultimately, the TA who is stressed with research and teaching commitments shouldn’t ask, “Why should I give an hour of my time for a teaching seminar?” The question should be “Why shouldn’t I? With so many options, I’ve got nothing to lose, and many things to gain!”