TA Workshops & Seminars
UCSB’s TA Development Program Presents:
Winter 2012 TA Pedagogy Workshops
All session limited to 10 participants
RSVP to reserve your seat
Are Your Students Getting it? How Do You Know?
Wednesday January 18th, 3:00-400pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Dr. Lisa Berry, Instructional Development
TAs sometimes believe that if a concept was discussed, the students "get it"… only to find out on the homework, midterm, or final exam that the students did not understand. In this workshop, we will discuss efficient strategies for offering and receiving "real time" feedback.
RSVP: lisa@id.ucsb.edu
Mindfulness & Mind-wandering in the Classroom
Thursday January 19th, 4:00-5:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Michael Mrazek, TA Video Consultant, Department of Psychology
After getting students to show up, getting them to pay attention is arguably the most fundamental prerequisite for promoting learning. Yet research indicates that mind-wandering is a pervasive and disruptive influence in the classroom. This workshop will focus on strategies for helping students stay focused in class, either through teaching that maximizes engagement or by helping students cultivate the skill of paying attention.
RSVP: michael.mrazek@psych.ucsb.edu
Improving Your Teaching and Your Students’ Learning
Friday January 20th, 11:00am-12:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall Facilitator: Dr. Kim DeBacco, Instructional Development
Are you looking for strategies to shift your teaching up a few notches? Aiming for the Certificate in College and University Teaching (and a great job) one day? In this workshop we will share and discuss tips for actively developing and documenting your growth and improvement as a TA including: using TA evaluation feedback and classroom assessment techniques to make positive changes, keeping a teaching journal, reading about teaching and learning, drafting a teaching philosophy statement, maintaining a teaching portfolio, working with a teaching mentor. Whether you are just starting out as a TA or eyeing the job market, this workshop will equip you with ways to demonstrate how you strive to improve the student learning experience with each course you teach.
RSVP: kim@id.ucsb.edu
Facilitating Peer Review
Monday January 23rd, 4:00-5:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Dr. Lisa Berry, Instructional Development
Students are often asked to give feedback on each other’s work, but feel that they lack the skills required to do so. In this workshop, you will learn various approaches for mentoring students through the peer review process, anticipating challenges, and leveraging online communication to enhance peer review activities.
RSVP: lisa@id.ucsb.edu
Supporting International Students in Your Section
Tuesday January 24th, 10:00am – 11:00am
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Dr. Kim DeBacco, Instructional Development
Increasing numbers of international undergraduates are coming to sections and labs with different cultural assumptions about academic skills, and instructor and student behaviors. You may need to develop new strategies for designing and giving feedback on written exercises and papers, and you may benefit from some practical pointers for fostering meaningful student engagement with individual exercises, group work and whole class discussions in your section. This workshop will equip you with tips for modeling clear communication and setting clear expectations about how things run in your section.
RSVP: kim@id.ucsb.edu
Activities for Active Learning and Engagement
Tuesday January 24th, 1:00-2:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: David Boy, TA Video Consultant, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Active learning moves students beyond passively absorbing information to increasing their engagement, and improving their thinking and communication skills. Active learning activities can also be useful for mixing things up and trying something new in class. In this workshop, you will learn tips and techniques for designing and leading activities in which students are thinking, problem-solving, and communicating in new and active ways.
RSVP: davidboy@engr.ucsb.edu
Preparing Your CCUT Portfolio
Thursday January 26th, 3:00-4:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Dr. Kim DeBacco, Instructional Development
The session will provide tips on writing the CCUT teaching portfolio, including ways of presenting teaching materials, documenting student ratings, meeting the technology requirement, tone of the portfolio narration, and more. Participants need to have completed at least two of the CCUT requirements. Please note that if you are completing your doctorate degree in Spring Quarter, the final date that you may submit your CCUT portfolio is Friday March 23rd.
RSVP: kim@id.ucsb.edu
Seminar for First-time Associates
Tuesday February 28th, 4:00-5:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitator: Dr. Lisa Berry, Instructional Development
Graduate students who will be teaching as Associates (i.e., instructor of record) in Winter Quarter are invited to attend. Topics include creating the syllabus, planning class sessions, giving feedback, and grading policies. Please bring a draft of your syllabus and two copies of three main course goals.
RSVP: lisa@id.ucsb.edu
Mock Interviews & Debrief: Talk about your Teaching
Wednesday, February 29th, 3:00-4:00pm
OR Thursday March 1st, 1:00-2:00pm
Location: 1120-Q Kerr Hall
Facilitators: Drs. Lisa Berry and Kim DeBacco, Instructional Development
Interested in a career in higher-education teaching? In this mock group interview, participants will have a chance to practice talking about their teaching. To foster authenticity, we will induce a mild degree of nervousness by videotaping participants. During a private follow-up session, you will have the opportunity to review your performance on videotape with an Instructional Consultant. Each session will be limited to 3-4 participants per workshop, so RSVP for one of the two sessions as soon as possible (or indicate that you are able to attend either workshop).
RSVP: lisa@id.ucsb.edu with preferred day (Wed/Thurs).
Note: “GauchoSpace for TAs” workshops are offered by the Collaborate group in the College of Letters and Science. This introductory workshop is no longer recognized for departmental TA Training records or CCUT requirement #1.