Teaching Assistants' Training Program

While tenure-track professorships may be the ultimate career goal for a large portion of graduate students, an increasingly precarious and competitive academic job market means that many individuals will pursue a range of work opportunities. Job seekers interested in teaching and learning careers will begin their search in academic, corporate, and non-profit environments with important […]

The teaching dossier is a comprehensive record of teaching activities and accomplishments that is now required in applications for permanent positions at the University of Toronto and at an increasing number of institutions across North America. In this session, we will review the elements of a successful teaching dossier and discuss how to use it […]

Each OnlineMicroteaching session will involve 5 graduate student participants and 2 TATPfacilitators. Participants will take turns acting as instructors by takingtheir students (i.e., other participants and TATP facilitators) through a 10(ten) minute lesson over Zoom. Following their lesson and a brief reflection, eachinstructor will provide a brief, verbal self-assessment, stating what theythought worked well in […]

Learning is meant to be transformative. When acquiring new knowledge, especially when it contradicts prior assumptions, students may experience dissonance, discomfort, and confusion. These experiences may be a catalyst for change and a deepening engagement with the material. Yet, a lack of understanding of discomfort on the part of the teacher “might have unintentional consequences […]

This workshop will introduce strategies for designing effective PowerPoint presentations, particularly for use in classroom settings. It will also consider accessible design principles (e.g., font, colour, imagery, and backgrounds) and how to ensure that diverse learners can engage with slides. Additional topics will include layout, considerations for teaching with and distributing slides, incorporating administrative details, […]

Active learning helps students retain and understand the course material more. However, active learning comes in many shapes and forms. To succeed in a science research environment, students must be able to critically think and analyze information daily. Traditional undergraduate exam questions do not cause students to think about the material in a critical way, […]

Each in-personMicroteaching session will involve 5 graduate student participants and 2 TATPfacilitators. Participants will take turns acting as instructors by takingtheir students (i.e., other participants and TATP facilitators) through a 10(ten) minute lesson over in a live classroom environment. Following theirlesson and a brief reflection, each instructor will provide a brief, verbalself-assessment, stating what they […]

Stories can be used to illustrate even the most complex and abstract ideas. They engage our thinking, emotions, and imagination. Integrating narrative into lectures and tutorials or inviting students to create their own stories invites an active, reflexive engagement with the material. It also helps with learning because stories are easy to remember, and it […]