Teaching Assistants' Training Program Workshops

The work of a TA is complex and involves many roles, from teacher and mentor to administrator and employee. Each of these roles can present unique dilemmas and difficult situations, from unanswerable questions and lack of student engagement to time constraints and contractual limitations.  This workshop will address some of the challenges that Teaching Assistants confront […]

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 […]

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, […]

Experiential learning (EL) and community-engaged learning (CEL) are unique pedagogies that can offer rich learning opportunities for students. This session provides an introduction to both EL and CEL. Participants will learn about the benefits of both pedagogies and consider how to integrate them into various disciplines. Facilitators will share approaches to reflection to deepen and […]

Each in-person Microteaching 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. Following their lesson and a brief reflection, eachinstructor will provide a brief, verbal self-assessment, stating what theythought worked well in the […]

Why are care and kindness traditionally regarded as antithetic to academic rigour? In this session, we consider the role of care and kindness in teaching and learning, especially in times of uncertainty. We will examine the pedagogy of care/kindness as a framework to help graduate students balance their own boundaries with compassion and transparency and […]

Across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, grading can often be a challenging practice that requires significant interpretation. This workshop will consider: how can TAs grade and provide feedback in ways that support a growth mindset and engage with equity principles? Exploring the dynamic relationship between grading and equity, facilitators and participants will examine effective […]