Preparing for Teaching

Getting to Know Your Class

Community building activities are extremely useful in breaking down barriers between students in order to build a sense of community and facilitate class participation. They are particularly important if you

Getting Started: The First Class

Studies have shown that students form an impression of a teacher and subject area within the first 15minutes of the very first class. This impression often varies little throughout the

Getting Started: Advice from Instructors

Below is a compilation of some of the best advice from teaching-award winning professors that they give to their TAs. The more time you spend (or have spent) crafting your

Captions and Transcripts

The University of Toronto is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). According to the Ontario Regulation 191/11, section 14: By January 1, 2021,

Building a Community Online

Alone But Not Alone Students and teachers often worry that online learning can be isolating, and virtual classrooms pose unique challenges to nurturing connections amongst learners. Nevertheless, there are strategies

Accessibility in Labs and Practicals

Providing Support and Addressing Challenges as a TA In Canada, 2% of students at post-secondary institutions are registered to receive disability related services from their institutions (Fitchen et al. 2003).

Social Media and Accessibility

Teaching with Social Media Social media can be an effective pedagogical tool. Keep in mind that the University does not support social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and

Microsoft Document Essentials

University of Toronto students, faculty, and staff have access to Office 365, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Access Office 365 by clicking on the waffle icon in

Using Accessible Visual Aids in the Classroom

Multimedia Learning Principles and Tips Multimedia: Use words and pictures rather than just words Pre-training: Describe names and characteristics of key elements before lesson Coherence: Remove excess material Signaling: Highlight

Access Checks

How Can the Social Model of Disability Help Us Think About Accessibility? Where some views of disability frame disability as a problem located within particular people/bodies, a social model of

Community Agreements

What is a Community Agreement? A community agreement (also known as a group contract, a learning agreement, or a classroom agreement) is a shared agreement between learners about how we

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Representation Matters Why is representation important? Representation refers to the basic idea that if students see people like them reflected in course materials, they are more likely to identify with

Back to Top