Podcast of the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program
Step into the vibrant world of teaching with The TA Table, the official podcast of the University of Toronto’s Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP)! Whether you’re preparing for your first contract, transitioning to a course instructor, or looking to incorporate active learning and decolonize your classroom, this podcast is your go-to resource for everything related to the craft of teaching. Join us as we bring you insightful interviews with graduate student members of the TATP team (and beyond), sharing their experiences, observations, and strategies to help you excel in your role.
“The TA Table” (available on Spotify) is hosted by Estefania Toledo and Elliot Fonarev, Graduate Educational Developers at the TATP. Join us as we engage in creative and thought-provoking conversations about teaching and learning. Our podcast offers a wealth of knowledge, practical advice, and inspiring stories to help you navigate the complexities of the educational landscape. Tune in to gain valuable insights, discover innovative strategies, and connect with a community of passionate educators dedicated to making a difference.
Meet your TA Table hosts!
Elliot Fonarev:
“My name is Elliot (he/him) and I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology. My research interests are in the cultural sociology of everyday life, social norms and legality, and meaning-making around belonging and exclusion. I use qualitative methods to understand collective identity formation and differentiation. I am passionate about pedagogy and bringing theory to life for my students.”
Estefania Toledo:
“My name is Estefanía Toledo (she/her/ella) and I am PhD candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. My research focuses on advancing educational equity and belonging for historically marginalized students. In my teaching, I draw on critical pedagogy to co-construct learning environments that position students as knowledge producers and intentionally center their voices, lived experiences, and agency. The development of this podcast aligns with my ongoing commitment to bridging theory and practice through reflective, relational, and equity-oriented approaches. It offers a platform to foster critical dialogue about teaching as a transformative, collective practice, and to create spaces that support the pedagogical development of teaching assistants and course instructors within and beyond the traditional classroom context.”
Listen to the TA Table in Spotify.
Episode 1: Preparing for your first Teaching Assistant contract
In this episode, we talk to Amanda Greer about preparing for your first contract as a new teaching assistant and battling imposter syndrome.
Show Notes
- bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress (1994)
- Explore relevant TATP resources related to Preparing for Teaching
Episode 1 transcript [docx]
Episode 2: Making the leap from Teaching Assistant to Course Instructor
In this episode, we talk to Veronica Curran about making the leap from being a teaching assistant to being a course instructor, and how to prepare for your first course
Show Notes
- Explore TATP options for mandatory paid training for graduate student course instructors: Information for Course Instructors.
- Consult with various TATP Course Design resources, especially the Course Design guide, Fostering Student Resilience Through Syllabus Design, Effective Rubric Design, or Fostering Accessible Teaching And Learning.
- Review resources available on Course Design on the CTSI website (i.e., Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation).
Episode 2 transcript [docx]
Episode 3: Incorporating Active Learning Strategies in your Teaching
In this episode, we talk to Ally Tabaczynski and David Aceituno-Caicedo on active learning strategies and equitable practices in the classroom.
Show Notes
- Explore the TATP’s various resources on active learning: Active Learning, Active Learning in an Online Environment, Supporting Student Reading: Teaching Active and Effective Reading Strategies.
- Examine the UDL Guidelines (on the CAST website) and CTSI’s Universal Design for Learning site.
Episode 3 transcript [docx]
Episode 4: Decolonizing learning environments as a Teaching Assistant
In this episode, we talk to Amy Fox about decolonizing learning environments and how to personalize your land Acknowledgement as a teaching assistant or course instructor.
Show Notes
- Gregory Younging’s Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples (2018)
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action (2015)
- University of Toronto’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action: Answering the Call Wecheehetowin. Final Report of the Steering Committee for the University of Toronto Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2018)
- University of Toronto’s official Land Acknowledgement (through Indigenous U of T)
- Explore the Native Land Digital platform, “where Indigenous communities can represent themselves and their histories on their own terms”.
Correction: In this episode, when we mentioned Dr. Gregory Younging’s book, we mispronounced his last name.
Episode 4 transcript [docx]