Learning Goals
By the end of this course the participants will be able to:
- Effectively evaluate peers and provide constructive feedback
- Create an environment conducive to learning for diverse groups of students
- Develop strategies for fostering student inquiry and independent learning in Earth and Ocean Sciences while meeting students’ need for support
- Formulate learning objectives for TA-led activities in Earth and Ocean Science courses
- Engage in critical reflection on one’s own teaching practice
- Design and implement mini-lessons and lab assignments for Earth and Ocean Science courses using the frameworks provided in the course
Instructors
B. Gilley
Graduate student peer instructors
Textbook
Download a copy of the excellent TA manual called "University Teaching and Learning: An Instructional Resource Guide for Teaching Assistants" at http://wiki.ubc.ca/images/3/3d/Ta-handbook.pdf .
Course Content
Subjects will include:
- facilitation,
- marking and the use of rubrics,
- lesson planning,
- learning goals and Bloom’s taxonomy,
and a general orientation to the world of TAing including, among other topics:
- communication with course instructors,
- maintaining professional relationships with students,
- plagiarism and cheating.
This course is 2 credits and is evaluated with pass/fail.
The main components of evaluation are: Attendance and participation; Completion of three practice or “mini” lessons; And a lab redesign project.