Thoughts on being a teaching assistant
Being a teaching assistant (TA) is HARD! There are so many demands on your time, along with the conflicting pressure to both follow the instructions and (hopefully) meet your students where they are. This can be made more challenging in a large class with multiple sections and the decrease in flexibility (with lesson plans, pace, grading, feedback, etc.) that accompanies the necessary standardization.
In conversations with experienced and new TAs, some of the major themes I’ve come across are advocating for yourself in the classroom (making sure you’re getting what you need from this training opportunity!) and dealing with grading undergraduates. Check out the highlights from TA orientation sessions at Johns Hopkins in 2021 and 2022:
Today was orientation for new grad student TAs. The biggest takeaway was communicating with the faculty instructor (re: your responsibilities, authorities, expectations) early + often. A few more thoughts based on my experiences: (1/)
— Sara Carioscia (@saracarioscia) August 26, 2021
In our TA orientation, we got many questions about engaging with students who are focused on grades rather than learning. Our takeaway was to meet them where they are... 🧵 https://t.co/3FLeKVkkiv
— Sara Carioscia (@saracarioscia) February 8, 2022