Workshop at Brandeis University
This week I was thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a workshop for graduate students at Brandeis University. It was great to be there and to be with a group of students for the first time this year. I was reminded that while every campus is different, there are so many commonalities with the graduate student experience. I met students studying sociology, math, and anthropology, and their questions and insights about the role of teaching in their career and what it means do to well reminded me of the value of my work. I left the campus feeling optimistic about teaching and learning and the future, which is truly the best part of seeing students. The frequent negative news about higher education does not capture the excitement happening in classrooms everywhere right now!
My workshop, Lesson-Planning 101, was designed to help students navigate the experience of being a new Teaching Assistant (TA) in three chunks:
Learning what their role is, which may involve “managing up” with the professor
Setting goals and expectations for themselves
Setting goals and expectations for students
One of the biggest challenges in teaching and learning is how many assumptions can be made on all sides (professors assume TAs know what to do, TAs assume students know what to do in class to be successful, etc). How can we build an environment where there is clear communication around roles, expectations, and goals? I built on my advice from my recent post, How to succeed as a teacher. As often happens in workshops, I had to adjust to a slightly different group than expected. A good teacher is always on her toes! We had a great, wide-ranging discussion on the core materials and focused on the middle space graduate students occupy between faculty and undergraduates, and the challenges and opportunities inherent in that position.
I am excited to go back in two weeks to lead a second workshop, The Feedback-Driven Classroom, which will build out ideas I've compiled in the Becoming a Reflective Teacher guide as teachers and students start to plan for mid-term.
Giving students and scholars the opportunity to explore and discuss topics related to their professional development is invaluable. I would be glad to plan a workshop or workshop series for your department or group. In addition to classroom teaching topics, I am skilled at facilitating workshops on teaching and the job market (preparing your job market materials), public speaking, communicating your research, intercultural communication, and topics of particular interest to multilingual scholars. Please reach out to learn more.
