Teaching Assistants' Training Program

Description

As scientists, we need to be skilled not only in our own discipline, but also in communicating our findings with the larger global community. Many cite the disconnect between the work in academia and the translation of that work to the general public as a contributing factor in the contemporary spread of misinformation. In education, ineffective science communication can hinder student understanding and disengage students entirely. By modelling effective science communication as a TA, you can help the future scientists in your classroom be more engaged with the course material and learn effective communication strategies for themselves. Outside of the classroom, this skill can be applied to other aspects of your academic career, such as grant writing, networking conversations and job interviews. In this workshop, we will use reflections, case studies, and low-stakes writing activities to practice engaging audiences of different academic backgrounds and language abilities. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to identify audiences’ levels of understanding; use audience-appropriate language; and effectively translate pieces of scientific writing to communicate the topic to a broader audience.