Teaching Assistants' Training Program

Robin Sutherland-Harris, TATP Humanities Coordinator
Sasha Kovacs, TATP Humanities Trainer

For graduate student instructors, teaching in a large institution can be a solitary task. Although we are surrounded by other teachers, we often find ourselves working alone, unable to access learning and teaching communities developed for both undergraduate students and full time faculty members. This workshop will introduce participants to the benefits of teaching and learning communities. We will use games, structured small group discussions, and group brainstorming to provide some hands-on strategies for effective collaboration, and we will explore how collaborative work can help build community. Participants will address the following questions: what are the strengths and weaknesses of working together, what kind of teaching work best lends itself to collaborative approaches, and how can you ensure that the process goes smoothly and has great results? By the end of the workshop, participants will have practised on the spot community building, analysed factors that contribute to a successful collaboration within a community, and created a plan for collaboration that is specific to their own teaching context.