Teaching Assistants' Training Program

Alli Diskin, Program Assistant, TATP
Kathleen Ogden, Curriculum Developer, TATP

We’ve all experienced teachers who left a lasting impression, who made us excited and who made us feel like we were capable of anything! But what do great teachers do that makes them so great? Is there one set of characteristics that all great teachers have? Or are there many characteristics that can work in many different ways in different environments and situations? What role do individuals’ personalities play in the development and expression of their teaching presence?

Drawing from research on pedagogical practice and performance studies as well as from individuals’ experience both as students and as teachers, this workshop will present ways of thinking about how instructors and TAs can use teaching strategies, technological tools, and aspects of their own personalities to hone a distinctive and authentic teaching presence. We will discuss characteristics that help make teachers effective and memorable, and help students understand what they need to succeed. Through group activities, discussion and small-group reflection, we will examine some of the common strengths of excellent teachers, interrogate what makes these characteristics function, and how they can be used and adapted in different fields and teaching environments. We will also discuss how ideas of authority and knowledge come into play in our ideas around “ideal” teaching presence and the challenges and opportunities that these preconceptions present to less-represented populations in higher education.