Teaching Assistants' Training Program

This discussion-driven workshop will provide a supportive atmosphere in which participants can identify, describe, discuss, and troubleshoot challenges they anticipate or have encountered as teaching assistants at the University of Toronto.  Through a series of scenarios, facilitators will engage participants to share some of the common challenges that graduate teachers confront in their intersecting roles […]

Each OnlineMicroteaching session will involve 5 graduate student participants and 2 TATPfacilitators. Participants will take turns acting as instructors by takingtheir students (i.e., other participants and TATP facilitators) through a 10(ten) minute lesson over Zoom. Following their lesson and a brief reflection, eachinstructor will provide a brief, verbal self-assessment, stating what theythought worked well in […]

Please note that these sessions can be counted towards Course Instructor Job training, but not towards either the Teaching Fundamentals or Advanced University Teaching Preparation Certificates.  Nevertheless, anyone is welcome to participate in the event.    This training is grouped into two parts: five asynchronous learning modules (3 hours), and two 1.5-hour hybrid workshop sessions. These […]

To tap into learners’ variable interests, provide appropriate levels of challenge, and increase motivation—you need to build and maintain a community of learners. Creating a sense of belonging is even more important for the online environment. Want to re-develop student engagements as well as design and sustain your community of learners in the online environment […]

You may have heard about (inter)cultural competence in teaching, which encourages instructors to make efforts to understand the backgrounds and lived experiences of their students. While there are many benefits to learning more about the communities and geographical spaces that learners come from, such a perspective might inadvertently lead to essentializing, despite the best of […]

The persistence of Indigenous-led activism and the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action has culminated in Canadian post-secondary institutions pushing educators to “Indigenize” their curriculum and classrooms.   This workshop centres the notions of relationality, reflexivity, and respect as we attend conscientiously to our pedagogical and political responsibilities as educators living and […]

Are you curious about finding open access teaching materials to support your students? Learn how Open Educational Resources (OER) can be optimized for instructional use in this interactive workshop. OER reduces the financial barrier to access materials for students while also strengthening student engagement and learning. You will be introduced to what OER is in […]

Please note that these sessions can be counted towards Job training, but not towards either the Teaching Fundamentals or Advanced University Teaching Preparation Certificates.  Nevertheless, anyone is welcome to participate in the event.    This is a 2-hour webinar for first-appointment TAs. This session will cover strategies for teaching. All departments may allow TAs to use […]

Please note that these sessions can be counted towards Job training, but not towards either the Teaching Fundamentals or Advanced University Teaching Preparation Certificates.  Nevertheless, anyone is welcome to participate in the event.    This is a 2-hour webinar for first-appointment TAs. This session will cover strategies for teaching. All departments may allow TAs to use […]

Please note that these sessions can be counted towards Job training, but not towards either the Teaching Fundamentals or Advanced University Teaching Preparation Certificates.  Nevertheless, anyone is welcome to participate in the event.    This is a 2-hour webinar for first-appointment TAs. This session will cover strategies for teaching. All departments may allow TAs to use […]

Regardless of discipline or format, good tutorials are often a product of deliberate and reflective planning—especially if they are to engage students and enhance course content. This workshop will provide strategies and tips for effective and efficient tutorial design. It will guide participants through crucial stages of tutorial planning, including determining the teaching context (e.g., type of tutorial, overall course goals); identifying and adapting tutorial learning outcomes; […]

Effective communities are both aspirational and practical. In particular, learning communities provide a space and a structure for people to align around a shared goal. They connect people, organizations, and systems that are eager to learn and work across boundaries, all the while holding members accountable to a common agenda, metrics, and outcomes. These communities […]

Each OnlineMicroteaching session will involve 5 graduate student participants and 2 TATPfacilitators. Participants will take turns acting as instructors by takingtheir students (i.e., other participants and TATP facilitators) through a 10(ten) minute lesson over Zoom. Following their lesson and a brief reflection, eachinstructor will provide a brief, verbal self-assessment, stating what theythought worked well in […]

While many courses may use written assessments and activities as part of their curriculum, writing development and skill building is seldom emphasized. Students are often graded on their ability to communicate and apply course concepts through written assignments and activities. However, writing development and skill building are not often part of the curriculum. As a […]

The global pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on many facets of the university, including the mental and physical wellness of students and teachers, and the design and delivery of courses themselves. As a result, teaching assistants have the difficult task of performing their duties and supporting students at a time when illness-related absences are […]