Spring 2015
ST GEORGE WORKSHOPS
EFFECTIVE LECTURING FOR BETTER LEARNING: STRATEGIES FOR AN ENGAGING LECTURE
Michal Kasprzak, TATP Curriculum Developer
CORE
Lecturing remains one of the most popular and prevalent methods of teaching in higher learning. Considered an art form by many, it can be a challenging and perplexing task to combine the talents of scholar, entertainer, teacher and orator. This workshop will give you a framework for developing and delivering effective lectures. We will examine, discuss, and test all the critical elements of the lecture toolkit. By creating your own lesson planner, you will be able to manage the development and organization of content. By exploring general lecturing principles, you will adapt strategies to deliver and energize your lecture. By structuring your lecture as a student-centred activity, you will identify ways to inspire, motivate and engage your students. By introducing methods for formative feedback, you will verify students’ learning and assess your teaching. The objective will be to for you use the toolkit to create effective lectures for significant learning experience all while avoiding some common pitfalls.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
10am – 12pm
CTSI Office, Blackburn Room
Robarts Library, 4th Floor
Michelle Majeed, TATP Course Instructor Training CoordinatorELECTIVE
TAs balance multiple responsibilities and roles at the university as graduate students, researchers and teachers. TAs often experience challenges when managing tutorials and providing feedback to students, and international and multilingual TAs can experience a further lack of confidence teaching and providing feedback in English.
***This workshop is open to multilingual and international TAs and will highlight:
- Strategies and activities TAs can use in the classroom to communicate effectively with students
- Resources available to graduate students at UofT that can be useful in supporting professional development as well as teaching practice.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
10am – 12pmCTSI, Blackburn Room
Robarts Library, 4th Floor
SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: WHAT TAs (AND CIs) CAN DO
Michelle Majeed, Course Instructor Training Coordinator, TATP
Jessica Wilczak, TATP Social Sciences Trainer
CORE
When considering how to teach and advise English language learner (ELL) students, teaching assistants (TAs) and course instructors (CIs) sometimes feel constrained by their limited contract hours or their lack of expertise in language instruction. However, there are ways that we can make a significant difference. In this workshop, we will discuss strategies that TAs and CIs can use to:
- provide clear instructions and make explicit any hidden expectations in the curriculum;
- lower barriers to class participation;
- give effective feedback so that ELL students can improve their speaking, listening and writing skills; and
- refer students to English language support when needed.
10am -12pm
*This session can count as Skills Based: Supporting Student Writing tutorial training
POLARIZING SUBJECTS AS TEACHABLE MOMENTS
Elliot Storm, TATP Social Sciences Trainer
Adriel Weaver, TATP Social Sciences Trainer
ELECTIVE
This workshop is designed to share strategies and develop methods for teaching contentious or sensitive subjects. TAs will learn not simply how to manage heated debates but also how to foster critical thinking and deep learning in moments of conflict. In the workshop, we will explore and practise a range of techniques to: maintain appropriate focus in class discussions; surface and attend to power dynamics in the classroom; assist students in identifying and reflecting on the basis for their views; and ensure that a range of voices and opinions are heard.
2pm -4pm
BUILDING THE ONLINE PRESENCE: CREATING AND MAINTAINING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS
Michal Kasprzak, TATP Curriculum Developer
ELECTIVE
The quality of online courses or online course components is rooted in effective interactions of students with their instructors, students with each other, and students with the content. An essential component of developing and using an online learning environment is the online presence. Indeed, building an online presence—of you as the Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor and of your students as a community of learners—is the best way to enhance web-based learning and engagement. In this workshop, we will discuss the various factors that shape online education through an examination of evolving concepts of presence, communications and interaction. We will identify and explore resources and educational technologies available and supported at the University of Toronto. Moreover, we will explore how to incorporate these tools to promote an effective online presence.
CTSI, Blackburn Room
Robarts Library, 4th Floor
Sasha Kovacs, TATP Humanities Trainer
Alli Diskin, TATP/CTSI Program Assistant
ELECTIVE
As teachers, we are like performers held to the highest standards, and often asked to execute the most dangerous and thrilling feats. We memorize, we improvise, we speak for long hours (often without break), and the deep connections we are asked to cultivate and strengthen with our audience (that is, our students) over an extended period requires effort, patience, and stamina. Such expectations can provoke feelings of fear and even disorder. Stage fright, impostor syndrome—new teachers often speak of these issues, and yet rarely do workshops address the tools that can be learned and practised to manage and overcome such anxieties.
This workshop turns to the strategies used by professional impostors—by actors! It aims to introduce instructors to the tools of the acting trade that are applicable and transferable to the classroom stage. With a three-pronged approach, we’ll overview and practice exercises that cultivate awareness of self, stage, and audience. By the end of this workshop, educators will be equipped with aims to strategies and tools that they can use to…
- Channel nervousness into positive energy
- Develop a confident and ‘at ease’ presence in the classroom
- Sustain clear, expressive, and resonant vocal production through supported breath
- Survey and effectively respond to audience behaviour
Thursday, May 28, 2015
10am – 12pm
CTSI Office, Blackburn Room
Robarts Library, 4th Floor