Prepping TAs for their classroom roles

Thursday, Sept. 1—the first day of classes—is a date that's likely looming large not only for the incoming Class of 2020 but for the hundreds of first-time teaching assistants at Homewood who will be stepping into the classrooms with them.

In order to prepare them for this role in their graduate-student careers, the Center for Educational Resources' Teaching Assistant Training Institute is offering an orientation program to introduce them to good pedagogical theory and practice.

More than 200 graduate students are expected to attend the Aug. 30 program, during which vice deans, senior leaders, and Homewood faculty will welcome them and facilitate workshops. In addition to an introduction to such topics as Preparing for the First Day, Leading Labs, and Evaluating Writing Assignments, participants will learn about teaching with technology and with library resources. They also will hear presentations on accommodating students with disabilities, ethics and academic integrity, faculty expectations of a teaching assistant, and more.

A resource available to doctoral students beyond their first year and to postdoctoral fellows is CER's Teaching Academy, a professional development program created to prepare future faculty from all divisions for their teaching responsibilities. Those interested in applying can attend one of two upcoming information and orientation sessions: in East Baltimore from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, and at Homewood from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25. More information and registration details are available on the Teaching Academy website.