MIT BE TA-Training-2013: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 16:48, 27 August 2013
Welcome and Goals
Welcome to the 2013 Teaching Assistant (TA) training run by the Biological Engineering department at MIT!
Our goal these two days is to begin to prepare you for the challenges and rewards of teaching, and to introduce mentors and other resources for you to rely on this year. Whether you are currently excited or apprehensive (or anything in between) about TAing, we hope you will view it as an opportunity not just to make a difference in the lives of your students, but also to develop your own communication and management skills.
Putting time and effort into your TAship now will pay dividends later: managing UROPs in your lab, identifying and understanding different learning styles (your students', your peers', and your own), training and collaborating with peers, speaking and giving presentations at conferences, and dealing with industry colleagues' widely-varying backgrounds and expectations.
The BE department takes great pride in its commitment to both undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning. We also take your professional growth and development seriously - and we know you'll take your new role as educators and mentors equally seriously.
Agenda
Day 1: Wednesday, August 28th in room 56-614
Time | Event | Speaker(s) |
9:30-9:45 AM | Coffee/light breakfast, pick up materials, mingle | |
9:45-9:55 AM | What a TAship means in BE | Doug Lauffenburger, department head |
10:00-10:50 | Lecture: training goals and introduction to TA role | Bevin Engelward and Agi Stachowiak |
10:50-11:50 | Team discussion: reflect on learning and teaching; chalkboard exercise | Small groups |
11:55 AM-12:55 PM | Meet/Q&A with TA mentors over lunch | Small groups |
1:00-1:40 | Microteaching demonstration and practice feedback | Bevin Engelward (and interactive) |
1:45-2:45 | On effective teaching in diverse classrooms | Agi Stachowiak (and interactive) |
2:45-3:00 | buffer time, wrap-up discussion, and confirm Day 2 plans |
Day 2: Thursday, August 29th in room 56-614
You will be put into groups of 3-4 people for a practice teaching session ("microteaching"). Please sign up for a problem below by putting your name under the appropriate column. (Sample sign-ups are shown below as prb x, grp y.) Within a group, each person should do a different problem. The problem statements can be found in the "handout" section below. Please email Agi for assistance if you have trouble signing up. Microteaching is required for students teaching lecture subjects. If you are a lab subject TA and want a chance to practice, please see us - we may have a few additional slots available.
Before your session on Thursday, please read the following two links on effective observation and feedback during microteaching:
Problem # | Problem topic | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
1 | Free energy and ATP hydrolysis | |||||
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12 |
Groups for Team-Building and Microteaching Sessions
Teams 4A and 4B should work together during the team-building session on Wednesday, but will attend separate microteaching blocks on Thursday.
Group | Classes | Mentor(s) | Participants |
1 | 20.110, 20.111 | Abby H (110) and Chen G (111) | Devin Q, Simon G, Raven R, Nazar A |
2 | 20.330, 20.310 | Paul L (310) and Robert K (330) | Frances L, Tu N, Edgar A, Anya B |
3 | 20.320 | Jen W (320) | Ryan K, Bo Z, Mariana S |
4A | 20.380 | Jenn B (380) | Georgia L, Santi C, Nova P |
4B | Electives (G and UG) | Christi C (363/463) | Tony K, Jeremy G, Kelly M |
5 | G core classes | Souparno G (420), Fei C (430), and Daniel R (440) | Zach B, Wesley C, Navpreet R, Gabriele P |
6 | 20.109 | Jenny K and Ian T | Lizzie N, Griffen C, Su V, Reginald A, Chris B |
Day 2 Schedule
Bevin, Agi, and Shannon will take shifts. Possibly also Alan J if in town.
Session Time | Faculty Leader | Group |
Handouts and Links to Resources
Handouts
Final versions will go here and hardcopies will be available at the session.
TA-Prof Meeting Framework
Feedback form (DOC); Feedback form (PDF)
Links
Teaching Resources and Tools
- TA Rights and Responsibilities (PDF download)
- School of Engineering TA Page and 2013 Workshop Details
- Teaching and Learning Lab
- Room 5-122; 253.2850
- See especially Teaching Recitations and The Torch or the Firehose under Teaching Materials
- Term Regulations (scroll down)
- FERPA (see especially FAQ)
- Stellar course website manager
- Athena class lists
- Library class guides
Helping Students
Please do not hesitate to talk to the faculty member(s) teaching your subject if you encounter a student having unusual difficulties that you are not in a position to address. For your reference, some resources for students are listed below.
- MIT Together website
- Overview of MIT support system and links to resources categorized by population and need
- Student Support Services
- Room 5-104; 253.4861
- Students who are experiencing academic or personal difficulty can be referred to the S3 office.
- Resources overview from Institute-wide planning task force
- Question/issue-based resource list
- Broad-spectrum student resource list
- MIT Mental Health
- E23-3rd floor, 253.2916 (253.4481 after hours)
- advice for helping students in distress
- community wellness resources
- BE Tutoring Service
- Juniors and seniors in BE are available to tutor for many UG core classes.
- Tutoring hours are typically set for each subject toward the beginning of the semester.
- Tutoring occurs in the student lounge (56-046).
- BE Writing Lab
- The writing lab offers communications support by appointment and during walk-in hours.
- Office of Minority Education
- Room 4-113; 253.5010
- OME offers a tutoring service open to all students by appointment.
- Student Disabilities Services
- Room 7-145; 253.1674
- Note that faculty should be the primary contact for working with the SDS; this link is provided in case you need additional support or information.
Taking Care of Yourself
Many of the student-centered resources above apply not just to your charges, but to you! A few particularly relevant ones are listed below.
- MIT Together website
- Overview of MIT support system and links to resources categorized by population and need
- Office of the Dean for Graduate Education
- Essentially the graduate student version of S3
- Advising from Blanche Staton or Jason McKnight
- Ombuds Office
- For conflict resolution