Graduate Teaching Assistants Programme

1

• Graduate Teaching Assistants Programme
• Programme created by
• Anna Hiley
• John Berry
• Bland Tomkinson
• Pedagogic Development Office

2
Programme Outline

• Introduction
• The Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
• Learning contexts
• Safety
• How do students learn?
• Preparing the session
• Expectations
• Teamwork
• Students problems
• Assessment
• Plagiarism
• Ethics
• Monitoring
• Summary

3
Ground rules

• Arrive on time
• Finish on time
• No sarcasm or put downs
• Confidentiality
• Shared responsibility for making the programme
  work
• One person talking at a time
• Respect peoples differences
• Others?

4
Introductions

• In your groups introduce yourselves
• Name
• Background
• Interests
• Be concise
• Choose one person to write down the information
  and present to the rest of the class

5
The Ideal Teaching Assistant

• Think back to your own experiences of university
  what makes an effective teacher?
• Did anyone inspire you and why?
• Did anyone not inspire you and why?
• How did the teaching staff behave?
• What did they do?

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The Ideal Teaching Assistant

• Gives clear explanations
• Criticises constructively, clearly explaining
  errors
• Supports students and helps his/her
  self-confidence
• Admits their own mistakes
• Is approachable
• Marks fairly, without bias towards individuals
• Relates theory to practice
• Relates laboratory work to professional practice
• Shows good knowledge of techniques and skills

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The Job

• Instructing
• Teaching
• Assisting
• undergraduate and postgraduate students to carry
  out their assignments and achieve the specific
  objectives or learning outcomes of that session.
• Creating an atmosphere conducive to learning
• Anything you might add?

8
Concerns

• What are your main concerns about being a
  Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) ?
• Write any concern you have on a post-it and we
  will review these later.

9
Learning contexts

• The Purpose of
• Practical classes
• Seminars or tutorials
• Example classes
• List as many reasons as you can think of for
  having practical classes/seminars/ example classes

10
Learning contexts

• The purpose of
• Practical Classes and Example Classes
• Relationship of theory to practice
• Relationship of knowledge to application and
  experiment
• Understanding scientific method
• Developing organisational, manipulative and
  observational skills
• Developing professional attitudes
• Experience of collaborative working

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Learning Contexts

• The purpose of Tutorials and Seminars
• Deepening knowledge and understanding
• Developing problem-solving skills
• Developing critical and creative thinking
• Facilitating open-ended discussion of themes and
  issues related to the lecture programme
• Developing skills in reasoning, debate and
  communication
• Helping students to develop and mature
• Identifying and perhaps assisting struggling
  students (the pastoral role)

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Safety and the GTA role

• Responsibility and awareness
• Contexts of lab, classroom and field course
• Hazards and risks
• Risk AssessmentIs there a Risk Assessment form?
• Are chemicals used? Who does the COSHH
  Assessment?(Control of Substances Hazardous to
  Health)

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Hazards and Risks

• Hazard
• Something with the potential to cause harm, ill
  health, injury or damage
• Risk
• The likelihood that a specified, undesired event
  will occur due to the realisation of a hazard.

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Emergencies, Fire or Injury

• What is possible?
• How should it be dealt with?
• What emergency equipment is supplied?
• Where is it located?
• Where is the nearest telephone and first aid
  facility?
• What is the evacuation procedure?
• How should accidents be reported?

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A question

• In how many ways can the objects be grouped?
• Use objects given to you or those in this room

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The Learning Cycle
Exploring the subject Reading Listening Attending
lectures Collecting data

• Applying understanding
• Writing assignments
• Doing experiments
• Problem-solving
• Discussions
• Presentations/Explanations

Comment and Feedback Feedback Tutorials
Testing understanding Assessment Examinations/grad
ing
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Types of Knowledge

• Explicit
• Factual
• Practical
• Data given to someone
• Generally objective

• Implicit
• Based on judgement
• Based on wisdom (common sense)
• Based on experience
• Based on opinion
• Requires critical evaluation
• Basis for decision-making

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Blooms Taxonomy

• Educational objectives divided into 3 domains
• Within each domain different levels of learning
• Affective domain
• Skills related to attitudes, emotions, feelings
• Psychomotor domain
• Skills related to behaviour and manipulative
  skills
• Cognitive domain
• Skills related to knowledge, comprehension and
  thinking

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Blooms Taxonomy
Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehe
nsion Knowledge
Characterising Organising Valuing Responding Recei
ving
Designing Adopting Adapting Practising Imitating O
bserving
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Learning approachesSurface Approach . . .
Reproducing

• Intention
• To cope solely with content and tasks set
• Studying without reflecting on either purpose or
  strategy
• Treating the course as unrelated bits of
  knowledge
• Finding difficulty in making sense of new ideas
• Memorising facts and procedures routinely
• In class you have an opportunity to interact
  with students and develop a better understanding

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Learning approachesDeep Approach . . .
Transforming

• Intention
• to understand material for oneself
• Being actively interested in the course content
• Relating ideas to previous knowledge and
  experience
• Looking for patterns and underlying principles
• Checking evidence and relating to conclusions
• Examining logic and argument cautiously and
  critically

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Learning approachesStrategic Approach . . .
Organising

• Intention
• to excel at assessed work
• Being alert to assessment requirements and
  criteria
• Gearing work to the perceived preferences of
  lecturers
• Putting consistent effort into studying
• Finding the right conditions and materials for
  studying
• Managing time effort effectively to maximise
  grades

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Preparing the session Roles and Responsibilities

• Task 1 Groups A
• List of tasks and roles that a teaching
  assistant might be expected to perform BEFORE the
  class
• Task 2 Groups B
• List of tasks and roles that a teaching
  assistant might be expected to perform DURING the
  class
• Task 3 Groups C
• List of tasks and roles that a teaching
  assistant might be expected to perform AFTER the
  class

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Preparing a session Summary

• The starting point
• What knowledge, understanding and skills should
  a student acquire or develop?
• M ethods
• O utcomes
• R esources
• A ssessment
• L earners
• C ontent

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Alignment of levels

• Levels of difficulty of coursework, assessment
  and practical work need to be aligned to student
  level.
• Level 0 Demonstration show them
• Level 1 Exercise provide routine and structure
• Level 2 Structured enquiry provide a framework
  with some unknowns
• Level 3 Open-ended enquiry student to devise
  process to deal with wicked problems and
  uncertainty
• Level 4 Project or dissertation discussion and
  guidance only provided

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Expectations

• Students and teaching staff have expectations of
  each other and it is very important to clarify
  these before any teaching session
• Expectations are based on prior experiences
• Often expectations are incorrect
• Misunderstanding expectations will
  affect effective learning
• Expectations need to be clarified
  and/or discussed

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What do you expect from staff?

• Responsibilities include
• Setting degree of supervision you must provide
• Establishing who you report to
• Establishing when you are to be present
• Defining safety (and other) rules applied to
  undergraduates and the means of enforcement
• Recommended format for class
• Whether attendance records are required
• Defining where you get advice and backup.

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What do you expect from staff?

• Guidance on students work and assignments
• Aims and objectives of course/module/programme
• How work relates to lectures
• Copies of students handouts
• If practical class, expected results and possible
  range
• Common problems that may occur
• If you are required to mark
• - Marking schemes, guidance and checking

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What do staff expect from you?

• Observance and enforcement of rules
• Punctuality and presence (unless absence agreed)
• Preparation (e.g. you know more about assignments
  than undergraduates)
• You help students to learn from their work
• You report problems actual and potential
• You are visible, alert and ready to help

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What do students expect from you?E.g. in
practical classes

• Initial guidance
• Periodic visits
• to assess progress, giving advice if necessary
• to check method is it effective, efficient and
  safe?
• to demonstrate technique
• Guidance on recording, writing up, interpretation
  and error treatment
• Explanations on background theory
• Fairness and consistency if you mark
• Approachability
• Possible general advice from an older,
  experienced person who has been through it all.

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Tutorialsalso structure for other sessions
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Possible ways of conducting tutorials/seminars
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Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

• First year students, especially those from
  overseas will not be familiar with our culture
  and may find our methods strange.
• Equally, GTAs from overseas may find the
  behaviour of the UK students demonstrates lack of
  respect for the teacher or is extremely rude!
• What can be done to overcome these problems of
  cultural diversity?
• E.g. Discuss expected behaviour, participation
  and asking questions

34
Teamwork and Group Work

• A team is a group of individuals, with
  complimentary skills, committed to a common
  purpose, having mutual responsibility.Ref
  Katzenbach and Smith, 1993
• The terms team and group are often used
  interchangeably
• For some a group differs in that it is usually
  directed or supervised by another who sets goals
  and tasks.

35
Effective Teamwork

• As individuals take 2 minutes to identify which
  activities maintain effective and efficient team
  or group work using the sheet given in your
  teaching pack.
• (Team Exercise Achieving Consensus)
• Then, as a group, try to agree on the order of
  priority.

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Why develop team-working abilities?

• Most organisations base their activities on
  teamwork.
• In industry, communication, understanding and
  mutual respect among those involved in any task
  is considered crucial to success.
• High quality problem-solving can be only be
  achieved consistently by a team approach.
• Successful teamwork requires that each member of
  the team understands what the others are doing
  and respects them, that they are united in a
  common purpose and have collective responsibility.

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Benefits of Working in Teams

• There is a better outcome if several individuals
  unite to think about a problem.
• Professional judgement is developed.
• Special knowledge can be pooled and disseminated.
• The learning process in any situation can be
  improved through working in a team.
• Large, complex problems can be defined and solved.

38
Reaching consensus

• Teamwork and group work is often used as part of
  a learning method.
• Exercise
• (The Flood or Air Crash)

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Activities which maintain effective and efficient
Team or Group Work

• Ensuring good communication
• Supporting the efforts of others
• Helping resolve conflicts
• Being assertive but accepting others views
• Giving constructive feedback
• Being willing to take responsibility and assume
  different roles if appropriate

40
Factors which hinder effective and efficient Team
or Group work

• Domination or rubbishing of ideas
• Interruption or blocking out of other members -
  talking excessively
• Not listening
• Silence or excessive tolerance by members-
  inadequate contribution
• Fragmentation into sub-groups
• Internal competition
• What else?

41
Ground Rules for Group Work

• Establishing ground rules for teamwork (or any
  activity) is crucial to success
• It is useful to think of three categories to
  develop ground rules for teams

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Ground Rule Categories

• Team culture
• Creating an environment beneficial to team or
  group working
• Team members responsibilities
• How the individual behaves within the team or
  group
• Team organisation
• How the team or group is organised and managed
  to promote success
• Can you think of any examples?

43
Procedures for Group Work

• Students are often solution-oriented, however
  the quality of the outcome of any activity
  depends on the quality of the process.
• T Tune in is everyone clear about the task?
• E End points agree on objectives
• C Concepts generate and share ideas
• M Method decide how the task will be done
• A Arrangements who does what, by when?
• T Task the actual work, monitored
• E Evaluation how well did we do?

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Some common problemsin classes

• Different levels of preparation
• Different rates of working
• Helping all students
• Getting spoken contributions
• Students understanding the various learning
  methods
• Marking submitted work

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Case studies

• In your groups consider case studies.
• After 10 minutes we will have a class discussion
  on some of the issues raised.
• Case Studies available
• Critical Incidents in Classes
• Student learning and Support Issues

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Special Needs

• What disabilities may a student have which
  require them to have support?

47
Special Needs models

• Medical ModelDisability is something that
  affects the individual and therefore support is
  based around curing or enabling the individual to
  get on in a normal world.
• Social Model
• People are disabled by societys barriers and
  not by their impairments i.e. being a wheelchair
  user is not a disability being unable to get to
  the library because it has three steps at the
  front door disables the person.

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• SEDA Special Education Disability Act
• Covers everything we do
• ? Teaching
• ? Administration
• ? Estates
• ? All types of Student Services
• Disability Support Office website provides a
  range of information and contacts

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• What we know
• Students with special needs are as individual as
  you or I
• If you have any doubts simply ask the student
  directly
• Check back from time to time to make sure things
  are still working smoothly
• Work with your disability officer to solve
  problems

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• Disability in the Population
• 21 of working age population is disabled
• Average number of disabled students in Higher
  Education is 5
• At this University approximately 7 have declared
  a disability (2105 in August 2005)

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• The Purpose of Assessment?

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• Assessment for Learning (formative)
• To help students improve performance and learn
• Assessment for Grading (summative formative)
• Designed to provide information for awards
  and/or progression

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Assessment

• Must be fair and consistent
• Use marking scheme academic normally prepares
  this
• Helpful to know what the common mistakes are
• Read several answers before starting to mark
  may need to adjust the scheme
• Get your first attempts checked
• Look back through early marking to confirm
  consistency
• If there is a lot to do, take a break it is
  tiring work!
• Check the additions check the transfers to the
  mark sheet (or get someone else to do it)
• If the answers are returned include some
  explanations where errors occurred why marks
  were lost what the correct working is. Try to be
  constructive.

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Plagiarism

• What is plagiarism?

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Plagiarism Cheating

• Theft or use of someones work, including your
  own, without proper acknowledgement
• Staff need to teach students how to avoid
  plagiarism
• - provide explicit definitions of plagiarism-
  provide guidance on appropriate referencing-
  explain how to present material based on
  legitimate collaboration- explain how shared
  material is to be assessed

56
Ethics

• A framework of moral principles which sets out
  the appropriate behaviour for an individual or a
  group
• Can be a code of professional conduct
• Can be the subject of debate and ethical problems
  are not always clear-cut
• Ethical values equate to ethical responsibilities

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Ethical Conduct

• Ethics Case studies consider the examples
• Can you suggest what ethical responsibilities
  teaching staff may have to their students?

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Ethical Responsibilities to Students

• Svinicki (1994) suggests
• To demonstrate the free pursuit of learning
• To demonstrate respect for students
• To respect confidentiality
• To model the best scholarly and ethical standards
• To foster honest academic conduct
• To ensure fair evaluation
• To avoid exploitation, harassment or
  discrimination

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• Monitoring Teaching and Assessment
• The School and/or Faculty
• checks on you through
• Student questionnaires
• Other academic staff attending sessions
• Course committees
• Staff-student committees
• Personal tutors

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• To understand your role ask
• specific questions
• purposes
• planning
• preparation
• relationships
• handling content
• methods
• learning outcomes
• REFLECT

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Summary

• Teaching is a complex and multi-faceted activity
• Appropriate teaching methods and approaches
  promote effective learning
• We cannot assume students know how to learn or
  have the appropriate transferable skills
• Our expectations and those of students are not
  always the same they need to be aligned
• We learn from others so we all need to ask
  questions

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Finally

• Are there any concerns that have not been dealt
  with?
• Please complete both questionnaires now.