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Teaching is a skill that comes with time. Think back to some of your favourite classes in high school or university: What made them so special? What was it about the instructor’s pedagogy that made it engaging? What are some practices you would like to mirror? On the other hand, what are some things you would not like to perpetuate?

With that in mind, you can use a number of teaching strategies to make your tutorial or seminar a successful one, including planning ahead, setting learning outcomes, communicating effectively with students, and instituting active learning methods and activities. Not all techniques will be liked by all students. Consider diversifying your delivery methods using videos, case-studies, group exercises, open discussions etc.  

Preparedness: Generally following lecture, tutorials are a space in which students are going to clarify, reinforce and apply what they learned in class. Plan your tutorial ahead of time by revisiting what was taught during lecture. Choose key concepts or theories you want to focus on. Make sure to include time estimates for each. Allow time for questions and student participation, but also for the lack-thereof. Try finding visual aids to support your teaching. These can include videos, pictures, and articles. Make sure your supplementary materials  are concise and don’t overwhelm students.  

Sections:

• Strategies for Effective Tutorials
• Creating Community Guidelines
• Facilitating Online Discussion/Participation
• When Things Go Wrong
• Active Learning
• Guest Lecturing
• Online Lecturing
• Collecting Feedback on your Teaching: TA Evaluations

Strategies for Effective Tutorials

Use the first tutorial to introduce yourself and set the tone for the semester. Alternatively, if you are TAing online, consider emailing your tutorial group a small introductory paragraph:  

• Tell them a little about yourself and your research  
• Explicitly establish shared expectations as to when and where students should check for announcements or other communications
• Explain when you will be checking emails and answering them. We suggest that you set some time aside every other day to answer several emails at once. This will enable you to better manage your schedule, and effectively count your hours.
• Consider including your gender pronouns. (Check out the resource "Why include pronouns in your email signature" from Ryerson University. We also recommend Lee Airton’s No Big Deal Campaign for banners to include in your email signature or on OnQ.)  
• To address students’ expectations with respect to email response times, you may want to add the following message to your email:
  “Email can be a fast and practical way to manage some types of communication. However, it is not suitable for all types of inquiries, so please do not email the instructor or TA about information that is readily available to you on the syllabus and/or onQ. When corresponding over email, please be sure that the course number (e.g PHIL 399) appears somewhere in the subject line and that you include your first and last name in your closing. While I will typically respond to your email within a day, please allow 48 hours for a response.”  

You can adjust this message according to the turn-around time you’ve agreed upon with your instructor. Make your students aware of this response time at the beginning of the course.

Creating Community Guidelines

In order to create a more inclusive classroom, consider creating community guidelines with your students. Community guidelines are agreed-upon protocols that act as a contract for the duration of the semester. Collaborating with the students in the creation of such guidelines will be central to its success. This practice will foster a collective space for mutual respect and collaborative inquiry. Community guidelines have the potential of cultivating a sense of belonging amongst students, and help to facilitate a space in which they can engage productively and respectfully.

TA Tip: In the middle of the semester, or whenever needed, consider revisiting your guidelines as a means to “check-in” with students. You might want to collectively add new guidelines or simply reiterate them. This time can also be used as a reference point for students to self-assess their participation and interactions with/in the class.

While guidelines may differ across disciplines, they will generally include:

• Confidentiality: Depending on the discussions had in class, folks may disclose personal experiences, or make mistakes. The classroom should be a space for honest and respectful exchange. What happens in the class stays in the class.
• Respect: Give your undivided attention to the person speaking, and allow them the space to speak through their ideas.
• Listening: Don’t interrupt, turn to technology, or engage in private conversations while others are speaking. Be aware of your body language.
• Awareness: Be aware of the words you use, and how they may affect others:  
• Challenging the idea, not the person: Disagreement is a healthy form of learning. We can disagree with others without putting them down. The video "How to Tell Someone They Sound Racist" by Jay Smooth reviews the difference between “what they are" conversations and “what they said" conversations   
• Be open to making mistakes, and allow others to make mistakes as well!
• Step Up, Step Back: Be mindful of how much space you are taking in class, and how this might be affecting those who would want to take more space. If you tend to be less talkative, empower yourself.
• Respect each other’s personal space: Ask for consent before touching another person.

Facilitating Online Discussion/Participation

Leading tutorials can include a variety of duties, depending on the course you are TAing and the expectations of the course instructor. Your primary task in the tutorial space will be facilitating discussion among students. Whether you are facilitating tutorials in-person or online, there are some principles and best practices that you can follow to ensure that you create the most accessible and engaging space for your students.

• Clarify expectations: How often are students expected to post? How long does each post have to be? How often should students reply to their peers' posts? Provide an example that demonstrates the expected quality and content of an individual post.
• Provide students with clear instructions on how to submit posts and replies in the learning management system (onQ).
• Pose a good discussion question to get the conversation started.
• Provide feedback early in the term. Your feedback and encouragement will be particularly important at the start of the course in order to establish and reinforce expectations. If a post is vague, prompt the student for clarification. Encourage a student to complicate their post by referring to course material or providing a real-world example.
• Promote peer engagement by encouraging students to ask questions to one another. If students direct their questions to you, put the question back to the group.
• Move the discussion forward. You can encourage participation by responding to posts that have not received a response, pointing out patterns in discussion threads, and asking probing questions. Rather than providing students with answers, prompt them with additional resources to further their thinking.
• Track your feedback. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of which students you have given feedback to in order to ensure that you provide at least one meaningful response to all of your students.
• Plan for technical issues. Make sure students know what to do and who to contact if they experience technical difficulties.

Resources:

• - Edwige Simon 2018, EDUCAUSE review
• - Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo

When Things Go Wrong

While discussions can generate insight and stimulate critical thinking, things do not always go according to plan. Many issues can be avoided by designing activities according to Universal Design for Learning principles (see UDL Guidelines, CAST) and approaching group work and discussions with a plan; however, things still happen. Here's what you can do when things go wrong in discussion and group-work settings:

Students who take up too much space:

• Speak with the student privately. Let them know that their contributions are appreciated, but other students need to be given the chance to participate.
• Divide students into smaller groups and consider assigning students to specific roles. For example, students could alternate between discussion leader, summarizer, recorder, devil's advocate, and timekeeper.

Students who talk too little:

• Speak to the student privately to discern the reason for their lack of participation.
• Consider alternative means of participation or the creation of even smaller discussion groups. Some students may feel more comfortable in one-on-one settings.
• Assign a low-stakes writing assignment prior to discussion or group work. Ask students to share their responses with their group.
• Recognize that quantity is not necessarily quality.

Students who are disruptive:

• Speak to the student privately to discern the reason for the disruption.
• Check that a student is actually disruptive and not just momentarily expressing a strong opinion.
• Change up the discussion groups.

In general:

• Ensure that the rationale and instructions for any group activity are clear and explicit.
• Set clear expectations and guidelines with your students at the start of term. By creating a code of conduct and/or specifying guiding principles for discussion and collaboration, you will have something to refer back to when things go wrong.
• Ask for help. If you're unsure of how to deal with a situation, consult your fellow TAs and/or the course instructor. Likely, they have dealt with similar situations and will have sound advice and resources you can draw from.

Reference:

- Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo