A1. Teaching Assistants will demonstrate an understanding of English teaching pedagogy, including instructional strategies for language acquisition and applications of technology.
Throughout my short time as an educator, I have learned that in order for quality education to take place, an educator needs to be prepared once he / she has enter the classroom. Though this may seem simple, it is more challenging when placed into practice.
In order for me to organize for teaching, I review the academic calendar and calculate the amount of days for teaching and equally divide these for each unit which will be given throughout the semester. From there I work with each unit and ask myself; what is important about the material which will be given? How will I break it into sections? What do I want my students to learn? Which would be the final product or project assigned for students? To all of these I take my students’ needs into consideration. However, before I begin working with any course work, I like to reflect on my own learning because I am also a student.
I have a very hectic schedule because I love to participate in various organizations. Being a part time cashier, a member of the university choir, a sorority sister, president of PGHS, treasurer of PCSA, a graduate student and an instructor have all been challenging. Nonetheless, I love what I do, though I acknowledge, I need careful planning and preparation to perform in each of these roles. As a result, I am an extremely structured person, work with agendas and plan ahead of time. Though this situation may seem unique, I have many students who are in the exact situations and I work with that to let them know what is expected during each unit ahead of time. I create a monthly calendar with all of the material to be discussed ahead of time, so students know what is expected of them throughout the following weeks of class. This not only a way to inform them about their responsibilities as a students, it also it lets them know about my own responsibilities as an instructor and my commitment towards their education.
A2.Teaching Assistants will develop and select appropriate instructional goals that are appropriate for the group level at which they are teaching.
For this writing course, my students are required to create ten journals which are assigned throughout the semester, accordingly with different activities in class. The first journal is written in class and this I use as a diagnostic, in order to not only evaluate their writing skills, but for me to familiarize with the students and acknowledge their previous experience during their English course. Throughout these writings, students let me know about their ideologies towards the English class and who they are as students in general. These journals are extremely important because they let me know their needs for the course in order to incorporate them with the course requirements. It is through these journals where I am able to identify my students’ strengths and weaknesses.
I not only use journals to understand what they expect from the course but also assign short writing to know if my students are understanding the material or if they need reinforcement in a specific area. During this semester I did various short reflections and used students’ needs as a guide for teaching. At least once every two weeks I would know what my students wanted to learn or understood needed reinforcement in order to incorporate to the current unit given.
A3.Teaching Assistants will plan for a nurturing learning environment.
I am unable to provide a nurturing environment in class if I am unable to get to know my students. It is because of this that after all students’ reflections I take the time to really plan classes which fulfill their needs. I pay close attention to students’ reaction in each of these in-class activities.
During my teaching practicum I was requires to have all of my daily plan and have three plans for the upcoming days. I had to be sure I complied with school policies and it was a lot of work. However, the change was noticeable because I knew exactly what I was going to do in class and what I was expected to accomplish throughout the week. I was also able to reflect upon my teaching and be able to understand if a particular activity was successful or if it needed modification.
When it was time to teach at the college level, there were no specific planning formats. Yes, I was required to hand in a semester schedule but since I was used to working with daily planning I felt a little lost. I modified the original practicum plans however they were too extensive and included areas which were not for college students. After three semester, I came across a video about “Sticky Note Planning” which was great. Therefore, I created my own format for weekly planning and incorporated all the sticky notes with “Opening, Developing and Closing Activities” and on the second page a section for “Special Education, Possible Modification, Materials and Additional Comments.”
I think about what I will be giving in class and why I am doing so. After that I make sure I read what I have written about previous situations in class in order to work with what I will be giving for the following class. Usually one where students feel free to express themselves and not feel pressure in my class.