Collaborative Connections: Build a Community of Learners in the Classroom and Beyond

TA Consultants Spring Workshop Series

This is an overview of the entire 6 part spring workshop series "Collaborative Connections" for grad students and post-docs at UC Davis. In this series we are focusing on a model of community based on concentric circles. You as the educator, are at the middle, not because you as the TA are the most important part of the community, but instead because it perhaps makes the most sense to think of ourselves as a part of a larger community and how we interact in

that community. The next circle represents 'our students' both in and out of the classroom, for instance we can have interactions with individual students perhaps in a research lab setting. The next circle represents our 'classroom,' which is made up of many students who may interact with each other and with you the educator. Next we have the 'campus' community circle, which represents an interdisciplinary academic community. Finally we have the 'outside community' circle which indicates all individuals outside of campus (this can be parents, alumi, school children, politicians, or some combination of individuals you can have interactions with.)

This model is neither complete nor perfect, but rather it is a framework to think about how we as individuals serve a role in our community. We can use this model to better visualize our

interactions with community members in order to meet the goal of fostering Collaborative Connections.

Here are our learning goals for the entire workshop series:

Analyze teaching as a cyclical or iterative process (reflection is part of the teaching process, therefore we are never done learning how to teach)

Take responsibility for our teaching and what happens in our classrooms and community (We need to think about what is and isn’t happening in our classrooms in order to know what we want to change.)

Engage in the process of making learning accessible to everyone (this process is useful both in the community of this workshop, and in your experiences)

Look at a wide variety of tools, theories, and experiences (No tool works the same way for everyone, and each should choose those that work for them in their classroom and beyond)

Think about our students both as learners and as educators (Empower our students! They facilitate learning too!)

Leave with more ideas to try in the classroom and the confidence to try them (It can be intimidating to try new pedagogies, but we won’t know if they work for us unless we as individuals try.)

So that's the overview of the whole series! Below are listed descriptions of each individual workshop. Stay tuned for updates on each of the workshops as they happen!

Workshop #1:

Active Inclusivity: Benefit from Diversity in the Classroom

Monday, April 19, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Cara Harwood, Geology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant
Cassandra Paul, Physics graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Many of the techniques used in University classrooms were developed during a time when campuses were composed almost entirely of the same type of student. Today classrooms are much more diverse. Do you want to see how you can use the diversity that exists in your classroom to the mutual benefit of you and your students? The goal of this workshop is to construct a framework for understanding in what ways we are all different, how this difference affects us and our relationships, and how we can benefit from this difference. Participants will leave this workshop more aware of what being inclusive means, and how to frame their contribution to diversity. For more information, please contact the TA Consultants at tac@ucdavis.edu.

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Workshop #2:

Developing Your Teaching Persona

Monday, April 26, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Sharada Balachandran-Orihuela, English graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Sarah Dalrymple, Population Biology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Richard Osibanjo, Chemistry graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Sarah Augusto, Sociology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Have you ever wondered how much and what aspects of your personality you should show to your students? Bringing your identity into the classroom has the potential to transform your students’ learning, their relationship to course material, as well as improve your evaluations. In this workshop expect to develop clearly articulated student learning goals, and then based on these goals determine your role in the classroom. For more information, please contact the TA Consultants at tac@ucdavis.edu.

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Workshop #3:

Building Community in the Classroom (classroom management, creating a good learning environment, setting a tone, what do you do, activities & strategies to encourage participation, extending the classroom)

Monday, May 3, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Cara Harwood, Physics graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Richard Osibanjo, Chemistry graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Emily Evans, Education graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Are you interested in establishing a fun and dynamic community in your classroom? Developing a sense of community with your students can contribute to a positive learning environment and improve the effectiveness of your teaching. In this workshop we will establish a foundation for building your classroom community. Participants will develop strategies for managing your classroom environment, setting the desired classroom tone, and encouraging student participation both in and out of the classroom. For more information, please contact the TA Consultants at tac@ucdavis.edu.

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Workshop #4:

Advancing Community in the Classroom (interactive techniques, empowering students, collaboration between students, group dynamics)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Sarah Dalrymple, Population Biology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Travis Berge, Economics graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Cassandra Paul, Physics graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Jonathan Bragg, Microbiology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Undergraduate students are used to an educational system where they are handed information they need to regurgitate back to the instructor. Would you like to break this cycle, and have your students take more of an active responsibility for learning? This challenge can be met by fostering community in the classroom in a way that empowers students to see themselves as active participants in their learning process. In this workshop participants will learn how to increase collaboration between students, and how to break down the hierarchy in the classroom, thus encouraging students to take more ownership of their education. For more information, please contact the TA Consultants at tac@ucdavis.edu.

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Workshop #5:

Setting Sail on the Mentorship

Monday, May 17, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Sharada Balachandran-Orihuela, English graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Mara Evans, Ecology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Ann Chang, Ecology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Are you interested in developing one-to-one learning relationships with your students? Are you interested in developing your skills as a future faculty mentor? Join us for a discussion about the qualities that make for a successful mentor-mentee relationship. In this workshop you will develop your mentoring philosophy and explore the various resources available for emerging academic leaders. For more information, please contact the TA Consultants at tac@ucdavis.edu.

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Workshop #6:

Feel Good Beyond the Classroom!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

3 - 5 pm

Facilitators:

Mara Evans, Ecology graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Travis Berge, Economics graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Matthew Nesvet, Political Science graduate student and Teaching Assistant Consultant

Do you occasionally feel stifled by academia? Are you interested in working with the community beyond the classroom? Participate in the final workshop of the series Collaborative Connections to redefine what we think of as the classroom. Explore how academics can go beyond the classroom and nurture their enthusiasm for their discipline and teaching.