A New TAC cycle has begun

Happy Spring Davis! Although the weather may be confused, we at the TAC are not. A few years ago we switched the start of the a TAC tenure from Fall quarter to Spring quarter. We did this for a few reasons;

Reflections: Workshop 6: Parenting, pampering, or policing? Classroom management and interacting with your students

Last week we wrapped up the workshop series with a session about classroom management. Many graduate students are concerned about how to strike a balance between authority and approachability in their classrooms, so we felt it would be worthwhile to devote a workshop to issues in this topic.

Reflections on Winter Workshop 5: The Red Pen is Mightier than the Sword

One of the comments that constantly comes up in the TAO evaluations is “I wish we’d covered more on grading.” Almost every instructor has to do it, and it can be challenging, so Matt, Ann, and I devoted our fifth workshop to grading, evaluating, and giving feedback.

Laboratory, Meet a Seminar Classroom. Seminar Classroom, Meet Laboratory. A Story of Love (Not at First Sight)

Think you can tell the difference between a traditional, seminar-style liberal arts classroom, and a laboratory learning space? Think again! In workshop #4, graduate student and post-doc participants re-imagined their lessons to include learning methods from radically different fields.

TACs have a new look!

When the TAC program started they had a logo. Unfortunately that logo was never digitalized and over the years wasn't used and then lost. But what a great idea to have a simple image that helps others to identify us as a group.

So the TACs recently, had a designing contest amongst themselves and came up with this logo. Be sure to look for it on your consultations and certificates in the future!

Workshop 6 - "Parenting, Pampering, or Policing" this Friday!

We're excited to present the last workshop of our winter workshop series this Friday. 

Workshop 6 - Parenting, Pampering or Policing? 

Classroom management and interacting with your students

Date: Friday, Feb 24 Time: 10:00am - Noon
Place: 242 Asmundson Hall (The Big Jack Hanna Room)

Description: In the classroom instructors must strike a balance between approachability and authority. Do we mentor, coddle or discipline our students? In this workshop we will discuss and share practical techniques for setting and communicating expectations. We will also analyze different ways of addressing challenging situations in classroom management. Participants will gain skills to shape their classroom dynamics, maximize student learning, and establish a positive and productive classroom environment.

Workshop 5 on Grading this Friday!

The Teaching Assistant Consulting Program is having the 5th of a 6-workshop series this Friday on how to create your own course. Scroll down for descriptions of that workshop and our final workshop! 

Workshop 5 - Grading:The red pen is mightier than the sword 

Date: Friday, Feb 17 
Time: 10:00am - Noon
Place: 242 Asmundson Hall (The Big Jack Hanna Room) 


Description: 
In most students’ and instructors’ minds, grades loom large. In this workshop, we will ask how grades influence learning. Come to this workshop to discuss practical techniques for grading and specific methods for evaluating written work. Learn tips on how to grade quickly, give useful feedback, and elicit critical thinking when you return assignments to students. 

Workshop 6 - Parenting, Pampering or Policing? Classroom management and interacting with your students 

Date: Friday, Feb 24 
Time: 10:00am - Noon 
Place: 242 Asmundson Hall (The Big Jack Hanna Room) 


Description: 
In the classroom instructors must strike a balance between approachability and authority. Do we mentor, coddle or discipline our students? In this workshop we will discuss and share practical techniques for setting and communicating expectations. We will also analyze different ways of addressing challenging situations in classroom management. Participants will gain skills to shape their classroom dynamics, maximize student learning, and establish a positive and productive classroom environment.

Reflections: Workshop 3--The Benefits of Problems: Using Problem-Based Learning and Problem Solving to Promote Critical Thinking

Since I first joined the TA consultants last spring, I have been hoping to have the opportunity to delve more deeply into non-traditional pedagogies. When my fellow TAC Jeff Anderson proposed developing workshop on problem-solving, I jumped at the chance. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about problem-solving and Problem-Based Learning (PBL).

Reflections on Workshop 2, Going Critical: Creating Activities that Promote Critical Thinking

Our goal for this workshop was to start thinking about critical thinking and to help participants develop some strategies for incorporating critical thinking into their assignments, exams, quizzes, and other course activities. Like the previous workshop group, we were lucky enough to have lively and dedicated participants. We got to hear from TAs and Instructors from all across the university.

Become a TAC! Ann Chang's Testimonial

The call is out for new TACs!


The Teaching Assistant Consulting Program is looking for it's next cohort of TACs. It's a year long position starting in Spring Quarter and going till Winter Quarter. Having been a TAC for two years (the max you can do) I wanted to share with the UCD community my reason for loving the TAC.

Workshop 3 - Explore another teaching tool!

Feb 3 - The Benefits of Problems: How to use Problem-based Learning and Problem Solving to Promote Critical Thinking

242 Asmundson Hall (Big Jack Hanna Room)

Description: 

“This class taught me how to think.” Are you interested in getting feedback like this on your course evaluations? Interested in helping your students move beyond knowing course material to developing deep critical thinking skills? This workshop will introduce you to techniques you can use to help students assimilate information at a deeper level through problem-solving and problem-based learning. We’ll cover what problem-based learning is, how to use it, and provide examples of how problem-solving can be used in all types of classes–from the humanities to social sciences to STEM courses.

How to Make a Syllabus Reflections

Today is the one week anniversary of the beginning of the 2012 edition of the TAC Winter Workshop Series. In celebration, here is a tribute to the first workshop: How to Make a Syllabus. On Friday January 20, Mara Evans, Henry Yeung and Jeff Anderson led a group of 40 dedicated UC Davis graduate students and post-docs through the topic of course syllabuses. The enthusiastic educators who attended this workshop represented 24 different graduate programs at UC Davis. Participants worked collaboratively to develop an outline of the elements of a strong syllabus, to identify of the purpose of a syllabus, and to construct an outline for a personal syllabus to be used in future UC Davis classrooms.

Following the TA Consultant philosophy, participants learned by doing. The workshop began with a think-pair share exercise, discussing in groups of four: What is the purpose of a syllabus? These small group discussions coalesced into a collective brainstorming session. Below are some of the highlights of the discussion:

The Purpose of a Syllabus:

• Sets the tone for the course
• Communicates expectations to the students
• Aids in organization of the course for the Instructor
• Used as a reference for policies in case of dispute
• Acts as a contract between the instructor and the students
  

After this group discussion, the workshop shifted into a quick write, an activity aimed at encouraging individual reflection via silent writing. Participants responded to the prompt: Think of a course you teach or want to teach. What information will be included on your syllabus? Using this writing exercise as a base for a second group discussion, the audience generated the following list of course content to be included in their individual syllabuses:

• Course title
• Personal contact information (email, office phone)
• Due dates for assignments
• Rules and expectations for classroom behavior
• Policies on late assignments
• Email etiquette and communication policies
• References and additional readings
• Grading Scheme
• On campus resources (CAPS, UWP, etc...)
• Course abstract including a summary and objectives
• List of required materials
• Personal statement
• Positive reinforcement
  
• Support for students via a welcoming tone
  

In the next exercise, participants compared and contrasted two syllabuses that had been used at UC Davis in Fall 2011. In groups of 6, the teams of educators analyzed one syllabus from ENL 3: Introduction to Literature and one syllabus from FST 3: Introduction to Brewing and Beer. Of course, each group had a chance to share their opinions with the entire congregation in the third and final group discussion.

The interactive portion of the workshop ended with a 10 minute individual brainstorming session. Each participant used a worksheet to respond to the following questions:

• What is one objective you have for your course?
• How might you asses if you have met this objective?
• What are your classroom expectations?
• What are your policies concerning grading, homework, participation, email etiquette, cheating, etc.?
• How will you grade your students work?
• What assignments will you have?
• If you have a discussion section, what is the purpose?

The conclusion of the days activities included the distribution of the Winter Workshop Series Syllabus and evaluations for the days activities. Participants were encouraged to complete a personal syllabus and submit it for credit on the smartsite page associated with this workshop series.

Overall, the level of professionalism and energy demonstrated by the workshop participants bodes well for UC Davis students. If these individuals were representative of the attitudes of Davis Teaching Assistants and Instructors, it is very clear the UC Davis students are in capable hand. These people care about teaching, look for ways to develop themselves professionally and are capable of creating interactive and provocative learning environments. To the future of UC Davis education, Go Aggies!