BE TA Training(Su15):Homepage

Overview

Welcome to the 2015 BE TA Training workshop!

The goal for the next two days is to give you some tools that will help to prepare you for the challenges and rewards of teaching. During this workshop you will meet mentors that can give you insight into your role as a teaching assistant. You will also learn about the resources that are available to you and your students. Whether you are currently excited or apprehensive (or anything in between) about TAing, we hope you will view it as an opportunity not just to make a difference in the lives of your students, but also to develop your own communication and management skills.

The skills you develop as a teaching assistant will be a great asset outside of this role: mentoring UROPs in your lab, identifying and understanding different learning styles (your students', your peers', and your own), training and working with peers, speaking and delivering presentations at conferences, and collaborating with industry colleagues' that have widely-varying backgrounds and expectations.

The BE department takes great pride in its commitment to both undergraduate and graduate teaching and learning. We also take your professional growth and development seriously - and we know you'll take your new role as educators and mentors equally seriously.

Thank you to those who have contributed to the development of the BE TA Training experience: Agi Stochowiak, Shannon Hughes, Bevin Engelward, John Essigmann, Forest White, and Alan Jasanoff.

Schedule

Day 1: Monday, August 31 in 56-614

TIME	TOPIC	MATERIALS	SPEAKER(S)
9:00 - 9:15 am	Pickup handouts / coffee and breakfast
9:15 - 9:30 am	TAship in BE		Doug Lauffenburger
9:30 - 10:15 am	Discussion: Training goals and the TA role	Slides	Noreen Lyell
10:15 - 10:30 am	Break
10:30 - 11:00 am	Discussion: Teaching philosophy	Slides Text	Bevin Engelward
11:00 - 11:30 am	Discussion: BE Communications Lab resources	Slides	Diana Chien
11:30 - 12:30 pm	Exercise: Reflect on learning and teaching	Group assignments Handout	Small groups
12:30 - 2:00 pm	Lunch / discussions with TA mentors	Group assignments Handout	Small groups
2:00 - 2:30 pm	Exercise: Teaching discussion and tips	Handout	Noreen Lyell
2:30 - 3:00 pm	Wrap-up of Day 1 and overview of Day 2		Noreen Lyell

Day 2: Tuesday, September 1 in 56-614

TIME	TOPIC	MATERIALS	SPEAKER
9:00 - 9:15 am	Pickup handouts / coffee and breakfast
9:15 - 10:00 am	Discussion: S^3 resources		David Randall
10:00 - 12:00 pm	Exercise: Teaching practice and feedback	Group assignments Practice problems Practice problem solutions	Small groups

Resources

Teaching Help

• TA Rights and Responsibilities (PDF download)
• School of Engineering TA Page and 2014 Workshop Details
• Teaching and Learning Lab
  • Room 5-122; 253.2850
  • See especially Teaching Recitations and The Torch or the Firehose under Teaching Materials
• Term Regulations (scroll down)
• FERPA (see especially FAQ)
• Stellar course website manager
• Athena class lists
• Library class guides

Helping Students

Please do not hesitate to talk to the faculty member(s) teaching your subject if you encounter a student having unusual difficulties that you are not in a position to address. For your reference, some resources for students are listed below.

• MIT Together website
  • Overview of MIT support system and links to resources categorized by population and need
• MIT Student Resources website
  • Covers the gamut of student needs: academic, personal, professional, etc.
• Student Support Services
  • Room 5-104; 253.4861
  • Students who are experiencing academic or personal difficulty can be referred to the S³ office.
• MIT Mental Health
  • E23-3rd floor, 253.2916 (253.4481 after hours)
  • advice for helping students in distress
  • community wellness resources
• Yet more resources lists (just in case!)
  • Resources overview from Institute-wide planning task force
  • Question/issue-based resource list
• BE Tutoring Service
  • Juniors and seniors in BE are available to tutor for many UG core classes.
  • Tutoring hours are typically set for each subject toward the beginning of the semester.
  • Tutoring occurs in the student lounge (56-046).
• BE Communication Lab
  • The communication lab offers writing and speaking support by appointment and through workshops.
• Office of Minority Education
  • Room 4-113; 253.5010
  • OME offers a tutoring service open to all students by appointment.
• Student Disabilities Services
  • Room 7-145; 253.1674
  • Note that faculty should be the primary contact for working with the SDS; this link is provided in case you need additional support or information.

Helping Yourself

Many of the student-centered resources above apply not just to your charges, but to you! A few particularly relevant ones are listed below.

• MIT Together website
  • Overview of MIT support system and links to resources categorized by population and need
• Office of the Dean for Graduate Education
  • Essentially the graduate student version of S³
  • Advising from Blanche Staton or Jason McKnight
• Ombuds Office
  • For conflict resolution