Teaching Assistants (Guides and Training)

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Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants

Common Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants as reported by faculty members

1. Hold office hours
2. Conduct discussion groups or review sessions - faculty member absent
3. Supervise labs - faculty member absent
4. Grade exams
5. Prepare exams
6. Lead class discussion - faculty member absent
7. Periodically present lectures
8. Prepare Lectures
9. Take sole responsibility for class discussion section
10. Advise or counsel students- faculty member absent

Bibliography

TA (Guides)

• Bentham, S., & MyiLibrary. (2005). A teaching assistant's guide to managing behaviour in the classroom. New York: Routledge. Permalink

• Drake, P. (2004). Becoming a teaching assistant: A guide for teaching assistants and those working with them. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

• Hayes, D. (2003). The essential guide for competent teaching assistants. Teacher Development, 7(1), 137-144.

• Lambert, L. M., Tice, S. L., & Featherstone, P. H. (1996). University teaching: A guide for graduate students. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press.

• Lewis, K. G. (1993). The TA experience : Preparing for multiple roles : Selected readings from the 3rd national conference on the training and employment of graduate teaching assistants, november 6-7, 1991, austin, texas. Stillwater, Okla: New Forums Press.

• Watkinson, A. (2005). Learning and teaching: The essential guide for higher level teaching assistants. David Fulton Publishers.

• Watkinson, A. (2002). Assisting learning & supporting teaching: A practical guide for the teaching assistant in the classroom. London: David Fulton.

TA (Training)

• Drake, P. (2004). Becoming a teaching assistant: A guide for teaching assistants and those working with them. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

• Hatch, D. H. (1993). Helping TAs use writing activities to enchange their teaching: Advice to writing consultants. In K. G. Lewis (Ed.), The TA experience: Preparing for multiple roles (pp. 353-356). Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

• Nyquist, J. D. (1991). Preparing the professoriate of tomorrow to teach: Selected readings in TA training. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co.

• Pentecost, T., Langdon, L., Asirvatham, M., & Parson, R. (2009). TA training that integrates pedagogy and content. Abstracts of papers of the American Chemical Society, 237

• Sharpe, R. (2000). A framework for training graduate teaching assistants. Teacher Development, 4(1), 131-143.

TA (Empirical Studies)

• Finch, J. K., & Fernández, C. (2014). Mentoring graduate students in teaching: The FCCIC model. Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 69-75.

• Meanwell, E., & Kleiner, S. (2014). The emotional experience of first-time teaching: Reflections from graduate instructors, 1997-2006. Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 17-27.

• Pelton, J. A. (2014). Assessing graduate teacher training programs: Can a teaching seminar reduce anxiety and increase confidence? Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 40-49.

• Smollin, L. M., & Arluke, A. (2014). Rites of pedagogical passage: How graduate student instructors negotiate the challenges of first-time teaching. Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 28-39.

• Wurgler, E., VanHeuvelen, J. S., Rohrman, S., Loehr, A., & Grace, M. K. (2014). The perceived benefits of a preparing future faculty program and its effect on job satisfaction, confidence, and competence. Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 50-60.

Online Resources

• An Instructional Resource Guide for Teaching Assistants (2005). Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, University of British Columbia.

• The Effective Teaching Assistant (2008). TA manual, Sixth Edition. Drexel University.

• Preparing TAs for Teaching − Training Manual (1999). Instructional Development Centre, Queen's University.

• The Instructor's Guide to Working with TAs (2012). Learning and Teaching Centre, University of Victoria.

See Also

• TA training
• Mentoring (Teaching and Learning)

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