TA Teaching Tips

Leading Discussion Groups
Meg Amstutz, English Department

I am a firm believer in the power of the blackboard, particularly when you are faced with a domineering student in your discussion group. When student discussions become a majority assent to the one monopolizing voice, I like to use the board as a conversational collage, posting words and phrases from the current discussion. Initially, the students just copy the words as I write them; at this point, I pause discussion and say, "OK, we've got some legitimate topics of concern here. But are there any words which are obviously missing from this list? What other questions should we be asking? Take a minute and jot a few down." Don't be afraid to let them sit and think a minute. The students who have been unable to get a word in previously will not only have the floor when you begin again but also have the confidence of a written, framed thought to contribute. If you set a pattern early in the semester of calling on some of the quieter students after they have had a moment to write down their conversational contribution, they will feel less pressure when speaking up in straight discussion. The students will also learn to think critically by extending the conversation, rather than rephrasing or rebutting.

Defining and Limiting the Instructor's Role in Workshop
Lynn Murray, English Department

When I first started leading small-group workshops of student poems or papers I found that often one of two things would happen: either students would suddenly become shy, hesitant, and fearful of treading on the writer's feelings, and uncomfortable silences would reign, or, in the case of an especially provocative paper or poem, lots of students would jump in with a variety of reactions and the noisy discussion would proceed with little shape or coherence. In both situations I found that I was often tempted to do the same thing--speak up, jump in, rescue and redirect the workshop. This reaction (stemming partly from the desire not to waste time) tended to undermine those skills which a small workshop allows the student to develop and made workshop seem more like a regular class than it should have. To avoid becoming more than a bit player in workshop I now ask each student to prepare written comments (from questions specific to the assignment) about all the papers, and then I assign each paper one student respondent to evaluate the paper in depth. The respondent knows she is responsible for initiating, guiding, and sustaining the discussion of the paper. To keep things moving, the respondent, in turn, prepares questions to engage the rest of the group. I found this reorganization of authority a hard thing to master because there is a strong instinct to always be the teacher. The student-led workshop, however, reverses the classroom dynamic and forces students to practice skills like group leadership and the articulation of ideas and analysis. There are still silences and commotions, but the students know that it's their responsibility in workshop to make sure their peers come away with the feedback they need for good revisions.

Spatial Dynamics in the Composition Classroom
Misty Beck, English Department

One of the more familiar challenges to the new teacher is the comfortable intellectual one of preparing material for lectures or lessons. The less familiar one is how to engage students with the actual presentation of those materials in a classroom setting. By becoming more sensitive to the rhetorical potentials of the classroom space, I've been able to create a noticeable difference in class dynamics. Basically, I try to translate our rapport into spatial terms -- I bridge distances by walking up to students who are asking questions, or who appear ready to drift off; I create distance (and distribute the energy) in lively discussions by moving across the room either to engage other class members or to signal a transition to a new set of questions or problems to be discussed; I punctuate space by beginning energetically and clearly marking the line between "before class conversation" and "class discussion." When discussions start to wane or attention starts to lag, I stand up if I've been leaning against the table or I walk a few steps into the "student's space" -- a lot of my energy, in fact, goes to breaking down the boundaries that students (and teachers) sometimes hide behind. Simply by paying more attention to the rhetorical situation and its dramatic possibilities, I've been able to all but do away with the most intrepid sleepers, and to keep most of the intellectual conversation on the same tack.

Leading Discussion Groups
Jennifer Romney, English Department

Often at the beginning of the semester, my students filter their comments through me when they are in fact responding to each other's ideas. Not only does this dynamic put me in the unwanted position of feeling like the students want me to "judge" who has the "better" idea, but it also stifles the discussion's momentum. If my students seem only to want to talk to and through me, I do this: first, I look at the student who is currently speaking; then, while that student is still talking, I look across the room at the student to whom she is actually responding. Usually, the student naturally looks where I am looking, and she ends up speaking not to me but to her classmate. If I want to encourage them to continue their debate, sometimes I'll sort of raise my eyebrows at the first student so that I can suggest to him, "well, what do you have to say to _that_?" without having my voice interrupt their dialogue. This tactic gives them self-confidence both as speakers and as thinkers, and it fosters the students' respect for each other both as people and as scholars.

Leading Discussion
Saera Khan, Psychology Department

Students hesitate to participate in discussion because they are not used to speaking in class. Most of their time spent in other classes largely consists of quietly taking notes in large lecture courses. Thus, it is the responsibility of the teaching assistant to ensure a relaxed atmosphere so that students feel comfortable voicing their opinions. I find that it helps students to initially talk about something that does not directly relate to the course topic. On the first day of class, I ask students to introduce themselves and also tell us about the last movie they saw and review it for the class. Often other students react to the student's movie review and through this experience, students begin to communicate with each other and eventually feel comfortable voicing their opinions on more weighty topics.