Corri Taylor compiled the following tips from three sources: 1) suggestions by the Economics Department's Peer Teaching Advisors, 1996 and 1997; 2) "A Manual for Teaching Assistants," originally prepared by UW -Madison's Mathematics Department, 1966 and 1967, and revised for use in the Economics Department, 1974; and 3) "147 Practical Tips for Teaching Professors," by Bob Magnan, 1989. Corri graduated in 1998 and is on the faculty at Wellesley College.

Recognizing differences in styles

• Recognize that TAs have their own teaching styles don't do things that you're not comfortable doing. Not all good TAs tell a lot of jokes, write outlines on the board, etc. Use the suggestions in this guide and elsewhere to help you figure out what works best for YOU and develop your own style.

• Recognize that students learn in different ways. For those who are visual, graphs clarify concepts. Others find math easier than graphs. Still others find examples and analogies most helpful. When possible, present in a variety of ways and when helping students one-on-one in office hours, tailor your explanations to the students' individual learning styles.

Creating a comfortable learning environment from the beginning

What to cover the first week

• Introduce yourself. Tell your students when and where your office hours are. Let the students know what is expected of them and how they'll be graded. Explain your policies regarding make-up exams or late homeworks. (Make sure your policies are in agreement with those of the professor. It's best to meet with your professor before classes begin to discuss your expectations of each other and the plan for the class.) Once you've established your expectations and policies, stick to them!

• Motivate the students. Let them know why what they're learning is relevant. Explain that some of the material you'll be covering is used as building blocks for applications that will be covered later in the course. Assuring students of the applicability of the material they're learning will prevent students from giving up because "economics is too abstract."

Students' names

• Learn your students' names, and use them! They really appreciate that some instructor in this large university knows them by name. Knowing who your students are also makes your job easier: for example, discussions run more smoothly and you can more easily identify those students who may need extra help.

• Some suggestions for how to learn and remember students' names include: having them fill out notecards during the first section, with information like class year, hometown, why they're taking the class, their background in economics, math, and other related courses, economic topics that especially interest them, etc.; having a seating chart for the first few weeks of class when taking roll; taking pictures of the students the first day and spending a couple of minutes a day matching names with faces when you're in your office; returning assignments to the individual students at the beginning of each section.

• Allow the students to get to know one another's names, too. Have the students briefly introduce themselves during the first section meeting or assign a fun group project on the first day so the students can learn more about the others in their group. Students who get to know one another can often learn from one another. By creating a comfortable, interactive classroom environment, you contribute significantly to the ability of students to learn from their peers.

Preparing your lesson / Organizing your section

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Take the time to carefully prepare your lesson plan, in-class assignments, etc. long before you step to the front of the class. No matter how well you know the topic, and no matter how much practice you've had speaking in public, you need to thoroughly prepare a specific lesson for each and every section.

• Outline the topics for section when you prepare your lesson plan and at the beginning of each class let the students know what to expect. One way to communicate the agenda to your students is to write a brief outline of the topics for discussion (as well as homework assignments and upcoming exams) on the far right section of the blackboard. Keep the outline on the board during the whole section. Students appreciate knowing what they should be getting out of each section, and they'll be impressed by your organization.

Making sections relevant and interesting

• Don't be afraid to emphasize (and reemphasize) important points from both lecture and section! Your first time TAing, you'll be surprised how many students miss them.

• Incorporate current events whenever possible, especially in introductory classes. Talk about floods, or season tickets for football. Use examples that show how economics is relevant to the students' lives.

• When presenting a new theorem, explain how it fits into the general theory of the course. A common complaint among students is that they understand individual pieces of information, but not how it fits in "the big picture."

• Set up and solve problems in class. Use handouts to remind students how to approach various types of problems.

How to elicit class participation

• Ask your students questions. Give consideration to the types of questions you ask (closed vs. open) and the level of questions (recall vs. higher order analysis). Don't be afraid of silences while waiting for a response. Try not to dominate the Q&A session or allow any one student (or small number of students) to dominate the discussion. Allow the discussion or Q&A session to follow a star pattern (TA-student-student-student-TA-student-student...) rather than the old ping-pong pattern (TA-student-TA-student...). See the Utah State University handout (#1) on "questioning" in this TA manual for more on this topic.

• Divide the class into groups and have each group solve a specific problem or discuss an issue and then present it to the rest of the class.

• Use debates to stimulate discussion. Divide the class in half and give each side a position to argue, then give them 15 minutes to come up with arguments supporting their side. After 15 minutes, let each side make a point and the other side rebut. List points made on the board.

Using the blackboard effectively

• Erase the entire board when you enter the room. In doing so, not only do you remove all traces of whatever subject occupied the room previously, but you also establish your presence.

• Make good use of the board space. Begin writing at the top of one blackboard panel, move down that panel, and then proceed to the next panel. Avoid "patchworking": filling the board, erasing a small area, writing a few more words, erasing again, etc. Don't stand in front of panels that you've filled. Move your body so you are not blocking anyone's view.

• Do not write all the way to the bottom of the panel if you have more than two rows of students. (Students sitting in the back won't be able to see around those in earlier rows.)

• Talk to your students, not to the blackboard. When speaking while writing on the board, be sure to speak loudly enough so that all students can hear you. Your voice has to be louder when you're facing the board than when you are directly facing your students.

• Remember that your students' notes will look an awful lot like what you put up on the board. Take the time to clearly write on the board any important definitions, formulas, graphs, etc.

• Erase the board after each main section. Doing so signals the end of a section in a physical way, allows a short pause for reflection, and prevents old material from distracting the students.

• When erasing the blackboard, move the eraser up and down, not side to side. This keeps your rear end from wiggling back and forth. When you have your back to the board and you hear students chatting, at least you don't have to worry that they're talking about how much your butt wiggles if you use this technique!

Communicating with the professor

• Keep in close contact with the professor. If the professor (or head TA) doesn't arrange for weekly meetings with you, take the initiative to set up (at least) a weekly debriefing or planning meeting. Meetings can be short -- even just 10 minutes after class -- but it's important that the professor and TAs communicate with each other. Let the professor know if the students are having difficulties with a key concept, how they're doing on the homework assignments, what you think of the pace of the class, etc. The professor will appreciate your input.

Preparing students for exams

• Give frequent short assignments throughout the course. Doing so gets the students accustomed to systematic, regular study for the course (vs. cramming the night before the exam), and provides you continuous feedback on how your students are doing.

• Prepare review sheets before exams. Students really appreciate these. Often as a TA, you'll have a better idea of the things that confuse students than does the professor, so even if the professor does a review sheet, you can point out some of the mistakes that students have made repeatedly.

• Ensure that in-class and homework assignments are of similar difficulty to exam problems. Don't assign only simple homework problems and then give much more difficult test questions. If the professor is writing the homeworks and exams, offer to contribute or at least proofread these.

Proctoring exams / Dealing with academic misconduct

• Take simple precautions to ensure that students are doing their own work. Stay in the room during the exam. Use alternate seating. Watch the students. If the class is large and space is tight, create two different versions of the test.

• Before proctoring your first exam, read the university's literature on academic misconduct (included in this packet) so that you know how to handle suspected cheating, should it occur.

• Clearly convey your rules regarding collaboration on homework assignments. If you're giving writing assignments, discuss the concept of plagiarism beforehand, and let the students know what type of material should be cited and how much material should be cited. If you give take home exams, explain the rules for what sources may and may not be used in working on the test; do this verbally when you pass out the exam and make sure it is in writing at the top of the exam as well.

Other suggestions

• Ask your students for feedback on how you're doing. Ask early in the course for anonymous feedback (perhaps at your early evaluation which takes place about 3-4 weeks into the course). Pay extra attention to the criticisms. Try to be objective -- imagine that the comments are directed at a third person. If the criticisms are constructive, consider what steps you can take to improve those aspects of your teaching.

• If you're done in 40 minutes, let the students go early. They appreciate that you're not wasting their time, and it makes them a lot more likely to stay and listen if you do go past the bell later.
  

(back to Table of Contents)