University Times

Picture the lonely life of an emerging scholar: A graduate student sitting in a chair in the stacks of the library, covered with dust, nose buried in a book. Or a scientist-in-training invariably hunched over a microscope, scribbling notes into the wee hours.

That stereotype was shattered last week for some 225 fresh-faced Pitt teaching assistants (TAs), most from Arts and Sciences, on the first day of new TA orientation, a series of workshops organized by the Provost’s office and the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education designed to ease the transition from student to teacher.

New TAs attended overview workshops led by experienced TAs on how to get started in the classroom and how to deal with some difficult situations. They also chose from topics such as how to lead discussions, and how to teach independent classes, languages, labs or problem-solving recitations.

Teaching assistants typically teach recitation sessions as instructional support for Pitt faculty. In many science courses, TAs supervise lab sessions and demonstrate central concepts in courses while encouraging undergraduates to develop analytical skills. In humanities and social sciences courses, TAs lead discussion sections of small groups of students. Often they are responsible for preparing questions, examples or case studies; for creating the content and format of the recitations; for composing a syllabus, and for grading assignments.

“Often times, when we think of a scholar, we think of a lonely life,” said Patricia Beeson, vice provost for graduate studies, in her welcoming remarks. “But there’s an image that I hope will become clear to you during your graduate studies, and that is the image of the University as a community of scholars, a group of people working together engaged in the common pursuit of knowledge, and the sharing of that knowledge with others. I hope you’ll discover, particularly during the first year when you’re teaching, the way in which our research and our teaching activities are intertwined.”

Grad students, over time, will share their knowledge when they present their findings to colleagues, when they make reports in their courses, and when they publish articles or a dissertation, Beeson said. But equally important in the University community is the sharing of knowledge through teaching, she said.

Beeson warned the new TAs that the transitions from undergraduate to graduate student to accomplished teacher would be intense and, at times, frustrating. But, the feelings of accomplishment are quite rewarding, she said. And the TA support services at the University, including working with internationally known scholars and researchers as mentors and role models, are among the best in the country, she added.

“When undergraduates study we call it homework and when faculty study, we call it research,” Beeson said. “Well, you guys are right there in the middle: You’re grading the homework of the undergraduates and doing the homework in the graduate courses.”

That middle ground is important to keep in mind as TAs earn their teaching spurs, according to Devin Malcolm, who led “Getting Started in the Classroom,” one of the two orientation overview workshops.

“You can connect with your students by telling them you’re in the same boat: You have papers to write and 350-page reading assignments, too. You have deadlines for handing in assignments.

“Then it’s easier to convince students why you have a strict late-assignment policy. You say, ‘I’m your teacher, but I’m also a student. I have my own homework due, in addition to having to grade yours,’” said Malcolm, a theatre arts Ph.D. candidate, who has been a teaching assistant for three years.

Prior to teaching their first recitation, TAs should meet with the course instructor to probe what his or her expectations are for the teaching assistant.

“I recommend asking the professor point-blank: ‘What exactly do you expect of me?’” Malcolm said. “I was a TA for one professor and, in the first semester, I did every little thing he told me — I was like a slave. But, before the second semester, he asked me, ‘What are your expectations? What do you expect of me?’ So, I think you build a rapport with the professor and with your adviser. It’s something you can build on.”

Other tips for TAs before teaching their first class include: visiting the assigned classroom to become comfortable in the environment and to learn where the multi-media features are and how they work; preparing an outline of topics to be covered in the recitation; setting office hours; making sure all needed materials are available to the students, and, perhaps most important, preparing a clear, comprehensive syllabus.

Departments often have a bank of syllabi that the TA can draw on as examples, Malcolm said.

“Sometimes the professor will give you one; but many times you have to make one up for your recitations,” Malcolm said. “Make clear your expectations, especially how you will grade. Remember, the syllabus is a contract, so I recommend you always include the disclaimer: ‘Syllabus subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.’”

This avoids problems with students complaining later if the TA has veered from the syllabus and it gives the TA some leeway to adjust assignments when necessary, Malcolm pointed out.

“You don’t have to read the syllabus to them verbatim. The students can read. Let the students have some time to look it over. Review the main points. If attendance is important, stress that policy,” he said.

Undoubtedly, the first day teaching a recitation or a lab is nerve-wracking. “But, remember, your students are nervous, too,” Malcolm said.

In the first class meeting, the University recommends that the TA use the whole time period and not dismiss the class early, Malcolm said.

“You may not be able to cover a lot of content, but you set the tome for the course,” he maintained. “You should try in the first class to connect with your students. I’ve had classes that vary in size from 75 to six students. Obviously, you can’t learn 75 names on the first day, but even connecting superficially is important. Create an atmosphere that lets them know they can, and should, come to you.”

In large sections, asking for a show of hands on questions such as “How many of you are from western Pennsylvania?” “How many of you are majors?” helps TAs connect with students. Sharing your own interests in the course also can spark student enthusiasm, Malcolm added.

TAs should arrive early the first day, introduce themselves and say what their academic interests are; outline the course; explain the course’s goals; outline their policies on attendance and late assignments; review and discuss the syllabus in detail, especially the grading policy, which should be explicit; show the required textbooks and materials; review campus resources where students might seek help; collect student contact information, such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses (Don’t rely on the class roster, which often is incomplete or changes during the add/drop period, Malcolm cautioned); ask students to introduce themselves, say where they hail from, and briefly describe their interests, such as their major or related courses they’ve taken; give an assignment for the next meeting; speak slowly and clearly, and in a volume that all students can hear, and teach a little.

“I’ve found it’s a lot easier to be tough on students at the beginning and then, maybe, to lighten up some. It’s much harder to become tough as the course goes on,” said Malcolm. “When I say tough, I don’t mean being a drill sergeant; I mean to set a serious tone. You can say, ‘We will have some fun in the class, but there is also a serious amount of hard work that is expected.’”

Under Pitt’s policies, instructors set their own attendance requirements, Malcolm said.

“My rule of thumb is a student can miss one week’s worth of class meetings” without a grade deduction, he said. So if the class meets three times a week, students get three cuts for the semester before they incur a grading penalty.

“I also have a sliding attendance scale to deal with late-comers — which can be a real distraction,” Malcolm said. “I award three points if a student is on time, two points if they arrive in the first five minutes, one point if they come in between five and 10 minutes, and no credit [for attendance] if they’re later than that. I also will not repeat what was covered in the class for latecomers. That’s not fair to the students who arrived on time.”

One of the most difficult challenges for neophyte teachers is pacing a recitation, Malcolm said. Part of the “getting started” workshop included discussion of a case study wherein the teacher thought he had enough material to fill two class periods, but found himself rushing through the material, without asking for enough input from the students, and running of things to say before the class’s end.

“You need to find the right rhythm, the right pace, which really comes only with practice,” Malcolm said. “I’ve heard the advice: ‘Count to 10 in order to slow yourself down.’ I always have a bottle of water handy, so if I find myself talking too fast, or if I’m caught off guard and I can’t think of an answer to a question right away, or I need to organize my thoughts, I take a drink of water to buy some time.”

On occasion, TAs will be asked to be advocates for students who have complaints about the professor. First, Malcolm said, never let the students trash the professor, because it creates an “us-versus-him or her” environment, which is not conducive to learning.

But, if students have legitimate criticisms that are meant to be constructive — about test difficulty or lecturing style, for example — TAs need to take those seriously. They should sound out their students on specifics and pass those messages on to the professor, Malcolm said.

Regarding students who try to dominate recitation discussions, TAs must remember that they’re the boss. “You have the right to cut off any discussion, you can not call on such students, you can take the student aside and say in a positive way, ‘I really appreciate your ideas and the way you’re engaged in the course. But I’d like to get others involved. Can you think of a way to get more students to share their thoughts?’” Malcolm said. “It’s a kind way of saying, ‘Could you just please shut up!’” he joked.

Naturally shy students present a more difficult problem, Malcolm said. “Some people just are not comfortable speaking up in a crowd. They may be engaged in the course and taking the material in, and they may be excellent students, but it’s hard to draw them out. Sometimes, breaking the class down into smaller groups helps them feel more comfortable. Sometimes, you have to call on them when they haven’t raised their hand.”

Finally, TAs must accept that they will make mistakes as they learn to become good teachers, Malcolm said.

“For instance, I’m a bad speller, and I know it. I make mistakes when I write on the board all the time,” he said. “But I embrace that. If a student corrects me, I don’t snap at them. I thank them. Then they know I realize I’m not perfect, and it’s all right to make some mistakes, that making mistakes is part of the learning process.”

The other TA orientation overview workshop, “Dealing with Difficult Situations,” elaborated on typical problems that TAs can expect to face as they learn to become teachers, as well as detailing relevant University policies.

(A second new TA orientation day, set for Sept. 10, will include workshops on cheating, plagiarism and academic integrity policies; using media in the classroom; writing test questions to best assess student learning, and variations on discipline-specific assignments, such as essays, lab reports, projects and problem sets.)

In the difficult situations workshop, Kathleen Bulger, a fourth-year graduate student in sociology, reviewed the policies on faculty-student relationships; sexual harassment; nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action, and faculty obligations to students.

She also covered a number of common problematic situations, including offensive or inappropriate comments; students’ lifestyle choices (for example, unusual fashions); two students arguing repeatedly with each other; grading and evaluation disputes, and respecting diverse religious, political and philosophical viewpoints.

Regarding offensive statements, Bulger suggested laying out ground rules at the beginning of the term about mutual respect — for teachers, fellow students, people in general.

“Many times students don’t know what they’re saying is offensive. You may hear racist, sexist or homophobic comments. You should try to respond politely. But you can’t let it go by,” Bulger said.

First, a statement may be demonstrably untrue (e.g., “All Native Americans are drunks.”) and that should be pointed out immediately, she said.

If the truth of a statement is debatable (“People who believe in God are not using their intellect fully.”) force the student to cite sources that prove or support what’s been said, Bulger recommended.

“For one thing, this teaches the value of well-reasoned arguments versus prejudiced statements,” she said. “We can demand that a student cite sources, not just what their great-grandmother told them. Students need to learn to use critical thinking, reasoning and argument” in an academic environment, she added. “Use other students as allies, if you can.”

TAs should not react with total censorship. Perhaps, instead, the class can engage in a conversation about censorship versus what is appropriate, Bulger said.

There also are statements that might be “painful” but true, she noted. “You can always call students on tone: ‘We do not tolerate accusations or insults in this class,’” she said. Or the teacher can return the discussion to the course’s topics and talk to the student privately, recommending some reading to educate the student.

“The point is, you have an obligation, under the University’s nondiscrimination policy, to keep the classroom environment safe and non-threatening,” she said. “Challenging, yes, but not intimidating. If students harass each other, you need to intervene as soon as possible.”

Letting such situations fester only leads to greater problems down the road, she maintained.

TAs also must base all academic evaluations on good faith and on professional, rather than personal, judgments. “Never assess students on race, age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other such factors,” she said.

A TA’s grading policies must be spelled out, including the methods of evaluation and the weight of assignments toward the grade. In the event a student complains, TAs should have documentation to back up their grading decisions, Bulger said.

Once in a while, an issue of broader societal relevance than the course content comes up, such as the events of Sept. 11, 2001, or the unexpected death of a fellow student.

Class time may be used for discussion of such events, Bulger said. “You might ask the students to vote on whether you should do that.” And students should be given the option not to attend class that day, since the discussion is out of the realm of the course.

“In general, have clear policies, respect students so they respect you, be reasonable, arm yourself with information, be prepared to encounter and handle problems, and be in charge,” Bulger said.

“Some students think you’re not really a teacher; they need to know that you’re in charge.”

—Peter Hart