Before the Course Begins: Preparing to be a Teaching Associate

This page is based on material created by the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning.

Learn About the Course

• Learn as much as you can about the class for which you are TAing. Where does it fit into the departmental sequence? What requirements does it satisfy? Are most students majors or nonmajors? This information will help you anticipate the sort of students you will have. Find out what the professor’s goals are for the course. What should students emerge from the course knowing (i.e., what are the student learning objectives)?
• Talk to the professor to find out the specific responsibilities you will have. What are your course duties as a TA? How much discretion do you have in structuring your section, setting the pace of the class, deciding what grades are assigned, etc.? Will you be running discussion sections? If so, are you responsible for covering new material, reviewing the lectures, or going over problem sets? Also, find out the specifics about administrative matters like grading, absences, make-ups, and other details. Knowing these things can prevent surprises and embarrassments later in the semester, and can prevent students from thinking that you or the professor change course policies unfairly.
• Familiarize yourself with the textbook(s) and other readings. Reviewing this material in advance allows you to think about the course content and to consider different ways of teaching it.

Learn What It Means to be a Teaching Associate

• Talk to other TAs in your department, as well as professors other than the one for whom you are TAing. What teaching tricks or advice can they offer? What kind of teaching experiences have they had at IU Indianapolis? What techniques have they developed? If other TAs have worked for the same professor or have taught in the same class that you are, ask what worked well for them and what didn’t.
• If possible, sit in on classes taught by other TAs.
• Take advantage of the Center for Teaching and Learning and your own departmental resources. Go to teaching workshops offered by the CTL or your department. Read your department’s teaching handbook, if one is available, or check out the library at the CTL.
• Familiarize yourself with IU Indianapolis policies, especially but not exclusively those policies on grading, confidentiality, sexual harassment, and the rights of students with special needs.
• Arrange for early feedback: ask your professor to visit your section mid-semester or request an observation from the CTL.

Get Organized

• Know where and when the class meets and visit the room(s) in advance. If you’re holding sections or labs too, find out where those meet and visit those rooms as well. During your visit, consider the following questions:
  • Is the room suitable to the needs of the class?
  • Is it too hot, cold, noisy, big, or small?
  • Are the appropriate tools (i.e. projector, blackboard, etc.) in good working order and are enough chairs present?
  • How will you set up the chairs and where will you sit?
  • Will you be able to see all the students and they you?
  • Will students be able to see each other?
• Find out from your department if office space is available to TAs. Also find out what kind of supplies you have access to--e.g., photocopy machine, overhead projector, science equipment, copies of the textbook(s), transparencies, etc.--and how to get access to them.
• Arrange for any visual aids or other supplies you’ll need: chalk, projectors, handouts.
• Check the bookstore to see if the required texts are in stock, and check with the library to see that the books are on reserve.
• Plan the semester. Set aside time for preparing each class. Ask experienced TAs how many hours per week you can expect to spend on preparing for sections or labs. At first you’ll probably require more time to prepare and get comfortable.

Prepare for the First Class

• If required, create your syllabus, making sure that it includes your name; office location, hours, and phone number; university email address; class policies (grading, late assignments, missed sections, due dates, etc.); and perhaps your specific learning goals for the section.
• Practice your first class ahead of time. Try out the opening few minutes on a colleague or friend. Have someone check whether you are audible from the back of the room in which you will be teaching.
• Prepare more material than you think you will need. Do not rely on the students to fill the time with questions. Knowing that you are prepared will boost your own confidence.

Starting the First Class

• Arrive early. As students trickle in, establish a rapport by asking them who they are, why they are taking the class, and how things are going in general.
• When it’s time to begin, make sure students are in the right course, section, and/or lab. Introduce yourself with a quick biographical sketch; you’ll seem more accessible and human if students know something about you. Tell them how you got excited about your field, or what you find most compelling about the subject.
• Have students introduce themselves or each other, or consider using an icebreaker activity.
  
• Discuss the course objectives and expectations. Tell them about assignments, due dates, exams, grading, class procedures, and policies on attendance, absences, and missed or late work. Let students know what they can expect from you: Will you read drafts of papers? Will you hold review sessions? Let students know that you are receptive to suggestions and criticisms.
• If time permits, have a mini discussion or review to give students a sense of what your classes will be like. One good way of beginning is to preview the highlights of the coming week’s lectures.
• Try to stay after class a few minutes to answer any questions or concerns students have.

On Nervousness: Some Thoughts and Strategies

• Expect to be worried or nervous. Your anxiety indicates that you care about what you’re undertaking and want it to go well. Students may also be nervous, so don’t worry if the first class session is a little quiet or even slightly uncomfortable.
• Breathe deeply; speak slowly.
• Prepare thoroughly, and be confident of your competence. Outline the main points you need to get through, and prepare more questions for discussion than you'll actually need.
• Fake it `til you make it. In other words, act confidently even if you don't feel confident. Concentrate on the ideas you want to get across, not on your own nervousness. Think about your students’ needs, not your own.
• Rehearse your first class or section meeting and carefully visualize how it will go; test your opening introduction on a few friends.
• Don’t feel that you have to know all the answers. If you don’t know something, don’t hedge your response; it’s usually obvious that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Admit you don’t know, then promise to find out the answer or else suggest a reference. Alternately, you can redirect the question to the whole class or ask the student to find an answer and report back at the next class or section meeting.
• Keep spirits—yours and the students—high. Humor helps, and a grim atmosphere won’t make anyone feel better.

Laboratory Sections:

Before the Course Begins

• Meet with the professor and be clear on lab policies. Do you need a tour of the lab to find out where the supplies are, how to access equipment, and to be aware of any particular dangers (high voltage electricity, corrosive chemicals) that exist? What are the course policies related to the lab? Be clear on what the professor expects as far as grading, attendance, and group work, and be sure to communicate these expectations to the students.
  

Before Each Lab

• Know the material. Study the theories and methodologies and be prepared to answer students’ questions.
• Do the lab experiments yourself. By performing experiments yourself, you will know exactly what steps and potential problems are involved. You’ll also be better prepared to help students when they run into difficulty.
• Practice explaining lab or assignment procedures and any difficult theories or concepts.
• Give yourself time to set up. You might need to come in early and make sure the lab is properly set up for the day’s experiments.

During the Lab

• At your first lab, communicate course policies clearly to the students: outline your grading methods, course requirements, and how students should write up and submit their results. Review safety policies and explain how to use and care for laboratory equipment.
• Start with explanations. Present any theory that needs to be discussed, explain the experiment, and take questions. Make the objectives of each experiment clear. Tell your students what they are expected to find. Review the procedures for the day’s experiment.
• If applicable, explain the relevance of the experiment to real life. This will make the lab more meaningful to students. Alternately, you can ask students to think how their results apply to a larger scientific question.
• Circulate through the room and watch how students are doing. Ask strategic questions to clarify what students know and what confuses them.
• Always set a good example by following safety guidelines and keeping the lab clean. Make sure that students also understand safety guidelines and insist that students adhere to them. Be aware of emergency procedures and require your students to know them as well. Lastly, be sure that students clean up the lab benches before leaving.