New GTA session at CTE The educator must above all understand how to wait, to reckon all effects in the light of the future, not of the present.--Ellen Kay
From: Instructor Self-Evaluation/ How Do You Teach?
Instead of right or wrong answers, this form gives you insights about your teaching style. It is also well-suited for classroom observations.
Some examples:
I present thought-provoking ideas.
I am sympathetic toward and considerate of students.
I assist students in appreciating things they did not appreciate before.
Where do you sit or stand? Behind the podium? On the table?
When do you
speak louder/softer? When the point is very important? When nobody
seems to understand? When nobody seems to be listening?
The Hidden Crisis in Graduate Education: Attrition from PhD Programs
At this point in the semester, you’ve had a chance to become acquainted with your department and its treatment of graduate students. Barbara E. Lovitts and Cary Nelson’s article discusses the impact of that support on PhD attrition. They suggest that graduate school success depends on joining into the social and professional life of a student’s department; if there is not a strong departmental commitment to integrating graduate students after their arrival on campus, graduate students can compensate by developing social and professional relationships with each other.
Some key findings:
"Most students are drawn to a university’s overall reputation rather than to the character of the actual department to which they are applying. . . . They often have no idea whether a given department’s strengths and emphases match their own career interests. Relatively few students are well informed about the nature of graduate study or what will be expected of them. . . ."
"The survey results show a high correlation between integration into a department’s social and professional life . . . and successful completion of the Ph.D. . . . New students in a group office are fare more likely to feel part of a community. Plus they have regular and guaranteed access to the informal knowledge that is part of any department’s oral memory. This knowledge is often critical for getting through a Ph.D. program. . . ."
"The responsibilities that come with a teaching or research assistantship . . . draw one into a community and help build a professional identity and sense of commitment. . . ."
LINK: http://www.aaup.org/publications/Academe/2000/00nd/ND00LOVI.HTM
Lovitts, Barbara E., and Cary Nelson. "The Hidden Crisis in Graduate Education: Attrition from PhD Programs." Academe: Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors. November 2000.
Technology for Teaching: Instructional Development and Support
Sign up for free IDS workshops that you can use to enhance next semester’s work. These workshops, offered throughout the year, are designed to teach you how to use the many features of teaching tools such as Blackboard, etc. You can also meet one-on-one to discuss what technology will enhance your particular teaching course and make plans for workshops based on that discussion.
As the IDS web site states, they’re charged with providing "assistance in creating, maintaining, and improving learning environments - both physical and virtual. Contact us to learn about designing instruction that takes advantage of a wide variety of innovative teaching strategies and available-right-now technologies."
