EART 203/196, TA Training

Welcome to the class webiste for the TA training class in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Lecturer

Reid Parsons

Class Meeting Time

4:00 to 7:00 PM Thursdays in E&MS D258

Office Hours

By appointment (officially T/Th 2-3pm)

Grading

This class will be graded S/SU. Attendance in 4 of the 5 classes is required to pass. The grade is based on the following criteria:

Participation	40%
Final Presentation	40%
Quizzes and Homeworks	20%

Description

This class is a forum for discussing the responsibilities, methods, tips, and regulations for teaching assistants in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Dept, and UCSC as a whole. The nature of this class is meant to be different than most you'll take at UCSC. It emphasizes involvement and sharing of ideas in order to develop one's own teaching style.

Topics to be covered

Being an Effective Educator
Pedagogic Philosophy
Teaching Science
The Student - TA relationship
Knowing What you bring to the table: being confident
Learning Styles and Special Need students
Non-discrimination
The TA - Professor relationship
Balancing Graduate Student Responsibilities

References	Books/Readings
TA Starter Package	National Research Council, How People Learn (1999, National Academy Press). LB1061.H672 1999
TA Handbook	Paulo Freire, Teachers as Cultural Workers
General info TAs at UCSC	Linda B. Nilson, Teaching at its Best (1998, Anker). LB2331 .N54 1998
	Anne Curzan and Lisa Damour, First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate Student's Guide to Teaching (2000, University of Michigan Press). LB2335.4 .C87 2000

Schedule

Grading

Date	Topics	Materials	Post-class Stuff
10/1	First Day Tips Sexual Harrassment Learning Styles Teaching Sections Teaching in the Field	First Day TA Goals Sexual Harass Prevention Sexual Harass Accusation	Teaching Science PPT Assign: Read Chs. 1,2,7,8; write about rewarding teaching/learning experiences
10/8	Resources for TAs Non-discrimination Engaging Students	Teaching practical topics	Assign: Read Chs. 4,6; come up with grading rubric for student presentations
10/15	Annoying Behaviour Presentation Info	Grading Tips Disruptive Students 1 Disruptive Students 2 Disruptive Students 3
10/22	Student Presentations #1	Microteaching Teaching Presentations
10/29	Student Presentations #2

TA Links

Teaching Tips
TA Services
TA/Campus Resources
Student Judicial Affairs

Practical Teaching Tools

Resources for Geoscience Educators
Interactive Lectures

EART 203/196, TA Training

Topics to be covered

References

Books/Readings

Schedule

TA Links

Practical Teaching Tools