Workshops on Dealing with Challenges

The Teaching Commons offers a series of workshops for graduate students to help navigate challenges.

Previously Offered Workshops:

 

 Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom: Interactional Strategies for International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) at York

Being an International Teaching Assistant (ITA) can be an exciting experience that contributes to one's personal development and professional growth as an educator.  ITAs may encounter challenges in teaching methods, marking and grading schemes and teacher-student interactions.  This workshop will demonstrate how International Teaching Assistants can effectively interact with their students from diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and provide tips and problem-solving strategies that ITAs can apply when faced with unfamiliar or difficult situations in and outside the classroom.  This workshop will engage participants to explore and share their experiences as International Teaching Assistants with each other, thus far, and brainstorm additional strategies together.

Friday October 19, 2018, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom: Interactional Strategies for International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) at York

What is 'Conflict' and How Might it Arise in the Classroom?

Together we will define what we each mean by “conflict” and explore a working definition for this workshop.  We will share potential sources or situations in which conflict may arise in the classroom, such as sensitive course content, most stressful times for students during the semester (perhaps centred around assessments and grades) etc.  The focus will be on our own power/privilege, particularly as teachers, but also personally, as well as focusing on biases, any example experiences of oppression and inequality.

Whether power/privilege, oppression and inequality are specific concepts covered in your course/discipline or not, they are present in every classroom, so this workshop aims to identify how they appear in each of your classrooms and help build awareness.  This workshop will include small group work, where participants will engage in an ice breaker activity and continue to work in the same small group to develop trust and work through and discuss the content of the workshop to achieve the outcomes.

Thursday October 25, 2018, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for What is 'Conflict' and How Might it Arise in the Classroom

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Let’s talk about social inequalities: Addressing critical and often emotionally charged issues in tutorial, Dealing with Classroom and Student Conflict, Human Rights in the Classroom

Let’s Talk About Social Inequalities: Addressing Critical and Often Emotionally Charged Issues in Tutorial

Strengthen your capacity to foster equitable classrooms. Central in fostering a teaching/learning community in the classroom is student dialogue and critical engagement with course materials. What if students express views that are discriminatory or oppressive? How do you, as the TA, address dynamics of classism, sexism, racism, ableism, and heteronormativity within your tutorial, which may serve to silence some students’ participation?

In this workshop we explore the challenges TAs may encounter when engaging students in learning and talking about social inequalities. What can a TA do to encourage respectful discussion around issues of oppression and privilege? How might a TA address problematic interventions without silencing students’ contributions or harming students’ self-esteem?  These are examples of some of the questions you will discuss in this workshop and together we will share and learn strategies for managing awkward silences, personal disclosures and student conflict that are potentially transformative in promoting a supportive, respectful and empowered student community in the classroom.

*It will be assumed that participants have some prior knowledge of concepts such as oppression, inequality, power and how this relates to a classroom context – you may wish to register for and attend the workshop “What is Conflict and How Might it Arise in the Classroom?” to explore these concepts prior to this workshop.

Thursday November 15, 2018, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for Let’s talk about social inequalities: Addressing critical and often emotionally charged issues in tutorial

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Dealing with Classroom and Student Conflict, Human Rights in the Classroom, What is Conflict and How Might it Arise in the Classroom?

Dealing with Classroom and Student Conflict

Conflict can happen both in and out of the classroom. As a TA, what have been your experiences? What are your concerns? How can you be proactive and minimize conflict in your course? Can you identify the worrisome signs? If so, how do we deal with them?

In this workshop an emphasis will be put on prevention techniques and management tools, as well as providing resources. However, this is a “burning issues” discussion based on your needs or questions you submit confidentially in advance to the facilitators.  Bring your own questions, but be prepared to help answer others’ questions by sharing your own experiences and strategies.

Monday November 19, 2018, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for Dealing with Classroom and Student Conflict

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Human Rights in the Classroom, Let’s talk about social inequalities: Addressing critical and often emotionally charged issues in tutorial, What is Conflict and How Might it Arise in the Classroom?

Fostering Integrity in the Classroom

As TAs you will find that many students are unsure about the "ins and outs" of academic integrity.  This session will give you the tools you will need to educate your students about academic integrity and help them understand issues of plagiarism, cheating, collusion, impersonation, aiding/abetting, and fabrication/falsification.  You will be given real cases that occur in academic and non-academic settings and will brainstorm ways to prevent these and other breaches of academic integrity from occurring.

Friday January 18, 2019, 12:30-2pm in DB 1014
Register for Fostering Integrity in the Classroom

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Marking and Grading Practices

Classroom Strategies for When They Haven’t Done the Readings

All prepped and armed with activities for the interactive session you expect with students but find yourself engaged in a monologue with blank, vacant stares and silence from students who have not done the assigned readings? What to do?

In this workshop you will engage in small group activities and large group discussions to come up with strategies to salvage and prevent such situations and encourage students to do and even enjoy assigned readings.

Tuesday January 29, 2019, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for Classroom Strategies for When They Haven't Done the Readings

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Reading Week is Over - Strategies to maintain and inspire student motivation, Teaching Critical Reading Skills Workshop for TAs

Reading Week is Over - Strategies to Maintain and Inspire Student Motivation

Having trouble engaging, motivating and getting your students to participate in discussions in your classroom?  Join us for a one hour workshop where we will explore strategies to inspire and maintain motivation in the classroom.  Bring your ideas and be prepared to participate in a variety of activities designed to help you motivate your students.  After this workshop, you will have something new to try in your own class to help motivate your students.

Monday February, 25, 2019, 12-1pm in DB 1014
Register for Reading Week is Over - Strategies to Maintain and Inspire Student Motivation

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Participatory Learning: How to engage your students, Classroom Strategies for when they haven’t done the Readings

Human Rights in the Classroom

This brown bag event is for Teaching Assistants. It's a "burning issues" discussion based on questions you submit confidentially in advance to the facilitators, Sheila Wilmot & Josephine Tcheng.* Topics covered may range from accommodations for disabilities, to sexual harassment, to racial discrimination, or transphobia. We will address these and other issues in relation to your students, your roles as TA and/or for you as York employees. It all depends what your "burning issue" is.

*Sheila Wilmot is the CUPE 3903 Equity Officer & Josephine Tcheng is an Advisor, Education & Communications, at the Centre for Human Rights. Once you register, please drop one of us a note with your question(s): cupe3903.equity.officer@gmail.com, jtcheng@yorku.ca.

If you are interested in a repeat of this workshop, please let us know by completing the following form:
Register your interest for Human Rights in the Classroom
OR
Book a TA Drop-in Appointment

Participants that have attended this workshop also attended:
Teaching Students with Disabilities: Tips for Teaching Assistants, Let’s talk about social inequalities: Addressing critical and often emotionally charged issues in tutorial, Dealing with Classroom and Student Conflict