Fall is officially here and members of the GSTA are getting back into their classrooms. With the new semester comes opportunities to try out new teaching techniques! Members of the GSTA wanted to share some quick tips with our fellow graduate student instructors and TAs.

William Rayo: One tip I’ve found helpful when teaching college courses is to use collective annotation on Syllabus Day. I post my syllabus in Google Drive and ask students to annotate it by leaving at least one comment or question. This encourages students to read the syllabus while also allowing me to tailor our class discussion on their specific questions and concerns. It’s a simple, interactive way to make syllabus day more engaging and helpful!

Alexa Sacchi: At the beginning of the semester, I would focus on working towards one big change you may want to implement sometime during the semester. I know it's tempting to want to overhaul everything, change course content/ lecture slides, or make major revisions to assignments. Instead, focus on perfecting or changing one assignment or lecture. This will remove a lot of stress and help identify whether the change was impactful at the end of the term.

Lauren Girouard-Hallam: I love to check in with my students at the end of each lecture. I don’t want to get bogged down in endless feedback, so I make it simple for myself and students by asking three questions: 1) Did they enjoy the days lecture? (yes/no) 2) Did they learn something new or understand something better? (yes/no) 3) Is there anything they would like me to know? (open response) This ensures that if anything is happening in the classroom (students aren’t feeling confident about a topic, a lecture felt rushed, etc.), I can spot and address it in real time. I want to make sure students feel like what they learn is adapted to what they need, and a little opportunity to share goes a long way.

The GSTA wishes you all a wonderful semester ahead and hopes to see you at ACT in Louisville next month!