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Home > Graduate Studies > Students : Teaching Support

Teaching Support

The Department of English has a strong commitment to help its graduate students become excellent teachers. You will discover opportunities for professional development at every stage of your graduate teaching career. In addition to the information below, the Department offers a Teaching Resources page.

First Year Teaching

Teaching Assistants (TAs) are required to take a professional development program in their first year of teaching. This program begins with a workshop during the week before fall semester classes, which prepares you for your first week of teaching. The workshop includes general profiles of our undergraduate students, evaluations of writing, and syllabus design.

Experienced teachers, usually in their fourth or fifth year of study, serve as mentors throughout the year. The mentors meet with a small group of new teachers intensively before the semester, then every other week in the fall, and once a month in the spring. Teachers and mentors visit each others' classes and provide a supportive community.

A practicum course, EngL 5800, is required during fall semester for graduate students teaching recitations sections in literature or language classes for the first time. This course works in concert with the mentor group to give you practical advice on teaching—grading of papers, conducting small-group sessions and individual conferences, and effectively presenting readings.

As part of the practicum, we have informational sessions on our writing lab, general pedagogy issues, and the use of University and community resources, such as museums and student support centers.

Second Year Teaching

During the week before fall classes, second-year TAs may take a workshop on the use of audio-visual gear and computers, and there are sessions with the Writing Studies Department for TAs who will teach composition for the first time. Occasional workshops on professional and pedagogical issues are available throughout the year.

Teaching in All Years

The following opportunities are available for all teaching assistants:

• Peer class visitations.
• Networks of experienced and new teachers to exchange experiences about classes, writing assignments, and standards.
• A student-led Pedagogy Working Group, which explores general and theoretical issues in informal monthly sessions.
• Occasional workshops and presentations on teaching portfolio development, learning styles, and advanced use of computers, such as building web pages for your courses.