Report on Mini-conference on Japanese TA Training

Report on Mini-conference on Japanese TA Training

ATJ's Professional Development SIG organized a Mini-conference on Japanese TA Training on Friday, March 5, at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego. Many college-level teachers started teaching Japanese as teaching assistants while working on their degrees, and it is important to recognize the importance of this area of professional training. The morning session was a panel that included TA trainers, those who will hire TA's as faculty members, and those who underwent TA training. Professor Yasuko Ito Watt of Indiana University and Professor Yukiko Hatasa of Iowa University discussed the way their institutions supervise and train teaching assistants. Professor Hiroko Kataoka of California State University, Long Beach, examined job ads posted on the ATJ web site this year and analyzed the job market for Japanese teachers. Finally, Professor Eiko Ushida of University of California, San Diego, shared her personal experience while she was a TA at Carnegie Mellon University and discussed the ways in which the training has impacted her teaching today.

During the panel discussion, several issues were raised about the training and supervision of teaching assistants. After lunch, the panelists and participants discussed these issues. The group agreed that is it important to continue the discussion on the training of Japanese teaching assistants in future SIG meetings. This topic is of great interest to institutions in Japan as well. A full report on this conference will be published by the SIG in the near future.

Keiko Schneider
Secretary, ATJ Professional Development SIG

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