Past International TA Workshops

SPRING 2005 / FALL 2005 / SPRING 2006 / FALL 2006 / SPRING 2007 /
FALL 2007 / SPRING 2008 / FALL 2008 / FALL 2009

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Fall 2009

Sep 18	Introduction to CULearn Erica Brandon, Faculty/Staff Trainer, ITS This hands-on workshop will get you started with CULearn, our campus course management system. During this introductory workshop, you will learn how to get started with CULearn, post a syllabus and other course materials, and use the built-in grade book.
Sep 25	Establishing Your Educational Identity & Philosophy David Kendrick, Director, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, University of North Colorado Are you a perennialist? A progressivist? How about a social reconstructivist? Identifying and developing your own personal educational philosophy through sound education theories brings integrity and clarity to your role as a teacher. Following a brief presentation and discussion, your personal identity will be assessed through the Leahy Educational Philosophical Inventory.
Oct 16	How Does Nonverbal Communication Aid & Prevent Classroom Learning Angelina Ramos, Graduate Instructor, Communication Did you know that more than 90% of communication occurs at the nonverbal level? This workshop addresses differences in nonverbal communication across cultures and in American culture particularly.
Oct 30	International Women Instructors: Establishing Our Authority in American Classrooms Danica Trifunovic, Instructor, French & Italian Professor Trifunovic is a Serbe who teaches French at CU-Boulder. Over the years, she has built her personal theory about how to connect with American students. She will share her personal experiences with balancing three languages and cultures to establish authority in the classroom and will respond to participants’ questions and concerns.
Nov 13	Public and Classroom Speaking: Moving from Terror to Confidence Vivek Kaila, PhD Candidate, Aerospace Engineering The speaker shares ideas and methods that international TAs and GPTIs can use to build their personal confidence level in public speaking. Vivek is an international graduate student who has taught in the US for about five years.

 

Spring 2009

February 6	Exploring Classroom Dynamics Across Cultures Vivek Kaila, IGTS Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program, CU-Boulder In this workshop, we will explore international TAs' and GPTIs' classroom experiences in their home cultures and discuss how these experiences can be "translated" for the American classroom.
February 13	Acquiring a Second Language: Problems & Solutions Antonia Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery, Boulder, Colorado Learning a second language and surviving in a second culture can be challenging. Dr. Johnson shares insightful ideas about improving your pronunciation and comprehension.
February 20	Establishing Your Educational Identity & Philosophy David Kendrick, Ed.D, Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning Are you a perennialist? A progressivist? How about a social reconstructivist? Identifying and developing your own personal educational philosophy through sound education theories brings integrity and clarity to your role as a teacher. Following a brief presentation and discussion, your personal identity will be assessed through the Leahy Educational Philosophical Inventory.
February 27	Understanding Body Language in Different Cultures Liza Williams, Lead Coordinator for Arts & Humanities, Graduate Teacher Program Understanding cultural differences in body language can increase your cultural "emotional intelligence" and help you communicate effectively.
March 6	The Nuts & Bolts: Approaches to a 50-Minute Class Hallie Meredith, D.Phil., Lead Coordinator for Social Sciences & STEM, Graduate Teacher Program How do you make the most of each class meeting? Whether you're teaching a 50-minute class, an hour-and-a-half recitation, or a two-hour seminar, this workshop will offer practical approaches to help you meet your goals.
March 13	Leading Effective Discussions Jennifer Armstrong, Lead Consultant, Graduate Teacher Program Once you've initiated a discussion, how do you keep it going? This workshop offers strategies for generating stimulating discussion questions that encourage meaningful student participation.

Fall 2008

September 12	What Do American Students Expect from Their Instructors? Vivek Kaila, IGTS Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program, CU-Boulder The speaker will discuss American classroom culture and students’ expectations.
September 19	Asking and Handling Questions in the Classroom PJ Bennett, Assistant Director, Graduate Teacher Program, CU Boulder Participants will learn to how to format questions and will practice responding to American students’ questions and concerns.
September 26	Giving Fair Tests and Grading Fairly Hallie Meredith, Lead Coordinator, SS/Stem, Graduate Teacher Program, CU Boulder Participants will learn to set up points on an exam and how to grade fairly.
October 3	How Can International Instructors Deal with Their Own and Their Students’ Culture Shock? Tina Tan, Director, International Student and Scholar Services, CU Boulder The effect of a new culture is exciting but can be debilitating. What is an instructor to do when he or she is suffering from culture shock and so are his or her students?
October 10	Your Students Will Evaluate You: Are You Ready? Laura Border, Director, Graduate Teacher Program, CU Boulder Students evaluate their teachers via the Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQ). This session explains how the FCQ works, how you can prepare for it, and the impact it has on teachers at CU.
October 17	Nonverbal Communication in the Classroom Antonía Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery Did you know that much of what you communicate is nonverbal? The speaker illuminates differences in classroom communication.

Spring 2008

January 29	Globalizing Graduate Education Sherry Snyder, Director, Student Programs, College of Engineering, CU-Boulder The speakers will discuss international opportunities and internships for graduate students and explain the importance of academic work experience abroad.
February 5	Global Competition for Students and Faculty Meg Mortiz, Journalism and Mass Media, CU Boulder, UNESCO Chair in International Journalism Education For decades U.S. universities were the gold standard in graduate education. Today they face increasing international competition for top students and scholars. This presentation will look at opportunities and challenges on the Boulder campus in addressing this global competition.
February 12	Socratic Portfolios: Documenting Your Teaching, Research, and Service for a Global Job Search Laura L.B. Border, Director, Graduate Teacher Program, CU Boulder How do your academic and job skills stand up against global competition? Which aspects of your experience can you highlight for a global job search? The speaker will discuss international opportunities and internships for graduate students and explain the importance of academic and work experience in other countries.
February 26	Working with an Increasingly International Undergraduate Students Population in the Classroom Larry Bell, Director, Office of International Education, CU Boulder The effect of a globalizing world means that there are more international students in undergraduate student classrooms in the U.S. This raises issues for teaching staff: increased potential for language problems in the classroom, increased potential for cross-cultural misunderstandings, and, increased potential for misunderstandings over what constitutes plagiarism and cheating in academic work. The speaker discusses possible solutions.
March 4	Transculturalization: Preparing Faculty for Student Culture David Kendrick, Director, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, University of North Colorado The speaker describes how Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, as the fastest growing public university in the state, prepared its new and existing faculty for the cultural environment and history of its student population. They engaged faculty in a semester-long course and two-week immersion program south of the border.
For further information, please call 303-492-4902 Visit our web site at http://www.colorado.edu/gtp All workshops count toward GTP Certification All graduate students, undergraduate teaching assistants, postdocs, faculty, and staff are welcome.

Fall 2007

September 18	Writing Academic Papers: Issues of Importance to International Graduate Students Steve Lamos, Associate Director, Program for Writing and Rhetoric Academic writing requires a literature search, proper citation, and correct form. Steve shares his expertise and experience with participants.
September 25	Bridging Cultures Donna Louden, Associate Director, Ombuds Office The essence of cross-cultural understanding is knowing how your own culture is both similar and different from another culture. This presentation will examine some dominant aspects of American culture and explore the ways that "typical" American values and attitudes can influence student's expectations and classroom behavior.
October 9	American Students’ Perceptions of Fairness in Testing and Grading Matthew Gaertner, PhD Candidate and Amy Subert, PhD Candidate, School of Education How do Americans understand and enact fairness in testing and grading? How can you communicate with your undergraduate students about testing and grading issues? This workshop provides some answers.
October 16	Interpreting Nonverbal Communication in American Classrooms Antonía Johnson, President, Talk Mastery Did you know that more than 93 percent of communication is nonverbal? Dr. Johnson shares her ideas on how international graduate students can learn to read nonverbal behavior.
October 23	Establishing Authority in American Classrooms Lori Britt, PhD Candidate, Communications Authority can be established in various ways. Lori shares some of the research on how Americans view authority and how you can learn to establish your own space in the classroom.
October 30	Communication in the Classroom: A Multicultural Perspective Claudia Bucciferro, PhD Candidate, Communication/Media Studies This workshop focuses on understanding the culturally defined "implicit rules" that govern student-teacher interaction in order to clarify the dynamics at play in the American classroom. Claudia uses examples and encourages audience participation.

 

 

Spring 2007

January 30 Tues, 11-12pm	Answering Questions Effectively Vicky Tzuyin Lai, International Graduate Teacher Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program, Linguistics
February 21 Wed, 11-12pm	Establishing Authority in American Classrooms Melinda Barlow and Ernesto Acevedo-Munoz, Film Studies
March 6 Tues, 11-12pm	Conflict in American Classrooms Donna Louden, Ombuds Office
March 13 Tues, 11-12:30pm	Writing Academic Papers Steve Lamos, Program for Writing and Rhetoric
April 17 Tues, 11-12pm	Body Language in American Classrooms Nan Li, Communication
April 24 Tues, 11-12pm	Open Forum in Foreign Language Teaching Patricia Schindler, Senior Instructor, TA Coordinator, German and Slavic

 

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Fall 2006

September 5 ATLAS 200	Expected Behaviors in the Classroom Weldu Weldeyesus, Lead Graduate Teacher, McNair Program
September 19 ATLAS 200	Cultural Gaps and Diversity in the Classroom Weldu Weldeyesus, Lead Graduate Teacher, McNair Program, Vicky Lai, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
October 3 ATLAS 200	What Can We Do to Help Students Who Are Struggling? Sae Ogihara, International TA and Graduate Student in Linguistics
October 17 ATLAS 200	Planning and Running Productive Recitations and Labs Vicky Lai, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
November 7 ATLAS 200	The Top 5 Strategies of the Most Successful Teachers and Presenters Dr. Antonia Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery

 

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Spring 2006

January 31 UMC 353	Providing Correct Incentives for Students Sergey Makarevich, GTPI in Economics
February 14 UMC 353	Becoming a Master Student Sae Ogihara & Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinators, Graduate Teacher Program
February 28 UMC 245	Body Language:  What to Do with What You See Dr. Antonía Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery
March 14 UMC 353	What Can We Do to Help Students Who Are Struggling? Sae Ogihara & Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinators, Graduate Teacher Program
April  18 UMC 245	Using Mysteries in Teaching to Help Your Students Stay Focused Weldu Weldeyesus, McNair Program Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program

 

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Fall 2005

August 30	Planning and Running Productive Recitations and Labs Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
September 13	Cultural Gaps and Diversity in the Classrooms                                    Weldu Weldeyesus and Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinators, Graduate Teacher Program
September 27	Creating Active Participation: How to Balance Students Who Dominate the Floor and Students Who Never Speak Weldu Weldeyesus and Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinators, Graduate Teacher Program
October 18	Timing Your Exams and Pacing Your Lectures Weldu Weldeyesus, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
November 1	Body Talk – Using and Interpreting Body Language for Teaching and Social Success Dr. Antonía Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery

 

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Spring 2005

January 18	Oral Presentations that Trigger Student Learning: How to Get Students to Pay Attention and Understand You Dr. Antonía Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery
February 1	Expected Behaviors in the Classroom Weldu Weldeyesus, Lead Graduate Teacher, Linguistics
February 15	Oral Presentations that Trigger Student Learning: How to Get Students to Learn from You and Like What They Learn Dr.Antonía Johnson, Director, Center for Talk Mastery
March 1	Asking Questions and Answering Questions Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
March 15	Challenges in the Classroom Weldu Weldeyesus, Lead Graduate Teacher, Linguistics Hiromi Sumiya, International TA Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program
April 12	CVs and Interview Questions for Jobs Andy MacDonald, Lead Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Program

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