Holly

Certified Tutor

In my opinion, no significant learning can occur without positive and personal relationships. The best experiences I have had throughout my university career have been when I viewed my teachers as not just distant people teaching me the material, but people who were so much more than that to me. As a people person, I make it my business to ensure that my teaching is centred around the people I teach. It is therefore my aim that my students get more out of my class than simply an understanding of the readings or the grade they desire, but that they have a confidant and a friendly face to help guide them through the turbulent time which is university long after they have finished my class.

我的教学理念是因此严重的热点d on forging deep connections with my students. As someone who was very recently an undergraduate, I acknowledge that there are many different reasons why students will be taking my class and very differing aims they will all have. One thing I believe every student desires, however, is that they are valued and that they are seen as more than a name on a page or a grade in a spreadsheet. By week two, I aim to know every single student's name. I always arrive very early to class so that I can welcome students in as opposed to have them greeting me. I ask them about their week and their plans for the weekend and get to know them on a personal level. As someone very similar in age to most of my students, I use relatable language and examples so that the material appears both relevant and understandable, yet I make sure to position myself as someone who is still their professional superior, and therefore someone who deserves their respect.

Respect is however, in my opinion, something which does not simply come with the title of TA but is something that is earned. However, I feel this comes naturally as students quickly learn that I truly care about them, their learning and their performance. I do absolutely all that I can to ensure that, regardless of which teaching style works best for each student, I adopt them all in some capacity. For example, I create a relaxed, supportive and inclusive environment in my classes where students feel free to openly express a diverse range of opinions. Aware that a powerful means of learning is through learning from peers, it is of paramount importance to me that students are receptive to not only me but each other. Whether it be including puns or jokes, I want my discussion to be a part of the week that every student looks forward to and where they are so engaged that learning appears effortless. Thus, underpinning everything I do regarding my teaching, is my philosophy that learning should be fun. I encourage students to come to office hours whenever they can, and I hold individual appointments with students who prefer to talk through their ideas on their own, for students who want to discuss more complex ideas than the course permits, and for every student in-between. For appointments, I schedule thirty minutes with each student whenever best suits them, and often these appointments turn into a weekly occurrence. Especially in the run-up to exams, I will often have ten thirty-minute appointments back-to-back which run late into the night, but my thinking is, if this is what works for these students, I will stay in my office for as long as is required; my own work is secondary.

Moreover, I am happy to meet for far longer than the allocated appointment time, or to stay well after my office hours are over to ensure that every student, regardless of their level of ability, leaves with enhanced understanding of the subject matter. I also provide my phone number so that students can FaceTime or text me. Not only is this beneficial for students who are non-traditional (distant learners or those with disabilities) but it encourages learning as it makes contact so easy. The most encouraging thing for me is when students come to regularly meet with me when they have no concerns but simply wish to informally talk through the material, and this reinforces to me how beneficial it is to be available for students not simply in-class or in the three-hours a week which our contract dictates. For students who prefer to be one voice amongst many, I hold three hour-long review sessions prior to each exam, where I talk through the material in a lecture-style setting, and I also hold drop-in sessions at nights and over the weekends in the library, primarily for students who either work during normal university hours or would prefer not to come to the department to meet me. I am also always available over email and reply as soon as I see it, ensuring that regardless of a student's preferred method of contact with me and irrespective of their schedule, there is always at least one way they can meet with me and feel comfortable in doing so. Additionally, as an international student myself, I know how difficult it can be to adapt to a new teaching environment and can only imagine how problematic any type of language barrier can be. I therefore encourage such students to come to see me together to clarify vocabulary and any issues they may have that they do not feel comfortable expressing amongst native speakers. Plainly, in my opinion, being a TA is comprised equally of teaching and assisting, and I believe the latter part is too readily neglected. I therefore make sure that I do all that I can to assist students, regardless of the day and regardless of the hour.

In the classroom, conscious of the fact that we all learn differently, I like to adopt many different methods of teaching. I regularly compose true/false questions so students can track their progress, I compose checklists so that students know what they need to grasp for the exam, I often have visual aids, whether it be videos or diagrams, and I regularly write on the board and provide handouts. I make sure to walk around the classroom as I teach so that everyone feels part of the conversation and I use student's names whenever I can to reinforce that they are all key players in our class discussions and that their input is both remembered and valued. I ensure that I do all I can to provide every student with the best opportunity to get the grade they want but also to get the most out of this course. I write comments on every weekly homework, which I am not required to do, but I find to overwhelmingly benefit the students as it clearly highlights to them any confusion they may have. I hold sessions focused solely on exam techniques and provide them with my top-tips for how to sit an exam, as I believe all of this is just as crucial in students performing to their potential as knowing the course material is.

I am aware that as a TA I am representing myself, my department, philosophy as a discipline but also the university as a whole, and that is not something I undertake lightly. However, I feel that often the power of a genuine smile is underrated and goes a very long way in ensuring that every single student thrives in and enjoys my class.