Spring 2020 TA/TM Day

With the push to Indigenize the academy, and the respectful integration of Indigenous content courses at several universities in Canada, the issue of decolonization and Indigenization of the classroom is highly relevant. At the same time, many junior academics, especially those who are not in fields where Indigeneity is a research focus, may have little knowledge about Indigenous peoples and histories, let alone the ability to teach in a way that would provide onramps for Indigenous students, legitimize Indigenous forms of knowledge, and model best practices to students. Indigenous students may have different knowledge about some aspects of course content, and TAs and TMs need to learn how to affirm and make room for this.

 
The goal of this session is to respond to the SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council’s (SFU-ARC) goal to implement the TRC recommendations. This session will touch on three core ideas, each with a clearly related outcome: 

1. To ensure we all start from a respectful foundation, we’ll begin the session with a brief overview of terminology. This will help attendees develop a better understanding of who Indigenous people are, their various identifications, and appropriate language to use. 
2. Next, the instructors will facilitate a discussion of Indigenous pasts and presents within Canada and in the local Greater Vancouver context. Attendees will gain some basic knowledge on Indigenous history and the ongoing legacy of settler colonialism; this will provide the necessary foundation for them to understand the importance of and feel comfortable approaching the topics of Indigenization and decolonization. 
3. Lastly, the session instructors will suggest ways to bring Indigenization and decolonization into their teaching practice through meaningful land acknowledgements and highlighting previous teachable moments.

 
This collaborative session will be co-taught by one Indigenous scholar and one settler scholar, both women. We teach and learn from a desire to disrupt colonial narratives. This session uses a variety of active and cooperative learning techniques: short lecture-bursts, small group discussion, individual writing reflection, and hands-on experiential activities, and take-away literature so attendees can continue to consider what they have learned.

Supervise a diverse group of frantic and often ill-prepared students for hours, multi-task between answering questions and demonstrating practical techniques, and make sure everyone finishes on time while not physically harming themselves. That’s a general description of what a being a laboratory TA can entail, and it can definitely be daunting as the whole learning environment is very different from normal classrooms. At the same time, however, laboratory education can provide a unique set of skills and experiences that can be incredibly beneficial to anyone’s teaching résumé. In this workshop, we will overview the challenges that can arise in being a laboratory TA, what skills are needed to be successful, and how to turn your laboratory teaching assignment into an invaluable educational experience. To accomplish this, we will have interactive discussions on real-life scenarios that focus on highlighting the important aspects in being an effective lab TA. This session is intended for laboratory TAs of any level of expertise. From this teaching exercise, our goal is that TAs will come away feeling confident, prepared for challenging situations, cognisant of safety concerns, and excited to interact with students in a positive environment, all of which will hopefully give your lab TA assignment a whole new perspective.

Online learning environments offer unique opportunities for interacting with students, as well as challenges. In this interactive session, we explore how tutor-markers (TMs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) might facilitate communication and collaboration in online education platforms, such as Canvas.

Our learning outcomes for this session are:

• To explore various issues and concerns that may arise for TMs/TAs and students in online learning environments.
• To discuss techniques to maximize the accessibility of an online course to a diverse range of students.
• To identify forms of communication that facilitate and enhance student-instructor and student-student relationships/interactions in an asynchronous learning environment.

You will discover how to foster relationships and a friendly online learning environment; meaningful dialogue; and interactive learning—even when you can’t see your students face-to-face. This session will benefit new and experienced TMs and TAs who communicate with students via Canvas, email, or any other online education platform.

When students struggle, the impacts can manifest in their academic performance or in a variety of behaviours that may cause concern. Mental health (stress and anxiety) are the most frequently cited challenges for post-secondary students. (NCHA, 2016) There are resources available at SFU to support you in your role as a TA/ TM and as a referral resource for students.
This session will provide strategies for identifying and responding to behaviours of concern – including potentially threatening behavior.
The session will also provide information about available support for Mental Health at SFU – for graduate and undergraduate students – as well as information about your role as a TA/ TM in supporting and referring students in distress.
There will be opportunities for questions and discussion and we will use case studies and group discussions to examine specific scenarios.
Learning outcomes for this session include:
• Able to articulate tips for handling student disruptions
• Able to identify aggressive or threatening behaviours and know contacts for support and advice
• Understand role in assisting students in distress
• Know how to access mental health support and referral options for students and self