How can we make labs and tutorials more ACTIVE, *fun*, and effective for students and ourselves? In this workshop, we'll explore how to do this by sharing our experiences (as students and as GA/TA's), lessons learned, and best practices. We'll engage in discussion and experience some teaching techniques that you can use as GA/TA to facilitate your labs and tutorials.

Through the use of mini lectures, self-assessment, and role play, students will explore potential conflicts that could arise between the GA/TA and professors as well as between the GA/TA and undergraduate students. This dynamic workshop will not only identify circumstances in which conflict could arise in the duties of the GA/TA, but how to manage that conflict and turn it into a positive.

With the increase in online courses and general online correspondence, it is important that GAs and TAs know how to effectively communicate with students and instructors through email, forums, discussion boards, and more. In this workshop, you will learn how to effectively communicate with students and instructors online. From responding to emails to properly monitoring a Discussion Board, this workshop will provide you with techniques and tips to ensure your online communication adheres to the University of Windsor standards. In addition, this workshop will focus on the scope of social media and cell phone usage and how this relates to GA/TA professionalism. You will be invited to participate in activities throughout the workshop, and feedback will be provided.

Having all the answers is hard enough, but figuring out a way to share them with others brings its own set of challenges. No matter the subject matter, being able to explain concepts and ideas in a way that makes sense to your audience is something every instructor struggles with. This session will explore the different things you can do to make sure your explanations are clear, concise, and engaging. We will cover the do’s and don’t’s of effective explanations so that what you mean and what you say match up with what you want your students to learn.

The University of Windsor has one of the most diverse student population in Canada. As an instructor you need to understand the challenges and opportunities that this situation brings. This workshop will highlight the issues encountered when teaching Canadian-style to a diverse group of students. Communication and learning styles can get in the way of learning.

Congratulations, you are a Teaching Assistant. But what should you do on the first day of classes? Reading the syllabus aloud while everyone follows along seems a little boring, and you always hated when professors did that. Let me help you make the first day of classes informative and engaging in a way that sets the tone for the rest of the semester. The first day is most likely the first time you will present yourself as a teacher; we will talk about what a teaching identity is and how you can figure out yours. While ensuring the information on the syllabus is understood by students, there are other things for you to think about too. You have the opportunity to set the tone and expectations for what is acceptable in your classroom; and most importantly, it is a chance to get to know your students before the academic pressures of the semester set in. Come spend some time with me where I will help you think through the sort of teacher you want to be and fun ways to get to know your students.

Zotero is software. It's free, open-source, easy to use and it's designed to help you collect, organize, cite and share your research sources. Zotero was developed by scholars for scholars and works especially well for those in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Zotero wants to be the iTunes of your research collection. This session will demonstrate what Zotero is capable of which includes being able to download a citation with a single click and the ability to drop and drag formatted citations right into a body of work. We will place Zotero in the spectrum of other citation management tools and other “apps for academics.”

As a TA/GA, sooner or later, you’ll realize that (some) students cheat. Aside from trying to proactively deal with cheating through education and other preventative means, the TA/GA job also involves keeping an eye out for cheating when it has occurred – whether it be during final exams or in students’ course assignments and papers. So how can you spot academic dishonesty in student papers and other written assignments? What warning signs of potential plagiarism should you look out for? In an effort to facilitate the sharing of knowledge among TAs/GAs, this workshop will provide participants with a collection of tips and techniques for identifying academic dishonesty in an interactive and participative way. Designed for both new and experienced TAs/GAs, this session incorporates a “Spot the Plagiarism” exercise using a plagiarized paper to illustrate common (and less common) forms of academic dishonesty and hone participants’ “plagiarism detection” skills. Action steps for reporting and dealing with suspected cases of plagiarism will also be discussed.

Harness technology both inside and outside the classroom to help you with your work as a teaching assistant. For the technophobe to the technophile, there are many tools to help you organize, communication, collect, curate, present and archive your work -- not to mention your life! This workshop will introduce you to a variety of tools in and out of CLEW that you can use to reach your students, enhance your lessons, and build a classroom that encourages learning through effective teaching. You will see a demonstration of some of the new features available with the CLEW upgrade for Fall 2013, in addition to a sample of other tools many find helpful in their teaching practice. Also, you will learn how to sort out problems you may encounter in the classroom.

How can we make labs and tutorials more ACTIVE, *fun*, and effective for students and ourselves? In this workshop, we'll explore how to do this by sharing our experiences (as students and as GA/TA's), lessons learned, and best practices. We'll engage in discussion and experience some teaching techniques that you can use as GA/TA to facilitate your labs and tutorials.

Through the use of mini lectures, self-assessment, and role play, students will explore potential conflicts that could arise between the GA/TA and professors as well as between the GA/TA and undergraduate students. This dynamic workshop will not only identify circumstances in which conflict could arise in the duties of the GA/TA, but how to manage that conflict and turn it into a positive.

Why is feedback important? What is meaningful feedback? How exactly can I give meaningful feedback? As a GA/TA, a part of your responsibilities is to grade work and provide feedback to students. In this workshop, we will talk about what you need in order to give meaningful feedback that benefits students, work through exercises to improve your feedback skills, discuss why feedback is important for student development, and learn tips and tricks to giving meaningful feedback.

The University of Windsor has one of the most diverse student population in Canada. As an instructor you need to understand the challenges and opportunities that this situation brings. This workshop will highlight the issues encountered when teaching Canadian-style to a diverse group of students. Communication and learning styles can get in the way of learning.

Tools, Tips and Tricks: Do you find data or statistics intimidating? Do your students? No need to fear the numbers! This workshop will present the basics of finding and using data and demonstrate tools and websites that can be useful in your teaching, whether you are teaching statistics, a methods class, or just want to bring concepts alive with current, hard data. We will share tips we’ve derived from years of teaching basic data concepts to students at a variety of levels and in a variety of disciplines. We will also discuss how the Academic Data Centre (ADC) in Leddy can help you use data, statistics, and statistical software in your teaching as a GA/TA (and as a student too). Bring questions!"

Harness technology both inside and outside the classroom to help you with your work as a teaching assistant. For the technophobe to the technophile, there are many tools to help you organize, communication, collect, curate, present and archive your work -- not to mention your life! This workshop will introduce you to a variety of tools in and out of CLEW that you can use to reach your students, enhance your lessons, and build a classroom that encourages learning through effective teaching. You will see a demonstration of some of the new features available with the CLEW upgrade for Fall 2013, in addition to a sample of other tools many find helpful in their teaching practice. Also, you will learn how to sort out problems you may encounter in the classroom.

Why is feedback important? What is meaningful feedback? How exactly can I give meaningful feedback? As a GA/TA, a part of your responsibilities is to grade work and provide feedback to students.

In this workshop, we will talk about what you need in order to give meaningful feedback that benefits students, work through exercises to improve your feedback skills, discuss why feedback is important for student development, and learn tips and tricks to giving meaningful feedback.

Are you excited about student engagement? Do you wonder how to incorporate Dynamic Discussions into your curriculum? Have you experienced the silent classroom?

This session will provide you with an opportunity to participate with colleagues in dialogue about Dynamic Discussions. We will consider ‘Why’ it is important to engage in Dynamic Discussions within the classroom for students of all disciplines. Next we will use a variety of learner-centered strategies to explore the ‘How To’ of Dynamic Discussions that can help you to facilitate engaging and participatory classes, of interest to the students. Finally, this session will focus briefly on some of the potential challenges of using discussion in the classroom. All GA/TA’s welcome!

With the increase in online courses and general online correspondence, it is important that GAs and TAs know how to effectively communicate with students and instructors through email, forums, discussion boards, and more. In this workshop, you will learn how to effectively communicate with students and instructors online. From responding to emails to properly monitoring a Discussion Board, this workshop will provide you with techniques and tips to ensure your online communication adheres to the University of Windsor standards. In addition, this workshop will focus on the scope of social media and cell phone usage and how this relates to GA/TA professionalism. You will be invited to participate in activities throughout the workshop, and feedback will be provided.

Having all the answers is hard enough, but figuring out a way to share them with others brings its own set of challenges. No matter the subject matter, being able to explain concepts and ideas in a way that makes sense to your audience is something every instructor struggles with. This session will explore the different things you can do to make sure your explanations are clear, concise, and engaging. We will cover the do’s and don’t’s of effective explanations so that what you mean and what you say match up with what you want your students to learn.

Congratulations, you are a Teaching Assistant. But what should you do on the first day of classes? Reading the syllabus aloud while everyone follows along seems a little boring, and you always hated when professors did that. Let me help you make the first day of classes informative and engaging in a way that sets the tone for the rest of the semester. The first day is most likely the first time you will present yourself as a teacher; we will talk about what a teaching identity is and how you can figure out yours. While ensuring the information on the syllabus is understood by students, there are other things for you to think about too. You have the opportunity to set the tone and expectations for what is acceptable in your classroom; and most importantly, it is a chance to get to know your students before the academic pressures of the semester set in. Come spend some time with me where I will help you think through the sort of teacher you want to be and fun ways to get to know your students.