Promising Practices
The best TA is someone who partners with a professor, but understands their role in this partnership. That is, they are the supporting partner, one who is willing to do what has to be done. A thoughtful TA listens and communicates not only to the professor, but to their students. The TA is a powerful link to student insights and needs, and is often the person who helps students truly connect to the content.
Along the way, the TA is learning, questioning and to some extent, pushing the professor to get them to a deeper level of thinking — not only about their discipline, but about the work processes and instructional strategies germane to a successful academic career.