Teaching is a Privilege for this Graduate Student Instructor

Rebecca LaVally believes that good teaching transforms students. LaVally, Assistant Instructor in the College of Communication was chosen to present a session at the 2007 Graduate Student Instructor Colloquium on September 15 on how good communication skills can improve teaching and learning at The University.

Assistant Instructor Becky LaVally will present at this year's Graduate Student Instructor Colloquium, Saturday, September 15.

“My goal is to have students see the world a little bit differently every time they leave the classroom,” says LaVally. Good communication skills “help students change the way they think about themselves. It gives them the confidence to apply these skills to benefit every aspect of their lives.”

The 2007 GSI Colloquium theme is “Communication: The Foundation of Teaching Excellence,” which is a welcome opportunity for LaVally to share her teaching philosophy and techniques with other peer professionals, and learn from them as well. “Peer presentations are valuable because you can identify with each other. There is an amazing amount of talent at UT, and I know my colleagues are incredibly capable, but I don’t always get time to talk to them about their ideas,” says LaVally. She feels the colloquium is “an invaluable means to share success stories, and for GSIs to coach each other in trying new approaches in a non-threatening environment.”

LaVally’s session, entitled “How to create goals for lessons that foster deeper thinking and greater learning,” focuses on helping students systematically access higher-order critical thinking skills. Setting learning goals is the first step in helping instructors assess whether desired outcomes have been effected. Participants will engage in interactive activities to apply the session’s learning in developing goals for their own instruction.

Other peer presenters emphasize the value of remaining current in the latest information on best teaching practices, constantly exploring and applying new methods, and maintaining the focus on students by using good listening skills. Michael Sweet, doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology and instructional consultant for GSIs in the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA), relates that “in order for me to grow and learn from my teaching, I need to regularly make major changes to courses that I teach repeatedly…to be worthwhile, teaching cannot just be something I cross off my ‘to do’ list for the day. To treat teaching like that is to waste precious hours of interpersonal contact and intellectual growth for both my students and myself.”

Kerk Kees, one of LaVally’s teaching colleagues in the College of Communication, found that the technique of team-based learning created a space for his students to feel “heard” in the classroom. His advice to GSIs: “Do not be afraid to experiment with new teaching strategies. Teaching is exciting when we dare to try something new, and often.”

More helpful suggestions from GSIs for new instructors:

Keep up with the best practices in teaching and in your field of study. Try and apply new techniques/material each semester, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.
Kiersten Ferguson, Higher Education Administration

In my opinion, teaching is a continuous learning experience, no matter how long one has been teaching. Each and every class is different and there is no one single way of teaching that works for everybody.
Judith Hammer, Germanic Studies

I like to think of teaching as helping others to build—provide a good foundation and then just help scaffold the rest. It is useful to try and think about the material from your students' perspective, ask them what they think about the material, then really listen.
Kelly Welsh, Health Education

To register for the 2007 colloquium and view a short video of highlights from the 2006 Colloquium, visit the GSI Web page.

Other colloquium highlights

Josh Iorio, Graduate Research Assistant in the GSI Program, says that this year, the colloquium will feature two panels made up of GSIs from across campus—one at the beginning to give participants a chance to hear about the challenges faced by their peers in their role as GSIs, and a second panel to showcase different academic departments of special interest to GSIs.

The ASPECTS program encourages ongoing pedagogical, personal and professional development throughout a graduate student instructor’s career. During each long semester, GSIs will have the opportunity to attend sessions presented by teaching, learning, assessment and technology professionals. GSIs can choose to earn one or more certificates, or to attend individual sessions of interest.