On the face of it, having a Teaching Assistant or any adult in the classroom is a boon, right? The more adults, the more expert help students can get, the better.
In theory, yes.
In practice, having a TA or an adult helper can feel like having too many chefs in the kitchen. Because it’s another person to manage — and that person is more likely to have ideas of their own about how to teach and manage students. Ideas that might not dovetail completely with the lead teacher’s. Which means more work for the lead teacher to either orient that adult every day or clean up after them. Or both.
In this episode, Joe and I talk with Sarah, a university Spanish teacher whose school has gifted her with a TA every semester for the past 10 years — and she’s still figuring out how to make the best use of the resource.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
We discuss
Mentoring TAs: Figuring out how to teach a teacher while simultaneously teaching students
Sharing Expertise: Co-teaching as a unique source of information and wisdom
Bridging Cultural Gaps: Managing a TA’s discomfort with your teaching style or philosophy
Overcoming Student Anxiety: Planning ways to encourage students to make use of a TA effectively
It’s a really fun conversation! With a surprising axiom at the end that everyone should heed.
Credits
Founder and Host: Betsy Burris
Co-Host: Joe Johnson
Producer: Jullian Androkae of PodVision
Audience Development: Andreea Coscai of PodVision
Music: Tom Burris/Jabbering Trout
