The TA Conference on Teaching and Learning is designed to familiarize international graduate students with the role of a graduate TA at the University of Washington by providing information and resources for teaching, and also the opportunity to take part in discussions, practice sessions, and workshops.
Within the TA Conference, the ITA Program offers sessions especially designed for international TAs. All international TAs in their first year of teaching should plan to attend ITA Program workshops offered on the first afternoon of the TA Conference:
- Introduction to the International TA Program and Teaching at UW
This workshop presents the make-up of the student body at the UW and the unique role that teaching assistants play. We also provide an overview of the ITA program and ways the program can help graduate students succeed as TAs.
- Panel Discussions with Experienced International TAs
This question-and-answer session gives new international TAs the opportunity to interact with experienced international TAs about their experiences learning to be effective teachers at the UW.
In addition, this workshop offered at the TA Conference may be of interest to some international TAs:
- Communicating in American English
In this workshop, we will discuss ideas for improving English fluency on your own, identify resources on and off campus that can help with English, and practice a few key methods for improving pornunciation, vocabulary acquisition, and listening comprehension. This session is recommended only for non-native English speakers who want to build their confidence in using spoken English.
