GRAD TALK is FGPA’s new initiative that allows you to share your thoughts on a particular topic with other grad students.
This issue, we are asking graduate students to tell us how they deal with work-life balance. This has become a key concern in workplaces and we know that students also grapple with this issue.
Feel free to comment in the box below on this website or email us at fgpa_newsletter@carleton.ca and we will share your comments in the next issue of TheGraduate@Carleton. We look forward to hearing from you.
Last time, we asked Teaching Assistants to share their best teaching tips and strategies. Here is what some grad students said:
“Here is my tip – Breaking students into smaller discussion groups is a great way to engage students in further discussion on a number of topics. One tip is to make sure you have something to occupy yourself while they are in those discussion groups. After having checked in with everyone, you will be waiting for them to complete their discussions. It is handy to have something to keep you busy while you wait.”
“I’m beginning my fifth year as a TA at Carleton, and I find that a major source of concern for students is the manner in which their work is evaluated (i.e. on quizzes, mid-terms, essays, and final exams). Expect students to ask you questions about what will be asked of them in each form of evaluation. With this in mind, early in the term, try to make sure that you understand each form of evaluation inside-out. If you do, your students will love you. If you don’t, they won’t, and you need to let your instructor know (early and often) that you do not have a complete understanding of the methods of evaluation, and that students are starting to ask you about them. Sadly, some instructors will never clearly outline their expectations either to students or to TAs, and that’s a sad reality of academic life at any university. If there are other TAs for the same section of the course course, it is helpful if all of you communicate this to the instructor.”
Friday, October 12, 2012 in Grad Student Services, News
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