Success Of Different Technique Implementation
There I was facilitating the first session of mandatory discussion. My knees were shaking and my heart was pounding so hard that I thought the students would be able to hear it. I was nervous not because I wasn’t comfortable with the material I would help the students out in, but because of the fact that I already needed to tackle my first and toughest barrier. This barrier was that I would have to deal with many students that were fresh out of high school and entirely new to the university experience, and also with the students that waited until the last minute to get the math requirement out of the way before they graduated. My goal for the class was to get as many students to appreciate Algebra as much as I do as it’s the foundation of math in general. The way I was able to do this was by implementing many teaching tools that engaged the students so they would feel comfortable with each other and answer questions that allow them to critically engage in math.
In order to achieve my goal I knew that first I had to define my role as a Learning Assistant. Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, and Snoek, state that role ambiguity becomes a conflict when
“Inadequate information may be the result of various factors, including inexperience, lack of familiarity with particular content areas, insufficient communication from supervisors or tutees, or simply the inherent nature of the job –a job that demands a degree of flexibility which renders specific and detailed job descriptions problematic” (1981)
Many students view a TA as someone who will give them the answers to the questions on the HW assignment or just re-lecture what the professor has already gone over in class. I knew many students would have this perception of me as a TA as I myself have been guilty of feeling this way toward my TA. I knew that In order to avoid this conflict of role ambiguity, I had to state my role as a Learning Assistant the first day of section. The first day of section I...
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