Session 1 - The role of the TA

Session objectives

• To identify the skills and qualities of an effective TA.
• To help TAs better understand the responsibilities of their role.

Great for

• Getting your TAs together to discuss issues.
• Getting your TAs to think about the responsibilities of their role.

Resources

• Marker pens.
• Flipchart paper or large pieces of card with cut-outs of tool boxes stuck to them(images of tool boxes can be sourced easily online).

Time

This will depend on the number of participants that you have in attendance, but will be between 30 minutes and 45 minutes.

Method

Set up the training room by sticking your pieces of flip chart paper or card (with the tool boxes stuck on) to the wall, ensuring there will be enough of these for each small group to have their own. Divide the pieces of flipchart into two. On one half, write ‘responsibilities’ and on the other half, write ‘skills and qualities’.

Allocate each small group one of the tool box sheets. Explain to participants that they are going to fill up their TA toolkit with everything they need to do their role as a TA. Ask the TAs to record what they think the responsibilities of the TA role are and what skills and qualities they think are needed to be a TA on the corresponding section of their sheet.

Once complete, ask the groups to visit one of the toolkits prepared by another group and look at what they have written. Ask groups to add in anything they think is missing and ask them to mark with sticky dots what they think the top three skills that a TA needs are and what the top three most important responsibilities of the TA role are. Ask each group to feed back a brief summary of what is written on their toolkit and their top three skills and responsibilities. Record these as a list on flip chart paper and display in the training room.