A1. Teaching Assistants will demonstrate an understanding of English teaching pedagogy, including instructional strategies for language acquisition and applications of technology.
Years of experience watching my father teach at a high school have taught me that part of being a successful educator is being organized. In order to be organized throughout the semester, I believe a good syllabus can serve as a core that one can use to keep control because it presents among the many course aspects its mission, description, how much time will be dedicated to each class topic and all the ways in which students will be evaluated. It serves as the first step towards organizing the entire course even when there are problems that force one to adapt because of unforeseen situations.
Below is one of the most recent syllabi I have used which shows not only the aforementioned information but also provides institutional goals and the many aids they can find in and outside the university that can help their writing as well as personal and academic conflicts:
Below is one of the most recent syllabi I have used which shows not only the aforementioned information but also provides institutional goals and the many aids they can find in and outside the university that can help their writing as well as personal and academic conflicts:
A2. Teaching Assistants will develop and select appropriate instructional goals that are appropriate for the group level at which they are teaching.
Across my three semesters as an educator from the M.A.E.E.University Teaching Development program on my main goals has been to try and expand my students' minds to interesting experiences as they learn new and different concepts. One of the many projects they have had to do is a movie which their classmates will later have as an option to review for their evaluative essay. In order to inspire them to make original content I show them some of the most creative short films that can be found. Many of the works that I show them are those that could be classified as either surreal or psychedelic. By watching these creative images, students have been able to produce great original content as well as been opened to expand their viewing experiences.
Below are some of the short films I have used in class to inspire my students:
Below are some of the short films I have used in class to inspire my students:
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A3. Teaching Assistants will plan for a nurturing learning environment.
Teaching English in Puerto Rico can become a bit of a problem due to the constant battle between talking Spanish and English in the island. According to the ideals behind their upbringing, students will become hesitant to practice communication in English out of fear of sounding wrong in front of their classmates or just because they plain do not like using it as a way to express themselves. In the first day of class I have students write an "I am" poem where they need to present themselves to the entire class. But what makes these "I am" poems different from any regular one? I allow them to write in Spanglish, providing them space to get comfortable. This is the first step in opening a classroom where students need to communicate in English but they will not be penalized if they use Spanish in order to comprehend the ideas being discussed. As long as they understand the topics at hand, they are allowed to use Spanish and/or Spanglish in class.
Below is Willie Perdomo performing "Nigger Reecan Blues", a video I have used so learners get inspired when they write their "I am" poem as well as one of the many documents I have used so they can use as a guide to writing their text.
Below is Willie Perdomo performing "Nigger Reecan Blues", a video I have used so learners get inspired when they write their "I am" poem as well as one of the many documents I have used so they can use as a guide to writing their text.