Upskilling GTAs to enhance student experience

The Workshop Practice course, in the Faculty of Engineering, is a compulsory second-year paper that 1000+ students must pass in order to continue on in their chosen study. It is a pass or fail grading system. This hands-on practical paper exposes students to a range of technical tools for mechanical and electrical prototyping and to problem-solving on the fly. Throughout the course, students are guided by GTAs and there is a teaching technician on-hand. (Connection to GTAs. Connection to place. Connection to students.)

Each module was designed to build connection and relationality with students through teaching and learning conversations, as the GTAs work together and share experiences. (Connection to GTAs. Connection to place. Connection to students.)

The GTA training has four modules:

1. Community building/ values/ connecting to the 299 course
2. 1-on-1 GTA/student interactions
3. GTAs with small groups of students
4. Managing the whole class (in development)

Module 1: Community building/ values/ connecting to the 299 course

This module is a single session and lasts for 90 minutes. GTAs are set up into small groups where they unpack the concepts with the intentions of sharing back (or teaching) the rest of their cohort. This immerses them in the learning as a student, but also allows them to think how this strategy can apply to them as they teach.

Framework for Module 1 facilitated session

Introduction and Icebreaker (30 minutes)

• Learning objectives
  • To build a community within GTAs
  • Introduce Māori values
  • Help GTAs articulate value of 200 for them/ all students
• Clear statement about 299
  • Value for students
  • Culture we want to create in the shop/ class
• Icebreaker: GTA Values Continuum
• Introduce Māori values, with emphasis on Mihimihi and Whanaungatanga
• Handout Māori values cards, including the link to online activity

Experiential Session (45 minutes)

• Intro on reflection on modelling behaviours
• Share/ Think/ Pair/ Share
• GTAs share own experience learning hands-on skill
• Pair up to talk about connection to ENGGEN 299
• Share conclusions to connection to ENGGEN 299
• Support the GTAs talk about the value of the course/ connection to industry in their own words

Wrap-up (post-review) – do this in every session! (15 minutes)

• We tried to model the meta-behaviour during this session.
• Future sessions will run similarly, where facilitators model elements of teaching methodologies that we would like you to practise.
• What was the instructor trying to do? Did it work/ not work?

Notes for facilitator

• Sprinkling through reflections on meta-conversation
• More experienced GTAs
  • As co-facilitators
  • Plants to play designated roles
  • Plants as observers/ to suggest improvements

Module 3: GTA in small groups

The pedagogies unpacked are:

1. Group dynamics: Authority and the role of the teacher
2. The power of discussion
3. Feedback in the small group teaching setting
4. Benefits of small group teaching: flexibility, interactive reflexivity, engagement
5. What is tika when teaching small groups in a University setting in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Example from “What is tika when teaching small groups in a university setting in Aotearoa New Zealand?” by Robyn Manuel.

Pronunciation of the Māori concepts are available to learn the new kupu, as well as definitions, and examples of what this could look like in practice. These interactions have been designed using the affordances of H5P.

As GTAs interact with this learning, they are asked to consider if they already practice these concepts, and if they do not, to consider how they might authentically include them moving forward.

Tika