There will be diverse personalities found in your classroom. You will encounter students of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, and genders. You will be teaching students who have a wide variety of learning styles and abilities. As a TA, it is your responsibility to make your class a positive learning environment for all of your students. The University of British Columbia is a university committed to respecting and valuing diversity, as is stated in the following vision statement from the UBC Calendar 2009/2010:
UBC’s Vision for the 21st Century
The University of British Columbia will provide its students, faculty, and staff with the best possible resources and conditions for learning and research, and create a working environment dedicated to excellence, equity, and mutual respect. It will cooperate with government, business, and industry, as well as with other educational institutions and the general community, to create new knowledge, prepare its students for fulfilling careers, and improve the quality of life through leading-edge research.
The graduates of UBC will have developed strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities; they will have excellent research and communication skills; they will be knowledgeable, flexible, and innovative. They will recognize the importance of understanding societies other than their own. As responsible citizens, the graduates of UBC will value diversity, work with and for their communities, and be agents for positive change. They will acknowledge their obligations as global citizens and strive to secure a sustainable and equitable future for all.
For tips with how to get the most from all your students, see “An Instructional Resource Guide for Teaching Assistants” produced by the Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth (TAG). In it there are sections on encouraging student input, the difficult student, and grade disputes.
For tips on dealing with diversity in the classroom, read “Diversity and Complexity in the Classroom” by Barbara Davis at http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/diverse.htm
It includes tips for making your class inclusive to students of all races, religions, cultures, and genders. This article provides helpful advice on ways to make your teaching appeal to students of different learning types and abilities. Additionally, this article provides advice on how to reduce conflicts between part-time or mature students and younger students when group projects are assigned, conflicts that can be due to differences in experience, and authoritative tendencies, especially if the difference in ages is large.
The UBC Equity Office (http://www.equity.ubc.ca) provides training to promote awareness of human rights, equity, and diversity and to help prevent discrimination and harassment.
Nikta Fay
sunita
knomme
Carol Pollock