When I got my first-ever TA placement, I was startled at how many students were registered in the class — more than 200 — and stunned at the idea of trying to foster a creative environment in a lecture theatre. (Until I actually started TAing, I also thought I was responsible for the whole class, which started off a whole other panic. Crisis averted!)
I have since TAd two more large lecture classes in which the majority of my hours have been allocated towards grading. And I’ve come up with a few strategies to make the classroom feel a bit smaller. Putting effort into building connections with students despite large class sizes not only offers students a more satisfying learning experience, but makes TAing a more motivating and satisfying experience. Win-win!
Much of my motivation for connecting with students comes from reflecting on my own experience as an undergrad. I was a really nervous first-year student. I can imagine feeling grievously overwhelmed by the size of the Intro Creative Writing classes at UBC. Like, submitting all this vulnerable work to someone who I don’t know at all? And then getting a grade on it? Vomit. The only reason I pursued writing in the first place was because someone I trusted decided to tell me I was good at it. And to think there could be students in my class who could have a beautiful relationship with writing beyond this class squandered just because they felt lost in the crowd? Vomit again.
Because I have so many assignments to grade, I keep a list of “stock” comments to address common points I make when grading. Controversial! I’m pro-comment banks, BUT with the caveat that the banked comments have to draw upon explicit references to the students’ texts. The goal is that it doesn’t seem like I’ve taken some of this language from a pre-written document, ya feel? I also try to state the student’s name at least once during my comments. And I keep an ongoing list of links to texts that exemplify a craft element particularly well: a poem that uses unexpected imagery, for example, or a short story that throws us into the conflict from the first page.
After addressing the student and some positive aspects of their work in the first paragraph, part of my comment might look like this:
“This piece gives us a nice birds-eye view of the action! I’d love to go even deeper. What if you rewrote a moment you mention on p. 2, like family members making fun of your back or yourself yelling at the nurses, with dialogue, rich sensory details, and insight into what was going through your mind? Here’s a piece of memoir with some great scenes and dialogue: https://www.guernicamag.com/girl/”
I also encourage students to visit me in office hours, especially if they are getting a grade below class average or if I feel the student is missing a key understanding about the assignment requirements. When I’m reading a submission from a student in which they’ve put in a significant amount of effort, I make a small note at the end of my comments that they are always welcome to reach out to me to talk about where they can take their writing at UBC and beyond. The outcomes of doing this have been really rewarding. It is exciting to feel like I am part of students’ writing journeys!
I’ve also given lectures to the class—just another way to give a face to the name more or less determining their success in the class. After each lecture I’ve given, a few students I’ve graded have come up to me to introduce themselves. Cute!
In the spirit of creating a kind and encouraging learning environment, being mindful of my role in building a more welcoming space has made TAing an even more fulfilling experience.