ITA/TF Training Program
at UNT
Guanmin Wu, Ph.d student in chemistry (left),
is an International Teaching Assistant at UNT.
With Wu from left: Brian Brister, Tao Chen, Fang Wei, and Michael Lioy, ITA coordinator.
As legislated in 1988, the ITA/TF Training Program is designed to
train, assist, and evaluate current and prospective international teaching assistants,
teaching fellows, and research assistants to ensure that all courses at UNT are clearly
taught in English. The program is a service
to the university, to departments on campus, and to international graduate students.
Procedure
At the beginning of each semester, all new ITAs/TFs/RAs are tested
for oral language proficiency by department representatives and the ITA Coordinator. Some ITAs with excellent oral language skills are
exempted from attending the ITA Training Program. Others
are required to attend a lecture class and a workshop for either presentation skills or
basic pronunciation and discussion. All ITAs
participating in the ITA Training program are also given access to the Intensive English
Language Lab where they use various software programs designed to improve their language
skills. ITAs with weak verbal skills are often assigned to research or grading positions
in their department and are not required to take the ITA Training Program unless the
department requests it. Students who are not required to take the training program may
choose to participate if they so desire. Students participating in the ITA Training
Program are evaluated again at the end of the semester by department representatives and
the ITA Coordinator to determine future teaching assignments.
"When I arrived from Beijing in fall of 2001, I was offered a teaching -
assistantship contingent upon completing the ITA Training Program. Through the presentation and pronunciation
workshops, and the Lecture Series on Teaching Effectiveness, I’ve really improved my
speaking and teaching skills. One-on-one
teacher feedback and professional software for pronunciation helped me overcome my
weakness. I can understand the undergraduates
much better, and vice-versa." - Guanmin Wu.
Topics in the Lecture Series:
Non-verbal Communication
Characteristics of a Good Lecture/ Good
Teacher
Learning Strategies/ Lesson Planning
Perceptions, Roles and Problems for
ITA’s
The Informal Language Barrier
Understanding Questions
Effective Questions and Instructions
Establishing Rapport in the Classroom
Role Play of Problem Situations
Contact Information:
Please contact the ITA Program Coordinator for more information. Michael@isp.admin.unt.edu
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