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Teaching Commons

Blog 249

Posted on 29 November 2023

Redesigning with intention: Graduate student and teaching assistant programming at the Teaching Commons (blog 1 of 5)

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A visualization of the graduate student and teaching assistant programming at the Teaching Commons

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“Where we might first expect to see systemic change [in reference to culturally responsive teaching] would be in the preparation of future faculty within doctoral programs. However, little evidence exists to suggest that doctoral programs support the development of doctoral students as teachers, let alone as interculturally aware teachers.”

Amy Lee, Robert Poch, Mary Katherine O’Brien, & Catherine Solheim’s
Teaching Interculturally: A Framework for Integrating Disciplinary Knowledge and Intercultural Development, p. 7-8.

Educational and professional development for graduate students and teaching assistants has been a staple of the Teaching Commons since its inception. This programming has continually changed to adapt to the teaching and learning needs of our current and future teachers in Post-Secondary Education (PSE). Over the past two years, we have gathered feedback, engaged in dialogue, reflected, and redesigned all our graduate student and teaching assistant offerings to better align with the mission of the Teaching Commons and our collective beliefs about teaching and learning. We (Matthew Dunleavy, Lianne Fisher, and Natasha May) would like to take the opportunity over a few future blog posts to make transparent some of our design choices, how the programming differs from previous offerings, and everything we offer with support from our wonderful graduate Teaching Commons Tutors.

Intentional iterative design

Our redesign has been informed by and gone under an iterative design process using Decolonizing, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive (DEDI) pedagogical frameworks. There are particular pedagogical approaches and frameworks that we are committed to in addition to DEDI, which include Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies. These approaches are in alignment with the York University Academic Plan 2020-25): 21st Century Learning, Knowledge for the Future, From Access to Success, Advancing Global Engagement, Working in Partnership, and Living Well Together. Additionally, this redesign supports several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); most notably, Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Reduced Inequalities.

Part of DEDI, inclusion through UDL particularly, pedagogical approaches focus on flexible engagement for learning; so, for example, for two courses—How Do You Know Learning Happens? and How Do You Know Teaching Happens?—there are multiple modalities for engagement (e.g., face-to-face, online, semester-long, and intensive).

DEDI pedagogical approaches have repeatedly asked that the content of DEDI cannot stop at the production of modules with a focus on content (e.g., a module of the content of UDL or inclusion) rather it needs to be integrated through courses (e.g., see Lee et al., 2017). Specifically, Lee et al., suggest that culturally responsive pedagogy is: ongoing, intentional, developmental, complex, and integrative. DEDI design is never finished and this year we have included additional options for graduate student professional development/learning so that DEDI pedagogical work is ongoing. 

Built into, and integral to the programming design are opportunities for Graduate Students to learn from and with each other and ample time and space for them to bring their own knowledges and experiences to bear on the course materials. The programming was designed thinking about alignment between content and delivery.

New, non-hierarchal certificates 

During their studies, graduate students have the opportunity to receive five separate certificates and records of completion. Unlike the previous Teaching Assistant Certificate in Teaching (TACT) and Senior Teaching Assistant (STA) Certificate, there are no prerequisites for any of the redesigned certificates and records of completion; rather, we see each as offering participants a different focus on teaching and learning in higher education with multiple forms of engagement.