This article summarizes a presentation at TESOL 2013 in which we described the New ITA Orientation we conduct at the University of Connecticut (UConn). The orientation is the result of many semesters of experimentation on our part as well as evaluations from the new international teaching assistants (ITAs). In addition to the new ITAs, undergraduates and experienced ITAs participate in our orientation as mentors, and their evaluations were also considered in crafting our orientation. The orientation is 4 full days (Monday to Thursday) and takes place 2 weeks before the beginning of fall semester classes. About 100 new ITAs participate.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of Dr. Catherine Ross, who originated the New ITA Orientation at UConn. It is on the foundation she laid that we have built our successful orientation.

What Are the Objectives of the Orientation?

Our New ITA Orientation is designed to prepare ITAs for the classroom and for the New Teaching Assistant Orientation, which is attended by all new TAs—domestic and international. In addition to our orientation, and the 2-day orientation for all TAs, new ITAs are also required to attend orientations by the International Center, Immigration Services, and their individual departments. This allows us to concentrate on preparing them for the classroom.

Although many ITAs have never had to use their English for real communication (outside of a classroom) and may have very limited experience speaking English, our objective is not to improve their English, but rather to activate their passive knowledge of English. We achieve this through a series of activities in which ITAs observe, analyze, and simulate academic presentations and classroom interaction. We want to prepare ITAs for the classroom as much as possible because most of them have never taught at all, and the vast majority have never taught in English. Most ITAs will enter the undergraduate classroom without taking any courses in our ITA program, so our orientation is an important opportunity for them to get support in gaining an understanding of issues that could affect their relationship with their students before they start teaching. We don’t want the ITAs’ first class to be the first time they have ever stood in front of a group of people to whom they must speak in English. This is why our orientation focuses on teaching practice rather than on language. Examples of activities that accomplish this are discussed in the following section.

What Is the Content of the Orientation?

After various introductions and welcomes, Monday is devoted to three areas: helping ITAs understand students within the context of the U.S. educational system, the first day of class, and culture as it relates to classroom communication. So the first workshop, “Who Are You Teaching?,” focuses on the U.S. educational system, of which almost all of their students are a product. It is important for ITAs to understand that, unlike other countries, the United States has a decentralized education system. This creates a kind of academic diversity that does not exist in other countries and for which the ITAs will probably not be prepared. The next workshop on Monday provides examples of best practices for how to conduct the first day of class. Using video clips from MERLOT ELIXER, students observe the interactive, student-centered nature of some college classrooms. The final workshop of the first day of orientation focuses on the most common characteristics of U.S. culture and how culture in general affects classroom communication.

Tuesday’s workshops focus on classroom interaction. The first one is about classroom management and undergrads’ expectations. This workshop resulted from our research, which indicates that the major complaint about ITAs among undergrads is about ITA classroom management skills, not English language skills. (See a previous article on this research and how to address classroom management in ITA programs.) The next workshop, “Public Speaking Warm-Up,” consists of short presentations given by the new ITAs. It gives them practice in addressing an audience in English and provides them with feedback from undergrads, ITA mentors, and the other new ITAs. Because they choose simple, nonacademic topics, they can concentrate on their body language and their English. In the next workshop, “Practice: The First Day of Class,” they use what they learned in the “Public Speaking Warm-Up” workshop and practice how to introduce themselves to students. Both of these workshops are also designed to provide them with practice for the microteaching test as well as for actual teaching.

On Wednesday, the new ITAs have opportunities to ask questions about the mundane aspects of their new life here in rural Connecticut, such as shopping, apartments, and driver’s licenses. This workshop is called “Life in Storrs” and is conducted entirely by the ITA mentors. We also show them a video from the Derek Bok Center at Harvard, titled “How to Speak: Lecture Tips From Patrick Winston.” The most popular session of the entire orientation is the one at the end of Wednesday, in which new ITAs anonymously submit questions to a panel of all the mentors—experienced ITAs and undergrads. The questions are generally about teaching, but often cover a wide range of concerns.

Thursday is devoted to preparation for the microteaching test and guided tours of the library. All day Wednesday and Thursday morning, ITAs take the Versant English Test. This test determines which ITAs will teach, which ones need English language courses, and which ones need further testing in the form of a microteaching test. So on Thursday morning, we provide information about the microteaching test and on Thursday afternoon, those who qualify for microteaching can practice for it with the ITA mentors, who conduct the practice sessions and provide feedback on the ITAs’ presentations.

Friday, though technically part of New ITA Orientation, consists only of microteaching tests.

Conclusion

The feedback we have received about our orientation from the new ITAs, undergrads, and ITA mentors indicates that it is instructive, interesting, and helpful to them, which makes it very rewarding for us. The actual agenda for our next orientation (which will be slightly different from our last one) is on our website.

Mary Romney is an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, where she teaches in the International Teaching Assistants Program. Her interests include pronunciation, classroom dynamics, intercultural communication, and the worldwide demographics of the English language.

Ann Halbert is the director of the International Teaching Assistants Program at the University of Connecticut, where she has been teaching ITAs for 20 years. She is interested in assessment and the scholarship of teaching and learning.