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Stacy Suhadolc
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Derina Samuel
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At our TESOL 2018 session, “Utilizing Authentic ITA Teaching
Videos: Collaborating Across Universities,” we began with a definition
of what critical incidents and authentic resources mean in the context
they were used for our study. We then opened up a discussion on current
international teaching assistant (ITA) video resources that are
available (see links in this article under Resources) and included a
demonstration of how two different universities used the same video
materials (Corpus of English for Academic and Professional Purposes
[CEAPP], 2014) to provide an authentic teaching assistant experience for
our ITAs. We shared data from the multiple student surveys that were
given in each of our programs, and then we discussed the effectiveness
of these video activities. In small groups, participants had a chance to
discuss strategies for implementing these or similar activities in
their ITA programs. This information was collected into a shared Google
document (see Resources for a summary of the shared
information).
Introduction
Critical incidents are an important part of the ITA training
experience and more examination of them is needed in ITA curricula.
According to Farrell and Baecher (2017), critical incidents are “any
unplanned and unanticipated events, which occur during class, outside
class, or anytime during a teacher’s career” (p. 2). Although these
incidents might not appear to be critical, they are critical through
analysis “by viewing them in terms of something that has significance to
the wider context” (Farrell & Baecher, 2017, p. 2-3, or when
there is a conscious reflection from the teacher.
Trainers can maximize the noticing of critical incidents within
an ITA training program by using authentic video materials of teaching
assistants (TAs) in university classrooms. This has implications for
current ITA training curricula. According to Zhou (2009), over the
years, the scope of the ITA training curriculum has expanded from an
exclusive focus on linguistic issues to "a more comprehensive set of
concerns, including linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural competencies"
(p. 19). These varying concerns point to the need for contextualized
teaching and learning by considering critical incidents from authentic
resources (Farrell & Baecher, 2017; Berns & Erickson,
2001). Discussing critical incidents from authentic video of ITAs and
TAs teaching in a university course can help novice teachers uncover
their own theory of practice (Farrell & Baecher,
2017).
Methods
In our convention session, we showed a few examples of
authentic TA videos (CEAPP, 2014) and an activity that we have used in
our ITA training programs. The courses that the video data came from
include undergraduate mathematics, physics, and geosciences classes
(CEAPP, 2014). Both lectures and labs were recorded, but most of the
data came from labs. The videos that were shown during the TESOL
convention session came from a physics lab (CEAPP, 2014). First, we
summarize what happened in the first video, and then we explain a sample
activity that we did with our students in our ITA training
programs.
In one of the videos, the TA asked a student to come see him at
his table within the lab about an absence document that the student
failed to properly submit. The TA first asked the student if she had
submitted the proper document for her absence. The student asserted that
she had already emailed the document to the TA and the professor of the
course. Next, the TA asked the student to print him the document and
give it to him again. A contradiction arose in the next sequence: The
student replied that she could give the TA the printed form but did not
know where to find the proper documentation form on the class website.
This showed that she either did not send the proper documentation form
to the TA and the professor as she had indicated initially, or she
submitted the wrong document. The TA did not address the contradiction,
but he just asked her to give it to him again. The student asked if she
could give the document to the TA during the next class, and the TA
agreed. Finally, after the student leaves, the TA reflects on the
interaction by talking to himself verbally; he questions if it is okay
for the student to submit the document during the next class.
Before viewing the video, our class previewed the topic of
addressing a situation regarding a student absence and discussed how
they would address the absence. Then, they watched the previously
described video. Next, the students analyzed the transcript of the video
by applying the CORE skills (connection, organization, rapport, and
engagement) they had learned in the ITA class. The students marked on
their scripts where they noticed instances of CORE concepts. Later, the
students discussed in small groups whether the TA handled the situation
well. Finally, they reimagined the situation by role-playing the same
scenario with changes that they would make if they were the TA.
Depending on the class size, some of the students showed their role-play
to the class.
At Pennsylvania State University, these videos, which were 3 in
total, were shown as part of a semester-long ITA training course. The
videos were aligned to the curriculum, which focuses on the CORE
concepts described earlier as well as to the course units, which consist
of explaining a term or concept, interacting in a lab/group setting,
and interacting in an office hour experience. At Cornell University, the
videos were integrated into an hour-long workshop on Developing
Communication Skills for Office Hours or Labs offered each semester and
aligned with the learning outcomes for the course and workshop. Table 1
highlights how each institution integrated the videos.
Table 1. Video Integration at Two Universities
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Pennsylvania State University |
Cornell University |
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Use of videos in a semester-long ITA training course |
Use of videos in an hour-long ITA workshop |
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Align videos to curriculum:
connection, organization, rapport, engagement
(CORE) |
Align videos to learning objectives
for ITA Program workshop on Developing Communication Skills for Office
Hours or Labs |
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Align videos to course units:
explaining a term or concept; interacting in a lab/group setting;
interacting in an office hour experience |
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Results
After using these videos at both of our universities, we have
identified some strategies that might be helpful in using authentic
videos at other ITA training programs.
Strategies to Use Authentic Videos
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Identify verbal and nonverbal communication skills that worked and did not work.
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Discuss pragmatic appropriateness of conversation.
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Imagine giving feedback to the ITA in the video.
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Reimagine conversation and practice role-playing it.
Measuring Pre- and Postknowledge of Our Students
We measured the pre- and postknowledge of the video topics for
our study. The data, based on 168 student surveys completed at both
institutions and during two semesters, indicated that the students
initially averaged a 3 out of 1-5 on the Likert scale and, after the
video activities, increased to a 4.2. Though this was a small study, the
results indicate that the use of these videos and activities was
beneficial in increasing our students’ knowledge on these different
topics. We’d like to note that these videos should be used to supplement
what is already being done in a typical ITA classroom.
For survey results, click here.
Resources
Participants were asked to discuss in groups what current video
resources they are using in their ITA programs. Following is a summary
of what they contributed to the shared Google document.
Authentic Classroom Videos
Simulated Classroom Scenarios
Teacher Training
Pronunciation
Other Video Tools
Ideas for Collaborating Across Universities
Participants listed the following resources and ways that ITA
professionals can collaborate across universities.
File Sharing Spaces
Spaces for Collaboration
References
Berns, R. G., & Erickson, P. M. (2001). Contextual
teaching and learning: Preparing students for the new economy. The Highlight Zone: Research @ Work, 5.
Corpus of English for Academic and Professional Purposes,
(2014). Corpus of videos and accompanying transcripts from educational
contexts. Unpublished raw data.
Farrell, T. S. C., & Baecher, L. (2017). Reflecting on critical incidents in language
education, 2-3. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.
Zhou, J. (2009). What is missing in the international teaching
assistants training curriculum? Journal of Faculty
Development, 23(2), 19–24.
Stacy Suhadolc is an assistant teaching professor
in the Department of Applied Linguistics at The Pennsylvania State
University. She teaches ITA and ESL courses. Her research interests
include teacher education development, sociocultural approaches to
second language teaching, and second language teacher
development.
Derina Samuel is assistant director at the Center for
Teaching Innovation at Cornell University. She teaches in the
International Teaching Assistant Program and coordinates the Graduate
Teaching Assistant Fellow Program and graduate teaching certificate
programs for all graduate students and postdocs at Cornell. Her research
interests have focused on developing professional development
opportunities for all graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows. | 
