ELI 584

GSI Seminar and Practicum

1 credit

Fall/Winter

Permission of Instructor Required

S-U

This instructional support course is required for, and restricted to, GSIs who have been approved for instructional duties but need additional support during their first term of teaching. The requirement is based on reports from GSI workshop coordinators or from the GSI Oral English Test evaluators. The course focuses on individual needs in language and communication in various GSI contexts. Students learn to assess and increase the effectiveness of their classroom teaching and to improve office hour interactions. Instruction is learner-centered. Participants develop self-improvement plans based on the workshop and/or Oral English Test reports. Activities include gathering, analyzing and responding to feedback from students; problem solving via peer discussions; self-reflective journal writing about teaching processes; classroom observations (which may involve videotaping); and consultations with graduate student mentors and the instructor. Other activities such as work on pronunciation or participation in pedagogical workshops are on an as-needed basis.