scholarly journals Tale of the Tape: International Teaching Assistant Noticing During Videotaped Classroom Observations

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-446
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn M. Williams ◽  
Rod E. Case
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Classroom Observation ◽  
Teaching Assistant ◽  
International Teaching Assistants ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Initial Interview ◽  
American Universities ◽  
International Teaching Assistant ◽  
International Teaching ◽  
Effective Use

International teaching assistants face challenges in learning the norms for teaching in American universities. In order to address this learning curve this article describes a qualitative study of twenty international teaching assistants that examined how these participants viewed observations as part of their professional development. The study explored the noticing practices of international teaching assistants who participated in an initial interview, followed by a classroom observation so that the ITAs could notice their own teaching practices in the classroom. After examining the ITAs’ noticing of events during observations, the article will conclude with general recommendations for effective use of observations as part of the training of international instructors.

scholarly journals Managing Anxiety: A Case Study of an International Teaching Assistant’s Interaction with American Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-190
Author(s):  
Ji Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Teaching Assistant ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
International Teaching Assistant ◽  
American Students ◽  
International Teaching

This case study utilizes structuration theory to explore the complexities in the academic interaction between a Chinese international teaching assistant (ITA) and her American students. Through four semi-structured participant interviews, eight classroom observations, and student feedback, major themes and variations were identified regarding the feelings, concerns, and strategies of the ITA’sinteraction with American students from the ITA perspective. The assumption is that despite the possible obstacles in cross-linguistic and cross-cultural academic interaction, ITAs have the drive and potential to successfully navigate through the challenging process. Implications for improving ITA training and practices are discussed.

Intelligibility Rating of L2 Speech Pre- and Postintervention

1989 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Perlmutter
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
International Teaching Assistants ◽  
State University ◽  
Green State ◽  
Bowling Green State University ◽  
International Teaching ◽  
Intelligibility Ratings

As a result of a recent law passed in Ohio, a program was designed to improve the oral intelligibility of International Teaching Assistants at Bowling Green State University. To evaluate the efficacy of the training, naive undergraduate students were asked to evaluate the pre- and postrecorded speech samples of the international students, both in terms of intelligibility of the sample and the identification of the topic of the monologue. Analysis showed a significant improvement in the intelligibility ratings between pre- and posttraining samples. Further, the average number of correct subject matter identifications was shown to increase, while the average number of incorrect judgments decreased significantly from pre- to posttraining evaluations.

The transracial aesthetic labour of an international teaching assistant

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay A. Ramjattan
Keyword(s):  
Racial Identity ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Teaching Assistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Teaching Assistant ◽  
International Teaching ◽  
Good For ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper introduces the concept of transracial aesthetic labour to understand why and how an international teaching assistant (ITA) vocally changes meanings of his racial identity.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a narrative analysis to detail instances of transracial aesthetic labour.FindingsFor the ITA, this labour involved orally distancing from or aligning with particular Indian stereotypes for specific contexts.Research limitations/implicationsTransracial aesthetic labour may occur in other industries that deem race an integral part of sounding right or looking good for the job.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for ITAs and universities to rethink the meaning of transracial to combat racist perceptions of ITAs' speech.Originality/valueThe paper advances the aesthetic labour literature by exploring how race is vocally performed for this labour and introducing ITAs as aesthetic labourers.

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