Foreword

Wei-Yan Li (AWEC Director)

The establishment of teaching as a core value in contemporary higher education has elevated the importance attached to enhancing teaching quality and fostering excellent learning environments. To effect these important goals, not only are teachers urged to make continuous effort to hone their pedagogical prowess, but teaching assistants (TAs) are also deemed to play an increasingly significant role in classroom dynamics.

TAs are generally considered to play a passive role, extending assistance to teachers only in administering classrooms. However, if TAs avail themselves of existing resources and assume an active role, they are more than able to fulfill job obligations assigned by teachers. They are indeed a pedagogical force to be reckoned with, gaining wide recognition from students. More importantly, they have under their belt the pedagogical experience that lays a solid foundation for developing communication as a soft skill that future employment markets entail.

We at AWEC pride ourselves on laying considerable emphasis on the nurturing and mentoring of TAs. Initiated by the former director, Prof. I-Wen Su, the TA training program we have developed stands the test of time; over the years, AWEC TAs have received numerous awards. This achievement bestows upon us so strong a sense of confidence that we believe that the teaching facilitation and communicative methodology promoted in our program are fruitful and should therefore be shared with more teachers and TAs. It is this very belief that conceptualizes the writing of this training manual.

During the conceptualization, AWEC instructors interviewed two dozens of award-winning TAs with academic backgrounds in liberal arts, law, management, science, engineering, and biomedicine, as well as consulting a myriad of academic research papers. During the interviews, the instructors explored some collective challenges that these TAs had encountered in their classroom practices and advanced potential solutions to these challenges. The first five chapters, having undergone revisions and additions based on the feedback from the then in-training TAs, received content enrichment over a trial period of three years. Especially noteworthy is Chapter Six, the writing of which answers the concern over the promotion of the English as a medium of instruction (EMI) policy in higher education formulated by the Ministry of Education. Setting a relevant precedent, Chapter Six provides instructional tools and strategies that can be utilized in EMI classrooms within a short period of time for EMI-anxious teachers and TAs.

This TA training manual is intended as no encyclopedic guide. The beauty of this manual, we believe, lies in its provision of effortless and effective pedagogical strategies for novice teachers or TAs who cultivate fundamental pedagogical skills and those seasoned ones who pursue and sustain progress in pedagogical and communicative competence. Nevertheless, as teaching is rife with challenges of various forms of uncertainty, we realize that this TA training manual still has much scope of improvement. We will therefore genuinely look forward to and humbly appreciate feedback.

Foreword

Wei-Yan Li (AWEC Director)

The establishment of teaching as a core value in contemporary higher education has elevated the importance attached to enhancing teaching quality and fostering excellent learning environments. To effect these important goals, not only are teachers urged to make continuous effort to hone their pedagogical prowess, but teaching assistants (TAs) are also deemed to play an increasingly significant role in classroom dynamics.

TAs are generally considered to play...

前言

李維晏（臺大寫作教學中心主任）

隨著當前高等教育以教學為核心價值的目標確立，各大學莫不重視教學品質提升與優良學習環境的營造。除了鼓勵教師持續增進教學技巧之外，近年來教學助理（TA，Teaching Assistant）在大學課堂所扮演的角色亦漸趨重要。

在一般人的印象當中，教學助理在課堂中僅是負責協助教師從事教學工作，看似處於被動地位，其實不然。若能善於運用優勢主動出擊，則一名TA能夠做的，將不單單只是完成教師交付的工作任務而已，還能夠成為教學上強力神助攻的存在，贏得學生的肯定。而這些教學經驗也可為其未來就業職場所需之溝通軟實力奠定了堅實的基礎。

臺大寫作教學中心向來極重視教學助理的養成過程，中心的TA培訓制度於蘇以文主任推動下也已行之有年。從這些年中心的教學助理屢屢獲獎的紀錄，讓我們深具信心，相信這樣的一套TA培訓制度所提示的教學帶領、溝通技巧，乃是切合實用、具體可行的。為了將這份成果分享給更多的新手TA及教師，撰寫手冊的構想於焉產生。

在構思TA手冊的過程中，本中心的教師群除參考數十篇學術研究文獻之外，還訪談了二十餘位來自文、法、商、理、工、生醫等眾多領域的傑出教學助理，從他們的實際帶課經驗中，發掘共同所遭遇的難題，提出解決之道。手冊的前五章乃歷經三年試用，再根據接受培訓的TA之回饋加以修訂、增補，力求完善。而在此特別值得一提的是，因應教育部推動大專院校學生雙語教學政策（EMI）的浪潮而補充撰寫的第六章，可謂開風氣之先，為對於EMI課堂情境感到焦慮、苦惱的教師及TA們，提供短期內即能掌握、運用的工具與方法。

這本TA手冊並非屬於百科全書式的引導，但我們相信，它能夠提供最容易、有效的策略，供處於新手上路階段，或有心持續增進教學、溝通技巧的教學助理和教師們參考，在養成教學技能的路上走得平順、長遠。最後，我們明白教學的場域向來充滿著多樣且未知的挑戰，而這樣的一本從教學實際經驗出發的TA手冊，或許仍存在著一些疏漏、不足之處，敬祈方家不吝指教。

前言

李維晏（臺大寫作教學中心主任）

隨著當前高等教育以教學為核心價值的目標確立，各大學莫不重視教學品質提升與優良學習環境的營造。除了鼓勵教師持續增進教學技巧之外，近年來教學助理（TA，Teaching Assistant）在大學課堂所扮演的角色亦漸趨重要。

在一般人的印象當中，教學助理在課堂中僅是負責協助教師從事教學工作，看似處於被動地位，其實不然。若能善於運用優勢主動出擊，則一名TA能夠做的，將不單單只是完成教師交付的工作任務而已，還能夠成為教學上強力神助攻的存在，贏得學生的肯定。而這些教學經驗也可為其未來就業職...

第一章 船長、水手與風帆：助教角色定位
第二章 借力使力不費力：認識自我特質
第三章 疑難雜症皆有解：新手上陣攻略
第四章 溝通的藝術：課堂討論回饋
第五章 成為一道光：特殊需求應對
第六章 全英語授課：EMI TA不語塞

Chapter One Teaching Assistant, Teaching Attitude
Chapter Two Empower Teaching with Your Personality Traits
Chapter Three Taking the First Step into Teaching: A Guide for Novice TAs
Chapter Four The Art of Communication: Providing Feedback
Chapter Five Be the Light: How to Respond to Special Requests
Chapter Six The Way to English Medium Instruction Teaching Assistants' D-Day

第一章 船長、水手與風帆：助教角色定位
第二章 借力使力不費力：認識自我特質
第三章 疑難雜症皆有解：新手上陣攻略
第四章 溝通的藝術：課堂討論回饋
第五章 成為一道光：特殊需求應對
第六章 全英語授課：EMI TA不語塞

Chapter One Teaching Assistant, Teaching Attitude
Chapter Two Empower Teaching with Your Personality Traits
Chapter Three Taking the First Step into Teaching: A Guide for Novice TAs
Chapter Four The Art of Communication: Providing Feedback
Chapter Five Be the Light: How to Respond ...