Topic outline

  • Welcome to course page of teaching assistant training on Aalto School of Science. Teaching assistants at Aalto University School of Science have an opportunity to proceed 2 credits pedagogical training, which is made to support their work as a teaching assistant.

    In this MyCourses platform you can find course description, all instructions for completing the course as well as the teaching materials used in teaching sessions.

    • This is the link to the Aalto University e-course on its code of conduct. Completing this e-course is a mandatory requirement to pass this course. Please complete it and mark it as done in the completion progress bar on your MyCourse page when you have completed it. The deadline for completing this e-course is 8.4.2019, but you can do it now already.

  • All the teaching material is collected here, including slides and extra information on day's theme. The materials will be updated during the course.

  • If you are going to proceed the course "Teaching assistant as a learning instructor (2 ECTS)", please follow these instuctions and make the assignments! After the enrolment and the first teaching session, participants are divided to home groups (3-6 members) by the teaching staff.


    The Learning assignment #1 consists of three parts:

    1. Reading the book sections (Section 2 "What generates learning" pp. 9-18, and Section 3 "How do I create an environment that supports learning?", pp. 19-26), DL before contact meeting #2, 20.3.2019

    2. Teaching observation #1 "interaction in the classroom", DL preferably before group meeting #1, latest DL on 8.4.

    • Visit an exercise class where you act as an observer. If possible, visit a class of one of your group members. If not, you can visit any other teaching session. It is polite to ask the teacher / assistant if it is OK that you are coming to observe the session. You can tell the instructor that you are doing this observation as a part of SCI assistant training.
    • Use the feedback form from this page. Focus on interaction in the classroom and write down at least the following: How was it created? What approaches were used? Which aspects did you find to support students' learning process? You can add reflections and insights of your own.
    • Submit the form in MyCourses "Returning of Teaching observation #1", remember to remove the name of the observed peer/teacher. Use filename <FirstName>_<Lastname>_LA1_observations (e.g., "James_Learner_LA1_observations.pdf") 
    • Optionally, give your feedback to your peer / the teacher, page #2 of the feedback form. Be specific, positive and constructive.

    3. Group work #1: reflect on the teaching session and the reading assignment, DL before session #2 on 20.3.2019. Arrange a meeting with your small peer group. In the meeting, discuss your teaching observation and the article (in case you have not been able to attend the teaching observation yet, you discuss only the issues relating on the article) Submit your notes and reflections in MyCourses "Group session" forum: What did you discuss? What did you observe? What did you think about the article?

  • The Learning assignment #2 consists of three parts:

    1. Reading the book section (Section 5 "How do I teach" pp. 39-49), DL 1.4.2019, before contact meeting #3

    2. Teaching observation #2 "interaction in the classroom", DL preferably before contact meeting #3, the latest DL 8.4..

    • Visit an exercise class where you act as an observer. If possible, visit a class of one of your group members. If not, you can visit any other teaching session. We encourage you to choose another type of teaching session which you visited in LA#1, e.g., now a lecture if you visited an exercise session. See some suggestions in the Discussion Forum of main page in MyCourses. It is polite to ask the teacher / assistant if it is OK that you are coming to observe the session. You can tell the instructor that you are doing this observation as a part of SCI Assistant training.
    • Use the feedback form from this page. Focus on interaction in the classroom and write down at least the following: How was it created? What approaches were used? Which aspects did you find to support students' learning process? You can add reflections and insights of your own.
    • Submit the form in MyCourses "Returning of Teaching observation #1" with the name of the observed peer/teacher removed. Use filename <FirstName>_<Lastname>_LA2_observations (e.g., "James_Learner_LA2_observations.pdf") 
    • Optionally, give your feedback to your peer / the teacher, page #2 of the feedback form. Be specific, positive and give constructive feedback.

    3. Group work #2: reflect on the teaching session and the reading assignment before 3rd contact session (1.4.2019). Arrange a meeting with your peer group. In the meeting, discuss your teaching observation and the article. Submit your notes and reflections in MyCourses "Group session" forum: What did you discuss? What did you observe? What did you think about the article? 
  • In this section you can find the substitute assignment and its instructions in case you are not able to participate course sessions (at most one of the sessions CS#1 (26.2./4.3.), CS#2 (20.3.), CS#3 (1.4.). CS#4 (8.4.).