Teaching Associates

Abstract

Faculty members and graduate student instructors (GSIs) spend a significant portion of their time in the classroom. Much of the literature calls for formal training for graduate students in pedagogy and teaching techniques (DeCesare 2003), and increasing attention has been paid to the benefits of informal supports for GSIs, such as peer networks. But scholars have paid far less attention to examining how formal and informal mechanisms of support might be bridged, thus strengthening support for GSIs. In this article, we explore and demonstrate the importance of bridging available support systems for GSIs, specifically through a position occupied by an advanced GSI, called the Teaching Associate. Using focus groups, semistructured interviews, and surveys, we argue that the Teaching Associate offers formal and informal forms of support for graduate student instructors and their departments and we advocate their use in teacher training.