Campus life
Cultural understanding
Marquette’s 22 new international teaching assistants are from China, India, Colombia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. While these graduate students from a multitude of cultures are here, they get acquainted with American students and culture. It’s an even exchange that provides wonderful opportunities for learning.
At a weeklong orientation that covered everything from language differences to etiquette, the TAs learned the in’s and out’s
for succeeding in a Western classroom. “In some cultures, the relationship between teacher and student is quite deferential,” says Jean Czaja, lecturer in the Office of International Education. “We want to give the international TAs insights into our practices, which tend to be more informal, to prepare them for what they can expect from Marquette students.”
Some experienced TAs offered important tips to help the newcomers prepare for the demands of teaching undergrads: be friendly; be patient; use examples to explain; seek feedback from students; and always get answers to students’ questions.
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