Scholarship
July 3, 2025
First Day to Final Grade
- Author
- Curzan, Anne and Lisa Damour
- Publisher
- University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI
- ISBN
- 047206732X
- Table of Contents
-
Introduction
ch. 1 Becoming a Teacher
ch. 2 The First Day of the Term
ch. 3 Weekly Class Preparation
ch. 4 Running a Discussion
ch. 5 Problem Sets and Laboratories
ch. 6 Trusty Class Plans
ch. 7 One-on-One Interaction with Students
ch. 8 Grading
ch. 9 Feedback from Students
ch. 10 The Balance of School and Teaching
App. A Sample Course Syllabi
App. B Lesson Plan for a Discussion Class
App. C Lesson Plan for a Lecture Class
App. D Annotated Text with Questions
App. E Guidelines for a Paper Workshop
App. F Guidelines for Writing a Peer Response
App. G Sample Letters of Recommendation
App. H Midterm Evaluation
Index
Many universities are concerned about improving the pedagogy used by their graduate students in the classroom. Yet few universities provide adequate training or support. As a result, most new graduate student teachers feel overwhelmed by the demands of being both a teacher and a student.
Written from the perspective of both professors who have been in the classroom for many years and inexperienced teachers of the "I wish someone had told me" variety, First Day to Final Grade should be every graduate student's first step in teaching. The guiding principle of this book is that, while theoretical wisdom about teaching is important, graduate students need specific, practical answers to questions that arise during the semester.
The text is written to function as a quick reference tool, but is equally effective when read from start to finish in preparation for teaching. It focuses on the "how tos" of teaching, such as setting up a lesson plan, running a discussion, and grading, as well as issues specific to the teaching assistant's unique role as both student and teacher, such as working effectively with the course professor and balancing teaching with graduate studies.
While some of the text addresses only first-time teachers, experienced teaching assistants can learn new teaching strategies from the material and use the specific lesson plans provided to vary their pedagogical approach. In addition, sections addressing the needs of international teaching assistants, questions of authority, diversity in the classroom, and various learning styles will also prove helpful to many. (From the Publisher)
Written from the perspective of both professors who have been in the classroom for many years and inexperienced teachers of the "I wish someone had told me" variety, First Day to Final Grade should be every graduate student's first step in teaching. The guiding principle of this book is that, while theoretical wisdom about teaching is important, graduate students need specific, practical answers to questions that arise during the semester.
The text is written to function as a quick reference tool, but is equally effective when read from start to finish in preparation for teaching. It focuses on the "how tos" of teaching, such as setting up a lesson plan, running a discussion, and grading, as well as issues specific to the teaching assistant's unique role as both student and teacher, such as working effectively with the course professor and balancing teaching with graduate studies.
While some of the text addresses only first-time teachers, experienced teaching assistants can learn new teaching strategies from the material and use the specific lesson plans provided to vary their pedagogical approach. In addition, sections addressing the needs of international teaching assistants, questions of authority, diversity in the classroom, and various learning styles will also prove helpful to many. (From the Publisher)