TA Skills for Managing Discussion

The following nine skills are fundamental to leading an effective discussion section. Each skill has associated material that provides more details on how to implement in the classroom.

1. Planning
   1. Intro to planning
   2. Discussion section lesson plan template
   3. Semester planning template
2. Creating an environment for student learning
   1. Intro to creating an environment for learning
   2. Making your expectations a reality
   3. Promoting classroom civility
3. Modeling
   1. Intro to Modeling
4. Effective questioning
   1. Intro to effective questioning
   2. Cognitive complexity of questions
5. Facilitating group discussion
   1. Intro to facilitating group discussion
   2. Getting discussion started
   3. How to get everyone participating
   4. How to handle silence
   5. Using writing to improve discussion
6. Establishing a partnership with faculty
   1. Intro to establishing a partnership
7. Creating tangible outcomes
   1. Intro to creating tangible outcomes
8. Promoting self-directed learning
   1. Techniques for promoting self-directed learning
   2. Responding to student questions
9. Assessing learning in the classroom
   1. Intro to assessing learning