Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.
Resource Overview
The User-friendly Classroom video training series was created specifically for teaching assistants for whom English is a second language and the USA a second culture by A.C. Kemp, a lecturer in MIT Global Studies and Languages (GSL). These videos, and their associated assignments, focus on developing international teaching assistants’ strategies for successful, student-centered communication in the interactive American classroom. The videos demonstrate best practices through authentic examples of successful teaching scenarios, interviews with undergraduates and advice from international teaching assistants.
The videos and assignments were created for use with the following courses:
21G.232 / 21G.233 Advanced Speaking and Critical Listening (ELS)
21G.217 / 21G.218 Workshop in Strategies for Effective Teaching (ELS)
The instructor insights on this page are shared by A. C. Kemp, lecturer in English Language Studies.
Resource Outcomes
- Learn how to apply User Experience (UX) design thinking to pedagogical practices
- Understand what expectations undergraduate students have regarding user-friendly classroom learning experiences and how international teaching assistants can meet those expectations
- View demonstrations of effective teaching strategies
- Evaluate one’s own teaching strategies using criteria articulated in the User-friendly Classroom videos
Teaching for the first time can be pretty scary for anyone. Will my students understand my explanations? Will they spend more time looking at their Facebook page than the board? Will they ask me a question I can’t answer? In many ways, it’s a voyage into the unknown.
— A. C. Kemp
Below, A. C. Kemp describes various aspects of the User-friendly Classroom video training series and its accompanying teaching materials.