University of Delaware
International Teaching Assistant Training Program

Winter Program

The University of Delaware's International Teaching Assistant Training Program is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and administered by the English Language Institute (ELI). The program is held for two weeks in January before the international teaching assistants (ITAs) assume their instructional duties in the Spring Semester. Participants are required to have a minimum of 45 on the SPEAK test to qualify for the program.

Program Description

Linguistically oriented, the program focuses on language use for instructional purposes and provides an orientation to American classroom culture and basic pedagogy.

The program consists of a Culture/Pedagogy class and includes:

Daily classroom communication activities such as:

Cultural orientation to the American university classroom is addressed in the culture/pedagogy class and in the context of mock teaching situations and feedback on these sessions. Additional issues addressed include such topics as:

  1. Issues of concern in American higher education and at the University of Delaware;
  2. The background and selection of University of Delaware students;
  3. Acceptable and unacceptable student behavior and campus resources available for problem students;
  4. The ITA experience and American students' expectations of foreign instructors.

The pedagogical component of the program focuses on practicing skills such as:

  1. Making effective oral explanations;
  2. Asking and answering questions and leading discussions;
  3. Tutoring and conferencing techniques;
  4. Establishing rapport and a good classroom environment;
  5. Recognizing and handling acceptable and unacceptable student behavior;

All instruction is contextualized in a series of video-recorded teaching demonstrations made by the participants in a variety of simulated teaching situations. Recorded performances are reviewed and critiqued with the instructors for linguistic clarity, cultural appropriateness, and pedagogical effectiveness.

The ELI tests the participants at the beginning and the end of the program for their oral English competency, using the SPEAK, a test of spoken English proficiency. At the end of the program the participants are also tested with the UDIA, a teaching test which supplements the SPEAK by assessing overall language skills, cultural skills, questioning skills and basic teaching skills. These final tests are used to determine participant readiness for instructional duties.

For more information, contact:

Ken Hyde, Coordinator
English Language Institute University of Delaware
108 East Main St. Newark, Ste. 200, DE 19711
Telephone: (302) 831-2567
Email: kenny@udel.edu