AZCALL 2020
Virtual Conference
See You on the Flip Side: Flipping the TA Orientation
Hope Anderson, Anne Walton-Ramirez, & Steven Flanagan; Arizona State University
Biography
Hope M. Anderson is Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Spanish Language Acquisition in the School of International Letters & Cultures at Arizona State, mentoring teaching assistants in the Second Language Spanish program and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. She holds a doctorate in Second Language Acquisition & Teaching from the University of Arizona. She previously coordinated hybrid Spanish at the University of Arizona and lower-level Spanish at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research interests include hybrid language pedagogy and curriculum design. Her book Blended Basic Language Courses: Design, Pedagogy, and Implementation was published by Routledge Research in 2018.
Co-presenters' Bios below
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Co-presenters' Biographies
Anne Walton-Ramirez has been teaching Spanish at Arizona State University since 1996 and became full-time faculty in 1999. She currently serves as Coordinator for Upper-Division Second Language Courses in the Tempe campus program. In 2015, she graduated with a Ph.D. in English linguistics from ASU. She currently teaches Spanish language classes and introduction to linguistics in English and Spanish. Her research interests include second language acquisition, bilingual child language acquisition, syntax, and translation. She is very involved with the Arizona Language Association and currently serves as the organization’s Executive Secretary.
Steven Flanagan is an instructor of Spanish who has studied and worked at ASU since 2013. He has spent time in Mexico as well as several years living and working in Spain while he attended the Universitat d’Alacant. He has taught various basic, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses in both hybrid and online formats. His primary focus is to contribute in meaningful ways to the pedagogical and service growth of the Spanish and Portuguese faculty group and the university. In addition, he conducts research on post-secondary teacher training, language curriculum design, and online/hybrid language learning related to increasing student success.
Abstract
The orientation for new teaching assistants is an opportunity to establish expectations, model pedagogy, and create community (Lord, 2013). Putting this orientation online due to the pandemic has obvious challenges for both pedagogy and community, but it also provides an opportunity to model online and hybrid pedagogy. It is also more convenient to bring in guest speakers and make use of online content. This presentation reports on the strengths and challenges of the Fall 2020 online orientation for new Spanish TAs at Arizona State University. In an effort to use the flipped approach, new asynchronous Canvas modules were created to provide bite-sized content (videos, readings, activities) ahead of Zoom sessions, create community through discussion boards, and model flipping the classroom to prepare TAs to teach hybrid courses. Zoom sessions were used for practical application of concepts, guest presenters, and teaching practice. Materials were designed keeping in mind the importance of integrating synchronous and asynchronous components to scaffold learning and support pedagogical objectives (Murphy & Southgate, 2011). At the conclusion of the orientation, TAs were surveyed about their experience and recommendations for next year and to identify the largest gaps in their preparation to address during future professional development. Materials, experiences, and survey results will be shared to help other program coordinators develop flipped orientations not only for this new normal, but to help make the most of future orientations, whether in-person or virtual.
