GTA teaching practice development in the time of Covid-19: A collective reflective on how "having the chats" led to much more

Abstract

Postgraduate research students who teach, also referred to as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), have consistently been described as essential contributors to Higher Education (HE), given the crucial teaching role that they perform (Austin, 2002; Luft et al., 2004; Gardner & Jones, 2011; Roden, Jakob, Roehrig et al., 2018; Holland, 2018; Fung, 2021; Hastie, 2021). However, it has been noted that, frequently, the only opportunity provided for GTAs to engage with personal and professional development is through their allocated teaching hours, most of which are on common introductory or practical modules, which form the staple part of the GTA teaching experience (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Ellis, 2014; Schussler et al., 2015). In many cases, these are conducted in isolation from other GTAs or Faculty members, leading to teaching becoming somewhat of an isolating experience. As such, GTAs often struggle to find the space and time to develop their teaching identity with other GTAs. Adopting a qualitative approach, this co-authored paper, which we describe as a ‘collective reflective’, details how, through involvement in a peer support initiative, we, as a group of GTAs, were able to reflect on our role and shape our identity as teachers. Together, we delve into the thoughts and discussions that we shared on this journey. Our considerations from this reflective piece highlight the importance of building supportive communities for GTAs, not only to allow for reflection on professional development but also to engender a sense of belonging amongst GTAs.