Day: June 1, 2017

Things really started picking up again this week and I was back to being fully booked. We also had our second exam cram this Thursday. This one was just as successful as the last one and thankfully this time around we were prepared for the large amount of students we going to have. We had plenty more Java 1 students than Java 2 students this time around since only Java 1 classes have midterms coming up. Just like last time we received a lot of positive feedback from the students and our bosses which is always great. The Java 2 students have been working a lot with GUI programming lately and helping them with that occupies most of my time.

This week was the first week back from reading week so it was pretty dead but definitely better than last week. Drop ins and study groups started up again but the attendance for both was understandably low. Appointments were back to usual with most of them being about java assignment help, OO review, or some more web programming. I have to say over the course of this term my web development skills have really improved, which has been a very welcome bonus about working here. I also feel that my communication skills have improved so much which is exactly what I was looking for on this term. Student feedback has continued to be great as well which is really nice.

This week was reading week so most of the students were off. Because of this classes, drop-ins and all study sessions were cancelled. The week was pretty boring since obviously we weren’t going to have many appointments, however it was fun to have a chill week and hang out with the other tutors. I spent most of my free time working on take home FAQ study sheets for the students.

This week was midterms for a lot of the students so we were very busy. I was completely booked for appointments and my drop-in times were also always packed. It was really cool and I like being able to help so many students, and I received plenty of good feedback about how much I helped some of the students which was nice. The in class time was pretty boring to be honest as I was either helping do review, or facilitating exams. It wasn’t that bad though and it was a welcome break on some of the busier days. It’s reading week next week so I don’t expect to be busy at all, which makes me enjoy the busier times even more.

We received more good feedback this week about the exam cram. The only downside was that we had way more students then we had planned for so we were over crowded and lacking pizza. Fortunately we made plans to fix this for future exam crams, and have too many students is honestly more good than it is bad. I spent most of this week supervising students who came in to either redo the exam cram as extra review, or try it for the first if they missed it for some reason. This was in addition to the usual appointments and drop ins and class time. We’re starting to get really busy as exams approach and I’m basically fully booked which makes the day go by faster.

This week we had our first exam cram on Thursday!! Basically what happens is about a week before the students have their midterm/exam we throw an all day study session to get them ready for it. Our idea was to have a large “mock exam” filled with a bunch of questions that students can expect on their midterm. While they work on it they’re free to collaborate with other students, or ask us if they’re unclear. There’s also pizza which was awesome. We had some really good feedback from the students and overall the day went really well. The turnout was way beyond what anyone expected and we got some great feedback from our bosses which was really cool. Besides the exam cram my week was normal, starting to get a bit busier now since exams are approaching which is exciting.

I finished my first month this week which was cool and exciting. Overall this first month has been pretty relaxing. I haven’t had a hard time to get settled in, my coworkers are nice, the students are great, and I love teaching. I feel like I’m well on my way to vastly improving my communication skills as well as my OO skills which were my main goals this term. This week in general was very similar to last week. Appointments were steady, drop-ins and study groups were hit and miss, and classes were fun. Overall another solid week.

This week things starting getting busier and more exciting. The students have assignments to work on now and they are now full speed ahead on the course material. I’m getting a lot more appointments now which is great and I’ve even had several students come for drop ins. I’m getting some very good feedback from the students which is nice and I’m starting to feel more comfortable in a teaching role. Most of my appointments are obviously for Java related questions and assignments, but I have also been getting a couple students come in for web programming help. I’m not the best or the most familiar with web development but it’s nice to learn and it is refreshing to have a new topic to discuss.

In my second week things started to pick up some more. I’m starting to get more appointments which is nice, and class time is starting to become more about teaching and helping the students as the semester gets under way. We also have these weekly study sessions where any group of students can come to class run by myself and i’ll teach them material or help them with any questions they have. Apparently these die down later in the semester but this week they were very packed which was cool and exciting. Besides the appointments and class time students can also come to drop-in sessions with us for quick questions, however being the start of the semester and since they don’t have any assignments coming up, these have been very dead. Most of my work so far has been helping students get setup as well as a lot of review, but it’s been fun.

My first week at Sheridan was pretty uneventful. I had a training session last Wednesday which was pretty basic, and obviously in the first week people don’t really require that much help in the first week. My work consisted mostly of extra training here and there, as well as getting used to the new setting and the new title. Being a learning assistant is very different to my previous terms at Canadian Tire, and I do miss the regular programming, but I feel that I’m going to like teaching as well and it’s going to be great for my communication skills. The other learning assistants seem pretty cool too which is nice. I only had a couple of appointments this week and class time was spent mostly introducing myself and the learning center. Overall it was a good first week.