You (the TA) have a lot of leeway as to how to conduct your section. Part of the effectiveness of the sections comes from the flexibility you are given to respond on an individual basis and to respond to changing conditions.We do ask you to respect the general guidelines discussed in sections 1-3 and 5 as far as worksheet creation and section activities go. In addition, please
Give Weekly Quizzes
We also ask you to give a weekly quiz (either one required by the professor or one of your own). It can be graded by the UGA or the TA--or, you can even have the students try correcting each other’s sometimes. These should be medium-length affairs that are neither too short, nor consume too much of the section.
Respond to Homework
Collect and return homeworks. Now that there are no graders, the students will benefit greatly from having at least some of the problems checked by the UGA.
Offer Review Sections
Be sure to schedule it far enough ahead of time with Lana or Lilia so that you can have it at PDP. Often there is some funding for pizza for the students (and this greatly enhances attendance!). Mock exams are strongly encouraged, too--see the archives in the Dana Center for copies of old exams.
Take and Enforce Attendence
Make it clear to the students that attendance is mandatory and that the Math 98 unit is not automatically determined by their grade in the course. To nip attendance problems in the bud, it might be wise to set as policy that a student cannot miss more than three classes and still get credit for the section. At every class the UGA should take attendance. If a student misses more than one class in a row, the UGA (or the TA) should call the student at home, before the next class. If a student misses any more sections, tell Lana about it. Remember that the attendance rule isn’t intended to punish students with legitimate reasons for absence but to stop students from falling behind. (PDP TA Reference Handbook, 8-23-96)