Teaching First Years

Teaching first-year students in 2019 was a new experience for me, which taught me a lot as an educator. The most important lesson I learned was to slow down and not take anything for granted. Every student in my classroom came from different backgrounds, with different exposures to writing, and managing courses. They did not know things we take for granted in our later years – free Microsoft accounts from the university, the writing centre, how to use the library search engine, etc. After a few missteps or alarming conversations with students who were about to buy a subscription to Microsoft, I knew I needed to change my approach. Now in my second year of teaching a first-year class, I take time at the start of the semester to provide links and information to my students about how to navigate the university. I provide writing workshops and ask about their experiences with writing to try my best to tailor the workshop to the needs of the tutorial. I try to do fewer activities and I focus on ensuring we get a good understanding of one thing in each of my tutorials. This way, students will be equipped with the tools to navigate York University while also being successful in the course.