Communication Strategies for Multilingual Teaching Assistants: Best Practices for the American College Classroom
CATE TA Workshops
August 19, 2026
3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Location
Lincoln Hall Room 101
Address
707 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL
Calendar
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Overview
Presented by the International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP), and geared towards new international graduate TAs, this workshop will provide an overview of the roles and expectations in the American college classroom. Participants will be introduced to actionable strategies to prepare for teaching the first day of class, discuss best practices for interacting with students and practice with real classroom scenarios.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe common roles, responsibilities, and expectations for teaching assistants in the American college classroom
- Identify effective strategies to prepare for and confidently lead the first day of class.
- Practice clear and culturally responsive communication techniques for interacting with students
- Recognize available campus resources, including the ITAP team, the English development courses (GC 509, 510 & 511), and OCI assessment, and how they support teaching success
WORKSHOP FORMAT: This workshop will be held in Lincoln Hall room 120 (707 S. Morgan Street).
WORKSHOP FACILITATOR: International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) Staff, Vandana Loebel, Director, vloomba@uic.edu
WORKSHOP CONTACT: teaching@uic.edu
Inclusivity & Accessibility Information: CATE is committed to making events accessible. In-person events typically involve a combination of presentation and discussion-based activities. We welcome ASL interpreters, note-takers, and accompanying assistants to in-person CATE events.
TA workshops will take place in-person primarily in Lincoln Hall, 707 S. Morgan St with larger capacity workshops being held in Lecture Center C, 802 S. Morgan St. To access the second floor of Lincoln Hall there is an elevator in Grant Hall with skybridge access to the second and third floors of Lincoln Hall via Douglas Hall (UIC campus map).
Accessible restrooms are available on the first and second floors of Lincoln Hall and Douglas Hall, and an accessible all gender restroom is available on the first floor of Douglas Hall next to the women's restroom. There are 20 fully separated all gender bathroom stalls in Lecture Center E (806 S. Halsted St.) located on the West side of the building. To find additional all-gender restrooms visit the all-gender restroom campus map on the gender and sexuality center website.
For more access info or access requests, please email teaching@uic.edu.
Date posted
Jul 10, 2026
Date updated
Jul 10, 2026