People Type: Teaching Mentor

Marianne is a PhD student in the Media and Cultural Studies area of the Communication Arts department. She has taught at UW-Madison for three years in production, media analysis, and public speaking courses. Marianne has enjoyed every TA position she’s been in for the different ways they’ve helped her develop her pedagogy, but most enjoys the first time she gets to teach a course for the excitement of trying out something new. When teaching, Marianne strives to create a learning environment that encourages students to learn with and from each other. She focuses on developing a community of mutual trust and responsibility with the hope that students feel empowered to ask questions and think critically about media, as well as their relationships to/with media and each other.

Gloria Pham is a PhD candidate in Literary Studies in the English Department. She has been teaching for three years in both the English and Asian American Studies Department. In addition to her experience as a teaching assistant for introductory literature courses, Gloria has also served as an instructor of record for the English 100 program. Her favorite class to teach is “Asian American Literary and Popular Culture,” which encourages students to develop critical awareness about the ways that structures of racialization inflect upon cultural production both in and outside the U.S. Her pedagogical practice is student-oriented and grounded in the belief that students should view themselves as active participants in intellectual exchange.

Avery Puskas is a doctoral candidate in Spanish Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Since 2022, Avery has taught a range of undergraduate Spanish courses. She has also previously served as Head Teaching Assistant for Spanish 101 and 102, where she supported new instructors and helped to coordinate multi-section courses. She is currently teaching Spanish 226, her favorite course, because students develop not only their language skills but also their writing skills and leave the class as confident and capable writers and speakers in Spanish. Avery’s teaching emphasizes communicative practice, inclusive classroom environments, and helping students build confidence as language users. She strives to create supportive spaces where students feel comfortable participating, taking risks, and engaging with language and culture.

Cassidy began teaching as a writing center tutor during her time as an undergraduate student. She is now a PhD candidate teaching rhetoric, politics, and culture courses in the Communication Arts department. Her work as a tutor has informed her student-centered approach to teaching. As a teacher, Cassidy is committed to creating an inclusive discussion-based environment that encourages students to think critically and to challenge their own perspectives. She views teaching as an opportunity to foster discussions that engage with student interests and that are facilitated by transparency, curiosity, and care.

Ethan (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in the Mathematics Department. At UW Madison, he has served as a TA for a variety of calculus courses, as well as a lecturer for pre-calculus math courses such as College Algebra and Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving. In his classroom, he focuses not only on teaching mathematics but on developing first year students’ college skills and independence as learners. He is also interested in inquiry-based learning (IBL) teaching methods. He has created IBL lessons that are designed to both center the student in the classroom and encourage learners to see themselves as mathematicians. He takes great pride in watching his students grow mathematically and as people in their college journeys. Outside of the university, he enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing board games with friends.

John is a 4th year Mathematics PhD student, and has taught courses ranging from Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving to Multivariable Calculus. Most of John’s students are first and second years majoring in areas outside of math or STEM, so it’s John’s goal to leave them with an impression of mathematics that transcends formalisms (math isn’t just symbol manipulation nor a random collection of rules to be memorized!) and give them the skills to reason abstractly in the contexts that are relevant to them. Whenever possible, students are exploring course content through guided inquiry lessons or developing and defending their ideas as they are applied to real-world scenarios. By designing classroom experiences around investigation, collaboration, and reflection, John aims to empower students to make the mathematics their own and develop themselves as self-regulated learners. John loves seeing students grow, even over just a semester!

Alex is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry and has taught General Chemistry courses for two years. He enjoys teaching students during whole class, discussion section, and lab. Teaching chemistry offers many challenges and learning opportunities as we ask students to connect macroscale observable phenomena to complicated molecular scale explanations. To help student overcome this challenging task, Alex has found success in activating students’ prior knowledge and leveraging their life experience by using guiding questions. He believes that students learn most efficiently when they are active participants in their learning process. By conducting frequent formative assessments, students can check their understanding and correct misconceptions early. Alex feels a responsibility to maximize each student’s learning opportunity by respecting their situations and providing flexibility in how each student is allowed to achieve learning objectives.