Supporting your international graduate students

How to support your ITAs

The International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) is available to support your international teaching assistants (ITAs) as they make progress in their English proficiency.

Research and anecdotal evidence inform us that expressions of faculty support motivate and encourage students. When departments demonstrate their support and alignment with Cornell’s language proficiency policy, their ITAs often show more effort and growth in their language development.

Acknowledge to your students that living and working in a new place can be challenging, and that adjustment to the language and culture can take time.

• Engage in casual conversation with students about how they are settling in at Cornell and in Ithaca. If you’re comfortable, share your own experiences and suggestions when relevant.
• Demonstrate curiosity and respect for the students’ home culture and language. Learn the proper spelling and pronunciation of their names.
• Ask about their academic background and discuss their perceptions of differences and similarities between their prior academic experiences and Cornell’s academic culture.
• Offer your support and understanding as students acclimate to life at Cornell. This can have a great impact on students’ feelings of well-being and belonging.

Acknowledge the ITAP requirements and support your students as they work to fulfill those requirements.

• Share with your students the department and University’s rationale for this requirement in that the goal is for them and their undergraduates to have the best possible learning and teaching experiences.
• Cornell University policy states that ITAs who have not yet reached the Advanced Low level of English proficiency are required to enroll in an ITAP course, either before assuming TA duties (intermediate mid), or while working as a TA (intermediate high).
• ITAP courses include two 75-minute class periods each week as well as biweekly individual conferences with the instructor. Attendance and regular homework completion are mandatory to receive an “S" grade.
• Before course registration, speak with your ITAs about departmental time obligations so they can choose an ITAP class time that will not conflict with their other obligations. Once they have registered, honor their time commitment to ITAP.

Familiarize yourself with the ITA language proficiency requirement

• ITAs must achieve Advanced Low* on the ACTFL proficiency scale
• Speakers at the Advanced Low proficiency level demonstrate that they can consistently:
  • describe with detail in past, present, and future tenses
  • narrate with detail in past, present, and future tenses
  • speak in full paragraphs, using transition words and phrases to logically connect ideas (e.g., after beginning the experiment, on the other hand, for instance)
  • speak about topics of personal (hobbies, experiences) and general interest (current events, news)
  • use vocabulary related to a broad range of topics, including those outside their area of expertise
  • be understood by people unaccustomed to interacting with non-native speakers of English
• Many typical interactions do not go into sufficient depth to activate Advanced level speech. Try to engage your ITAs in deeper conversation that targets the relevant skills listed above.  

View your students’ language development as an important component of their professional development

• Many ITAs report that they welcome and appreciate feedback on their language, but they rarely receive this type of feedback outside of the language classroom. If you are concerned about the way it might be received, have an initial conversation to ask permission to address your student’s language; then give feedback.
• Students in ITAP courses work with instructors to identify areas for personal language improvement. Ask your ITAs about their language priorities and offer your support in reaching these goals (e.g., providing informal feedback).
• If possible, offer your ITAs the opportunity to lead some parts of a lesson or discussion to let them practice their speaking skills in a safe environment. Ask the ITA what language feedback would be helpful for them, and debrief after the class.   
• Offer your ITAs the opportunity to collect midterm feedback from their students; include a section in the survey focusing on language and communication. Feel free to reach out to the CTI for a consultation on how to approach this effort.
• In addition to engaging in discussions about research ideas and progress, build in opportunities to provide language feedback as well. Demonstrate that good communication skills are important for all students in your department, whether English is their first or an additional language.
• While working with ITAs in your courses, highlight the essential vocabulary related to each lesson, along with brief practice of the proper pronunciation for the words.
• Acknowledge that even native speakers sometimes make pronunciation mistakes, especially regarding words they’ve learned through reading but have not heard others pronounce.
• Encourage your students to take part in regular social activities to immerse themselves in the language and build connections with others.
• Consider framing some department activities to intentionally include opportunities for all graduate students to engage each other in informal in-depth conversation. For example, brief discussion activities before meetings that engage speakers at the Advanced Low proficiency level (see above) can also act as get-acquainted activities. 

*The Natural Resources department requires ITAs to achieve the Advanced Mid level.
 

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