My work has changed enormously over the past few years.
Luc Smeets has been a Technical Teaching Assistant (TAA) in physics at Roer College for over 20 years. He prefers to call it an instructor role and gives practical lessons to students from pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO) years 2 through pre-university education (VWO) years 6. Central Limburg Education Foundation he followed a tailor-made course At Summa. "You do a lot of things on autopilot, but what exactly is a student like? And what are my strengths and weaknesses in the classroom?"
Luc Smeets graduated as a Biotechnical Laboratory Technician. "I had absolutely no teaching experience. However, I had an affinity for speaking in front of large groups thanks to my stage hobby, and as a football coach, I discovered I really enjoyed coaching. I took a leap of faith and went into education as a practical physics instructor. There, I suddenly found myself working with students, giving instructions, initiating lessons, and much more."
Technical teaching assistant
Roercollege is affiliated with the Stichting Onderwijs Midden-Limburg (Midden-Limburg Education Foundation). They contacted Summa about a customized, in-company course. Working as a technical teaching assistant has changed dramatically in recent years. You now work much more independently. The course was well-designed; in eight sessions, we learned theory and then worked on case studies ourselves. Our instructor was incredibly good at observing, listening, and adjusting. This way, we got to know different types of students and learned how to identify problems they have. Ultimately, you put all that knowledge into practice, in the classroom.
To learn from each other
“There were many different types in my class. Teaching assistants from practical subjects like healthcare, but also from theoretical subjects. That was an interesting mix. For example, I saw things very differently than colleagues in other fields. I discovered my own strengths and weaknesses and created a personal development plan. These are valuable tools. And there's still so much more to learn as a technical teaching assistant. I wish the course had lasted much longer: I'm far from done learning.