All consultations are confidential and are designed to assist GSIs in their professional development as instructors. The consultants are either GSI Teaching & Resource Center staff or doctoral candidates with extensive GSI experience who work at the Center as peer teaching consultants.

Teaching Consultations

If you are a UC Berkeley graduate student and would like to request a teaching consultation, please fill out the consultation request form.

Classroom Observations

We offer classroom observations by trained GSI Center teaching consultants. Our usual procedure is for one of our consultants to meet with the GSI a few days before the observation. The purpose of this first meeting is to get to know the GSI a bit and discuss his or her lesson plan for the session as well as any specific issues the GSI would like feedback on. The consultant then comes to the GSI’s section to observe, and to record the section on video if the GSI requests it. The GSI and consultant meet again a few days afterward to discuss how the session went and to identify any areas of teaching the GSI would like to work on in further developing his or her skills. If the class has been recorded, the GSI and teaching consultant each review the video before meeting again to discuss strategies for improvement.

For a taste of what the process is like, see the short article Learning from a Videotape of One’s Own Classroom Teaching.

If you would like to request a classroom observation, please fill out the consultation request form.

Consultations on Teaching Materials for the Academic Job Search

GSIs preparing for the academic job search usually need to develop ways to represent their teaching to faculty search committees. A concise yet substantial statement of teaching philosophy is an essential element of most applicant dossiers. Portfolios may or may not be requested, but graduate students who develop their teaching portfolios report that they feel much better prepared to discuss their teaching experience and approach with prospective employers.

If you would like to request a consultation, please fill out the consultation request form. For consultations on teaching portfolios and statements of teaching philosophy, please request an appointment in advance so that we have time to review your draft materials.

Feedback on Course Syllabi

GSI Center staff offer consultations to review a course syllabus that a GSI is developing, whether the syllabus is for the academic job search or for a course the GSI plans to teach in the near future.

If you would like to request a syllabus consultation, please fill out the consultation request form.