All PTYS students are required to work as teaching assistants for at least one semester. This can be done as either a 0.5 FTE or 0.25 FTE. Most students typically serve as TAs for LPL professors teaching the lower level undergraduate classes. These classes are intended for non-science majors who are enrolled in the class in order to fulfill a general education requirement.
Your tasks as a TA will vary from professor to professor, and whether or not you are a 0.25-time or 0.5-time TA, but typically include holding office hours, grading assignments and exams, maintaining the gradebook or other administrative duties, and occasionally leading the class and giving lectures when the professor is unavailable. Often times, most LPL professors are open to having you give lectures if you wish to practice your teaching skills; work with your professor to see if you can do this and be sure to ask for his or her feedback.
Students with extensive previous teaching experience may petition the GAAC to reduce or waive the teaching requirement. Also, students with special circumstances (disabilities, severe language problems, etc.) may petition the GAAC to fulfill their teaching requirements with an alternative plan that provides an equivalent or superior teaching experience. (e.g. develop lab experiments or special class projects).