Selling TAs on Learner Centered Education

1. Selling TAs on Learner Centered Education Steven L Brown Department of Chemistry University of Arizona

2. The Problem Our Laboratory courses are taught by teaching assistants: novice educators with little or no knowledge of teaching theories and practices. To effectively create a LCE environment in such a course requires modifying not only the lab course but also the training of the teaching assistants.

3. Structure the training of teaching assistants to incorporate LCE principles in such a way that the TAs would be more likely to incorporate LCE principles into their own teaching. The Proposal

4. Lab Course Paradigm A learner-centered classroom. Constructivist assignments. Collaborative learning. Discovery-based experimentation. We insist that students take ownership of their own learning. We are learning facilitators.

5. Teaching Teaching What is practical? Preterm training In service training

6. Teaching Teaching How do we do it? Modeling

7. TA Training and Orientation Program Required of all new teaching assistants prior to the first term they teach.

8. TA Training & Orientation Program The Basics • The usual collection of assessment exams commonly known as “qualifiers” • The standard “meet and greet” by the administrators. • Department Policies and Procedures. • “True Colors” Personality Inventory. • “Red Cross CPR & First Aid Training Class”.

9. TA Training & Orientation Program Workshops • # 1. “Who are our students?”. An introduction to our undergraduate chemistry course offerings and the students who populate them. • # 2. “What do we mean by ‘teaching’?”. A group development of the concept of teaching and how it applies to chemical education. • # 3. “Professionalism”. Maintaining the proper professional demeanor while teaching.

10. More Workshops • # 4. “Teaching Methodologies”. Our current understanding of how learning is achieved in an academic setting. • # 5. “Department of Chemistry Teaching Laboratory Policies and Procedures”. How things get done. • # 6. “Teaching Laboratory Safety”. Responsibilities of a teaching assistant.

11. Even More Workshops • # 7. “Lecturing and Tutoring Techniques”. An introduction to the issues and some suggestions on approach. • # 8. “Evaluating Students and Issuing Grades”. A discussion of grading systems, keeping records, grade distributions, etc. • # 9. “TA Evaluation”. Review of the process used to evaluate TAs, the rewards and other possible outcomes. • # 10. “Introduction to the lab”. Overview of first day in lab activities.

12. TA Training & Orientation Program Assignments • Lab Skill Evaluation. Students are observed performing selected gen chem techniques. • Practice presentations. Each student is assigned to give a 10 minute presentation to their peers on one of the freshman experiments. Peer critique follows presentation.

13. TA Training & Orientation Program Assignments • Mock Lab. Groups are to perform assigned experiments. Technique to be formally evaluated by instructional staff. • Practice lab report grading assignment. Students are given three reports to grade which are discussed during the report grading workshop.

14. TA Training & Orientation Program Key Features • Frequent assessment of student knowledge and skill. • Stress on student participation in workshops and through assignments. • Modeling of LCE Principles while presenting them. • Modeling the teaching we wish for them to employ.

15. Chem 595c: College Teaching A one-credit colloquium course. Meets one day each week for ¾ of the semester. Grade based on five assignments.

16. Assessment in a learner-centered lab class. Evaluating lab reports. Students are required to bring along three, graded reports. Their grading is be peer evaluated. Writing exams. Identifying learning. Student are assigned to observe two peer classes and evaluate the teaching methodologies employed. Mid-term exam evaluation. Students are required to bring a copy of the midterm exam they prepared for evaluation. Determining and issuing final grades. Peer Observation Discussion & Review of TA Evaluation Procedures. College Teaching Topics

17. Class Assignments • Self evaluation of teaching plan. • Group assessment of report grading. • Group assessment of exams. • Group assessment of exam outcomes. • Peer evaluation of two group members.

18. The First Homework Assignment Self-evaluation of Presentation Techniques. Students are assigned to tape one of their own pre-lab lectures and then listen to the tap and compare what they hear to their original design for the presentation.

19. The Second Homework Assignment Students are assigned to observe two classes taught by their peers and to evaluate how effectively the teaching methodologies employed meet Learner-Centered Education Principles.

22. “Hallie’s class was extremely different from Sung Yuen’s class. When Hallie began lecture, she simply asked, “Are there any questions?” Several students asked questions about the lab, all of which demonstrated that they had prepared for the lab. It was entirely learner centered since Hallie did not lecture at all. She only answered questions when they were brought up by the students. She also commonly asked the students questions as answers to their own questions… Almost all of the students appeared attentive while Hallie was answering questions. This makes sense because they did not have much of a choice…”

23. “I have found a few things from these observations that I will try to incorporate into my teaching. First, I will do my best to remove a bit of the formality that can sneak into the structure of my class. I think my students are comfortable, but they don’t necessarily loosen up until I start making playful announcements … lightheartedness seems to make them more willing to think on their own and trust their instincts. I do think some formality is necessary to keep the students responsible in the lab and when completing assignments.”

24. “Instead of simply coming over and answering the question and fixing the problem with the machine, Karen asked what they thought was the problem with the instrument or the data. One of the students began to answer, but quickly stopped for he had run into a concept that he did not understand. Moments later, the other student began to talk, picking up slightly behind where the first had stopped but continued further into the problem and question posed. This type of interaction continued, with very little direction from Karen, but instead encouragement of the students as they jointly worked to determine the problem. The answer was reached by the students to which Karen added a few minor points about other complicating issues. The students went back to work, seemingly very happy with the result… Karen’s approach fulfilled a number of the LCE goals, but most specifically helped to encourage number seven, a quality peer interaction”

25. “The TA recognized that his drawing was a bit confusing (although I think that was simply to sympathize with students that seemed confused because the drawing was very clear to me), and proceeded to explaining each part in detail. The fact that the drawing was not just assumed to be understood and some explaining was done by the TA, is a very positive aspect of this method because it allows for the TA to talk about something without loosing his students’ attention and it allows for questions, hence enhances teacher-student interactions.”

26. Gen Chem Lab Listserv Email Steve Brown at sbrown@u.arizona.edu