Educating Teaching Assistants in New Models for Teaching and Learning

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Chemistry (12) During the 1990s, NSF funded five chemistry initiatives as major efforts to improve undergraduate chemistry education by using new pedagogical strategies for increasing student engagement in their own learning processes. Evaluations done by the ModularChem Consortium and the ChemLinks coalition showed learning gains across institutions for students using the new materials. In small class settings, students also reported significantly greater enjoyment of the course as well as the feeling that the course met their needs better than the traditional counterparts, attitudes not shared by the majority of students in large class settings. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that in order for the chemistry reform efforts to succeed, they must be successful in large "lecture" classes. Even when faculty are well versed in new models for teaching and learning and are committed to the shift from a teacher-centered environment to a student-center environment, the effort may not succeed because of the deeply socialized, conservative views of science teaching and learning held by the Teaching Assistants. Systemic reform efforts in institutions with large lecture classes may depend upon the extent to which Teaching Assistants understand and see the usefulness of new models of teaching and learning. Since large universities are also the source for significant numbers of the future chemistry faculty, the ultimate success of reform efforts may well depend upon the education of Teaching Assistants. Providing Teaching Assistants with the experiences and tools that they need to understand, support, and contribute to reform efforts is the primary purpose of this project. These experiences and tools are included in three Handbooks as follows: 1) Training Handbook for instructors who train Teaching Assistants prior to the beginning of a course. This handbook contains detailed descriptions of how to teach 2-hour sessions on various topics about teaching and learning using inquiry-based methods. 2) Pedagogy Handbook for instructors to use during the term to provide continued support to Teaching Assistants so that they may gain skill in new models for teaching and learning. This Handbook contains 30-minute activities that address issues in pedagogy that arise during the semester. 3) Chemistry Concepts Handbook for Teaching Assistants to use as they discuss various concepts in chemistry with their students. This Handbook contains discussion worksheets for recitation sessions that are aimed at helping students confront their misconceptions and providing evidence to help them modify their ideas. Examples of ideas that students hold and how to discuss these ideas productively with students is being provided. All materials are being tested at a variety of institutional types, and refined to ensure their effectiveness for diverse Teaching Assistant populations. At present this includes the University of New Mexico, which is designated as both a Carnegie I Research Institution and a Minority/ Hispanic-Service Institution, and New Mexico State University with its coalition partners, Eastern New Mexico University and Northern Arizona University. The impact of these materials is being evaluated through written assessments, focus groups, and comparisons of undergraduate student performance. The materials are being broadly disseminated by presentations at professional meetings, by presentations at workshops sponsored by Chemistry Connections, and on the World Wide Web. We are working with a publisher to promote distribution of these materials to accompany textbooks and modules.