Biology graduate teaching assistants as novice educators: Are there similarities in teaching ability and practice beliefs between teaching assistants and K‐12 teachers?

The Effects of Practice-Based Training on Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Classroom Practices

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.16-05-0162 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. ar58 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Erin A. Becker ◽

Erin J. Easlon ◽

Sarah C. Potter ◽

Alberto Guzman-Alvarez ◽

Jensen M. Spear ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Training Program ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Teaching Assistants ◽

Student Participation ◽

Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Video Footage ◽

Graduate Teaching ◽

Complex Skill ◽

K 12

Evidence-based teaching is a highly complex skill, requiring repeated cycles of deliberate practice and feedback to master. Despite existing well-characterized frameworks for practice-based training in K–12 teacher education, the major principles of these frameworks have not yet been transferred to instructor development in higher educational contexts, including training of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). We sought to determine whether a practice-based training program could help GTAs learn and use evidence-based teaching methods in their classrooms. We implemented a weekly training program for introductory biology GTAs that included structured drills of techniques selected to enhance student practice, logic development, and accountability and reduce apprehension. These elements were selected based on their previous characterization as dimensions of active learning. GTAs received regular performance feedback based on classroom observations. To quantify use of target techniques and levels of student participation, we collected and coded 160 h of video footage. We investigated the relationship between frequency of GTA implementation of target techniques and student exam scores; however, we observed no significant relationship. Although GTAs adopted and used many of the target techniques with high frequency, techniques that enforced student participation were not stably adopted, and their use was unresponsive to formal feedback. We also found that techniques discussed in training, but not practiced, were not used at quantifiable frequencies, further supporting the importance of practice-based training for influencing instructional practices.

Download Full-text

The Effects of Practice-based Training on Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Classroom Practices

10.1101/115295 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Erin A. Becker ◽

Erin J. Easlon ◽

Sarah C. Potter ◽

Alberto Guzman-Alvarez ◽

Jensen M. Spear ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Training Program ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Teaching Assistants ◽

Student Participation ◽

Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Video Footage ◽

Graduate Teaching ◽

Complex Skill ◽

K 12

AbstractEvidence-based teaching is a highly complex skill, requiring repeated cycles of deliberate practice and feedback to master. Despite existing well characterized frameworks for practice-based training in K-12 teacher education, the major principles of these frameworks have not yet been transferred to instructor development in higher educational contexts, including training of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). We sought to determine whether a practice-based training program could help GTAs learn and use evidence-based teaching methods in their classrooms. We implemented a weekly training program for introductory biology GTAs, which included structured drills of techniques selected to enhance student practice, logic-development, and accountability and reduce apprehension. GTAs received regular performance feedback based on classroom observations. To quantify use of target techniques and levels of student participation, we collected and coded 160 hours of video footage. We found that, although GTAs adopted and utilized many of the target techniques with high frequency, techniques which enforced student participation were not stably adopted and their use was unresponsive to formal feedback. We also found that techniques discussed in training, but not practiced, were not used at quantifiable frequencies, further supporting the importance of practice-based training for influencing instructional practices.

Download Full-text

Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.14-09-0153 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. ar32 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sue Ellen DeChenne ◽

Natalie Koziol ◽

Mark Needham ◽

Larry Enochs

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Teaching Assistants ◽

Teaching Experience ◽

Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Graduate Teaching ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

K 12

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs.

Download Full-text