We don’t get any training: the impact of a professional development model on teaching practices of chemistry and biology graduate teaching assistants

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta M. Mutambuki ◽  
Renee Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Reflection Prompts ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the implementation of best teaching practices by science graduate teaching assistants [GTAs] (3 chemists and 2 biologists) in five inquiry-based, interdisciplinary chemistry-biology experiments during a six-week professional development (PD) program,EngagePD. Additionally, we examined GTAs’ experiences in implementing specific PD aspects. The PD program took place as the GTAs taught sections of biology and chemistry laboratory courses, each comprising five interdisciplinary experiments. The PD aspects included defining expected learning outcomes, subject-matter knowledge, relevance to real-world and chemistry-biology connections, and other active classroom teaching practices. Data were collected through classroom observations, reflection questionnaires, and individual interviews. Findings indicated that 57% of the PD aspects investigated were implemented in the five interdisciplinary experiments. Results also revealed GTAs’ initial areas of struggle in implementing specific PD aspects. Perceived implementation difficulties were attributed to individual perceptions and beliefs, and contextual factors. Through practice, continuous feedback, and reflections, most GTAs overcame the hurdles and refined their teaching. Findings imply the need to design training PD programs that offer mentoring and support to GTAs and future faculty in implementing teaching innovations. The teaching context and reflection prompts are helpful in identifying areas of difficulties and how to improve.

Graduate Teaching Assistants' Enactment of Reasoning-and-Proving Tasks in a Content Course for Elementary Teachers

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Cervello Rogers ◽  
Michael D. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Mathematical Tasks ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Elementary Preservice Teachers

Graduate teaching assistants serve as instructors of record for numerous undergraduate courses every semester, including serving as teachers for mathematics content courses for elementary preservice teachers. In this study, we examine 6 teaching assistants' teaching practices in the context of a geometry content course for preservice teachers by focusing on their enactment of reasoning-and-proving tasks. Results indicate that teaching assistants engaged preservice teachers in a variety of reasoning-and-proving activities. For 42 of 82 tasks observed, preservice teachers' engagement in reasoningand-proving processes decreased relative to the potential for reasoning and proving in mathematical tasks. This investigation into teaching assistants' teaching practices identifies factors associated with their enactment of reasoning-and-proving tasks (e.g., generating student participation). This research has implications for professional development to support college mathematics instructors' teaching.

scholarly journals The Impact of a Pedagogy Course on the Teaching Beliefs of Inexperienced Graduate Teaching Assistants

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. ar5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Star W. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Teaching Beliefs ◽  
Secondary School Education ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
The Impact

There has been little attention given to teaching beliefs of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), even though they represent the primary teaching workforce for undergraduate students in discussion and laboratory sections at many research universities. Secondary school education studies have shown that teaching beliefs are malleable and can be shaped by professional development, particularly for inexperienced teachers. This study characterized inexperienced GTAs’ teaching beliefs about student learning and how they change with a science-specific pedagogy course that emphasized student learning. GTA teaching beliefs were characterized as traditional (providing information to students), instructive (providing activities for students), and transitional (focusing on student–teacher relationships). At the start of the course, traditional, instructive, and transitional beliefs were emphasized comparably in the concept maps and presentations of inexperienced GTAs. At the end of the course, although GTAs’ beliefs remained mostly teacher focused, they were more instructive than traditional or transitional. GTAs included teaching strategies and jargon from the course in their concept maps but provided minimal explanations about how opportunities for active student engagement would impact student learning. These results suggest there is a need to provide ongoing discipline-specific professional development to inexperienced GTAs as they develop and strengthen their teaching beliefs about student learning.

Helping Graduate Teaching Assistants in Biology Use Student Evaluations as Professional Development

2014 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 584-588
Author(s):  
K. Denise Kendall ◽  
Matthew L. Niemiller ◽  
Dylan Dittrich-Reed ◽  
Elisabeth E. Schussler
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Novice Teachers ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Instructional Behaviors ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Laboratory Courses

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are often used as instructors in undergraduate introductory science courses, particularly in laboratory and discussion sections associated with large lectures. These GTAs are often novice teachers with little opportunity to develop their teaching skills through formal professional development. Focused self-reflection about end-of-semester teaching evaluations may be an important informal supplement to teacher training. To inform this practice, we explored the instructional behaviors that undergraduates perceived as most important for GTAs’ teaching effectiveness in laboratory courses. In spring semester 2012, 1159 undergraduates in freshman-level biology lab courses rated their GTAs on 21 instructional behaviors, the GTAs’ teaching effectiveness, the amount the student learned, and their expected grade in the laboratory. Using linear mixed models, we found that instructional behaviors related to the categories of teaching techniques and interpersonal rapport best predicted student ratings of GTAs’ teaching effectiveness. GTAs or other novice teachers can use this information to identify specific areas for instructional improvement when considering student feedback about their teaching.

Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Experiences Teaching Physical Education at a Youth Development Center

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Cory E. Dixon ◽  
Jared A. Russell ◽  
Peter A. Hastie
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Development Center

Purpose: This study examined the pedagogical experiences of former graduate teaching assistants following their teaching experiences at a youth development center. Method: A case study approach was utilized to investigate each participant case while a phenomenological approach was employed to analyze each case. The participants, Malik, Dante, and Ray, previously taught physical education at a youth development center as graduate teaching assistants. Results: The results of this study are presented as three cases centered on the participants and their experiences. The first case, “developing people from where they are, not where you want them to be . . .” (Malik) highlights the participants’ appreciation of their students’ culture and context. The second case, “resiliency to teach well regardless of circumstance or situation . . .” (Dante) features the participants’ ability to teach diverse learners. The third case, “uphill battles . . . you cannot learn this in a textbook . . .” (Ray) features the challenges faced while teaching at the youth development center. Discussion: Consistencies across participants’ experiences, the impact on their current careers, and implications for introducing culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies via nontraditional settings are discussed.

scholarly journals Professional development of graduate teaching assistants in faculty-like positions: Fostering reflective practices through reflective teaching journals

2014 ◽  
pp. 96-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Graduate Teaching Assistants ◽  
Reflective Teaching ◽  
Graduate Teaching ◽  
Different Levels

This study explores the outcomes of reflective journaling among novice Graduate Teaching Assistants during the initial stages of their professional development. It seeks to establish whether there were common concerns addressed in their journals and if different levels of reflection were achieved. By means of content analysis of 177 entries, nine common themes were identified. Among these,  “methodology” and “classroom management” were the most prevalent. Three degrees of reflection were used to categorize the entries. Slightly over half of the entries achieved high levels of reflection, whereas 49% of the entries did not. Recommendations for teacher educators and facilitators of the professional development of graduate students are provided.  

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