Simon’s Physics Education Blog

Notes taken from TLA Colloquim on preparing Tutors and Demonstrators for their teaching and academic roles at University, 19th June 2006.

Michelle Marincovich, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford

• Outlined Stanford model of requirement to train TAs in general pedagogy (done centrally) and preparing to teach in their discipline (subject based, conceptual problems, Shulman’s pedagogical content model)
• Enforcement mechanism; TA oversight cttee, comprising faculty and student reps, produce evaluative “What’s working” pamphelt
• 3 phases to programme; preparation, mentoring and reflection / evaluation.
• TAs not deemed satisfactory are not reappointed.
• Can get experience in micro-teaching videotaped session
• Only 8% of PhDs go on to lectureships at research intensive Universities
• Not only ptofessional but leadership training as well; ehance ability to communicate, influence and inspire: exposure to other academic disciplines to ensure grad students leave with a network of contacts in other discplines.

Charlotte Taylor, University of Sydney

• “Welcome to the Team” : large scale TA training programme, implented in Science (8000 ugs)
• Standard programme across faculty (not subject specific) aimed at first year students
• Students don’t really know lecturers in classes of 550;Ta’s are the face of the school, to induct them into the research culture of the University.
• Tutor training website : useful set of “trigger” exercises to prompt reflection on the part of Tas.
• Also good links to SUPER: Sydney Unvisersity Physics Education Research Group

Lewis Elton, Visiting professor of Higher Education at the University of Manchester.

• Argued the case for disciplinary-specific training being done by someone with expertise of considering teaching in that discipline, to avoid the enless spiral of “teach as I have been taught”.
• Departmental culture may stifle innovations by Tas
• Teaching as an activity carried out in private by (not always) consenting adults
• Lab work to either verify known results OR instill compentancies to use equipment or practice a technique.
• Enquiry-based learning; learning in “research mode”; students as researchers but learning for themselves what is already known (eg EBL and PBL)
• The key role of assessment; innovative assessment is rare. Innovative teaching and learning may be hobbled by inneffective assessment.
• The need for a small number (1%) of eg Physicists to study Physics teaching as a scholarly activity.

One of the things we are instigating for next year is a training course specifically for our PGs who will teach in in our early years (1 and 2) workshops.

Have been giving some thought to how this will look to get the right balance of generic material about teaching and Physocs-specific material. More on that when it comes.

Yesterday I was at a colloquim organised by the TLA centre at Edinburgh; there were some interesting talks (along with some I did not understand at all) on this topic; there’s a page to summarise them with links.