Educating Teaching Assistants in New Models for Teaching and Learning

化学(12)在20世纪90年代，国家科学基金会资助了五项化学倡议，作为改善本科生化学教育的主要努力，通过使用新的教学战略，增加学生对自己学习过程的参与度。ModularChem联盟和ChemLinks联盟所做的评估显示，使用新材料的学生在不同机构的学习成绩都有所提高。在小班环境中，学生也报告了对课程的更大享受，以及感觉课程比传统课程更能满足他们的需要，这一态度在大班环境中不被大多数学生所认同。然而，越来越清楚的是，为了使化学改革努力取得成功，它们必须在大班“讲课”中取得成功。即使教职员工精通新的教学模式，并致力于从以教师为中心的环境向以学生为中心的环境转变，这一努力也可能不会成功，因为助教对科学教学的看法深度社会化和保守。在设有大班授课的机构中，系统的改革努力可能取决于教学助理在多大程度上理解和看到新的教与学模式的用处。由于大型大学也是未来大量化学教师的来源，改革努力的最终成功很可能取决于教学助理的教育。为教学助理提供他们理解、支持和促进改革努力所需的经验和工具是该项目的主要目的。这些经验和工具包括在以下三本手册中：1)在课程开始前培训助教的教师培训手册。这本手册详细描述了如何使用基于探究的方法，就各种关于教和学的主题，教授两个小时的课程。2)教学手册，供教师在任期内使用，为教学助理提供持续的支持，使他们能够在新的教学模式中获得技能。本手册包含30分钟的活动，讨论本学期中出现的教育学问题。3)《化学概念手册》，供助教与学生讨论各种化学概念时使用。本手册包含复习课的讨论工作表，旨在帮助学生直面他们的误解，并提供证据帮助他们改变想法。书中提供了学生持有的想法以及如何与学生有效地讨论这些想法的例子。所有材料都在不同类型的机构进行测试，并加以改进，以确保其对不同的教学助理人群的有效性。目前，这包括被指定为卡内基一世研究机构和少数族裔/拉美裔服务机构的新墨西哥大学，以及新墨西哥州立大学及其联盟伙伴--新墨西哥东部大学和亚利桑那北部大学。这些材料的影响正在通过书面评估、焦点小组和本科生表现的比较来评估。这些材料正通过在专业会议上的陈述、在化学联系组织赞助的研讨会上的陈述以及在万维网上的陈述广泛传播。我们正在与一家出版商合作，促进这些材料的分发，以与教科书和模块一起使用。

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.