Hi:
I am Joanne Nakonechny at the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver, Canada. I work in the Science Centre for Learning and
Teaching (Skylight) which is a research focused unit. Right now I'm
involved in a research study that is trying to find out why peer
facilitated workshops where no solutions are given are helping students
pass. (Math180 is for students who do not have high school calculus).
The math department does have a teaching course for Math TAs and if you
go to the math department website: http://www.math.ubc.ca you can find
out more about it.
Good luck!
Joanne
Hello, All. As a relatively new member of the listserve, I would like to
gain a better picture of who I'm sharing ideas with, and receiveing ideas
from. I am a graduate student at Montana State University,
Bozeman, and I am closing in on a dissertation question which involves
university characteristics (Carnegie classification, availability of faculty
training, TA teaching awards offered, etc.), and their correlation to
effective TAs. This study would involve survey data, to be collected
this fall (2005) from a variety of university math departments.
In order to gain an idea of resources I may have available to me
(universities from which to choose my sample), I would like to know:
what university or college you are representing, and what your main area
of interest regarding TAs is. I would also be interested to know if you
would be willing to be a liason between your university and myself,
distributing and collecting surveys in the fall.
Although I would assume that most listserve members would be interested
in learning who they're sharing ideas with, my email address is:
clatulp(a)math.montana.edu if you would like to add any more personal
information or suggestions that perhaps may not be relevant to the rest of
the group!
I thank you in advance for your time, and am looking forward to
meeting each of you!
Derek,
Attached is the form I use with our observations. I dwell on the
checklist (probably too much) and am never really satisfied with it. I
want it to cover critical areas, but then I do not want it to be
overwhelming to either the observer or the person being observed
(observee?). Two points I think are missing right now are the
following ones you have on the beginning and ending of classes...
> a. Focuses students’ attention at the start of the class?
> a. Makes an effort to add some closure to the lesson?
I'd like to add them in, but think something else would have to go to
make room. Ideas? Of course, I could just keep making the font smaller
and smaller to be able to fit it all on one page!!
The part of the form I like the best is the second page. I try to make
sure we include both positive points on the class and constructive
criticism or suggestions. My general rule of thumb is to stick to
about 3 of the most critical suggestions for areas that need work.
Then, if needed, we'll observe again at a later date so that we can
progress to other suggestions that were perhaps valid earlier but not
as critical.
Like you say, you do have to play good cop/bad cop. I've learned that
most TA's actually appreciate the fact that they know I'm going to tell
them when I see something they need to work on. The few that do resent
criticism better plan a short career in teaching! What I have found
tough is recruiting others that will do both. I have a whole
collection of evaluations that just have checks and a comment like
"good job" on the back. Most people just want to be the nice guy.
Hope this helps!
Pene
_______________________
Penelope Kirby
Department of Mathematics
Florida State University
Tallahassee FL 32306-4510
(850)644-0667, 108-E MCH
e-mail: pkirby(a)math.fsu.edu
The majority of the observations done by our department (Math at FSU)
are for TA’s teaching in a solo class for the first time. Then we
general have a few TA’s that have had problems in one way or another
and need some extra guidance. We try to observe them 2-3 weeks into the
semester, meet with TA’s that need more guidance, and from there
follow-up where necessary. I must confess that 2-3 weeks in the term is
the goal but not always the reality, and that while I would like to
spend more time on the follow-up that I simply don’t have the time and
have to focus on the critical areas. Our department is very short on
people power and we are stretched thin in all areas.
Derek, I really like your pre-observation questions and would like to
apply them next Fall. I cannot see being able to actually meet with the
TA’s before the observation since we observe them early, but I think it
would work to ask them in an e-mail. A benefit of that approach would
be the TA’s would have the opportunity to think about their reply.
The details of our approach are...
- We tell the TA’s (usually via e-mail) that we will be observing them
during the semester and I usually tell them a few weeks the observation
will likely occur, but not a specific day. The courses the first-time
TA’s would be teaching all have a department syllabus including a
pacing and department exams, so I know ahead of time when TA’s will be
giving exams or will likely be reviewing.
- In the e-mail TA’s are reminded that one of the important reasons for
the observation is to help them improve.
- If a TA would like someone to visit a specific class we will do so
in addition to the other observation.
- I and the other people observing the classes arrive early, sit
quietly in the back, and do not leave until the end of the period or
during a quiz. Students usually do not notice the observer, but if they
do and ask anything we simply say we are observing the class. I find it
very telling when a TA never even knew they were observed!
- We have a form that is a “checklist” of good characteristics on one
side. On the other side there is one space for “Comments on the
positive points of the class observed” and another space for “Comments
on the areas that need improvement and suggestions for
improvement”. TA’s should have seen this form during their initial
orientation. I’ve been looking at other forms and may revise our
checklist somewhat, but I’ve found its format works pretty well. I can
attach it if anyone is interested.
- The observers are all told that they should give constructive
feedback. Every TA should have at least one positive attribute and at
least one suggestion. For the worst we focus on the basics and for the
best we give some supplementary ideas.
- Finding other people that make a good observer is not easy. I keep
turning back to the same people over and over. To make the observation
useful, I think the observer not only has to be a good teacher, but
they have to be fairly tough. They are going to have to tell TA’s the
truth about what they observe and it is not all nice (of course, they
shouldn’t be out for blood, but I seem to have more trouble with people
being too nice than too mean!) I often use Education Math TA's that
have taught classes our department.
This is a pretty thorough discussion of our process, so I’ll leave it
here. I would love to hear feedback and suggestions.
Penelope
_______________________
Penelope Kirby
Department of Mathematics
Florida State University
Tallahassee FL 32306-4510
(850)644-0667, 108-E MCH
e-mail: pkirby(a)math.fsu.edu
>Gary Harris writes...
>I have a graduate student who just completed a Masters Thesis in
which
>he analyzed data from end-of-term course evaluations from several
>thousand students in classes taught by GTAs and data from interviews
>with GTAs who have taken Pedagogy. The primary conclusion supported
by
>this analysis is that the pedagogy course is having a significant
>positive effect on the GTAs' level of confidence, with related impact
on
>both their practice and attitudes with respect to teaching.
>"What are some reasonable journals for such submissions?"
First thought: I would redirect this question to the TA-research
listserv at ta-research(a)list.une.edu
Otherwise: the Journal of College Teaching might be a place. The
Spring 2005 edition will have an article about the state of the field of
research into the professional lives of mathematics graduate student
teaching assistants.
It would be worth hearing others' suggestions from the research list.
Tim.
--------------------------------------------------------
Tim Gutmann; tgutmann(a)une.edu
faculty.une.edu/cas/tgutmann
Decary 302, 207-283-0170 x 2764
--------------------------------------------------------
The more we complain, the longer God makes us live.
I have been following the discussion on GTA preparation with great
interest. In the summer of 2000 I was asked by our chair to develop a 3
credit hour graduate level "Pedagogy" course to be required of all new
GTAs entering our department beginning in the fall. This I did, and new
graduate students entering our department each fall term, 2000--2004,
have been required to take "Pedagogy" in addition to the usual 9 hour
load of traditional graduate math content course work.
I have a graduate student who just completed a Masters Thesis in which
he analyzed data from end-of-term course evaluations from several
thousand students in classes taught by GTAs and data from interviews
with GTAs who have taken Pedagogy. The primary conclusion supported by
this analysis is that the pedagogy course is having a significant
positive effect on the GTAs' level of confidence, with related impact on
both their practice and attitudes with respect to teaching.
I think the student as done some academically acceptable work and
obtained some interesting and timely conclusions. I have assigned him
the task of trimming his 60+ page thesis (double space) down to 25
pages, with the idea of perhaps submitting an article to a journal. My
question to this list is "What are some reasonable journals for such
submissions?" I will be most grateful for any recommendations you might
have.
Anyone interested in details pertaining to our pedagogy course can
contact me at gary.harris(a)ttu.edu and I will be happy to provide you
with more than you ever wanted to know about it.
Gary A. Harris
Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Texas Tech University
PSTUM-List,
Our spring semester starts in February, so it's still midterm time around
here. I'm curious to know what some of you do around midterm time...
(a) to determine which of your instructors are struggling in the classroom
and
(b) to intervene and assist those instructors with their teaching while
there is still time left in the semester.
Here is what we do...
(a) Each of our calculus instructors (graduate students and junior faculty)
are observed by a member of the preceptor group during the first half of the
semester. Each of these observations is followed by a 20-30 minute
consultation where the preceptor and the instructor discuss the class
observed. One goal of this consultation is to identify three things the
teacher is doing well and three suggestions for improvement.
We also have all (well, most) of our calculus students complete midterm
course evaluations. Each of our calculus instructors then meets with his or
her course head to discuss these evaluations.
(b) Our interventions depend on the types of problems that are discovered
through the observation and midterm course evaluations. Typically one of
the preceptors mentors the teacher for a time, checking over their lesson
plans and offering advice. These interventions have been fairly ad hoc.
We're currently working on a "menu" of professional development options to
present to these teachers.
What are some of your practices?
Derek
--
Derek Bruff, Preceptor
Department of Mathematics, Harvard University
Email: bruff(a)fas.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.derekbruff.com/
Just a quick note from Shandy in response to Derek's email. There is a
plethora of research out there on professional development of
in-service K-14 teachers. I'm going to quote from a paper I recently
wrote with Jeff Farmer and Andrew Neumann [with a few additional
comments in square brackets]:
What is still being clarified is what constitutes “effective”
professional development and just how prevalent “effective”
professional development program offerings are. In their study of the
professional development offered to K-12 teacher-participants through
the federally-funded Eisenhower Program, Desimone, Porter, Garet, Yoon,
and Birman (2002) found that four out of five professional development
experiences were traditional, transmission-based workshops (without
active learning) of 15 or fewer contact hours, and that most spanned
less than a week.
Among the key features of effective professional development
programs identified in the research literature are several structures
and strategies in conflict with this reported common practice
(Loucks-Horsley & Matsumoto, 1999). Three organizational components
have been identified as particularly effective:
(a) using reform methods (e.g., a mathematics program that is based on
the PSSM [see NCTM entry in references below]),
(b) distributing activities across an extended period of weeks or
months and
(c) including groups of teachers participating collectively from a
department or local area. Moreover, three significant methodological
aspects of an effective professional development experience have been
identified:
(d) a focus on improving the pedagogical content knowledge of teachers
[this is more than whether or not they can "do the math," it's about
whether or not they can anticipate student needs and communicate
mathematical ideas in ways accessible to students (e.g., applying Stein
and Smith's (1998) Math Tasks Framework to collegiate mathematics
teaching)],
(e) regular and meaningful analysis of teaching and learning and
(f) fostering connectedness and inclusiveness among participants
(Birman, Desimone, Porter, and Garet, 2000).
References
Birman, B. F., Desimone, L., Porter, A. C., and Garet, M. S. (May,
2000). Designing professional development that works. Educational
Leadership, 28-33.
Desimone, L., Porter, A. C., Garet, M. S.,Yoon, K., and Birman, B. F.
(2002) Effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction:
Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Educational Evaluation
and Policy Analysis 24(2), 81-112.
Farmer, J., Hauk, S., and Neumann, A. M. (2005). Negotiating reform:
Implementing Process Standards in culturally responsive professional
development. To appear in the High School Journal, See
http://hopper.unco.edu/faculty/personal/hauk/research.html for a link
to the manuscript.
Loucks-Horsley, S. and Matsumoto, C. (1999). Research on professional
development for teachers of mathematics and science: The state of the
scene. School Science & Mathematics, 99(5), 258-271.
NCTM: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles
and standards for school mathematics (PSSM). Reston, VA: Author.
Stein, M. S. and Smith M. K. (1998). Selecting and creating
mathematical tasks: From research to practice. Mathematics Teaching in
the Middle School 3, 344-350.
PSTUM-List,
This year we have been running a seminar on teaching undergraduate
mathematics designed to help our graduate students improve our teaching.
The seminar is optional, and attendance has generally been low. I'm
wondering if anyone on the list has experience with attendance-optional,
math department teaching seminars. What, if anything, have you found
particular effective in motivating graduate students to attend?
If it helps, here's the seminar's web site:
http://abel.math.harvard.edu/preceptor/tums/
Thanks in advance for your help!
Derek
--
Derek Bruff, Preceptor
Department of Mathematics, Harvard University
Email: bruff(a)fas.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.derekbruff.com/
Humm..(the sound my brain makes when it is thinking:) There is always a
risk of oversimplification with any systemic or cyclic approach to logic
or reasoning, yet with students coming to class failing college math two
and three times, this framework has helped them succeed by taking some
of therror out of the picture.
The context of a logical oversimplification doesn't seem to apply. I am
realtivly sure these student will not make any great theoretical
contributions to the discipline, yet the fact that for this one semester
they used an oversimplification, passed the class, and graduated matters
on some cosmic level.
As semester after semester you see these students who have spent years
and thousands of hour trying to pass one math class...
If you find, as many of our math professors did, that you notice the way
you teach the different types of thinkers, the concept was worth the
effort. From the standpoint of those same professors, they also noticed
a direct correlation between the semester they began using the simple
questions and an increase in their traditionally low student evaluation
scores. Additionally in the vast majority of cases pass rates increased
that same semester for all students, not just repeat students. Using the
same exit exams.
If you are teaching a math theory class this is not to meaningful, but
if you are teaching college math grad assistants or adjunct math
instructors it might be woth considering.
My best to all,
Eldon L. McMurray
Director
Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence
Assistant Professor
College Success & Academic Literacy
Utah Valley State College
800 West University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
(801) 863-8550
>>> sandowda(a)msu.edu 03/11/05 9:23 AM >>>
Dr. McMurray,
I recognize that it's possible to see the practices I listed as
subsets of your categories; however, I don't think of them that way.
(And note that the practices I listed were intended only as examples
of a larger set of mathematical practices one might want students to
have experience with / develop beliefs about.) Consider the practice
of defining, for example. Mathematicians certainly master existing
definitions, but they also encounter the need to define new
constructs, and there may be questions about how best to define
something, and some definitions change over time, etc. If one wants
students to experience any of these things (e.g., to have a felt need
for defining something), then one structures one's teaching in a
different way (e.g., one doesn't define every concept in anticipation
of its need). Also, in this case, defining isn't just a matter of
what, but also of why (e.g., why is this concept useful / worth
naming?) and perhaps other categories as well.
Dara
>Look at them as superordinate categories. As you look at conjecturing
>ask where would it fit? Under WHAT IF? with estimating.
>
>Defining fits undetr the WHAT category. What is this?
>
>Generalizing would fit under WHY?
>
>Exploring is definately a WHAT IF?
>
>Properties are a WHAT, but they also explain some WHYs?
>
>The proposed reasoning approach takes students with little or no math
>schema to a place where they can at least start a problem.
>See if you can apply the system in you instruction first then see how
>the students respond. The first thing our instructors noticed was they
>spent most of the time writing out HOW and explained WHY orally.
>
>Eldon L. McMurray
>Director
>Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence
>Assistant Professor
>College Success & Academic Literacy
>Utah Valley State College
>800 West University Parkway
>Orem, UT 84058
>(801) 863-8550
>
>>>> sandowda(a)msu.edu 03/08/05 6:43 PM >>>
>Dr. McMurray,
>
>I agree that the three things you list are useful in solving math
>problems whose solution methods are already known; however, I
>wouldn't say they're sufficient for "fully understand[ing]
>mathematics." How do you address central mathematical practices like
>conjecturing, defining, generalizing, exploring whether different
>solution methods yield different insights, etc.? Or are those kinds
>of things not goals for you in teaching undergraduates?
>
>Dara Sandow
>
>At 11:30 PM -0700 3/7/05, Eldon McMurray wrote:
>>The following article is an example of using predominant learning
>>styles and Bloom' Taxonomy to teach mathematical reasoning. It is
>>the model all of our tutors are trained with. This has been very
>>helpful to our instructors as they mentor adjuncts.
>>
>>The WHAT, HOW, WHY, and WHAT IF of Mathematics: Teaching
>>undergraduates to think up Benjamin Blooms cognitive Levels
>>
>>By Carole Sullivan and Eldon McMurray of Utah Valley State College
>>To fully understand mathematics, it is important to know three
>things:
>>
>>1. WHAT precisely the problem is asking;
>>2. HOW to do the problem; and
>>3. WHY certain steps give you the correct answer.
>>
>>Then to consider this: WHAT IF the problem were a little different.
>>...
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