PSTUM-List,
I wanted to follow up some more on the topic of graduate students and
teaching workshops. There has been some discussion recently on the
Professional & Organizational Development (POD) Network listserv on this
topic. Some of you likely know about POD; for the rest of you, POD is the
professional group for teaching center and faculty development folks.
There were several postings in the thread. You can find them at
http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A1=ind0503&L=pod#15
and
http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A1=ind0503&L=pod#14
Here's my summary of some of the salient points. For each point, I have
listed the school of the poster making that claim in parentheses.
* Workshops are often the entry to more powerful interactions. Coming to a
workshop is a low-threat, low-entry decision by a faculty member or TA, but
it opens the possibility of more sustained involvement in the future.
(IUPUI)
* Workshops enrich the ³menu of possibilities² that a faculty member or TA
possesses, so that when some problem or puzzle occurs in their teaching, the
faculty member or TA has more good options to entertain and pursue. (IUPUI)
* Workshops are most effective when a faculty member or TF is in the middle
of a problem or puzzle and can ³try on² the new thinking or behavior that is
being discussed at the workshop. (IUPUI)
* TAs are often under pressure to avoid any perception of being ³too
interested² in teaching, particularly from their advisors. Workshops, given
their brevity, don¹t meet with that much resistance from faculty. (Cornell)
* One study of TA workshop participants at U Colorado Boulder have shown
that 80% of participants report improved teaching and students evaluations
as compared to the year prior to their participation in workshops.
* There is an aspect of community among frequent workshop participants,
which is particularly attractive to those who feel isolated in their
research or departments. (U Ottawa)
* Faculty members and TAs are very busy, so a workshop MUST solve an
immediate problem to be of interest and use to potential participants.
(Virginia Commonwealth U)
* Workshops are more effective if participants are given pre-workshop
assignments and post-workshop follow-ups. (Idaho State, Virginia
Commonwealth U)
Do any of these points strike you as particularly relevant to the kinds of
workshops you lead for teachers of undergraduate mathematics?
Derek
--
Derek Bruff, Preceptor
Department of Mathematics, Harvard University
Email: bruff(a)fas.harvard.edu
Web:
http://www.derekbruff.com/