teaching
As a teaching assistant, I discovered that my students learned better if they discovered answers themselves. Thus my role in recitation sessions or office hours would be to act, as Socrates would put it, as a midwife to the truth. My students appreciated this, noting:
See here for a few of the light-hearted, random, and funny comments I have received in my student evaluations over the years.
In the summer of 2011, I had my first stint as primary lecturer for a course (Physics 211: Mechanics). The experience was invaluable, as it taught me the limitations of a traditional lecture style when faced with 40-50 students. It was impossible to give each student personal attention, and the students spent most of the lecture frantically taking notes instead of absorbing and processing what I was saying. Also, with 75 minute lectures, the students inevitably zoned out at one point or another. So now I knew the problems of the traditional lecture method, but how could I solve them?
Over the next year, I became better acquainted with Active Learning methods, in particular acting as a teaching assistant and lecture assistant to Dr Eric Hudson. In the summer of 2012, I worked as primary lecturer for Physics 211 again, but this time I completely revamped my approach, focusing the lecture periods on the Think-Pair-Share methodology. In this format, questions (usually multiple choice) are posed to the students, who are encouraged to discuss the question and possible answers with their neighbors. My lecture assistants and I circulate through the classroom, encouraging and directing discussion where needed. At the end of a reasonable amount of time, the students are polled and I have a chance to evaluate their understanding of the tested concept. If most of the class has the right answer, there is a very brief discussion of the various choices and the class proceeds to the next question. If the class is divided, I sometimes ask random students what they voted for and why. After presenting some of the arguments for various choices, I may ask the students to discuss again, and to try and convince their neighbors that they have the right answer. In the case of continued confusion, I carefully work through the question on the chalkboard, and then ask a random student to recap the major steps in the solution. And then it is on to the next question.
Careful choosing of the questions and the various (wrong) distractors in the multiple choice answers can reveal student misconceptions at an early stage. The discussion phase enables a lecturer to listen in on students’ thought processes, and to encourage thinking and participation by students who individually would be less confident and more withdrawn. The polling of the students enables the instructor to take the class’ pulse and decide if more time needs to be spent on a particular concept. As a lecturer I adjust constantly in response to the class - trying to expose the class to a variety of concepts as well as a variety of ways to see the same concept, often using demos or videos to illustrate a point, sometimes asking additional questions improvised on the spot, and always trying to discover and clarify their misconceptions.
This approach was enormously successful at increasing student engagement and participation during class, and increasing retention of key concepts. The class was a mix of eager first years getting a head start on their required courses over the summer, and more senior students who had failed the course before. Despite having a mix of such very different students, the course was able to accommodate everyone's needs, since the students themselves took an active part in their own learning, and that of their neighbors.
Again, I did not perfect my approach immediately. I invited Dr Kirstin Drew, the course administrator, to sit in on one of my lectures. With her feedback and suggestions I was able to improve the coherency and rhythm of the class. The class would start with a simple 5-10 minute quiz on the previous lecture's material; while the students worked on that, I would lay out the list of the day's topics and the relevant formulas on one of the blackboards. This blackboard would be left untouched, and provided both a framework and an easy reference point for the day's activities. I took care to not get stuck in one corner of the class but instead circulate to ensure that all the students had a chance of getting my attention. I encouraged students to recap the steps they (or I) took to reach a solution.
An important component of such a flipped classroom approach is the nature of the teaching materials available before, during, and after the class. You will find examples of some materials I have used here.
As a teacher, I continuously strive to improve both my methods and my materials; my teaching evaluations by students over the years bear testimony to this. I regularly read Physics Education Research and general Education Research related articles, always trying to find a better way to get my students engaged and interested, and to help them take control of their own learning. It is an endless journey, but one that I enjoy very much.
- "He was good. I like how he did not just tell us the answers, he made us think them out."
- "Very competent in subject matter. Explanations are usually very clear. Interacts well with students. Encourages students to think and come up with their own solutions. Very helpful."
- "George is incredibly knowledgeable about physics and he is very helpful and encourages thinking."
- "George did a pretty good job making us learn the material thru [sic] lab and recitation. Personally I thought he started off as a below average instructor but got much better by the end of the semester."
- "Excellent TA. This is my second time taking the course. I am very satisfied with George. He gives clear explanations, communicates effectively, and has a strong interest in making sure that his students understand the material. He grades recitations strictly, but I feel better off for exams as a result. George is a great TA."
See here for a few of the light-hearted, random, and funny comments I have received in my student evaluations over the years.
In the summer of 2011, I had my first stint as primary lecturer for a course (Physics 211: Mechanics). The experience was invaluable, as it taught me the limitations of a traditional lecture style when faced with 40-50 students. It was impossible to give each student personal attention, and the students spent most of the lecture frantically taking notes instead of absorbing and processing what I was saying. Also, with 75 minute lectures, the students inevitably zoned out at one point or another. So now I knew the problems of the traditional lecture method, but how could I solve them?
Over the next year, I became better acquainted with Active Learning methods, in particular acting as a teaching assistant and lecture assistant to Dr Eric Hudson. In the summer of 2012, I worked as primary lecturer for Physics 211 again, but this time I completely revamped my approach, focusing the lecture periods on the Think-Pair-Share methodology. In this format, questions (usually multiple choice) are posed to the students, who are encouraged to discuss the question and possible answers with their neighbors. My lecture assistants and I circulate through the classroom, encouraging and directing discussion where needed. At the end of a reasonable amount of time, the students are polled and I have a chance to evaluate their understanding of the tested concept. If most of the class has the right answer, there is a very brief discussion of the various choices and the class proceeds to the next question. If the class is divided, I sometimes ask random students what they voted for and why. After presenting some of the arguments for various choices, I may ask the students to discuss again, and to try and convince their neighbors that they have the right answer. In the case of continued confusion, I carefully work through the question on the chalkboard, and then ask a random student to recap the major steps in the solution. And then it is on to the next question.
Careful choosing of the questions and the various (wrong) distractors in the multiple choice answers can reveal student misconceptions at an early stage. The discussion phase enables a lecturer to listen in on students’ thought processes, and to encourage thinking and participation by students who individually would be less confident and more withdrawn. The polling of the students enables the instructor to take the class’ pulse and decide if more time needs to be spent on a particular concept. As a lecturer I adjust constantly in response to the class - trying to expose the class to a variety of concepts as well as a variety of ways to see the same concept, often using demos or videos to illustrate a point, sometimes asking additional questions improvised on the spot, and always trying to discover and clarify their misconceptions.
This approach was enormously successful at increasing student engagement and participation during class, and increasing retention of key concepts. The class was a mix of eager first years getting a head start on their required courses over the summer, and more senior students who had failed the course before. Despite having a mix of such very different students, the course was able to accommodate everyone's needs, since the students themselves took an active part in their own learning, and that of their neighbors.
Again, I did not perfect my approach immediately. I invited Dr Kirstin Drew, the course administrator, to sit in on one of my lectures. With her feedback and suggestions I was able to improve the coherency and rhythm of the class. The class would start with a simple 5-10 minute quiz on the previous lecture's material; while the students worked on that, I would lay out the list of the day's topics and the relevant formulas on one of the blackboards. This blackboard would be left untouched, and provided both a framework and an easy reference point for the day's activities. I took care to not get stuck in one corner of the class but instead circulate to ensure that all the students had a chance of getting my attention. I encouraged students to recap the steps they (or I) took to reach a solution.
An important component of such a flipped classroom approach is the nature of the teaching materials available before, during, and after the class. You will find examples of some materials I have used here.
As a teacher, I continuously strive to improve both my methods and my materials; my teaching evaluations by students over the years bear testimony to this. I regularly read Physics Education Research and general Education Research related articles, always trying to find a better way to get my students engaged and interested, and to help them take control of their own learning. It is an endless journey, but one that I enjoy very much.