PSTUM-Listers,
While catching up on some of my magazine reading, I found an interesting
article in U.S. News & World Report's graduate school ranking issue. The
subject is graduate student mental health. I know a lot of you work with
graduate students, and this is an issue that doesn't seem to be talked about
much in math departments. The article is available online at the following
URL.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/articles/brief/06mental_brief.php
Derek
--
Derek Bruff, Preceptor
Department of Mathematics, Harvard University
Email: bruff(a)fas.harvard.edu
Web: http://www.derekbruff.com/
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
