Make teaching assistant tutorial training more explicit: provide checkpoint learning outcomes and suggested checkpoint questions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The authors propose reforming weekly one-hour tutorial training, in which teaching assistants work through worksheets and have reasoning checked but rarely see Socratic dialogue in action. They recommend "Providing teaching assistants with a list of the specific learning outcomes for each checkpoint" and "a set of suggested checkpoint questions similar to those found in the Physics by Inquiry Instructor's Guide" to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of even the best teaching assistants.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Weekly tutorial training sessions with time to review upcoming tutorial worksheets and common student misconceptions

Constraints¶

• The authors note limited resources do not allow pairing new and experienced teaching assistants, so most have not seen Socratic dialogue in action

Target Learners¶

• First-year engineering majors in introductory calculus-based physics

Target Learning Goals¶

• Conceptual understanding of the work-energy theorem and impulse-momentum theorem

Related Strategies¶

• Multi-component TA professional development program for teaching interactive-engagement discussion/labs

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Slezak, C., Koenig, K. M., Endorf, R. J., & Braun, G. A. (2011). Investigating the Effectiveness of the Tutorials in Introductory Physics in Multiple Instructional Settings. https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.0050. doi:10.48550/arxiv.1110.0050