Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction
Successful implementation of tutorials includes establishing norms for learning in the tutorial classroom. The teaching assistants (TAs) who lead each tutorial section are important arbiters of these norms. TAs who value (buy into) tutorials are more likely to convey their respect for the material a...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Physical Society
2009-12-01
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Series: | Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
Online Access: | http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.5.020109 |
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author | Renee Michelle Goertzen Rachel E. Scherr Andrew Elby |
author_facet | Renee Michelle Goertzen Rachel E. Scherr Andrew Elby |
author_sort | Renee Michelle Goertzen |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Successful implementation of tutorials includes establishing norms for learning in the tutorial classroom. The teaching assistants (TAs) who lead each tutorial section are important arbiters of these norms. TAs who value (buy into) tutorials are more likely to convey their respect for the material and the tutorial process to the students, as well as learning more themselves. We present a case study of a TA who does not buy into certain aspects of the tutorials he teaches and demonstrate how his lack of buy-in affects specific classroom interactions. We would hope to design professional development programs to help TAs appreciate the power of tutorial instruction. However, our research suggests that the typical professional development activities offered to tutorial TAs are not likely to be effective. Instead, it appears that what we call the “social and environmental context” of the tutorials—including classroom, departmental, and institutional levels of implementation—has the potential to strongly affect TA buy-in to tutorials and probably outweighs the influence of any particular activity that we might prepare for them. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:38:21Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-9b13dca96de5462ca99a1dffb912e03b |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1554-9178 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:38:21Z |
publishDate | 2009-12-01 |
publisher | American Physical Society |
record_format | Article |
series | Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
spelling | doaj.art-9b13dca96de5462ca99a1dffb912e03b2022-12-21T21:46:22ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research1554-91782009-12-0152Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instructionRenee Michelle GoertzenRachel E. ScherrAndrew ElbySuccessful implementation of tutorials includes establishing norms for learning in the tutorial classroom. The teaching assistants (TAs) who lead each tutorial section are important arbiters of these norms. TAs who value (buy into) tutorials are more likely to convey their respect for the material and the tutorial process to the students, as well as learning more themselves. We present a case study of a TA who does not buy into certain aspects of the tutorials he teaches and demonstrate how his lack of buy-in affects specific classroom interactions. We would hope to design professional development programs to help TAs appreciate the power of tutorial instruction. However, our research suggests that the typical professional development activities offered to tutorial TAs are not likely to be effective. Instead, it appears that what we call the “social and environmental context” of the tutorials—including classroom, departmental, and institutional levels of implementation—has the potential to strongly affect TA buy-in to tutorials and probably outweighs the influence of any particular activity that we might prepare for them.http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.5.020109 |
spellingShingle | Renee Michelle Goertzen Rachel E. Scherr Andrew Elby Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research |
title | Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction |
title_full | Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction |
title_fullStr | Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction |
title_full_unstemmed | Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction |
title_short | Accounting for tutorial teaching assistants’ buy-in to reform instruction |
title_sort | accounting for tutorial teaching assistants buy in to reform instruction |
url | http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.5.020109 |
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