PERC 2012 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Teaching to Learn: Exploring the Experiences of First-Time Learning Assistants |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | This paper explores, from the participants' perspective, the Colorado Learning Assistant program. Case studies of four first-time physics LAs are analyzed to understand the expansion and evolution of their views on good teaching, and their understanding of student learning. Findings suggest that through participating in teaching activities, LAs tend to move toward of view of teaching and learning focused on students' construction of physics content, and teaching strategies that are adapted to individual students. We conclude that the repetition of thinking about how students learn, constructing interventions, and reflecting on the results of their actions leads LAs to converge on certain ways of behaving and talking that are more closely aligned with the goals of the LA program. We hypothesize that pedagogical concepts such as formative assessment and dialogic discourse made available through the pedagogy course assist greatly in students' convergence on desired practices. |
| Abstract Type: | Symposium Poster |
| Targeted Session: | LA Model Variation and Emulation: Toward a National Research Agenda? |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Kara E. Gray University of Colorado - Boulder 249 UCB University of Colorado -Boulder Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: 303-718-4544 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Valerie K. Otero University of Colorado - Boulder |
