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Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Using This Resource

I. Preparing to Teach
Planning a course
--Defining Instructional Objectives
--Teaching and Learning Styles: The   Academic Culture
--Choosing and Using Instructional   Materials
--Writing a Syllabus
--Syllabus Checklist
--Using the Syllabus in Class
--Summary of Course Planning
Addressing Students' Needs
--Importance of Knowing Your   Students
--Planning Considerations
--Getting to Know Your Students
--Students of Different Backgrounds
--Students with Disabilities
--Teaching Strategies: Non-Native   Speakers of English
--Creating a Learning Environment
--Dealing with Disruptive Behavior in   the Classroom
--Common Disruptive Student   Behaviors and Possible Responses
--Dealing with Apathetic Students
--Cultural Differences for International   Instructors
--Summary of Addressing Students’   Needs
Teaching Tips
--Organizing Class
--Ways to Be Accessible Outside the   Classroom
--Six Common Non-Facilitating   Teaching Behaviors
--Wireless in the Classroom: Advice   for Faculty
--Summary of Teaching Tips

II. Teaching Methods
The First Day of Class
--When the Class Meets You
--When You Meet the Class
--Diversity the Instructor Brings to the   Classroom
--Conversing with Students with   Disabilities
--Moving Forward
--Summary of the First Day of Class
Lecturing
--Strategies for Effective Learning
--Advantages and Disadvantages of   the Traditional Lecture Method
--Enhancing Learning in Large   Classes
--Chalkboard Technique
--Writing Assignments in the Lecture
--Engaging Women in Math and   Science Courses
--Formulating Effective Questions
--Summary of Lecturing
Discussion
--Brief Overview
--The “Nuts and Bolts” of Discussion
--Facilitating Discussion of Sensitive   Issues
--Encouraging Student Contributions
--Alternative Instructional Methods
--Potential Problems in Discussions
--Summary of Discussion
Expanding Teaching Strategies
--Practical Examples
--Show and Tell
--Case Studies
--Teaching with Case Studies
--Guided Design Projects
--Brainstorming
Group Work
--General Information about Using   Groups
--Group Work in an Introductory   Science Laboratory
Science Labs
--The Role of the Lab Instructor
--What Do the Students Need to   Know?
--The First Day
--Planning and Running a Laboratory
--Safety Procedures
--Summary of Science Labs
Teaching Outside the Classroom
--Tutoring
--Office Hours
--Teaching Students to Solve   Problems
--Advising and Extracurricular   Activities
--Summary of Teaching Outside the   Classroom
Overcoming Misconceptions
--Societal Attitudes and Science   Anxiety
--Misconceptions as Barriers to   Understanding Science
--Common Difficulties and   Misunderstandings

III. Teaching-as-Research
Assessing Student Performance
--Establishing Objectives for   Assessment
--Assessment Primer
--Formulating Effective Methods of   Assessment
--Helping Students Succeed on   Assignments and Exams
--The Why and How of Tests
--Grading Lab Reports, Problem Sets,   and Exam Questions
--Grading Checklist
--Grading Specific Activities
--Grading Writing
--Summary of Assessing Student   Performance
How to Evaluate Your Own Teaching
--Evaluating Your Own Teaching
--A Note on Teaching-as-Research

IV. Appendices
Inspirational Essays
--Mathematics: The Universal   Language of Science
--Transforming Quizzes into Teaching   and Learning Tools
--Teaching My Students to Fish
--Chemistry: The Other Foreign   Language
--Teaching to Different Modes of   Learning
--Notes from a Career in Teaching
Additional Resources
Websites
Graduate Assistant Handbook Outline
--Department- and Institution-Specific   Information
--18 Questions to Have Answered

Works Cited

Submit Feedback

How is it that a student can come to my office hours, explain the complicated concepts that a problem set question is based on, and even go as far as to intuit the right approach for solving the problem, yet not be able to derive the right answer?

I am sure many TAs in general chemistry, or of any introductory physical science class, have asked themselves this question numerous times throughout a semester. One of the biggest problems facing students in general chemistry classes is their inability to communicate what they actually know about the concepts on an exam or a problem set.

Being unable to communicate what they know, and receiving low test scores on material they actually understand, will undoubtedly frustrate students to the point of giving up. The reason for the students’ lack of chemical communication skills is simple: they spend very little time learning, practicing and speaking the language of chemistry. The problem is further worsened when TAs use discussion sections as just another lecture session or review session, and spend the majority of time talking to the students instead of having the students do the majority of the talking.

My solution to this problem was to treat the discussion section as though it was a foreign language drill section. The most important task in discussion was to make the students practice communicating what they had already learned. In chemistry, students must communicate through problem solving. Therefore, I began each discussion by instructing the students to work individually on example problems that were representative of the material and concepts covered in lecture that week. Then, they would break into groups to discuss their approach and answers. Finally, I would send a student from each group to the board to communicate their approach to the problem. The students at the board were expected to defend their approach and answer questions raised by other students. During this process, I would remain very quiet, interjecting a comment only when the students were at a standstill or off on a tangent.

After the problem solving session, I would lead the students in language drills. Because problem solving requires a vocabulary of the necessary equations and conceptual approaches, I would drill the students on the equations and concepts discussed in lecture that week. My drills were in the form of quiz-show games, relay races, and student vs. student competitions: anything to avoid the inherent boredom that comes with performing rote tasks. The repeated, rapid-fire practice with the equations and concepts helped the students become more fluent with the material, and therefore more easily commit the information to long-term rather than short-term memory.

I believe my approach to these discussion sections was successful based primarily on student reviews as well as the students’ progress on quizzes and exams throughout the semester. I regularly asked the students as a group and individually whether they found the discussion section helpful. Two times during the semester, I asked the students to review, confidentially, the discussion section and to give advice on what I should and shouldn’t continue. An overwhelming number of students responded that the problem solving sessions and drills were very helpful, and wanted more time devoted to those exercises. Furthermore, my section as a whole improved continually on exams throughout the semester. The section went from being one of the lower scoring sections (below the class mean) on the first exam to being the highest scoring section on the final exam by an entire standard deviation.