When Buy-in is Not Enough: GTAs’ RIOT Profile in Mini-Studios Matthew Wilcox, Yuehai Yang, and Jacquelyn Chini University of Central Florida Mini-studios are unique in that they have student-centered recitations and inquiry based labs Not the typical TA solving problems on the board. Observed TAs teaching mini-studio This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation grant DUE1246024. 

Mini-studios 75 minutes: Student-centered recitation Weekly 3 hour class in addition to introductory physics lecture. Approximately 32 students in 8 groups of 4 students. 75 minutes: Student-centered recitation Maryland’s Open Source Tutorials1 15 minutes: Quiz 75 minutes: Inquiry-based Labs Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE)2 Since it is unique we wanted to observe how they were teaching, what influences there might be on their teaching and if they buy in. A. Elby, “Open-source tutorials integrated with professional development materials”, http://www2.physics.umd.edu/~elby/CCLI/index.html E. Etkina and A. Van Heuvelen, Phys. Ed. Res. Conf., (2001).

Real-time Instructor Observing Tool (RIOT) For this research, focused only on the actions taken. Instructors are always doing only one action. Report the percentage of time spent on each action. www.sjsuriot.appspot.com Time Focused on those actions in the center. Instructors always… Timeline Allows us to report percentage West, Emily A., et al. "Variation of instructor-student interactions in an introductory interactive physics course." Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research 9.1 (2013): 010109.

Introducing Taresa Graduate student, first year at UCF. Taking TA pedagogy seminar. Teaching algebra-based E&M mini-studio. RIOT profile averaged over three classes throughout the semester. Representative TA out of 6. All of her data is representative. Taresa is a female TA. First year at UCF so she is taking a TA pedagogy seminar. She is teaching our algebra-based E&M mini-studio. This profile was taken over 3 classes, one at the beginning middle and end of the semester.

RIOT-based Survey TAs were asked to estimate a RIOT profile based on several perspectives A TA who teaches based exactly on the design of the class What they (the survey taker) feel is the most helpful way to teach How they feel their students would like them to teach Compare responses between two perspectives or between a perspective and their actual profile. Number of disagreements, δ, measures the similarity of the profiles. δ can range from 0 to 10. Clarifying Explaining Student Question … Relatively High Relatively Low Medium … Rank each action as happening relatively high, low, medium, or not at all

Number of disagreements, δ = 2 out of 10. TA profile based on design of class: Clarifying Explaining Student Question Closed Dialogue Open Dialogue Passive Observing Active Observing Student Presentation Students Talking Serially Not Interacting Medium Relatively Low Relatively High TA profile you think is most helpful: Larger delta means more disagreements. This specific comparison reveals their buy-in. To a fairly high level, what they think is the best way to teach students agrees with how they understand the class is meant to be taught. Taresa’s understanding of the design of the class is also pretty similar to the actual design of the course with a delta of 3. Clarifying Explaining Student Question Closed Dialogue Open Dialogue Passive Observing Active Observing Student Presentation Students Talking Serially Not Interacting Medium Relatively Low Relatively High Number of disagreements, δ = 2 out of 10.

High level of buy-in. GREAT! But… Does it translate to practice? This is the smallest δ when comparing with her actual profile Taresa’s actual profile compared to… δ, out of 10 Her understanding of the design 8 Her idea of the best way to teach 8 Her idea of what the students want from her 5 From the last slide we see she has a high level of buy in but this slide shows it doesn’t translate to her actual practice. What is the bigger influence is what she thinks the students want form her.

Interview Evidence for Buy-in In response to a question about how her view of the role of a TA has changed, “I try not to interject my own ideas and thoughts to their groups. I try to listen more and try to be quiet more to let them arrive at solutions themselves because as we’ve learned in the pedagogy seminar the peer instruction is more beneficial to the student…” In response to how she feels her RIOT profile may have changed, “I tried to explain things less which should give them the benefit of having more discussion.” Understands peer instruction is good and is trying to implement it. That’s buy-in. Same for second quote.

Interview Evidence for Student Influence In response to a question about using whiteboards, “I had a chance but I didn’t really end up using them as much as I probably should have. It was difficult, so when I would implement it the students wouldn’t want to use it they would end up putting it on the floor and it was kind of hard to…monitor that I guess. And give them motivation to actually use it.” After seeing her actual RIOT profile, “From this it’s obvious there’s just more explaining than I feel would be good.” Trying to use whiteboards as encouraged by the design of the class. Student resistance makes that difficult which affects her actual practice. Understands too much explaining isn’t ideal. There must be some other influence.

In summary… Expressing difficulty stepping back and letting students talk, “It’s very difficult sometimes when they get frustrated with you for not giving them the answer but I think the seminar helped me see the value in that.” Seminar shows her the value in letting students talk but their frustration makes it hard to do that. As a result she may be explaining more as evidence from the previous quote.

Wrapping up Taresa‘s practices are not reflecting her buy-in but are most similar to what she thinks the students want from her. Created a survey based on RIOT to quantify TA buy-in and influences on their practice. Our representative TA buys in but it did not translate to her practice. What appears to be a bigger influence is what she thinks the students want from her. We see that from the interviews and we also see it from our survey which is much simpler to do than interviews.

For more information see: “Quicker Method for Assessing Influences on Teaching Assistant Buy-in and Practices in Reformed Courses” Physical Review Physics Education Research Thank you! Questions?