1. Learning Assistant Model for Teacher Recruitment and Preparation at the University of Colorado at Boulder
Supported by the NSF and PhysTEC
Colorado
Valerie Otero University of Colorado-Boulder
Conference on the Preparation of Physics and Physical Science Teachers
Fayetteville, Arkansas March 24 &25

2. Participants STEM Leadership Team Dick McCray (Astronomy)
Colorado
STEM Leadership Team
Dick McCray (Astronomy)
Valerie Otero (Science Education)
Jim Curry (Applied Math)
Bill Wood (Molecular Biology)
Carl Wieman (Physics)
Steve Iona (Physics/K12)
Project Manager
Angela Babar
Beth Kovacs
Evaluation Team
Derek Briggs, Kim Geil, Danielle Harlow, Linda Hassel
108 Learning Assistants (2003 through 2006)
Participating Faculty
Physics
Steve Pollock Noah Finklestein Kathy Perkins Mike Dubson
Ed Kinney Carl Rogers
Jim Shepard Ed Kinney
Murray Holland James Nagle
Shijie Zhong Steve Wagner
Mike Fuchs (TIR)
Astronomy
Doug Duncan
Nick Schneider
John Stocke
Biology
Mike Klymkowsky Jennifer Knight Sylvia Fromherz
Applied Math
Mary Nelson
Adam Norris
Ann Dougherty
Jim Weiss
Susan Hallowell
Chemistry
Linda Koch Veronica Bierbaum Margaret Asirvatham
Geosciences
Alan Lester

3. Outline Overview of STEM Colorado Program
Impact of the Program on Teacher Recruitment
Impact on Departmental Change

4. Teacher Education Programs
Knowledge of Content
(typically A&S; physics, astronomy, etc.)
Knowledge of Pedagogy
(typically School of Education)
Usable knowledge for teaching students mathematics and science
Knowledge of Students
(typically psychology class-rarely connected to content)
Knowledge of the nature of science and scientific inquiry
(typically implicit or not present at all)

5. The Learning Assistant Model
Goal: Integration of content, pedagogy & practice for all participants
Teacher Recruitment & Preparation: Increase the number of qualified mathematics and science K-12 teachers
2. Course Transformation: Transform large enrollment
introductory courses using undergraduate learning
assistants to help facilitate collaboration among students
Undergraduate Learning Assistants are Talented Undergraduate Students who make up the pool from which we recruit new teacher candidates

6. Transformation of Large-Enrollment Introductory Courses with Undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs)
Instructor
Graduate TA
Instructor
Learning Teams
Enrolled Students
Traditional large enrollment lecture course: one instructor and a graduate TA to serve 400+ students
Course transformed using Learning Assistants to facilitate collaboration

7. The LA Experience Introductory Astronomy Introductory Physics
Content: Collaboration within the content area through weekly planning meetings led by mathematics or science research faculty
Pedagogy and Reflection: Mathematics & Science Education Class for LAs, taught by School of Education Faculty and K-12 Teacher
K-12 Teacher
School of Education Faculty
Practice: LA Teaching experience in Transformed Courses
Introductory Biology
Calculus II

8. Timeline of LA experience3 2 1 4+
K-12 Math/Science Teacher
Student in mostly traditional courses
Semester in LA Program
Teaching Experience
Applies to be a Learning Assistant -
Student in transformed STEM course
Learning Assistant -
Teaching and Learning Seminar for LA’s
Learning Assistant -
Begin taking School of Education courses
Noyce
Fellow -
Enrolled in teacher certification program …
Learning about Teaching Experience
In the LA program, students learn about teaching while they are teaching and while they are learning science/math content.

9. Is the LA program effective?
We have had 108 LAs since the program began in Fall 2003.
18 have entered the teacher certification program as of the beginning of Spring 2006
That’s a recruitment rate of 17%
We began with 7 faculty involved now we have over 28 faculty who have used or are using LAs
But wait! There’s more!

10. University of Colorado Boulder LA Program at CU Boulder
Comparisons
Colorado
State of Colorado*
( )
University of Colorado Boulder
(5yr avg. to 2004)
LA Program at CU Boulder
Physics 5
0.7
Astrophysics
MCD Biology 1 3
Applied Math
169
6** 4
*At 18 colleges and universities with 10,869 licensed candidates, 385 science majors
**total Math, no data on Applied Math specifically
Most of the LAs report in interviews that they had not seriously considered becoming a teacher until participating as a Learning Assistant
Two most frequently stated reasons for making the decision:
(1) Recognizing Teaching as a complex endeavor
(2) Encouragement and support by participating STEM Faculty

11. Evidence of Departmental Change
Interviewer: How would peers in your department respond to a possibility of you going into teaching?
LA: It would have been weird at first when I first started and people would be like oh ok.  But now STEM-TP is really affecting the way a lot of us think.  But, yeah, so now its kind of a normal thing to hear.  Oh yeah, I’m thinking about K-12.  And it, its not even, its not weird.  Its not out of the ordinary where as a couple years ago it would have been strange for me to hear that. 

12. Perspectives from LAs
Interviewer: One of the things that were trying to get at through this question is people’s attitudes towards teaching in different venues? 
LA: Ok, physics yeah.  Physics professors are against it.  They laugh at you if you say that you’re going to go into teaching.  Um, besides, Ben Herman, Brian Potter, and Dr. Rogers.  But, um, besides those select rare few, they think that you’re just wasting your time if you go into K-12 teaching.  Wasting your time.  They don’t even want to teach you anymore!  They’re bad, mean people (LAUGHS), no, but uh, um.
Interviewer: Have you actually seen that happen? 
LA: I’ve had people, a professor like, yes, I’ve seen it happen.  He was just like, “what are you doing? What are you doing? That’s ridiculous!”  It just doesn’t make sense to them, you know.  Um, but that’s changing.  I feel like a lot of these things I’m angry about are changing, so its nice.  Um, but yeah, all the all the upper division classes I’ve had if any of my professors even thought, cause a lot of us in the classes were thinking about education, and they were really kind of negative about it, but all the professors involved with STEM (Colorado), they’re very, very supportive of it.  They’re funny and they’re like education pushers.  Its really, yeah, they like sweep you up in their enthusiasm too. 

13. Faculty Perspectives
The other thing here that I just totally believe in where the learning assistants become absolutely essential to us, is that we get enormous feedback in this class. We really know where the students are on things. And it’s through the learning assistants. (STEM faculty member)
But I am spending a whole lot more time preparing lessons. I mean, I’ve taught [this course] a million times. I could do it in my sleep without preparing a lesson. But I’m spending a lot of time preparing lessons for them, trying to think ‘Ok, first of all, what is the main concept that I’m trying to get across here? What is it I want them to go away knowing?’ Which I have to admit, I haven’t spent a lot of time in the past thinking about. (STEM faculty member)

14. Critical Elements of our LA program
Faculty buy in:
Representatives from each department meet bi-weekly
Faculty commit to transforming course in some way using LAs
Faculty should be aware of issues in educational research
Assessment of transformations is a good idea for promoting program
Student Recruitment and Preparation
Being an LA should be conceived of as a good thing (the elite)
LAs need some form of compensation (we pay $1500/semester)
A special course for LAs in STEM Education
3. Collaborations: STEM faculty, Education faculty, K-12
Continuous pipeline from STEM major to prospective teacher
Finding high quality practicum and student teacher placements for candidates
Promoting teaching as a valuable and legitimate career option

15. If you are interested in implementing an LA program at your university…
Questions to Consider
What other faculty can you think of that would be interested in collaborating? From physics? From other departments?
Which courses could you use LA’s in? How would you use LAs?
How would you fund LAs? Course fees? TA salaries? Grants? Departmental funds?
Who might teach a special course for LAs in math and science education?
How might you get faculty to buy into the program? What’s in it for them?
What might be the role of the TIR in the LA program?

16. Future work: Research on LA model for preparing quality teachers
References:
Colorado Commission on Higher Education (2006). Report to the governor and general assembly on education.