Graduate teaching assistants; critical colleagues or casual components in the undergraduate laboratory learning? An exploration of the role of the postgraduate teacher in the sciences.
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2014, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
Laboratory training is key to many science subjects and those that teach the practical laboratory skills maintain a pivotal role in undergraduate science training. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are regularly used in higher education institutes to teach these practical lab skills. The GTA can be involved in both laboratory teaching and assessing all levels of undergraduates. This varied and challenging role requires support from the institute and if appropriately provided the learning experience can be rewarding not only for the undergraduate, but also for the GTA. In this review, the critical role of the laboratory GTA will be examined, their support requirement highlighted and the multi-dimensional benefits of GTA facilitated research-orientated laboratory learning outlined.
Authors and Affiliations
Barry J. Ryan| College of Sciences and Health, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. For correspondence: mailto:barry.ryan@dit.ie
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8036
- DOI -
- Views 381
- Downloads 30
Survey of mathematics teachers’ static and transformational performance and perspectives for teaching similarity
Surveys were used to examine mathematics teachers (15) on their ability to solve similarity problems and on their likely implementation of lesson objectives for teaching similarity. All correctly solved a similarity prob...
‘Engaging in an argumentative discourse’- narratives from biology classrooms
The present paper delves into the classroom dynamics of Biology classrooms taking into account teaching learning processes associated with some of the ethical issues in Biological Sciences. Argumentation and debate appe...
Assessment of teaching and learning by mixed diagnostic testing
The paper deals with assessment of educational process. Specifically, monitoring and testing of students' knowledge, of professional and personal skills/abilities are in the focus of the study. A new assessment approach...
Activating pre-service mathematics teachers' critical thinking
Teachers’ critical thinking skills are essential for fostering the development of the same skills in their students. To demonstrate how teachers’ ability to examine solutions critically can be developed and supported, we...
Do you need to see it to believe it? Let's see statistics and geometry dynamically together!
Statistical graphs, measures of central tendency and measures of spread are key concepts in the statistics curriculum, so we present here a dynamic method (software) that may be used in the classroom. In this work we beg...