New Perspectives in Science Education

Edition 13

Accepted Abstracts

Teaching Teams for Educational Development in STEM Departments

Cathrine Wahlstrøm Tellefsen, University of Oslo (Norway)

Tone F. Gregers, University of Oslo (Norway)

Kristing G. Tsigaridas, University of Oslo (Norway)

Abstract

A stronger culture for teaching and learning in higher education is the aim of both policy makers and development programs at universities. We show how pre-service teachers contribute to achieving this goal in introductory courses at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN-faculty) at the University of Oslo (UiO), Norway. We have created teaching teams for large introductory courses in mathematics, physics and bioscience. Traditionally, the teaching at the MN-faculty is in a lecture hall with hundreds of students in combination with seminar groups with 20-30 students, led by graduate students (TAs) or undergraduate students (LAs). Since 2015, pre-service teachers, together with a mentor with expertise in science education, have been included in teaching teams with the lecturer and group teachers (TAs and LAs). The role of the pre-service teachers is to develop course material for student active learning, in cooperation with the lecturer and a mentor from science education. The tutorials have special emphasis on sociocultural learning through discussions, concept training and peer assessment. The pre-service teachers also give advice to the group teachers on how to implement the material in the seminar groups, and they observe and give feedback on their teaching. According to evaluations and semi-structured interviews, hiring pre-service teacher in mathematics, physics and bioscience has improved both the teacher education and the disciplinary education. Moreover, the teaching team structure has resulted in the development of high quality course material, continuity in the teaching of the introductory courses, and pedagogical training of the both the group teachers and lecturers. We are now currently working on how an adjustment of the Colorado Learning Assistant model can include pre-service teachers, thereby strengthening both the professional competence of the pre-service teachers and the pedagogical skills of the group teachers.  

Keywords: Pre-service teachers, learning assistants, student active learning, teaching teams;

 

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