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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

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This anxiety may heighten when a woman looks around her and sees that a majority of the other students are male and that a male teacher is presiding over the class. The instructor must not only recognize the female students with math or science anxiety, but also notice potential female science or math majors who are not receiving enough support for their interests. Studies monitoring female (and minority) students’ progress through math and science departments show that these students frequently abandon their intended majors because they do not receive enough encouragement from their peers and professors. They may also feel inhibited in a predominantly male/majority atmosphere. One woman planning to major in a science reported that, in one class she took, the continual sexual joking between the male students created a male community that made women feel like outsiders. The professor did not stop the students’ behavior, and even participated in the joking on several occasions. The student commented that it upset her to see this kind of behavior go uncensored in her classes because, although she herself felt well-informed enough to understand what was happening and could confront the professor, many women do not know how to confront sexist behavior:

“There are a lot of women who don’t have the background in talking about this kind of stuff, and aren’t going to know why they don’t like it. They’re just going to change their major[s].”

As a math or science teacher, you can have a tremendous influence on women in your class. First, establish a professional atmosphere that is comfortable for men and women alike. Second, make female students aware that they are capable of learning the material, and encourage those who perform well to take additional courses in the department or to pursue advanced studies in the field. Students who do well in these fields often credit a teacher as having been an important influence (Clewell, Anderson & Thorpe, 1992).

When it is relevant, make reference to women currently conducting important research in your field. When talking about hypothetical scientists or mathematicians to illustrate a point, make sure you occasionally assume the scientist or mathematician is a woman. By doing this, you send out a message to students that your field is open to women as well as men.

In addition, rather than teaching only mathematical formulas, make an effort to show how they can be used outside the classroom. By showing the relevance of these concepts to solving “real-world” problems, you are more likely to make both male and female students aware of the importance of your discipline and to awaken their curiosity to discover more about it. For more detailed discussion of strategies for including women in your science class, consult Sue V. Rosser’s Female-Friendly Science (1990), especially Chapter 5, “Toward Inclusionary Methods.”