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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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It is essential that the lab instructor put in careful thought and planning for the first lab class.

This is the time to set the tone for the rest of the term. It is a time to get acquainted with the students and for the students to get acquainted with the lab instructor and each other. For instance, a lab instructor may want to know students’ majors, math background, computer expertise, and similar courses taken previously, including in high school. If lecture and lab are not connected as one course, the lab instructor will want to know which students are taking the lecture course concurrently. One could have students put this information on an index card.

If the lab instructor plans to have the students work in groups, it is important to form the groups and have some way for them to get acquainted with each other. The first day’s experiment may be simple but require group members to work together so they begin to get to know each other as collaborators and resources.

The lab instructor should help the students understand the relationship of the laboratory section to the overall course, and point out that most of the experiments are intended to illustrate basic ideas that underlie the fundamental concepts of science. He or she should briefly review the types of experiments the students will be performing, emphasizing that, because it will generally be necessary for the lab instructor to present essential information and instructions at the beginning of each session, they should be sure to arrive for class on time. The lab instructor should show the students the laboratory facilities and give them a few minutes to become familiar with their surroundings.

Much of the lab philosophy, protocol and policies should be written on a handout in addition to being discussed in class.

It is especially important to distribute a handout that specifies policies and guidelines. This is important for several reasons: it gives the lab instructor and students a written record, provides information for students joining the class after the first day, and documents course policies in case disputes arise later. The lab instructor can bring copies to subsequent classes for those who don’t attend on the first day. In courses with multiple sections where the instructor provides a course-wide lab handout, it is still important to have your handouts for lab section(s). Students will appreciate knowing their lab instructor’s personal outlook and expectations for lab, and the lab instructor can give more details about his or her sections (expected quiz dates, due dates for assignments, embellishments on discretionary points, etc.) Experienced lab instructors in the department are a good resource for finding out what specifically needs to be emphasized or explained explicitly on the first day.

Other things that should be communicated on that first day include:

Safety:

• The importance of laboratory safety
• The safety rules (e.g., when to use goggles)
• What to do in the event of an emergency

Lab Expectations:

• The general ground rules for the proper handling and storage of supplies and equipment
• The importance of clearing work areas and cleaning and storing equipment before the end of each session because the laboratory must be used by subsequent classes
• The name and source of the manuals and supplies the students will be expected to purchase
• The general type of preparation required for each session

Student Concerns:

• The need to communicate any requirements for special consideration because of physical or other impairments on the first day; students may be timid about volunteering this information unless given the opportunity to do so

Grading:

• The overall grading policy
• Expectations regarding independent and collaborative work
• The format for notebooks and reports the students will be expected to prepare; sample notebooks and reports can be useful
• Guidelines on what is expected for lab reports; the lab instructor may consider distributing an example of a good lab report and discussing its good points with the students

Policies:

• Any ground rules regarding:

1. Attendance policies
2. Late report policies
3. Lab make up policy
4. Cheating and plagiarism policies
5. Breakage and replacement policies

Future classes:

• The assignment for the next laboratory session

Class policies should be presented in the context of basic professionalism (e.g., “Companies require their employees to be on time.”)