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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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Because lab instructors work with students in small groups and on a one-to-one basis during office hours, they have the opportunity to provide the personal touch, individual feedback, and encouragement that students need to succeed in a science laboratory class. They have the opportunity to get to know the students as individuals, to know their strengths and weaknesses, to understand how they think, and to challenge them to improve.

Another important aspect of lab instructors’ work is helping students develop higher-level thinking skills and problem solving skills through active involvement, guidance and feedback. To do this, they must not always be so quick with answers that students end up relying on them to do their thinking. Lab instructors’ role is to ask the kinds of questions that will help students think through problems and learn how to solve them. To do this, they must create the climate needed for students to feel safe enough to ask and answer questions and to participate in discussions. Often, students don’t participate because they are afraid they will be wrong and look stupid in front of the lab instructor and their peers. It is important to help students realize that everyone learns from mistakes, and that working through the mistakes as a group often leads to a much deeper level of understanding and thought for everyone. Sometimes, a lab instructor will be asked questions for which he or she is not sure of the answers. It is fine to use the phrase, “I don’t know.” One could use this as a teaching opportunity and tell the class how one would go about finding an answer. In any case, the lab instructor should find the answer and explain it to the class during the next lab period.

One other important role of a lab instructor is that of being a team member with other lab instructors and the faculty member in charge of the course to help make the course better. It helps everyone if lab instructors collaborate with each other, sharing and discussing successes and any problems that might arise. One way of communicating with others teaching the course is through e-mail. It is also important to provide a communication channel between the students and the supervisor and/or faculty instructor in charge of the course. Instructors are not always in a position to know what students are finding difficult or how the lectures could be more helpful to students in understanding the concepts.