In addition to the notes you take weekly on how section/lab went (either directly on your lesson plans or in a separate notebook, binder, etc.), we ask that every other week you write a longer reflection, which will be handed in to the instructors. Between the first week of September and the first week of November, you should write a 1-2 page (double-spaced) reflection on each of the four topics found below. You may choose the order in which you hand in these assignments, as long as you hand one in every other week and complete all four by the first week of November. The questions associated with each topic are meant to guide your assessment and evaluation; you do not need to address each question and you may discuss additional issues relevant to the topic.
- Group work and dynamics: Think about a small group activity you did in section over the past couple weeks. If you teach a lab course, think about group work done for a recent lab.
What did you ask the groups to do? How was the group activity organized (i.e. Was there a worksheet? Were there stations of activities the groups had to cycle through? Was there a more open-ended prompt? Did the students use group white boards?)?
Did you have some sort of wrap-up with the whole class about the group activity? If so, how was this implemented (i.e. Did you summarize their conclusions on the board? Did you have individual groups present their work/findings?)?
Did you budget the right amount of time for this activity? Did the students find the activity harder/easier than you expected? If so, how would you adapt this activity in the future?
Were all students actively participating in their small groups? If not, why were some students not participating (i.e. Did they finish the activity on their own? Were they lost and confused?)? What did you do to get the non-participating students involved in their group? Did this strategy work? What other strategies could you use to try to get non-participating students involved? Were there students who dominated the small groups or the class as a whole? How did you try to encourage contributions from quieter members of the class? Was this successful? If not, what strategy could you attempt in the future?
What were your learning objectives for this activity? Did the students learn what you wanted them to learn through this activity? How did you assess their learning?
Is there anything you would change if you were to redo this activity? Why? If not, what do you think made this activity so successful?
- Demo presentation: Reflect on a demo you presented in section. If you teach a lab course, reflect on a demo you or the professor have done; this could either be a demo done in front of the whole class or a small-scale demo you came up with to help out a specific group.
What was the demo you presented and how was it related to the course content?
How did you present the demo (i.e. Did you explain the demo and then present it? Did you present the demo and then ask students to explain what they thought was happening?)? Did the demo work as you wanted it to? Why or why not? Had you tested it ahead of time? If it didn't work, how could you improve it in the future?
Were the students interested in the demo? Were they confused by it? How could you tell? What did you do to address their lack of interest or confusion?
How did the demo fit into your learning objectives? Was it successful? How did you assess its success?
- Worksheet design and use: Think about a worksheet you designed and used in section. If you teach a lab course, think about a tutorial or worksheet you've designed or one of the lab prompts/instructions (developed by you or the professor).
What were the learning objectives you wanted to achieve with this worksheet? Did you accomplish them? How do you know?
Did you budget the right amount of time for the worksheet? Did the students find the worksheet harder/easier than you expected? If so, how would you change this worksheet in the future?
Did you ask the students to work on the worksheet individually or in small groups? If in small groups, did students actually collaborate together? How was the worksheet conducive or not conducive to group work? In what ways could you enhance group collaboration on worksheets?
How did you provide feedback on the worksheet (i.e a whole class discussion, having small groups present different parts of the worksheet, providing the solutions to the students after class, walking around helping groups individually)? Do you think the students were satisfied/happy with this method of feedback and why? If not, what other approach might you try in the future?
- Responses to student questions: Reflect on how you answered questions during a midterm review session or how you explained some homework or midterm solutions. If you teach a lab course, reflect on how you dealt with student questions during office hours. For one or two questions you answered, think about the following:
What was the question? Was it based on a midterm or homework or just something the student came up with?
How did you start answering the question? How did you assess the student's prior knowledge and understanding (i.e. Did you ask the student how they might start the problem/what information from class was relevant? Or did you just make certain assumptions about their basic understanding? If the latter, what did you base these assumptions on?)
Did you dive right into the details or first place the problem in a broader context? In other words, did you progress through the problem in a step-by-step fashion or try to give a holistic view (or outline) of the problem before you flesh it out?
Were you asked additional questions that required you to alter your explanation as you were progressing through the problem? If so, how did you adapt your explanation?
How did you present your explanation? Was it only verbal or did it involve board work? How did you keep the information organized as you were presenting it?
How clear do you think your explanation was? How did you assess your students' understanding? Is there anything you would do differently to better answer the question (in terms of your verbal explanation or your board work)?
- Connecting with your audience: Think about several activities that you have done over the past few weeks. If you teach a lab course, think about presentations you gave or discussions that happened in your office hours. This prompt is meant to help you reflect on how you interacted with your students.
“Yes, and…” In your section or lab, you are speaking to a group of students that come from various backgrounds. Think of an instance where you were discussing a topic that confused your students. In this instance, did you engage in a conversation rather than lecturing? If so, what happened? Did the dialogue continue? Why do you think it did (or did not)?
“Bring your audience with you.” In these discussions, what tools have you developed to ensure that your students are following you in your discussion, presentation, or activity? What signals from your audience did you use to gauge their level of understanding? What sort of questions have you been asking?
“Are you taking responsibility?” In your recent sections, how did you find / determine the common ground that would allow for effective communication between you and your students? Were you flexible enough (and how were you)?
“What is your story?” We are all connected through stories. Have you recently included a personal component in your section or office hours? This could be as simple as just being excited about the subject matter, or as extensive as to be a story that you told related to the material being covered. How did your students respond to this?