Given November 1, 2013 in the Graduate Student Seminar Series in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia.

1. Interactions between teaching
assistants and students boost
engagement in physics labs
with Ido Roll, arXiv:1306.6606 [physics.ed-ph]
Jared Stang
@StangJared, jaredstang.wordpress.com

2. Context
Friends
Prof
TAs
Students
Background

3. Context
Friends
Prof
TAs
Students
Background

4. What do you do as a TA that helps students
learn?
1. Write down your ideas (one per piece of
paper)
2. Crumple up the paper and throw it up
here

5. The research question:
Which of these actually matter?

6. Our answer:
Fractional student engagement
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Interactions per minute
The frequency of TA-student interactions matters!

7. The TA-student relationship
TAs
Students

8. The TA-student relationship
Student
learning
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Student
engagement

9. The TA-student relationship
Student
learning
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Student
engagement
Which of these actually matter?

10. The TA-student relationship
?
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
?
Which of these actually matter?
Which TA behaviours contribute to student
engagement and learning?
Student
learning
Student
engagement

11. The TA-student relationship
?
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Student
learning
?
?
Which of these actually matter?
Which TA behaviours contribute to student
engagement and learning?
Student
engagement

12. Design: Observe then correlate
Skills test
?
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Observe
Observe all lab sections in the same week.
Student
learning
?
?
Student
engagement
Observe

13. Setting: Physics 100 lab
• Large class: ~700
students in 16 lab
sections
• Weekly 1.5 hour lab with
2 TAs
• Average of 39 students
per lab section
Lab progression
Intro and clicker
questions
Extended period of
students working in pairs
(Observations during this
period)
Outro and clicker
questions

14. Participants: The TAs of Phys 100
• 6 first-year grad students with no prior teaching experience

15. TA observations
• How do TAs adhere to and deliver the lesson plan?
1. Note TA behaviours outside of the standard script
•
Examples: Using the chalkboard to discuss a point, playing music
from YouTube, having a back-and-forth with TA partner during a class
discussion
• How do TAs interact with students during the work session?
2. Number of TA-student interactions
3. Who initiates the interactions?
4. Length of interactions
TA observation form allows one to record
a timeline of TA’s behaviour during the lab
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Observe

16. TA observation form
TA observation form
Observer: Ú6i_.^ È¿.,r-¡,
J
Date: ô". j j/¿ ¿
section: L I a
T¡,'r1s.
,
Lab progression key:
1. Before TA begins class
2. Going over homework
3. I ntrod uction
4. 1st group of clicker questions
J. J LUUeI LS WOTK|ng
6. Testing predictions
7. 2nd grcup of clicker questions
L Other
(Please mark lab end)
1.
2.
3.
4.
4'L 3
L{:rl.¿ ¿d
*'
'yr
lq.l!-;.--)
i. t 'lt-'-
1'.t
li i,-i
r
oY1'---'l!ç
^!
1/'
:i
)
_
Note off-script TA behaviours
Number of TA-student interactions
Who initiates the interactions?
Length of interactions
,.
l"n-l
t,
,; . .-.,,...- , "j..t- :.¡ :."...-:

17. TA observation form
TA observation form
Observer: Ú6i_.^ È¿.,r-¡,
J
Date: ô". j j/¿ ¿
section: L I a
Lab progression key:
1. Before TA begins class
2. Going over homework
3. I ntrod uction
4. 1st group of clicker questions
J. J LUUeI LS WOTK|ng
6. Testing predictions
7. 2nd grcup of clicker questions
L Other
(Please mark lab end)
1.
2.
3.
4.
4'L 3
L{:rl.¿ ¿d
*'
'yr
lq.l!-;.--)
i. t 'lt-'-
1'.t
li i,-i
r
oY1'---'l!ç
^!
1/'
:i
1. )Off-script behaviour
T¡,'r1s.
,
_
Note off-script TA behaviours
Number of TA-student interactions
Who initiates the interactions?
Length of interactions
,.
l"n-l
t,
,; . .-.,,...- , "j..t- :.¡ :."...-:

18. TA observation form
TA observation form
Observer: Ú6i_.^ È¿.,r-¡,
J
Date: ô". j j/¿ ¿
section: L I a
:i
1. )Off-script behaviour
T¡,'r1s.
,
_
2-4. Interactions
Lab progression key:
1. Before TA begins class
2. Going over homework
3. I ntrod uction
4. 1st group of clicker questions
J. J LUUeI LS WOTK|ng
6. Testing predictions
7. 2nd grcup of clicker questions
L Other
(Please mark lab end)
1.
2.
3.
4.
4'L 3
L{:rl.¿ ¿d
*'
'yr
lq.l!-;.--)
i. t 'lt-'-
1'.t
li i,-i
r
oY1'---'l!ç
^!
1/'
Note off-script TA behaviours
Number of TA-student interactions
Who initiates the interactions?
Length of interactions
,.
l"n-l
t,
,; . .-.,,...- , "j..t- :.¡ :."...-:

19. On/off&task&observa/on&form&
Student
engagement
Observe
• At a glance, place a
check/’x’ on classroom
map if student is on/off
task
• Completed at intervals
of 10 minutes
Key:&&&;&On&task&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&;&/me:&&&&&&&&&&min&
&&&&&&&&&&;&Off&task&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&;&/me:&&&&&&&&&&min&
&&&&&&&&&z&&&;&Zoned&out&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&;&/me:&&&&&&&&&&min&
&
&;&No&student&
Observer:&
Sec/on:&
Date:&
Time:&
Front&

20. Measuring student learning
Skills test
Student
learning
Test given pre and post.

21. The model (again)
Skills test
?
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
Observe
Student
learning
?
?
Student
engagement
Observe

22. Results: Correlations
Student engagement
1. Off-script TA behaviours
-0.11
2. Frequency of ints
0.52
3. TA-initiated interactions
0.49
3. Student-initiated ints
0.052
4. Ratio of short to long ints
Student learning
-0.10
Student engagement
0.28*
0.56*
* Denotes partial correlation, controlling for pre-test.

23. Results: Correlations
Student engagement
1. Off-script TA behaviours
-0.11
2. Frequency of ints
0.52
3. TA-initiated interactions
0.49
3. Student-initiated ints
0.052
4. Ratio of short to long ints
Student learning
-0.10
Student engagement
0.28*
0.56*
* Denotes partial correlation, controlling for pre-test.

24. Results
Fractional student engagement
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Interactions per minute
The frequency of TA-student interactions matters!

25. Results
r = 0.28*
TA attitudes
and beliefs
TA teaching
style and
behaviors
r = 0.52
Student
learning
r = 0.56*
Student
engagement
Which TA behaviours contribute to student
engagement and learning?
(Frequency of interactions used for TA behaviours)

26. Discussion
• Frequency of interactions is correlated with
engagement
– Whether it’s a carrot or a stick
(Student)
• Our opinion: frequent interactions (even just
saying ‘hi’) allow and encourage student
access to the TA
– Be present in the room

27. Discussion: 3 possible TA styles
As a lecture TA, I could:
1. Wait until a student puts up their hand.
2. Approach a single student, ask how they
are doing.
3. Ask an entire section of students how
they are doing.

28. Conclusions
Fractional student engagement
1.
1.0
0.9
(Be present
in the room.)
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Interactions per minute
2. What TAs do in class matters.