91
July 13–17, 2013
Tuesday morning
Session DI: Learning Assistants and
Supplemental Instructors in TYCs
Location: Salon Ballroom II/III
Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges
Date: Tuesday, July 16
Time: 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Presider: Tony Musumba
DI01:
10:30-11 a.m. The Colorado LA Model: Variations,
Trade-Offs, and Differential Goals*
Invited – Valerie K. Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder, 249 UCB, Boulder,
CO 80309;
The Colorado Learning Assistant (LA) model was designed with an adapt-
able but definite structure and with specific goals for student, faculty, and
institutional learning. Throughout the past decade, multiple variations have
been adopted in different departments throughout CU Boulder and at dif-
ferent universities throughout the nation. We have begun to systematically
study these variations in efforts of understanding which features are critical
for which end goals. Some models use LAs to facilitate active discussion in
lecture while others use LAs to help students make inferences from data.
Still others take advantage of the programs’ community aspect and use it to
facilitate students’ transition from two-year colleges to large research uni-
versities. I will discuss foundations of the model and how different types of
goals are embraced and enacted by faculty members using the LA model.
Finally, I will describe some institutional and economic benefits with a
focus on sustaining the program.
*Program supported by NSF grant #554615
DI02:
11-11:30 a.m. One Program, Two Sites: A Collaborative
University-TYC Learning Assistants Program*
Invited – Edward Price, California State University, San Marcos, 333 S. Twin
Oaks, Valley Road, San Marcos, CA 92096;
Learning Assistants (LA) programs are catalysts for course transformation
and teacher recruiting. These goals are important at four-year universities
and two-year colleges, and LA programs are relevant for both institutions.
However, the particular features of each institution present distinct chal-
lenges in establishing and maintaining an LA program. We are exploring
the effectiveness of a single, unified LA program at two sites—a four-year
university and a two-year college. We have extended the CSU San Marcos
LA program to nearby Palomar Community College, with the goals of
promoting course transformation and teacher recruiting at both institu-
tions, and building inter-institutional connections. The LA program thus
takes on an additional role of promoting institutional collaboration and
facilitating student transfer. This talk will describe the program, challenges,
and early outcomes from this effort.
*Supported in part by National Science Foundation STEP Grant #1068477 and
PhysTEC.
DI03:
11:30-12 p.m. Reflecting on the Experiences of LAs in
an Evolving, Collaborative, Teacher Preparation Effort*
Invited – Mel S. Sabella, Chicago State University, Department of Chemistry
and Physics, Chicago, IL 60628;
The City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago State University have been col-
laborating on physics education projects for over five years and have been
involved in the National Science Foundation CCLI Program and the APS
PhysTEC Program. Throughout this period, the collaboration, involving
Harold Washington College, Malcolm X College, Olive Harvey College,
and Chicago State University, we have implemented a Learning Assistant
(LA) Program that builds on the ideas from the LA Program at the Univer-
sity of Colorado. The Chicago LA Program has evolved over the years to fit
our particular set of shared needs and resources. In this talk we explore the
evolution of the model and share data on the experiences of students who
are exploring physics teaching through our LA Program.
*Supported by the American Physical Society PhysTEC Program and the NSF Robert
Noyce Scholarship Program.
DI04:
12-12:30 p.m. A Collaboration to Introduce Physics
Teaching to Two-Year College Students
Invited – Anthony Escuadro, Harold Washington College/City Colleges of
Chicago, 30 E Lake St., Chicago, IL 60601;
Jaime Millan, Harold Washington College/City Colleges of Chicago
Joshua Oladipo, Malcolm X College/City Colleges of Chicago
David Zoller, Olive-Harvey College/City Colleges of Chicago
Mel Sabella, Chicago State University
The City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago State University have recently
partnered to provide early teaching experiences to two-year college stu-
dents through the Chicago Learning Assistant Program, which provides
participants the opportunity to learn about, practice, and reflect on physics
teaching. Through this collaboration, the City Colleges community has
been able to address some of the challenges that many two-year colleges
face when attempting to establish and sustain peer teaching programs. In
addition, we have found that incorporating Learning Assistants has helped
to cement a culture of active learning and cooperative engagement in the
classroom. We describe this shared effort as a potential model for four-year
institutions to broaden their efforts to reach out to and recruit from their
larger communities, while two-year colleges can obtain access to financial
resources, pedagogical support, and mentoring that may not otherwise be
available.
Session DJ: Physics Preparation of
Preservice Elementary Teachers
Location: Skyline III
Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education
Date: Tuesday, July 16
Time: 10:30–11:40 a.m.
Presider: Wendy Adams
DJ01:
10:30-11 a.m. Teaching the Process of Science to
Preservice Elementary Teachers
Invited – Courtney Willis, University of Northern Colorado, 1716 13th Ave.,
Greeley, CO 80631;
During a revamp of the preservice elementary teacher program at the Uni-
versity of Northern Colorado several years ago the concern was raised that
the future elementary teachers were learning only “facts” of science and not
the “process” of science. A new capstone elementary course (SCI 465) was
developed for the purpose of teaching the future teachers how science is
actually done and not just its discoveries. The class looks at science from a
variety of science disciplines and requires the students to apply the knowl-
edge they have learned in other classes to new situations and actually do
science. SCI 465 has now been taught for several semesters by numerous
professors and a number of activities have been developed particularly for
this course. Several of these activities will be discussed along with others
successes and a few failures.
DJ02:
11-11:30 a.m. Coordinating Instruction Across the
Sciences for Preservice Elementary Teachers*
Invited – Leslie J. Atkins, California State University, Chico, 400 W. 1st St.,
Chico, CA 95929-0535;
In 2007, the College of Natural Sciences at CSU, Chico hired three tenure-
track faculty in biology, physics, and geoscience education and launched
the Science Education Department in 2008. Over the past five years, these
faculty have focused their efforts on the science content preparation of
preservice elementary students, establishing a core sequence of content
courses that all preservice students take. Our initial approach was to divide
and conquer: ensuring that each standard was addressed in at least one of
our core courses. With NGSS and Framework in mind, we have recently
