Biology Pedagogy Program Overview
This semester we will be supporting your teaching by providing a specialized Teaching Assistant (TA) training program in Biology Pedagogy, for which you can earn a training certificate. This program has been developed in response to the feedback of previous TAs, and is designed to actively meet your needs as you are teaching. It will provide practical knowledge that directly relates to your teaching responsibilities each week, and you will have the opportunity to practice different skills and techniques in a supportive environment.
There are six core sessions for the training program (1hr each):
- Organizing a recitation section to promote student learning
- Keeping students engaged
- Creating an inclusive classroom
- Providing constructive, equitable feedback
- How students learn
- Supporting our students
For the remaining sessions, you will have the option to choose your own adventure, and must choose at least one of the following special sessions to attend:
- Writing effective questions
- Making material relevant to motivate students
- Teaching students how to learn
- Helping students to learn the language of Biology
- Leveraging your teaching experience for the future
Those who attend all 6 core training sessions, participate in a teaching observation session, and attend at least one “choose your own adventure” session, will receive a Biology Pedagogy Program Certificate from the department to acknowledge your accomplishment in completing the training program and pursuing professional development in teaching. For Biology graduate students, each pedagogy session you attend can also count toward your Professional Development requirement for the Biology graduate program.
Goals & Intended Learning Outcomes
Goals for TAs
- Communicate clearly with a broad audience on a variety of topics in biology, and thoughtfully address questions which may arise in this setting.
- Present in a way that effectively aids communication, taking into account organization of materials, use of classroom space, and physical presence (i.e. body language, facial expression, tone, etc.).
- Create a respectful learning environment where students feel comfortable participating in the classroom, and teaching staff can work as a team to best serve students.
Framing Discussion Slides (PDF)
Instructor-TA agreement Form (PDF)
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
ILO1: Articulate strategies for recitation organization that promote student learning
ILO2: Describe the features of feedback that is effective and encourages a growth mindset
ILO3: Describe active learning strategies and explain their importance
ILO4: Identify how different teaching practices can be received by diverse audiences, and assess strategies that promote inclusivity
ILO5: Identify ways of communicating with students that promote a growth mindset and minimize stereotype threat.
Program requirements
- Pre-semester statement of teaching goals Your Goals for Teaching worksheet (PDF)
- Completion of 6 core pedagogy sessions
- Completion of 1 special session
- An instructor-led teaching observation and debrief Biology TA Feedback Form (PDF)
Core sessions
Session 1 (pre-semester) – Organizing a recitation section to promote student learning
Session 2 (pre-semester) – Keeping students engaged
Session 3 – Creating an inclusive classroom
Session 4 – Providing constructive, equitable feedback
Session 5 – How students learn
Session 6 – Supporting our students
Special sessions
Session 7– Writing effective questions
Session 8 – Making material relevant to motivate students
Session 9 – Teaching students how to learn
Session 10 – Leveraging your teaching experience for the future
Acknowledgements
The course instructor would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Darcy Gordon, Instructor of Blended and Online Initiatives in the MIT Biology Department, who created materials and activities used in sessions 3 & 4. In addition, the instructor would like to acknowledge the contributions of the TA Training Team, Dr. Mary Ellen Wiltrout, Director of Online & Blended Learning Initiatives in the MIT Biology Department, and MIT Biology Graduate students Alice Lydia Herneisen, Nima Jaberi-Lashkari, and Byron Lee, who created the Instructor-TA Agreement Form and the TA Feedback Form.
