Learning Assistant program helps train in science education
Universities from around the nation came to CU Wednesday and Thursday to learn about a growing program called the Colorado Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Learning Assistant project.
The program prepares science majors for teaching careers, engages science faculty in the recruitment and preparation of future teachers, and improves the quality of science education.
Thirty physics faculty from 14 schools, including representatives from North Carolina, Maryland, Minnesota and Cornell, attended the event to learn how the program works.
“They’ll learn how to implement this program at their universities,” said Valerie Otero, director of the learning assistant program and an assistant professor of science education in the School of Education.
The key to this program is to create environments that engage students. As a result, the program facilitates small group interaction.
Sixty science majors are chosen for the learning assistants program. About 15 percent of those in the program will go on to become K-12 teachers.
There are four features that make the CU model unique. First, the program focuses on teacher preparation. The learning assistants must integrate course content, teaching and practice. There is also an evaluation to see how effective the learning assistant model is. Finally, the science research faculty is involved in the recruitment and preparation of teachers.
“It’s the first and foremost program of its sort,” said Duane Deardorff, the director of undergraduate laboratories at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The representatives of the universities learn about the program as though they are participating in the course. On Wednesday, they attended a seminar and question session about how the program works.
On Thursday, the teams viewed the program in action. Groups watched tutorial sessions and learned how to collect and analyze data on student learning.
“It is wonderful to look at how we are empowering undergraduates to become teachers,” said Steve Iona, a faculty member of the School of Education.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Aaron Musick at aaron.musick@colorado.edu.
