Microteaching
Microteaching is a 5-7 minute presentation that takes place in the Teaching Assistant Orientation for a practice teaching exercise. Here are the videos of my microteaching practices at Syracuse University.
I think the Teaching Assistant Orientation is highly beneficial for teaching assistants who start teaching at Syracuse University for both giving an insight into the expectations and experiences.
Courses I taught as an instructor at Syracuse University
SCI 104 has been offered as three sections in fall semesters and SCI 105 has been offered as three sections in spring semesters. I have been teaching one section of SCI 104 course in fall semesters and SCI 105 course in spring semesters since Fall-2016. Below you can see the brief explanations of the courses and my role in these courses.
Quests and Questions in Physical Phenomena I (SCI 104)
This course is designed for those students who have not had substantive coursework in the physical sciences. SCI 104 focuses on the conceptual understanding of physical science principles rather than on mathematical manipulations. The goal is for students to be able to develop their own, more scientific models and explanations for the way the world works so that they might accomplish this same goal as teachers, parents, and voters in the future. Students also participate in science—asking questions, collecting and analyzing data, making claims and supporting those claims with evidence, and communicating with others about those claims.
I was one of the instructors of this course in Fall 2016 and Fall 2017 semesters. There were three sections of this course and I collaborated with the other instructors of the course. Here is a powerpoint that the other teaching assistant and I prepared for a lesson. I like keeping the students active during class. Therefore, we included online activities that students can increase their understanding by working with their peers. I also like including short learning games to increase the engagement level of students. These activities also help me get formative feedback about students’ understanding. Here is a sample activity that I created to use in one of the lessons.
Quests and Questions in Physical Phenomena II (SCI 105)
The students in SCI 105 represent a wide range of majors and programs from all across the Syracuse University campus. Several students are beginning their commitment to joining a professional workforce dedicated to teaching children about the natural world around them in ways that are supported by research. Thus, there are three main goals for students of SCI 105:
1. Students actively construct questions about the natural world, develop answers to those questions that rely on scientific evidence, and relate their understandings to the understandings of scientists.
2. Students explore the nature of scientific knowledge and the methods used to create and evaluate that knowledge.
3. Students participate in active learning activities and demonstrations that promote deeper conceptual understanding of science concepts.
I was one of the instructors of this course in Spring 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters. There were three sections of this course and I collaborated with the main instructor of the course and the other teaching assistant while preparing the course materials and the exams. Here is one of the activity worksheets that I prepared. I believe in the importance of teaching the nature of science while teaching science content. Therefore, I like including the history of science and the nature of science activities in the lessons.
Please read more about my teaching evaluations to learn more about my teaching reflection, student and faculty evaluations.