Importance Of Laboratory And Recitations

Improved Essays
TEACHING LABS AND RECITATIONS

INTRODUCTION
Labs and recitations complement the lecture component of a course. While the lab component of a course typically has a well-defined schedule of experiments to be conducted each week, the recitation is intended to allow students to discuss and obtain clarification of material presented in the formal lecture. Consequently, its structure is generally more flexible than a lab. Some courses may have both a lab and a recitation. While labs and recitations support the formal lecture, their importance, and hence the teaching assistant’s importance, in helping students achieve the overall learning objectives of the class should not be underestimated. In addition, experiences early on in the undergraduate curriculum
…show more content…
Other institutions assign new teaching assistants directly to labs and recitations. For new TAs, this role can be both exciting and daunting, especially for an international teaching assistant who is also new to the US educational system.
This chapter will discuss how to successfully organize and lead a lab or recitation. Although the specifics are different, this sections will start by discussing common topics such as the importance of understanding the course syllabus, how the course fits into the overall curriculum of the students in the class, and the importance of working as a member of the instructional team. Many other sections of this book are also relevant to successfully leading a lab or recitation such as: Getting to Know Your Students, Engaging Students, Time Management Skills, and Interacting with Students.
UNDERSTANDING THE COURSE
…show more content…
Knowledge of the course and how it plays into the larger curricular design will provide an understanding of the motivations of the students taking the course. Successfully teaching a chemistry laboratory for engineering students will require use of different examples to engage and motivate the students in comparison to a lab for chemistry majors. Teaching students from a wide range of majors, such as a course that satisfies a general education requirement, will required a willingness on the part of the TA to understand the students’ background and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Nevada Community School District (early kindergarten) 1. Describe the skills or attributes you believe are necessary to be an outstanding teacher. The most important ability is being able to understand and adapt to the individual needs of each for of the students in the classroom. As an educator, it is crucial to develop a bond with each child and understand the student’s family, cultural background, and interests.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Training Post-Mortem A training post-mortem, also known as project retrospective, is a process where the success or failure is evaluated, in other words, the project's ability to meet the performance objectives and goals is assessed. In order to succeed, there are some questions that must be asked: What worked well and should be repeated in the next training? What should be including in the checklist to make future trainings more successful? Which participants need more training before the next shutdown?…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hsc300 Unit 1

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The presentations for Unit 0 were focused on introducing yourself to thee class. Each student’s presentation I watched covered all the topics of background, occupation, education, interests, and course goals. I chose each presentation strategically to learn more about each student because they were not in my HSEM class last semester. Steel Mcneil is currently a captain with Kodiak Fire Department with a background in the fire service throughout high school and college. He is taking this class to continue to complete his bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency management.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetoric Reflection

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The start of college classes has been a shock. I know you are overwhelmed with your Microeconomics and Calculus classes and the idea of Rhetoric is blocked out of your head. Even though you don’t want to think about Rhetoric, it is approaching soon and you need to be ready. One major thing that is different from Rhetoric and your high school English classes is you cannot just write your project or essay the night before it is due. But, there is no reason to be worried over it.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Biology 230 Course

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The experiences in the Biology 230 course will certainly continue to influence me in my understand of and how I approach topics in following biology and science courses. The reason why I say this is that the process that information is taught in the lecture course was a bit different from how some other courses would normally be taught. Comparing this course to previously biology and chemistry courses, this course focuses on the why rather than what is the answer. This certainly helps as it makes up need to find a connection to why some is the way it is, which benefits many of the different topics that are taught through the course.…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mary Beth Stevens suggests writing supports reading by asking students to draw upon common knowledge and thinking processes (2014). In the Texas Treasures Literature curriculum students continually respond to text through writing activities. At the end of each section they record their responses by writing a personal response. These responses require critical and higher order thinking skills because students answer open-ended questions and utilize summarization, inference and interpreting meaning skills. This allows students to explore their own thoughts and make connections to the text.…

    • 1543 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    My gut sank to an unbearable low as I watched my thirty-two-year-old mother require support to limp just five steps to the restroom; cancer stripped her of life. At twelve-years-old, I felt distraught in my inability to save her and return the endless love that my Haitian parents poured into my nurturing. However, the hope the physicians brought us has inspired me to become a doctor so that I, too, can serve as an envoy of hope to sufferers of illness. My father is a physician I strive to be like. Every patient always has a smile on their face after seeing him because he does not only treat diseases: he treats people.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Fifth Grade Observation

    • 128 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Because of the upcoming science STTAR, my observation of Ms. de la Fuente’s fifth grade class this week was a little different than usual. The teachers switched classes from lunch until one thirty to better prepare the students for the test. In this way, they would learn the information through different teaching styles. This week’s task was about advice on the teaching profession. Some good advice was to stay organized and keep the students engaged.…

    • 128 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I am enthusiastically recommending a highly-motivated, accomplished student-athlete, Gabrielle Brown, for admission to your undergraduate program. As Gabrielle’s (Gabbie) instructor for two consecutive years, I am well aware of the time and dedication she puts into her academics, while also training at an elite level in swimming all year round. Her strengths are definitely in the sciences and I have found she shows and incredible passion when learning new concepts and their application in the real world. Gabbie has a unique approach to laboratory curriculum as she is quite observant and detailed in her pursuit of the methodology and key objectives.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    My job as a chemistry teaching assistant also required a combination of personal and practical skills and ability to be assertive without arrogance. Each week the students had to submit a heavy load of assignments, and keeping track of grading alone required a developed level in time efficiency, accountability, and organizing skills. I had to be knowledgeable enough about the subject to comprise worksheet, practice exams, review sessions, and grade fairly. I also had to know how to communicate that knowledge to the students: proving feedback on misunderstood requirements, clearly answering any questions they had about the material. I knew an accelerated chemistry course can be overwhelming, I always encouraged and motivated the students when…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As a first-year teacher, my goals are to establish an classroom environment that provides students with enriching instruction and rigorous learning activities that enhance their academic achievement and passion for learning, create engaging lesson plans that accommodate each student’s unique academic needs and personal interests, develop an effective classroom management plan that anticipates and prevents behavior issues whenever possible, treat students with respect and addressing issues constructively when they arise, and deliver assessments that provide accurate data so that I can reflect upon the instructional strategies and learning activities utilized to analyze the effectiveness of the chosen techniques to improve my teaching skills.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In an effort to expand my educational library, I will read effective instructional guides such as, High-Impact Instruction by Jim Knight. Furthermore, by enriching my reading choices I will begin to expand my knowledge in key areas of instruction and support. The second strategy that I will be using to grow in the area of instructional resource is by attending trainings and webinars that focus solely on bettering instruction in my school. As our students evolve into 21st century learners, our instructional models and methods must evolve as well. It is my belief that by attending new trainings and webinars I can learn new resources that will allow me to train my staff members and empower them to master their…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The instructor has already made a great impact on Baylie’s learning by using different saying for terms that sound alike. For example, “The long word is membrane, and the short one is the secretion.” A strategy that I have found useful when taking courses is the instructor posting the syllabi and assignments a week early before the course is started. This allows me to see what is required to be successful in the course, and to plan appropriately around my home life and work life.…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I really enjoyed the time I spent in Mrs. Flinn’s fourth grade classroom over Spring Break. I was able to observe for a total of four hours between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. During my time with the fourth graders, I took a closer look at the solid behavior classroom supports being used. Along with these supports, I was extremely impressed by the way Mrs. Flinn handled classroom management. Even though I observed during a very exciting week, she had great control over her students.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    So this class not only has benefitted me in the future for the rest of my classes, but specifically my science courses. Not only has this lab positively affected me in the rest of my college career, but in the long term as well. It has shone another light on life and given me a new perspective of how I look at things. I now understand life and all of its forms at the microscopic level. Because I am majoring in Occupational Therapy and planning on becoming an Occupational Therapist, this class has helped me to understand the roots of life and will help me understand roots of issues I will need to help people solve in the…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays