Chapter 2 STEM Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and the Development of STEM Pedagogy
In: STEM in Science Education and S in STEMSearch for other papers by Seema Rivera in
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Abstract
Many undergraduate university students will experience being taught by Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), especially early in their college career. In universities where teaching lower-level science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) recitations classes and labs heavily depend upon GTAs, students are very likely to have a GTA as their instructor at some point in their undergraduate career. While the GTA is a critical component in many university systems, the amount and types of training available for GTAs are somewhat limited. GTA pedagogy training can have a positive effect on the teaching skills of GTAs such as increasing teach self-efficacy. This study investigates if STEM GTAs ‘ participation in an intensive summer STEM pedagogy program can help to increase teaching self-efficacy, help to cultivate STEM pedagogical skills, and help in developing a STEM teaching identity. The study found that when GTAs became more confident with science pedagogy, they also increased their teaching self-efficacy. This study offers and innovative way for instructors and universities to think about the training they offer for their own STEM GTAs.