Effective Teaching Characteristics in Post-Secondary Introductory Biology and Chemistry Courses

1. Effective Teaching Characteristics in Post-Secondary Introductory Biology and Chemistry Courses Tobin Richardson Indiana University Southeast New Albany, IN Introduction Creation of an Exploratory Environment Explicit and Concrete Teaching of Science Concepts Theories surrounding methods of effective teaching at the university level are both plentiful and relatively diverse. This topic has gained particular attention in a recent movement among colleges and universities, primarily in response to pressure linked to state and federal funding, to increase levels of retention, persistence, and success in their student population. It is obvious that increasing student achievement is no simple task, and is often made more complicated by issues of under preparedness, lack of motivation, and ineffective communication within the classroom. Although these issues typically stem from students, there are methods of teaching that can be applied by the instructor that can often be beneficial in attempting to resolve these educational deterrents. In addition to what takes place within the classroom, yet another characteristic that can influence student success is the quality of advising they receive throughout their time in the higher education organization. This advising can happen in a variety of ways, either through legitimately appointed academic advisors, by others that are involved within their academic journey, or by the student his or herself. This advising comes from many sources, but is ideally formally received through a designated staff member who has been allotted as a full time academic advisor, or through a faculty member who advises students in addition to a number of other responsibilities. Although the previously mentioned factors are influential at any level and across all spectrums of a university experience, they become particularly critical as they relate to courses within the hard sciences. These courses are especially important for a variety of reasons, including their significance within most universities general education curriculum, their necessity within, and application to a variety of areas of academic areas of focus, and their placement within the pre-requisite requirements for many popular professional or graduate programs. In other words, these courses are exceptionally important to both the short and long term educational goals of many college students. This paper will focus on the ways that those who are involved with the instruction and operation of these courses can take measures to ensure that the material they are presenting is being offered in the most effective way possible. Instructors can aid in developing a classroom environment that allows for science concepts and ideas to be shared in an approach that diminishes feelings of stress and anxiety within the non-scientific minded student. Experts often refer to an atmosphere that allows the student to explore important scientific notions within the field freely and confidently without feeling pressure to understand everything immediately as a science friendly environment. Although any science instructor would agree that providing this type of setting is ideal, the debate would likely be on how to appropriately and effectively build this type of environment while still upholding high expectations and standards. Although this is a complicated notion, there are methods that are thought to effectively blend these two ideals together. For example, instructors can explicitly state the importance of inquiries within the classroom. Some instructors even implement requirements focusing on encouraging students to develop questions that they have about the material after each lecture. Students can do this formally through assignments that are then turned into the instructor or informally simply by the instructor encouraging the students to consider the questions that they have. By focusing on questions as well as answers, students often feel less anxiety about what they are still in the process of fully comprehending, and oftentimes eventually find it easier to actually articulate the questions that arise (Stamp, 2011). Likely the most obviously factor that influences science education is the method by which the actual material is being conveyed. This can surprisingly be done in a number of ways and through various approaches. Although science curriculum can appear standard in terms of concepts, the presentations of these notions are critical. According to McCanless (2012) in terms of the teaching of elementary biology, chemistry, physics, and a variety of other science courses, offering this knowledge through explicit and concrete teaching often allows students to grasp the ideas at hand. In a practical sense, concrete teaching refers to instructing in a way that is clear, concise, and to the point. Especially to students with interest areas and primary academic skills outside of the sciences, being presenting with over-information can create confusion leading to a lack of self-assurance. Teaching in a way that allows for students to grasp one step at a time, and provides mastery of each concept sequentially is ideal. It has been theorized that because especially teachers within higher education are so well-versed in their subject field, teaching with this simplicity in mind can be a challenging task. These teachers should be continuously aware of the objectives that are in place for their introductory courses, and consciously focus on these instead of feeling the impulse to speak beyond the material that is important within the introductory course. Logistical Issues within the Classroom Use of Variety within the Classroom Use of Variety within the Classroom Especially in a day in age when university students are used to constant stimulation and transformation, a special challenge for science instructors can be finding a way to keep students actively engaged with course material. A factor that can influence this engagement, and ultimately retention of information presented within a classroom lecture is variety. Variety can be implemented into a course in several ways, and can include variety in teaching methods, in presenters, in types of material, or in delivery source. Effective teachers can often find a way to keep material fresh and exciting by delivering it in ways that students are not expecting. An example of variety that all instructors are familiar with is presenting some material through an assigned textbook or through course readings, while presenting other material through course lecture. In certain science courses, it’s often also expected that instructors will use labs or “hands-on” experimental methods to illustrate subject matter. Although this type of variety is typically helpful to students, these methods are marginal in terms of all the various resources available. Instructors can implement several other methods such as video casts and team exercises to extend upon the variety students experience. In addition, when practical, instructors could consider implementing guest lecturers or out of the classroom field studies (Smithenry, 2010). Although all these methods of variety are not always available or realistic for instructors to implement smoothly into the classroom, they are at least methods to contemplate. Students have a wide range of learning styles and cognitive triggers; therefore, adding variety into a course can lead to a more satisfying experience for the class as a whole. In addition to the instructional issues that characterize teaching of introductory sciences classes, concerns can often surround more secondary matters including the logistics of the course. For example, because these classes are often part of university general education requirements, an extremely large number of students often enroll in the beginning sections. These classes, dependent upon many factors can sometimes consist of several hundred students. Typically, this requires that the course be conducted in lecture style with minimal interaction between students and instructors during class, and limits the flexibility within the course to require things like written reports or detailed lab assignments. There are many factors that can influence the arrangement of these courses, such as if it includes a laboratory component, the number of credit hours it provides, and the availability of secondary resources such as teaching assistants. In order for courses that include a lab to be effective, it is important that labs are closely supervised, both for safety and educational purposes. Because of this, laboratory components are usually broken up into small sections within a single class, and may be led through other instructional methods by staff members or graduate assistants. Graduate teaching assistants are an especially important resource, as although they rarely teach the course directly in the lecture format, they often provide the students’ access to an emerging expert within the field that has time allocated to working directly with them individually (Dotger, 2011). Without adequate resources such as appropriate classroom space, technology to aid in assessing a large number of students at once, and adequate help through assistance, these courses could easily become impossible to teach most effectively. Conclusion As science classes are often such a struggle for those within post-secondary education, many theories surround how to most effectively teach within these courses. Although the factors that can be influential are countless, there are certain themes that emerge often within the literature relating to these topics. Although science courses provide specific challenges that other areas of focus may not include, in reality, the factors relating to successful teaching within these classes are similar to factors that apply across disciplines within higher education. It is important for any teacher to provide exploration within the classroom, as well as to apply variety along with concrete teaching methodology. In addition, all instructors need a certain level of space and material to teach most effectively. For any educator to be most effective within their position, it is important for them to work with students in a way that is practical for them. Although philosophies surrounding teaching and advising within the sciences certainly exist, teachers should educate in the way that they see most fit, while incorporating literature related to effective teaching when possible and practical. As science education and education in general are such an integral part of a successful and productive society, those who provide this knowledge are especially important. Those who teach within science education must handle this responsibility with intention and care. Dogter, S. (2011). Exploring and developing graduate teaching assistants’ pedagogies via lesson study. Teaching in Higher Education, 16, 157-169 McCandless, B. (2012). The use and misuse of metaphor in science education and reform. Education, 132, 538-547. Smithenry, D. (2010). Integrating guided inquiry into a traditional chemistry curricular framework. International Journal Of Science Education, 32, 1689- 1714 Stamp, K. (2011). Teaching chemistry in primary science: What does the research suggest? Teaching Science: The Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association, 57, 37-43.