Session K03: The Cutting Edge of Physics Education Research

Learning from Avatars: Developing Student-centered Teaching Skills in a Mixed-reality Simulator

Graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) are an essential part of the teaching force at many universities. TAs are increasingly being used to support student-centered learning, such as tutorials or inquiry-based labs. However, TAs likely have little or no prior pedagogical training and may not have experienced student-centered courses in their own undergraduate education. TeachLivE is a highly immersive mixed-reality simulator where teachers can practice pedagogy skills with five interactive avatar students. Prior research has demonstrated that the simulator is effective at helping K-12 math and science teachers increase their use of student-centered teaching practices both in the simulator and in their classrooms, leading to increased student learning. We have extended the use of this tool to physics undergraduate learning assistants and math graduate teaching assistants, and we are starting a project to develop training for graduate teaching assistants in four STEM disciplines (physics, math, chemistry and computer science). To use the simulator, TAs identify particular skills they would like to practice, such as asking open questions, and plan a lesson (typically five to ten minutes) to teach the avatar students. TAs teach the lesson and receive feedback, both automated feedback from the simulator and specific feedback from a facilitator, and then reteach the same lesson to implement that feedback. Our initial work demonstrates that TAs are able to practice their target pedagogical skills and experience the simulator as mostly representative of their actual classrooms.   

Abstract Withdrawn

Women of color are deeply underrepresented in physics. Between 2002 and 2012, less than 4{\%} of bachelor's degrees in physics were awarded to Black, Latina, Asian American and American Indian women, though they made up 15{\%} of bachelor's recipients in all fields and 18{\%} of the US population age 18-24. This isolation can lead to additional obstacles that women of color majoring in physics must face above and beyond the challenging material. In this presentation I will discuss these obstacles (including isolation and microaggressions). However, departments can take deliberate steps so that underrepresentation need not turn into loneliness and isolation. I will describe the characteristics of a department where women of color report that they are thriving. I will end with concrete steps physics faculty can take to support women physics majors of color. This presentation will be helpful both for women of color interested in putting their own experiences into a research context and for physics faculty committed to creating healthy physics departments for all students. The work I will present was produced in collaboration with Mia Ong, Apriel Hodari, and their research team.