Linda Barbeto

The one teaching assignment that I was most excited about was the opportunity to teach Organic Chemistry discussion. During these classes the TA reviews the weeks class material and responds to student questions. However, I left my first class teaching Organic Chemistry discussion as a second-year graduate student feeling as if I was not very helpful. Students came with no questions and everyone felt uncomfortable as I tried to get anyone to engage.

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That afternoon I sought input from a fellow successful discussion TA and she suggested that I prepare notes and questions to cover during class. This led me to research the best ways I could present the information. I developed notes (which later I realized were lesson plans) for upcoming classes and the questions students asked began to inform my plans. I sought to identify and illuminate common misconceptions and planned practice problems that addressed these issues and asked students to interact with each other and the material.

For difficult subjects I developed analogies and sought out different ways to approach the concepts. I presented students with an alternative approach than the one given by the professor or textbook. Since connecting concepts helped me get a better overall understanding of the course material, I led discussions in which students helped create concept maps on the board or build other useful tools.

As I used these strategies, I noticed more engagement from my classes. Students began to ask questions and participate when prompted. I realized my role as an instructor is to not only clarify information but set up situations that allowed students to actively use the information and concepts given. Students responded positively to my efforts and I began getting feedback from them that my classes an important part of them doing well in the classes.

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In reflection of my time as a teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry I have realized that although I was never “formally” taught how to teach, I had been developing my skills all along. My student evaluations have shown this improvement with my average scores increasing drastically over the semesters, surpassing the averages of both my department and college. I hope that I have fostered some love for my chosen field and that I can continue to develop my teaching abilities and continue to excite and educate even more future chemists.