Molecular Biology AI Manual

Building a Group Dynamic

Not every course at Princeton is going to be run in the same way. However, in every class, the TAs are integral to providing the students with a constructive learning environment. This section will highlight issues that effect the classroom climate and will provide tips for building a good group dynamic.

The Precept:
Undergraduates in the department of Molecular Biology attend precepts even if they are not required. They expect that a precept will clarify and expand upon issues raised in lecture, and will therefore give them a deeper understanding of the topic which they are studying. To this end, they expect that the precept will be well organized and clearly presented. But perhaps more importantly, they expect that the TA will take a strong interest in the topics (s)he is teaching. Of course you can not be excited about every lecture or every paper you discuss, but you need to convey your aptitude and interest in these topics. The words you use and your body language will strongly influence how students react in your precept. Where you sit relative to the class, how much eye contact you make (the more the better), how often your back is to your students will send clues to your students about your attitude towards teaching. The success of your precept will also depend largely on your expectations of the students, and how you convey these expectations to them.

Precepts in Mol Bio may require you to review lecture notes, go over problem set problems, teach students critical reading by discussing scientific papers, or some combination of the three. In any case, you will need to encourage participation and to be sensitive to students' needs. Participation increases when your students feel confident and comfortable enough around their fellow students and you to speak openly and without fear of ridicule. To this end, it is important to encourage your students to ask any and all questions, no questions is too small and no answer is too stupid. Chances are that if one student is unclear about a topic, several others are having trouble as well.

While you may not feel truly at ease in the classroom until the end of the semester, you can begin building a good group dynamic in the first meeting. Below are several suggestions for encouraging broad participation in your classroom.

1) Know your students' names. Knowing your students' names will increase your ability to facilitate their discussion. Be sure they know each other by name as well. Saying students' names out loud as you call on them will help them to learn everyone's name.

2) Assess knowledge level. It is helpful to assess how much of the reading or homework your students have done. Students, for one reason or another, are occasionally unprepared for class. You will especially notice this at certain times in the semester. It is therefore important to be flexible each time class meets by attempting to anticipate various contingencies as you make your lesson plans.

3) Acknowledge student comments. Try not to let students' comments go without some response-either by you or by another student-even if this means an obvious rephrasing of what has been said. This will help to make it clear that you are listening.

4) Give students time to answer. There will be moments where no one speaks at all. Intervening too quickly against silence will take away opportunity for reflection, and grimly insisting on an answer to one question phrased one way may simply aggravate them. If your students are stumped after what you think is a reasonable time, you may want to suggest alternative ways of thinking about the issue at hand, or a new wording of the question. Rephrasing a question can often provoke new insights and thoughts from students.

5) Approach students outside of class. Almost every section will have a few students who seldom or never talk. You may encourage them to participate if you know why they are holding back. Are they bored or shy? Are they intimidated by the material? You should talk to them about this outside of class. Conversely, almost every section will have one or two students who dominate discussion. Again, it is wise to talk to them about it individually. You can tell them you appreciate their participation but that you want to make sure other students have a chance. If they consistently interrupt others, ask them not to. Alternatively, you can make sure that every student speaks by calling on them or going around the room and asking each student to address a question.

The Laboratory Setting:
Although it may seem at times that your role in teaching is minimal- you spend half your lab time making sure students know where to find TE and that they're not supposed to eat ethidium bromide- the lab TA actually is crucial to the learning process. As with a precept based class, you too need to foster a constructive learning environment. The key to this in a lab class is making sure that you know all the students by name and that you encourage their questions. However, it can be frustrating when half the class asks why you add salt to precipitate DNA. One key to an effective lab, is getting the students to learn from one another. If someone has a question that you think other students may be interested in or know the answer to, stop the class, ask everyone the question. Be proactive about getting students involved. Ask them if anyone knows the answer. Teach students that their fellow classmates are great resources. This is especially needed in MOL 209 and MOL 214 where they are having their first lab experiences in the department.

As with a precept, it is important to set expectations and make sure that students are aware of them. Remind them that they are expected to come to class prepared to DO the lab. They should have read the protocols and background for each lab before entering. This is essential to keeping the class running smoothly. Often students need to wait for each other to get to a certain point in a protocol to proceed. If one group lags behind, they are holding back the entire class. Make them aware that even though they work in small groups, the class as a whole is working together to make the laboratory work. You need their help and participation to make that happen. Of course, this requires more than anything that you as well come prepared for the lab.

Avoiding Stereotypes
A good teacher gears his or her presentation to the level, interests, and special needs of the students in the classroom. This means that as we become better teachers, we learn to overcome cultural biases and preconceived notions about how students should behave in the classroom and how well they should perform. The student population at Princeton is fairly heterogeneous with a significant number of women and Asian students in Mol Bio courses. There are significantly fewer African-American and Latino students and accordingly we often fall into the track of stereotyping these minorities. It is true at Princeton that some of the minority students have special needs and concerns; but it is essential that you as a TA do not ASSUME that a minority student will not perform as well as his or her caucasian peers. Often this assumption is unconscious and you need to become aware of a stereotyping behavior. Question yourself about your approach to students: do you treat them all fairly? Do you give them all the same amount of time to answer questions? Do you use the same tone of voice to address a minority, a male, a female? Are you confusing a student's behavior in class with his or her inherent ability (remember some ethnic groups have a different attitude towards authority)? Only by recognizing and confronting stereotypes can we truly have an inclusive and positive educational experience. We know that women still often call on men more, and the best students are called on more often than anyone else. In order to give everyone in the class the opportunity to participate and succeed, we need to be aware of what we are doing and how we are addressing people at all times.

Dealing with Difficult Students:
As much as we hate to admit it, some groups will never have a good dynamic. And there is only so much that a TA can do about that. Sometimes the problem is a student in the class: someone who talks too much, criticizes other students, is disrespectful; or someone who never talks at all, always sleeps through class, or is inattentive. Although the latter student may be disruptive to you as a TA, it is the "obnoxious" student that ruins the classroom environment for everyone.

Dealing with difficult students is one of the biggest challenges that teachers face, particularly because it goes against the credo of praise not criticize. However, intervention is often required if a student is continually disruptive. The best approach is to try to talk to the student in private, tell them that you find their behavior troublesome, and ask that they be respectful of the other students in the class. Also, however, try to find out if there is an inherent problem that needs to be addressed. Sometimes this sort of behavior reflects a desperate need for attention. By listening to your student, you might be able to help them through a difficult period of their lives.

If a student's behavior continues to be disruptive even after you have addressed them, you may need to take more drastic measures to deal with the problem. Two main avenues exist. The first is to talk to the professor of the class, find out what they know about the student, and what they recommend to do. If you perceive that the problem is between you and the student, you should discuss the possibility of having the student switch sections. A second alternative is to begin to deal with the problem in the classroom itself. Make the student aware in public that his or her behavior is not acceptable. Dealing with these issues one-on-one is preferable so be cautious to use this method of reproach.

The student who never wants to participate or who never comes prepared can also be extremely difficult to deal with, especially in a class in which class participation is part of their grade. This is also a type of student you may wish to talk to outside the classroom. Again this behavior might indicate other problems in the student's life. It may also be that a student simply does not want to participate. If this is the case, you need to at least make the student aware that their reluctance will impact their grade and that ultimately they are in control of work they do for the class.

Finally dealing with difficult students might require that you get administrators involved. If students are not performing well in classes, there are mid-term evaluations that you and the professor will fill out to notify the undergraduate deans that a student is having difficulty. This will allow the student to get tutoring (free or very cheaply, depending on their financial situation). It may also alert the administration that a student is having troubles in all of their classes and might need counseling, time off, or financial assistance. You are not doing a student a favor by with-holding a poor evaluation. If trouble arises earlier or later in the semester, however, you might need to talk to their college dean or arrange for tutoring in other ways. No matter what, these decisions should not be made by you alone: make sure that the Mol Bio professor in charge of your course is aware of the problems the student is having and make them the intermediary to the administration.