Chemical Education Today
Commentary
Teaching Chemistry in Graduate School by Benjamin F. Pierce
If you are an academic reading this commentary, then you already have teaching experience. Most likely, you have spent several semesters in front of the classroom, and you could probably teach any given lecture from your course(s) with your eyes closed. But think back to your first semester as a faculty member when your teaching skills weren’t so polished. Did you feel lost as a teacher? Did you ever wish that you had received the opportunity to teach earlier in your career? If you are like any one of the dozens of faculty members I know, then you had a shaky start in the classroom followed by better years. Now, you are a pro—a teaching veteran who has seen it all. This trend in teaching skills can be troubling, especially to a graduate student such as myself who is interested in pursuing a career in academia. Why do the shaky years have to fall within the tenure window, when everything a new faculty member does is under the magnifying glass and scrupulously analyzed by peers who are already professionals at juggling the faculty trifecta—teaching, research, and service? Why isn’t there additional training for teachers in graduate school? Teaching Resources in Graduate School Many if not most graduate programs offer formal training for only one-third of the tenure formula—research—which can leave a lot to be desired for graduate students vying for a more well-rounded education. That graduate programs only focus on research makes sense, and the reasons are many. However, this results in most graduate students’ receiving little to no formal teaching experience while in graduate school. Therefore, one must reach outside the confines of the traditional graduate career to receive any help with teaching. Fortunately, there are a number of teaching resources available to graduate students. For example, on many campuses there are Faculty Developmental Programs, Centers for Teaching and Learning, Educational Departments, or Teaching Resource Centers that can assist graduate students as they learn teaching skills. I highly encourage anyone interested in teaching to take advantage of any available teaching seminars as they were incredibly helpful in my development. Additionally there are tutoring programs, external teaching fellowships, educational speakers, countless books on teaching, journal articles, faculty members who can impart their knowledge and experience in pedagogy, and, of course, there are lecture courses that can be observed. Teaching Full Lecture Courses For those graduate students interested in teaching, the previously listed resources are available, and they are quite helpful. I have taken advantage of all these resources, but I realized that they are best when used as supplements. I decided that the most effective way to learn how to teach was to gain first-hand expe902
rience and use those Receiving student feedback resources in tandem. Fortunately, I had the was one of the greatest opportunity to teach a full lecture course as a learning experiences graduate student—the first semester organic in my life… chemistry in the fall of 2007 during my 5th year in graduate school. There were 260 students enrolled in the class. Upon completion of the course, I realized that this was an opportunity that should be made available to other graduate students. I would like to help prepare any graduate student who wishes to do this because, although I enjoyed my teaching experience and now feel more prepared for a career in teaching, I found that teaching a full course was extremely arduous and tedious. Here, I would like to alleviate some problems that graduate students could face along the way. The Six Be’s Here are some helpful hints for any graduate student interested in teaching a full lecture course. These guidelines worked well for me, and they could serve as a good starting point for beginning teachers; however, there are certainly other opinions and alternate advice that could work for you as well.
1. Be patient. Teaching a lecture course too soon in your graduate career would only hurt your students and set you back. Indeed, waiting is the first piece of advice given by Boice for new faculty members who lack teaching experience (1). Earlier in your graduate career you can attend seminars, read books on teaching, ask for advice, tutor, or enroll in a faculty developmental program. You can think about how you would teach a course long before you actually attempt to do it. Also, remember that schedules and curricula are set as early as a year before a course is taught. Even if you are allowed to teach a course, that course might start a year in the future. The best years to start asking to teach a course would be your 3rd or 4th year (assuming a 5-year program).
2. Be flexible. If given the chance to teach a course, you would either take the place of or share the teaching duties with a faculty member. This means that the faculty member would have to answer for anything untoward that should happen as a result of your teaching the course. The faculty member may give you a set of rules to abide by or a syllabus that you must follow. If this is the situation, do not at all deviate from that plan. Most faculty members treat their syllabi and lesson plans very personally, and you must remember that this is their class, not yours. Should
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 85 No. 7 July 2008 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
Chemical Education Today
you have limited opportunities to teach, you should still take advantage of any opportunity that comes along. Some experience is always better than none.
3. Be strong. This is most important if you are given free rein to teach a full course. Students (or their parents) may not give you a good reception because you lack those magic letters, Ph.D., behind your name or simply because you are new. Students may feel that they are entitled to have only experienced faculty members as their professors, which McGlynn says is a result from increased tuition costs (2). To counter this, you have to let your students know of your experience, which is yet another reason you should take advantage of the teaching resources for graduate students long before you try to teach a full lecture course. To best show that you ‘know your stuff ’, have a picture-perfect plan for the first class. There is no more important lecture than that first class period. Any sign of uncertainty from you—a graduate student without a Ph.D.—could discourage your students and may even drive them to switch classes. At the end of the semester, you want at least some of your students to have forgotten that you are a graduate student. 4. Be open. Be open to suggestions. You are still not the seasoned veteran, and you need to open your ears for any suggestions, both from your colleagues and your students. More importantly, ask a few faculty members if what you’re planning to do is a good idea—before you do it. There are many reasons why ideas would be good or bad that you might overlook but would never go unnoticed by an experienced teacher. If a noticeable number of students give you a suggestion, you should consider what they say. Remember, you’re still a student and you’re still learning. You’ll make mistakes; the important part will be to fix them early and effectively. 5. Be wary. Regardless of whether you’re teaching with a faculty member or teaching by yourself, there is always the possibility of student complaints. The first day of class can go a long way to minimize student complaints or incivilities. But there are other things to keep in mind. First, don’t let your class take over your life. If the class has a large enrollment, things could get out of hand. Keep office hours and don’t set too many appointments outside of those set times. Remember, as a graduate student you are typically not paid to teach, you are paid to conduct research. Now is the time to start managing teaching and research duties effectively. Faculty members are watching your performance, and it’s important that you handle yourself properly.
6. Be studious. This is your first lecture course, and you should be incredibly studious, meticulous, and reflective. There are many reasons for doing this. Most importantly, you’ll be a better teacher. Your lesson plans, tests, and lectures will be cleaner and clearer. Also, you will be able to more easily relish these initial teaching moments. By doing so, you can make a better decision about whether you want to stay on the academic path. Very early on you’ll realize that your first students will teach you much more than you teach them. By being mindful during this time, you’ll remember this experience forever.
Summary I hope that this commentary encourages some graduate students to start the initial steps that are necessary in gaining some teaching experience while in graduate school. Graduate students may find, as I did, that the rewards of teaching are very gratifying. Receiving student feedback was one of the greatest learning experiences in my life, and getting comments such as Amazing teacher…changed major to chemistry because of [this] class.
made me realize that this was the career for me. I would not have had the experience of teaching without the help of my advisor, Valerie Ashby, or the other faculty members at the University of North Carolina. If you are a research advisor, ask your graduate students whether they are interested in academics and, if they are, consider helping them gain some real teaching experience while in graduate school. They may realize their passion for teaching, and it may change their lives. Literature Cited 1. Boice, R. Advice for New Faculty Members: Nihil Nimus; Allyn and Bacon: Boston, 2000. 2. Provitera-McGlynn, Angela. Successful Beginnings for College Teaching: Engaging Your Students from the First Day; Atwood Publishing: Madison, WI, 2001.
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Jul/abs902.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF)
Benjamin F. Pierce is a fifth-year graduate student in chemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3290;
[email protected].
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 85 No. 7 July 2008 • Journal of Chemical Education
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