Tutorials and instructor guides.

Classroom videos and training lessons using ACORN tutorials

Coming soon

Have questions about teaching with ACORN Physics Tutorials? Contact Amy Robertson.

What are ACORN Physics TUTORIALS?

ACORN Physics Tutorials support learning environments that Attend to Conceptual Resources in Physics. Conceptual resources are potentially generative student ideas: “seeds of science” that can grow toward sophisticated understandings with support and cultivation. ACORN Physics Tutorials support students to construct their own models for physics concepts: the materials do not scaffold students toward a predetermined model.

ACORN Physics Tutorials:

• Begin with conceptual physics questions that research has shown to consistently elicit generative student ideas about specific physics topics.
• Ask students to explain physics observations or phenomena in order to articulate, connect, and refine their ideas.
• Guide students to construct and test models for a broad set of phenomena (e.g., wave propagation, dc circuit behavior, collisions) based on their own ideas.
• Are designed to be used in small groups of students (ideally 3-4) in synchronous or in-person class time in a 60-90 minute period.
• Are designed to be used with extensive instructor engagement. Near-peer facilitators (LAs or TAs) are helpful.

What materials come with ACORN Physics Tutorials?

• Worksheets for students (editable and pdf)
• Instructor guides, including common student ideas about each physics topic
• Periscope video lessons for instructor training, highlighting how ACORN Physics tutorials elicit student thinking about specific topics and illustrating instructor moves that effectively support students’ progress

What should I expect students to do during an ACORN Physics Tutorial, and how can I help?

• Students will generate many novel ideas and questions. Instructors can:
• Notice and elevate their original ideas and questions.
• Revoice their ideas and questions back them.
• Ask clarifying questions to help them connect the dots.
• Students will experience vexation points, “critical moment[s] when the[y] articulate an inconsistency or gap in their understanding [that] kicks off the sensemaking frame.”* Instructors can:
• Suggest analogies, thought experiments, and contrasting cases to support students’ sensemaking process.
• Choose questions or observations to elicit additional conceptual resources that are fruitful for the context. (Particular ideas, representations, or experiments discussed in previous class sessions, etc.)
• Students will be motivated to answer their novel questions, but will find this challenging. Instructors can:
• Suggest ways students can refine their question to be answerable within the scope of the knowledge and equipment they have access to.
• Suggest experiments to test/explore students’ questions.
• Students will wonder whether their ideas are idiosyncratic or shared. Instructors can:
• Encourage students to share ideas with each other.
• Facilitate sharing by asking questions about how students’ ideas connect to one another.
• Connect students’ own ideas or models with canonical models and concepts.

Have questions about ACORN Physics Tutorials? Contact Amy Robertson.

*Odden & Russ, 2017 PERC Proceedings (2018).

This project began with the observation that though there is an abundance of topic-specific research on common misconceptions and misunderstandings in physics, there was very little systematic, topic-specific, patterns-oriented research on student conceptual resources for understanding physics. We not only had questions about what those resources would be, but also whether we would learn something new, whether time-tested methods for characterizing ideas would suit a resources-oriented analysis, and whether and how curriculum developed on the basis of our findings would be effective. Ultimately, we wanted to build a pragmatic toolset for instructors who wanted to implement resources-oriented instruction but needed evidence, ideas of where to start, and course materials to work with. We think we’ve done that – at least we’ve started to – and we’ve learned a lot, some unexpected, along the way.

Learn more about resources-oriented instruction in our American Journal of Physics paper:

• A. D. Robertson, L. C. Bauman, Y. M. Abraham, B. Hansen, H. Tran, and L. M. Goodhew, “Resources-oriented instruction: What does it mean, and what might it look like?” American Journal of Physics 90, 529, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0009796 (2022).

Have questions about ACORN Physics Tutorials? Contact Amy Robertson: robertsona2 at spu dot edu

Current Team Members

	Amy Robertson (she/her, PI, Seattle Pacific University) is a Research Professor and physics education researcher with a strong interest in cultivating liberatory classroom and professional spaces.  In her work, Amy roots herself in a variety of methodological tools, disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations, and her lived experience as a disabled and chronically ill physicist. Her research focuses on university students’ conceptual resources for learning physics and how frameworks from equity and justice can help physicists become more critically conscious. She is a proud puppy mama, a disabled hiker, and an avid crafter.
	Paula Heron (she/her, PI, University of Washington) is a Professor of Physics at the University of Washington. She has been engaged in physics education research with a focus on improving student conceptual understanding and reasoning ability for nearly 30 years.  She is involved in a number of international organizations and collaborations in PER and has been recognized by awards from the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Dr. Heron is an Associate Editor of Physical Review Physics Education Research.
	Rachel Scherr (she/her, co-PI, University of Washington) is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Washington Bothell. A longtime physics education researcher, she has a special interest in educator development, including physics faculty, K-12 teachers, graduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate learning assistants. Dr. Scherr is the producer of Periscope Video Lessons.
	Raphael Mondesir (he/his, co-PI, Seattle Pacific University) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Seattle Pacific University. As a quantitative sociologist, Dr. Mondesir utilizes a variety of methods to study the intersection of community development, civic participation, and religious pluralism in the Global South. His special interest in civic cultures and social networks often inform his teaching and how he builds relationships with his students. Dr. Mondesir spends his weekends playing soccer or hiking.
	Lisa Goodhew is an Assistant Professor of Physics at Seattle Pacific University. Her research focuses on university students’ conceptual resources for understanding physics and supporting instructors in effectively leveraging these resources. Dr. Goodhew’s favorite part of her work is getting to know and learn with students in and out of the physics classroom, and she is excited by the ways this research makes her a better teacher.
	Tra Huynh (she/her) is a postdoctoral scholar at University of Washington Bothell. She is a physics education researcher and she has been conducting qualitative research on faculty and student professional development and equity education through multiple lenses of methodology and theories. She loves creating ideas with people and turning them into research. She is an aspiring knitter and baker.
	Clausell Mathis is a postdoctoral scholar in physics at the University of Washington - Seattle. Clausell has been engaging in physics education research over the past 4 years with a focus on understanding how physics instructors can incorporate culture-based equitable approaches to teaching from a curriculum development, student learning, and teacher identity lens.
	Lauren Bauman (she/her) is a research coordinator at the University of Washington Seattle. She first became interested in physics education research while learning physics as an undergraduate and is particularly interested in effectively creating empowering, equitable, and supportive educational spaces that authentically center students' ideas. Most of her research focuses on analyzing written data to identify students' conceptual resources.
	Anne Alesandrini (they/them and she/her) is a current graduate student with the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington and a former public high school teacher. Their research interests include student explanations and educator development, and they spend a lot of time thinking about the interactions between education, science, and society. They find joy wandering around outside with their kids looking at plants.
	Brynna Hansen is a current undergraduate student studying Cellular and Molecular Biology at Seattle Pacific University, and does physics education research as a side hobby! She hopes to attend medical school following graduation. Outside of school Brynna loves to read, exercise and spend time with loved ones.
	Jon Owen (he/him) is a current undergraduate student in physics at Seattle Pacific University. He is currently working to analyze video of classrooms using ACORN tutorials to understand how students’ conceptual resources are activated and refined.
	Al Snow (they/them) is a graduate student in Physics at the University of Washington. They are currently working on classroom discussion video analysis and pretest response analysis. Al enjoys reading and writing, as well as listening to and performing music.
	Sam McKagan (she/her) is the creator and director of PhysPort, a website that supports physics faculty in research-based teaching and hosts open-source curricular materials, including the ACORN Tutorials. She has conducted research into physics faculty members’ and department heads’ needs around research-based teaching and assessment, and conducted several meta-analyses of the impact of research-based teaching in physics. For this project, Sam worked with Adrian to design the ACORNS Tutorials website on PhysPort, and helped analyze interviews with faculty.
	Adrian Madsen (she/her) is the assistant director of PhysPort, a website that supports physics faculty in research-based teaching and hosts open-source curricular materials, including the ACORN Tutorials. She has conducted research into physics faculty members’ and department heads’ needs around research-based teaching and assessment, and conducted several meta-analyses of the impact of research-based teaching in physics. For this project, Adrian worked with Sam to design the ACORNS Tutorials website on PhysPort, and helped analyze interviews with faculty.

Team Alumni

	Yohannes M. Abraham (he/him) is an undergraduate cellular and molecular biology student at Seattle Pacific University interested in STEM teaching and learning as well as the medical field. He joined physics research to better understand why students’ have common conceptual misconceptions about physics and how to address these difficulties with a resource-oriented teaching and learning approach. He plans to work in a biology laboratory and wishes to attend medical school in the future. During his free time, he loves to play soccer, try different cuisines, and read Italian classic books.
	Cheyenne Broadfoot is a graduate from University of Washington Bothell with a B.S. in Physics and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Coastal Zone Management and Marine Conservation from University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. She has a passion for learning and wants to use the acquired knowledge to work for an organization addressing wastewater and pollution in third world countries, specifically Costa Rica.
	Beth Gallatin is a current undergraduate student at South Puget Sound Community College studying computer science. She joined the physics education research project to help develop a deeper understanding of students' conceptual resources and begin exploring strategies to create a more inclusive and diverse society of physicists. She is currently participating in research for the LIGO Collaboration working on the search for continuous wave gravitational radiation. She loves thinking and wondering about gravity, and the role it plays in our understanding of the universe. She has a persistently curious mind, and plans to focus on a career that bridges scientific resources, nature, and humanity.
	Jon Geiger is a recent graduate of Seattle Pacific University, where he received degrees in Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Honors Liberal Arts. He served as a Learning Assistant for three years, and has worked with the team on a project investigating the utility of natural language processing in characterizing students’ conceptual resources in physics.
	Katie Marvin is a recent graduate of UW Bothell with a BS in physics. Before becoming a student, she was a dog trainer who taught large classes to the general public. Her experience in behavioral training, communication, and observation served her well as she worked her way through an associate's degree at South Seattle College. These same skills would prove useful when she was encouraged to join the physics education research project for her independent research credits. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and bringing out the best in others. After graduating she landed a job within the semiconductor industry. She plans to become a physics instructor someday after she has gained some real world application experience. With the free time she has, she likes to practice her woodwind instruments, hike, play retro games, and hang out with her dog, Zac.
	Olin Sorby is a current Undergraduate student studying Applied Physics and Norwegian language at the University of Washington. He has been working with Tra on CR in kinematics, pertaining to productive use of force reasoning in kinematics problems.
	Marcella Su (she/her) is a graduate of the University of Washington Bothell with a B.S in Biochemistry and a minor in Health Studies. She is pursuing medicine to become a doctor. She believes that research is essential to medicine in order to propel the field of medicine to create effective treatments for the members of our community. She hopes to practice and provide quality care for her community after medical school, as closing the gap between ethnic and marginalized groups is a core passion of hers. She is currently a Research Assistant at Veterans Affairs, Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center. During her time off she helps her family in residential housing management, volunteers at International District Emergency Center, located in Seattle’s Chinatown, and does sewing with a sewing machine to help tailor clothing for family and friends.
	Andrea Wooley (she/her) is an undergraduate physics student at Western Washington University with experience in physics education research and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The culture of physics is central to her research interests, in particular she is passionate about issues about justice, equity, inclusion and diversity. She’s a transfer student from South Seattle College where she studied students’ perspectives of physics in addition to working as a tutor and peer navigator. She spends her weekends hiking in Larabee state park, playing pool and taking care of her house rabbit, Monty.

ACORN Physics Tutorials are developed iteratively, in conversation with research:

Researchers from our team first use student written responses to conceptual questions to identify specific, common conceptual resources for understanding a particular topic. This research shapes the initial design of an ACORN Physics Tutorial, which elicits and then builds from identified conceptual resources, toward models, mechanisms, and concepts. These tutorials are then implemented in focus groups or classrooms, where students are video-recorded as they learn. Video analysis identifies ways in which the tutorial is working or not working as planned – or working well in unexpected ways – and this analysis then shapes the refinement of the materials. Often materials iterate through this process multiple times before being shared more broadly.

These materials are suitable for a pedagogy course to support LAs and TAs in using resources-oriented instruction. We suggest weekly readings, weekly reflections, one project per term, and one peer observation per term. 

Readings for LAs to learn about conceptual resources

Student resources for learning introductory physics

Misconceptions Reconceived: A Constructivist Analysis of Knowledge in Transition

Discovery Learning and Discovery Teaching: Cognition and Instruction

Implications of cognitive studies for teaching physics

Newton's Zeroth Law: Learning from Listening to Our Students

Attending and Responding to Student Thinking in Science

"Charges are everywhere": A case of student sensemaking about electric current

Examining the productiveness of student resources in a problem-solving interview

Other readings that support a resources orientation

Boosting Achievement with Messages that Motivate

Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines

Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups

G: The Miseducation of Larry P

Ask the Right Questions

Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions

Peer Instruction for Active Learning - Eric Mazur

Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom

Becoming physics people: Development of integrated physics identity through the Learning Assistant experience

How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive

Reflection is a key practice for integrating experience. In general, we suggest that satisfactory teaching reflections must do the following:

• Be posted on time
• Consist of at least 300 words OR two minutes of video
• Demonstrate that you have read the course material
• Be accurate about the course material
• Draw explicit connections between ideas raised in the readings to teaching or learning experiences you have had
• Convey something that personally struck you as interesting, compelling, engaging, or otherwise moved you
• Write or speak in a clear manner – your style can be less formal than typical academic prose, but it should be serious and engaged with ideas

Reflection prompts

Identify one ‘take-away’ related to how you will respond to students’ contributions this term. What will you commit to try out in your practice to shift deeper into an asset-based view of sense-making? ("Asset-based" means you think of students' ideas as being valuable, instead of wrong or absent; it is the opposite of "deficit-based.") A possible prompt: “In order to__________, I will work to_______. I will know I am making progress if__________."

Why do you think groups are effective for learning? You may refer to the course you are helping teach or your own experience as a student. 

What is your best skill as a group member? What skill do you think you should work on as a group member?

Describe an experience you have had with “collective intelligence” of a group that you have been in. 

How do you decide to start interacting with a group of students?

Have you thought that there is a “physics brain” or that someone can be a “physics person”? What attributes did (do) you associate with being a “physics person”? How might this affect how someone participates in a physics class?

What evidence of fixed or growth mindset have you observed this term? This could come from working with students, reflecting on your own mindset, or observing other instructors.

Share some teacher questions that you remember from recent interactions: either questions you asked when you were teaching, or questions that a teacher asked you. What type of question is it? What is its function? What does it say about the kind of teaching that is happening?

How do you know someone has learned something? You can’t see into their head. Think of someone you know who has a lot of expertise in some area, and it’s not the kind of thing where you take a test. How does their expertise show?

Describe a time when you had a feeling of learning, but later realized that your learning was not as high-quality as it felt at the time; or when you felt like you were not learning, but later realized your learning had been deeper than you realized.

Describe a teaching experience you had recently that felt successful to you. What about it felt successful? Describe a teaching experience you had recently that felt less successful to you. What leads you to see it this way?

How can students/ instructors cultivate a classroom learning community where everyone gets to show their expertise, and where their resources are welcome contributions?

Describe a student interaction that gave you insight into the student's mental model and/or prior knowledge about a physics concept.

If you could go back in time and give your students some advice at the beginning of the term (or the year), what would it be? Why?

If you have a future career or other life goal, how is being an LA applicable to that goal?

Beyond your development as a LA, we are also interested in your development as a student and as a person. To what extent have the topics discussed in this course been useful beyond your LA experience?

Reflect on your teaching interactions now as compared to the start of the term, including the "specific commitment" you made early on. What have you gotten better at this term?

How has the experience of being a LA impacted you as a student? Do you find yourself thinking/acting differently (in class, when studying, when discussing or working with peers, or in other areas of life) in ways that you think have been influenced by your LA experience? Explain/describe.

Coming soon!

Below are multiple suggestions for term projects for LAs. We suggest one project per term.

Non-fixing interview

General instructions

The task for this project is to interview a single person to learn about their ideas about a physics concept. Your only purpose in this interview is to learn about their idea. Your purpose is NOT to teach them anything.

• DO: Openly inquire into their thinking, with curiosity. Ask questions for the sake of finding out. Paraphrase what you understand them to be saying to see if you are understanding them correctly. Spend at least 30 minutes learning about their idea.
• DO NOT: Teach, lead, coax, help, critique, challenge, correct, give feedback, judge, or in any way attempt to change, repair, or fix your interviewee's ideas. 

Assignment 1: Interview topic

1. Choose one of the posted physics problems (below) to use for your interview. 
2. Write your own answer to the question/problem, using your best conceptual physics understanding. 
3. Write some questions that you want to ask your interviewee along the way, to help you learn about their thinking. Some prompts you might consider: “what do you mean?” “tell me more about that.” or “can you walk me through your thought process about ____?”

Physics problems to choose from:

• Are all the colors in the rainbow?
• Is the burn one may get from touching a hot pan the same as, or different from, a sunburn?
• If you were trying to throw a ball as far as you could, would you be more successful throwing the ball on Earth or on the moon?
• A bird is temporarily contained in a large sealed glass container (with plenty of air), which is placed on a scale. When the bird flies in the container, does the reading on the scale change? 
• A monkey hangs on a rope. The rope goes up over a pulley, and on the other end is a weight, which exactly balances the monkey. Everything is initially stationary. Then, the monkey tries to climb the rope. What happens?

Assignment 2: Interview subject

1. Describe the specific person that you will be interviewing. This person should have agreed to be interviewed by you. Don't tell us their name (for confidentiality), but do tell us generally who they are, how you know them, what their physics experience is, etc.
2. State the time when you have agreed to conduct the interview (before [date]).

Assignment 3: Interview

Conduct your interview and video- or audio- record it. Post either a video of your entire 30-minute interview, or the entire transcript of your interview. You can use Zoom’s AI transcription for this, or an AI transcription service like otter.ai. 

Assignment 4: Episode transcript

1. Choose a short episode (1-5 minutes) from your interview that (1) shows part of your interviewee's physics ideas and (2) is interesting to you. 
2. Transcribe at least one minute and no more than five minutes. If you use an automatic transcription service, check the accuracy of the transcript.
3. Use a pseudonym for your interviewee.
4. Number the lines of your transcript (to make it easier to discuss later).

Assignment 5: Reflection

Write a reflection on your experience of conducting this interview and/or the content of the interview. Address the following questions: 

• What gestures, questions, representations, gave you insights into the interviewee’s thinking? What went well? What could have gone better? 
• Were there instances (questions, gestures, representations, etc.)  where you coaxed, helped, critiqued, challenged, corrected, (etc) your interviewee’s thinking? Describe at least one instance of this (unless you’re sure it never happened). 
• What (if anything) did you learn/discover?
• What (if anything) did the person you interviewed learn/discover during the course of this interview? Point to specific moments in the interview that give evidence of this learning/discovery. 

Satisfactory reflections must do the following:

• Be posted on time
• Consist of at least 500 words
• Be accurate about the interview material
• Draw explicit connections to teaching or learning experiences you have had
• Convey something that personally struck you as interesting, compelling, engaging, or otherwise moved you
• Write in a clear manner – your style can be less formal than typical academic prose, but it should be serious and engaged with ideas
• Contain no more than 3 errors to Standard Written English

Assignment 6: Presentation

In class, we’ll role-play each other’s transcripts and discuss what we notice.

Record yourself

This project is to analyze a video episode of yourself interacting with students, especially in terms of [theme - e.g., student ideas or group dynamics].

Assignment 1: Recording plan

Describe how you will record yourself interacting with students in class. A satisfactory recording plan will enable you to

• Record at least three different interactions with groups of students in your class, each at least 2 minutes long, and
• Capture both audio and video, so that everyone in the interaction can be seen and heard.

You may recruit fellow LAs to help. If there is anything you will want the professor to do, make that request now.

Assignment 2: Sample recording

Make a sample video recording of yourself interacting with a group of students and submit it here. A satisfactory sample recording meets these criteria:

• You are interacting with a group of students.
• You and the students you interact with can all be heard and understood.
• To the extent possible, you and the students you interact with are all visible. (Inevitably there will be the back of some people's heads.)
• The recording is at least 2 minutes long.
• You are able to either submit the recording to this Canvas assignment or transmit it to the instructor some other way. (Some recording techniques result in files that are too large to submit or send. If this is the case for you, find a way to either make your files smaller, or successfully transmit larger files.)

Assignment 3: Three recorded episodes

Record and submit three video episodes of yourself interacting with students in class.

A satisfactory episode meets the same criteria as for the sample video recording PLUS:

• It illustrates [theme - e.g., student ideas or group dynamics].

Assignment 4: Transcript

Transcribe one of the three episodes you submitted and submit the transcript here. A satisfactory transcript meets these criteria:

• Represents least two minutes of your interaction with students
• Clearly indicates who is speaking when, and what they are saying
• Describes any non-verbal interactions that seem important (gestures, eye contact, etc)
• Uses pseudonyms in place of students' names
• Is line-numbered

Assignment 5: Reflection

Write a reflection on the episode you transcribed, including responses to the following questions:

1. What [theme - e.g., student ideas or group dynamics] do you notice?
2. How did you respond?
3. What would you do the same way if you were in this situation again?
4. What would you do differently if you were in this situation again?

A satisfactory reflection:

• is at least 500 words long
• makes clear connections to course readings and/or discussions
• is accurate about the course material
• is written in standard English, though you do not need to use formal academic language or tone
• is posted on time.

Assignment 6: Presentation

In class, we’ll watch each other’s videos and discuss what we notice. [Alternative: In class, we will re-enact the episode using the transcript and discuss what we notice.]

• You will have the floor for 15 minutes.
• [Instructor] will bring enough copies of your transcript for everyone, will be ready to play your selected video episode, and will serve as timekeeper.
• Please lead an interactive discussion of your selected episode. Focus on the reflection prompts from Assignment 4, but don't just say your answers to these questions -- lead an interactive discussion, in which you invite us to share our observations and ask you questions.

Present a poster

Overview

At the end of this term, you will share your development with other Learning Assistants, Faculty Mentors, Pedagogy Instructors, and the campus community at large during the [name of poster session]. 

• The [name of poster session] will take place on [date/time] in [location].
• You are expected to attend this poster session for at least 90 minutes.
• Your poster will illustrate your individual growth and experiences as an LA, working from one of a few possible prompts or one of your choosing. 
• Your poster will highlight evidence and examples to promote conversation with visitors.
• In addition to sharing your experiences, you will give feedback to other LAs about their presentations by visiting their posters and engaging in conversation.

Developing your poster

How have you developed as an LA and student throughout your LA experience? How has your development been related to your specific class? Track your own development from the beginning to the end of your time as a LA by examining how you understood and implemented concepts discussed in your pedagogy class and prep sessions. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your learning in this class, and also, the aspects of your role and development as an LA that you are excited to share with others! What have you learned as a LA that’s worth sharing with the rest of the LA community?

Each poster presentation should answer one of the following prompts:  

1. YOUR GROWTH. What did you learn as a LA? Describe your growth throughout your LA experience. Many of you came in with previous experiences in tutoring or teaching--what did you learn that built upon these formative experiences? What evidence do you have to demonstrate your growth? What structures, lessons, and/or interactions helped you grow and change in these regards?
2. YOUR IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING. How did you impact student learning? What evidence do you have to support these claims? We expect you to be able to fluidly discuss specific actions you have taken and how these aligned with skills and overarching concepts of pedagogy discussed in your LA training. How did the ways you supported student learning evolve throughout your experience? What structures, lessons, and/or interactions helped you develop your approaches to supporting student learning?
3. YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. What advice do you have for future LAs and/or faculty for your specific course? What is it about the subject area and specific ways in which you interacted with students that led you to use certain pedagogical techniques? Which skills are most important for LAs in your specific context? What evidence do you have to support the importance of these particular techniques? What kinds of opportunities could you imagine LAs in your position engaging in during future courses that would promote better student learning and LA-student interactions? How can LAs be better utilized to promote student learning in this class? Recommend small or large changes.
4. YOUR CHOICE... Propose a topic of your choosing to your instructor for approval as a final project.

Assignment 1: Examine examples

These examples show the type of content we expect: [examples here]

• Choose 3 of these that appeal to you.
• For each one, write at least 100 words saying what you learned from it and what qualities of this example you want to emulate.

Assignment 2: Choose prompt and plan evidence

1. Commit to one of the four options described above.
2. Describe the evidence you will need to support your presentation.
3. Describe how and when you will gather the above evidence.

(To help you follow through on this commitment, your instructor will create specialized assignment(s) for you in the coming weeks: e.g., if you’re going to administer a survey, she will create assignments for you to (1) create and (2) administer the survey.)

Assignment 3: Present evidence

By now, you have gathered evidence to support your poster presentation. Analyze this evidence and share it visually. If your evidence includes quantitative data, use data visualizations (bar charts, pie charts, etc) to show patterns and trends in the data you collected. If not, think about how you will visually show what you’ve found.

Assignment 4: Main finding 

1. Watch this video about better scientific posters: How to Create a Better Research Poster in Less Time
2. Draft the main finding – the single sentence that will be in giant letters in the middle of the poster. We will workshop everyone’s sentences in class.

Assignment 5: Draft poster

Submit a draft of your poster presentation here. In class, we will display and discuss each draft, to give you feedback before you prepare your final presentation.

Assignment 6: Verbal presentation (in class)

Presenting your poster at a poster session actually means having conversations, not delivering a speech. In class, we will each practice the opening line of our poster conversation. 

Finally: Present at poster session. 

Meet an LA

Meet one or two other LAs at other universities and teach us about them. [Instructor] will provide you with contacts. 

1. For each LA that you meet, arrange and record a 30-minute one-on-one conversation with the other LA. Sample conversation prompts:
• "Tell me about yourself. What is your story?"
• "Please describe the LA program in your department." (size, discipline(s), application process, prerequisites, etc)
• "What are your duties as an LA?"
• "What are you good at as an LA? What are you trying to improve?"
• "What difference has being an LA made to you, if any?"
• "What difference do you think LAs make in your department, if any?
• "What advice do you have for me as a new-ish LA?" 
• "What advice do you have for our new-ish program?”
2. Make a creative image that represents the LA and their program. This image may NOT include either a photo of the LA or the name/logo of their school or program. You and the LA can do this together, or you can do it yourself and share it with the other person. You and they must both "sign" this work.
3. During a class period of your choosing, tell us about each LA that you met and share each creative image. You are responsible for 15 minutes of class for one LA introduction, 30 minutes for two.
4. Submit:

• A recording or transcript of your entire conversation
• Written answers to the conversation prompts listed above; minimum 300 words
• The creative image of the LA and their program, "signed" by both you and the other LA

Attend an LA poster session

Attend a virtual LA poster session hosted by another university. The assignment is to re-present three of the posters you see to us in the class. 

During the poster session: Get the information you need and document your experience so as to complete the tasks below.

During a class period of your choosing: Spend at least 5 minutes of class time teaching us about each poster of your choice (at least 15 minutes total).

Submit:

• A 150-word summary of each poster (x3)
• A screen shot of the most important image on each poster, with an informative caption (x3)
• A 50-word bio of each presenter, including information such as their name, school, year, major, interests, career objectives, hobbies/talents, etc. (x3)

We recommend that all LAs engage in peer observation 1-3 times per year. The following structure may support your LAs in engaging in productive peer observation.

Assignment 1: Plan observations

1. Identify two other LAs to be your observation partners.
• You will observe each of your partners interacting with students, and they will observe you.
• These may be other LAs in your class, or you may arrange to attend each other's classes.
2. Ask each of your observation partners if there is anything they specifically want feedback on.
3. Get their contact information.
4. Plan exactly when and where you will observe each other.
• Make sure you know what room each class is in.
• Try for week [X] so that the observation is fresh when you discuss it in class during Week [Y].
• Note that your writeup of the Observation Questions will be due in Week [Y]. 

Assignment 2: Conduct observations

During the observation, the observer should complete an Observation Log that identifies the observed LA’s teaching behaviors and the effects on the students. This log should be a rather complete transcript of actions, interactions, and discussions during the instruction. Personal notes, comments, and reflections could be included as well. The format used should be similar to the following:

Assignment 3: Written responses to observation questions

After observing another LA, use the Observation Log to answer the Observation Questions. Your responses will guide your debriefing session with the LA you observed. Submit your written responses here.

Observation Questions

1. What specific actions or questions did the LA use that increased student involvement, attention, participation, and thinking?
2. What specific questions or actions did the LA use that elicited or clarified student ideas?
3. What were some specific ways that the LA responded to student questions, statements, or answers?
4. What did the LA do well during the teaching session?
5. What suggestions do you have for the LA for improvement?
6. Anything else that you specifically want feedback on.

Assignment 4: In-class observation debriefing

During class, the LA pairs who observed each other will engage in a dialogue. The sequence is as follows: 

1. The observer reminds the “observee” what they observed.
2. The observee answers the Observation Questions (i.e., they reflect on their own instruction).
3. The observer answers the Observation Questions. 
4. The pair discusses the similarities and differences between their answers to the Observation Questions.
5. The dialog continues with the roles reversed.

The intent is to have the LA who was observed reflect accurately on the teaching session and identify aspects that were very effective in promoting student learning, as well as to see areas that may need work and how to address those areas.