Meredith Burr
Department of Mathematical Sciences,
Clemson University, Clemson, SC burr3@clemson.edu

Prior to 2014:
• No formal training before being instructor of record
• 1 credit class during first semester of teaching to support teaching specific course (Business Calculus or Essential Mathematics)
August 2014:
• 3 day teacher training offered
• Required for students about to teach for the first time
• Began mentoring program. Assign faculty teaching mentors to new graduate student instructors
Spring 2015:
• 1 credit class on Graduate Student Teacher Training offered for the first time; Required for first year graduate students

Fall 2015:
• Mentoring program continues (some issues)
• Additional support class offered:
• For Intro to Statistics lab instructors
Spring 2016:
• 1 credit class on Graduate Student Teacher Training offered again
• Additional support class offered:
• For Calculus II instructors

Instructors: M. Burr and Shari Prevost
Class size: 20 students
Texts:
• Teaching at its Best, 3 rd Ed., by Linda B. Nilson
• A Handbook for Mathematics Teaching Assistants, by Tom Rishel, published online at http://www.maa.org/programs/students/student-resources/ahandbook-for-mathematics-teaching-assistants.
Main Assignments:
(1) Observing two math sciences classes and completing classroom observation forms;
(2) Preparation and delivery of two 20-minute lectures on an assigned topic;
(3) Answering questions at the board.

Date
Jan. 8
Jan. 15
Jan. 22
Jan. 29
Feb. 5
Feb. 12
Feb. 19
Feb. 26
Mar. 5
Mar. 12
Mar. 19
Mar. 26
Apr. 2
Apr. 9
Apr. 16
Apr. 23
Topic
Overview; Collect student surveys and assign observations
How to prepare a lecture (Do's and Don'ts); Assign topics for first practice lectures
Instructional Technology: what technology is available and how to use it effectively
Guest speaker: Linda Nilson on “Preventing and Handling Student Issues”
No class
(This should give you time to complete your class observations and prepare your practice lecture.)
Practice lectures; Observation assignment due
Practice lectures
Snow day – class cancelled
Answer questions at the board
Answer questions at the board
No class - Spring Break
Discussion of active learning strategies; Assign topics for second practice lectures (lecture must now include an active learning component)
Practice lectures with active learning
Practice lectures with active learning
Wrap-up: Discussion on balancing research, classes, and teaching.
TBA

Observe two classes (one Essential Math or Business
Calculus I or II and one Calculus I or II) and complete classroom observation forms
Reflection questions on observation:
• What teaching methods were employed during the class meeting?
• Would you employ the same teaching methods for this material in your class? What other teaching methods would you consider using for this material in your class? Explain.

Topics:
• 1.6: Inverse Functions and Logarithms
• 2.3: Calculating Limits Using the Limit Laws
• 2.6: Limits at Infinity; Horizontal Asymptotes
• 3.5: Implicit Differentiation
• 4.1: Maximum and Minimum Values
Students prepared and presented a lecture and received feedback from other students and from faculty observer.
Practice Lecture Feedback Form
Students answered questions at the board about their section.

Challenges:
• Scheduling
• 1 credit P/F class is not always their priority
• Language issues
• Varying effort on preparation
Possible Improvements:
• Increase accountability by having students give a 20 minute guest lecture in a real classroom
• Additional course and/or support for foreign students

• Weekly 1 credit class for all Calculus II graduate instructors
• Seminar to focus on:
• what to emphasize in each section
• what topics are most difficult for students
• ideas to use in preparing lectures
• exam design and grading
• other issues that may arise during the semester
• Classroom observations included

• Continue to offer Graduate Student Teacher
Training and support seminars.
• Improve administration of the mentoring program
• Involve senior graduate students in mentoring firsttime graduate instructors, especially foreign students