by Freddy Saia
Unlike many of the WIP teaching assistants who have posted thus far this semester, I will not be TAing for a Writing Intensive Program class until Spring 2022. I have, though, been instructor of record for some number of Precalculus and Calculus I sections since Fall 2018 as part of my graduate teaching assistantship. In these courses, much of my side of conversations with students during classwork and in meetings consists of questions. This is the case for feedback provided on assignments as well. By “classwork” here, I generally mean group work on mathematics problems focused on material students have obtained an introductory exposure to, through which they are meant to build their understanding in a collaborative environment.
Some students immediately thrive with “inquiry-led” interactions. Others, perhaps due to its novelty to them or due to the awkwardness in feeling “put on the spot,” not so much. It is not uncommon for me to get surprised reactions from students at the beginning of the semester, when their request for help is met by a question from me. At worst, a student could grow frustrated that they are not receiving the type of interaction they expect from you, with an air of “I’m the student. I’m asking the questions here!”
Natural questions arise from here:
- Is inquiry-led conversation and feedback potentially beneficial to all students (in comparison to other methods, for instance to conversation resembling pure instruction)?
- What can we as instructors or TAs do to improve these interactions, and raise their effectiveness for students?
I expect to reconsider these questions, and my practices in relation to them, in my role as a WIP TA this spring semester.My aim with this post is to provide just a few thoughts on the latter question. If you do not already have reason to think the answer to the former question is “yes,” then maybe this post at least prompts you to think on it.
Be explicit about what you are doing, and why.
We need not worry about giving the game away here; being up-front with students about how you plan to engage with them—and why you see it as best practice—provides them with clear expectations. Less students being blindsided is, unsurprisingly, good, and a persuaded student may engage to a greater extent.
In my courses, I sell the benefit of this type of interaction as follows: each student will have summative assignments (quizzes and exams) in which the only person who is going to answer the questions they have is themself. Receiving questions from the me when they are stuck or unsure, and engaging with those questions, gives them practice in emerging from those moments triumphantly. An integral component here is that picking up on the lines of questioning I use, and recognizing their benefit, can serve to improve students’ ability to ask themselves the “right questions” to navigate their way out of the mud. The aim is to pave the way for students to be more successful and self-sufficient problem solvers, and to do so in an environment where it is safe for them to falter, expose, and engage with their misunderstandings, and rely on me and their peers as necessary.
Being explicit may also include setting clear expectations from students in response to inquiries, both in general and following individual inquiries as necessary. The “what” and the “why” may vary based on the course content and types of interactions, but in any event stating them openly will only help.
Give students space to breathe.
Even for students who are sold on inquiry-based interactions and do well with them, there can be some innate awkwardness in it. This is particularly true when you ask a more substantive question, rather than a short, probing question meant to immediately collect information or spur conversation. If you expect students to need a moment to think, then providing them that time on their own or with peers, without as much pressure from you as the instructor or TA, could help.
For example, if I have students working in groups in class and I ask a group such a question, then I will usually walk away for a minute. My advice for how to best orchestrate this is as follows: ask the students the question intended to further them along, ensure through any necessary probing that they understand what to work on, and tell them you are going to step away and will be back after they have had a chance to work and think.
In a one-on-one setting or office hours setting, you might not have the ability to walk away for a minute, but the same principle applies—you can formalize that you are providing space to work on something sans the instructor. For instance, you may frame and construct what you want the student(s) to investigate as an explicit activity to work on without you. Upon completion of the activity, you will return to continue the conversation.
Formalize students engaging with feedback.
Much of my feedback to students, even on their mathematics exams, contains questions. These may be quick to address and mostly rhetorical: “Is this equality true?” (If I’m asking, probably not!) On the other hand, questions like “What does this equation you have written mean in the context of the problem?” might be poised to have a precalculus student reconsider the meaning of what they are writing and take a few steps from there to realize they are not correctly modeling the given situation or working towards the specified goal.
The more substantive questions are worth engagement, and if I want students to engage with them it is useful, if not necessary, to formalize the process.
The more substantive questions are worth engagement, and if I want students to engage with them it is useful, if not necessary (I write from experience), to formalize the process.
For me, this often includes exam reflections that, in part, ask students to unpack the feedback. For other courses or assignments, maybe this includes reflections, responses to feedback, or conferences with the instructor, TA, or peers. It may be beneficial to plainly outline avenues students may go down to successfully interpret and benefit from your feedback. For exam reflections I have assigned this semester, I have recommended that students attend office hours or talk with peers or tutors as they go back through exam problems and the feedback they received.
Freddy Saia will be the WIP TA for MATH 5001 Arithmetic and Problem Solving in Spring 2021.