General references about Learning Assistants

Articles

Finkelstein, N., Otero, V., & Pollock, S. (2006). Teaching to learn: The Colorado Learning Assistant program's impact on learning content. American Physical Society Forum on Education Newsletter, Fall 2006/Spring 2007, 11-13 (A brief description of the Colorado Learning Assistant program, as well as its impacts on student learning)

Gray, K. & Otero, V. (2008). Analysis of Learning Assistant's Views of Teaching and Learning. McCullough, J. Hsu & P. Heron, (Eds.) 2008 Physics Education Research ConferenceProceedings. Melville, NY: AIP Press. (Description of the Colorado Learning Assistant program, and its impacts on the evolution of the LAs as teachers.)

Gray, K.E. and Otero, V.K., (2009) "Analysis of Former Learning Assistants' Views on Cooperative Learning" PERC Proceedings 2009, AIP Press. PDF. (Description on how former LAs views of teaching and learning as a cooperative activity compare to teachers who were not LAs.)

Otero, V. (2006). The Learning Assistant model for teacher preparation in science and technology. American Physical Society Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2006,31-35. (Describes the impact of the Colorado Learning Assistant program on teacher recruitment and attitudes.)

Otero, V., Finkelstein, N., McCray, R., & Pollock, S. (2006). Who is responsible for preparing science teachers? Science, 313(5786), 445-446. (Makes the case that, in order to produce high-quality science teachers, students themselves must be involved in teaching and learning (as in the Colorado Learning Assistant program)).

Otero, V., Pollock, S.J., Finkelstein, N. A physics department's role in preparing future teachers: The Colorado Learning Assistant Model. Am. J. Phys. (in press) (Current summary of the Colorado Learning Assistant program – its goals and impacts.)

Stewart, G., Otero, V., Seeley, L. and Vokos, S. (2006). [link http://units.aps.org/units/fed/newsletters/summer2006/index.htmlA series of articles on learning assistant programs at various universities.'] APS Forum on Education Newsletter, Summer 2006. (Describes the learning assistant programs in physics departments at several different universities.)

Other Resources

Reports and descriptive stats and evaluations at the Colorado Learning Assistant website.

Physics Teacher Education Coalition website on learning assistants has useful information and overviews on learning assistant programs around the country.

Referenced within this module

American Association for Employment in Education, Educator Supply and Demand inthe United States (AAEE, Columbus, OH, 2003).

Briggs, D., Talbot, R., Otero, V. (submitted). Challenges in Assessing Science Teachers' Knowledge without Direct Observation, submitted to Science Education,December, 2009.

Ding L., Chabay R., Sherwood B., & Beichner R. (2006) Evaluating an electricity and magnetism assessment tool: Phys Rev ST Phys Educ Res 2: 010105

Gray, K.E. and Otero, V.K., "Analysis of Former Learning Assistants' Views on Cooperative Learning" PERC Proceedings 2009, AIP Press (2009).

Langdon, L. and Cech, T. Recruiting future teachers while improving student learning: Colorado Learning Assistant model in General Chemistry. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. (in preparation).

Otero, V., Pollock, S.J. and Finkelstein, N. A physics department's role in preparing physics teachers: The Colorado Learning Assistant Model. Am. J. Phys., in press.

Pollock, S.J. (2007). "A longitudinal study of the impact of curriculum on conceptual understanding in E&M", in 2007 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings,edited by L. McCullough, J. Hsu, and P. Heron (AIP Press, Melville, NY, 2007), pp.160-163.

Pollock, S.J., (2009). "A Longitudinal study of student conceptual understanding in electricity and magnetism," PhysRev: ST Phys Ed. Rsrch, 5, 020110.

Sawada, D., Piburn, M. D., Judson, E., Turley, J., Falconer, K., Benford, R., et al. (2002). Measuring Reform Practices in Science and Mathematics Classrooms: The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol. School Science and Mathematics, 102(6), 245-253.

Talbot, R., Briggs, D., Otero, V. (2009). Can Science Teachers' Strategic Knowledge be Conceptualized as a Learning Progression? Paper presented at the annual meeting for the American Education Research Association, San Diego, CA, April 2009.

Wood, W.B. (2009) Innovations in teaching undergraduate biology, and why we need them. Ann. Rev. Cell & Devel. Biol. 25, 93-112.