On the whole, I think that this class went fairly well. This was the second course that I taught and the first time that I taught a calculus course. The course has a lot of material to cover and the group of students that take the course come from very diverse mathematical backgrounds. There are many topics that I teach differently now. One major thing that I changed as I’ve taught the course more is how I pace the course. I have also had to learn how to present the material in a way that is more intuitive.
One thing that I really liked that I started this semester was beginning the semester with a syllabus and algebra review quiz. This open syllabus quiz served as a way to ensure students had read key pieces of information on the syllabus and to see if they were prepared for the class. To be able to keep up, it is very helpful for students to have a strong command of algebra. While it is certainly possible for students to pass my class without this, it does show both the student and myself that the class will be challenging. This quiz and the corresponding review worksheet give me a chance to start conversations with students about their options at the beginning of the semester when they can still consider dropping the class.
During this semester I had decided to have my students do a guided worksheet in groups instead of me lecturing. This activity was in some ways an attempt at an Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) approach to exponential growth and decay. When I gave his worksheet it went very poorly. Students were confused, couldn’t start problems, and I ended up needing to go through the worksheet as a lecture. Part of why this failed is because the worksheet was not structured enough. (I know from experiences in IBL classes that approaching learning this way requires a great deal of planning and forethought.) Further, I think the sporadic change of pace in the class threw students off. It is really valuable to me and important in my teaching philosophy to incorporate this kind of learning. To be more successful in the future, I need to build this type of activity into my class more, starting small and increasing the length of the activities. Moreover, I need to spend more time thinking through questions and ensuring that students will be successful moving from one idea to another.
Students worst ratings were regarding the textbook. As a TA I do not have control over which book we use, but can control how dependent the course is on the book. I have tried to make my class as independent from the book as possible by posting my lecture notes, lecture recordings, and links to resources students might find helpful. I also had one student respond that assignments were rarely helpful. I didn’t change the assignment structure until Fall 2019 after receiving more comments about them on evaluations. Overall, numerically, students seemed to be pleased with the aspects of the class that I could control. In their comments, students made it clear that they felt like I cared about them and their success. This is exactly how I want students to feel when they leave my class.