The
job of a teacher is to help the students learn the subject and that of a
teaching assistant is to help the instructor in doing that. But does making the students learn the
subject mean equipping them with the required theorems and formula so that they
solve the mathematical sum asked to them? Or does it mean telling them the
necessary technique to write a good paper or make an impressive presentation?
The
responsibility of educators and education system at large is beyond these minute
intricacies. Teaching should be aimed at
helping the students see the bigger picture in any subject, be it mathematics,
or biology, or history, or literature.
The
job of an instructor or a TA is to mediate whenever necessary to help the
students see the bigger idea. The first step towards this is not to provide
students with the answer but to guide them work towards it. This is something
which I learned through the GTA workshop where it was emphasized again and
again not to give answers to students’ doubts but help them solve those on
their own.
Easier
said than done! Working as a GTA for the Circuits & Electronics classes, my
biggest challenge has been to prevent myself providing the direct answers to
students’ problems and at the same time making sure that they are able to see
the larger idea. In other words, I have to help students solve the problems on
their own, make them understand the relevance of what they are doing, and equip
them to apply what they learn in the process.
The
process of following these guidelines has been taxing so far as students come
expecting a ready-made answer to their problems. And they are not patient
enough to understand the theorem or the formula which they need to apply in
order to get the answer. They just want to
know the relevant formula and not the concept involved in how one can derive
them. At times even if they want to understand the mechanics behind a theorem,
they get intimidated by the mathematical details involved. In such scenario, I
make sure that I explain the concept to them by reducing nuanced facts and
specific details and rather focus on the primary concepts (the bigger idea!).
An
example of focusing on the larger idea is making student realize that current
is nothing but a movement of electrons and since electrons flowing in a circuit
cannot accumulate at a node and hence all the electrons coming to a node must
leave it. This is nothing but Kirchhoff’s Current Law which states that sum of
currents at a node is zero, a bit complex statement for students to understand.
Use
of analogies also becomes a very effective tool in doing this. For example,
many students do not understand how potential gradient drives the current in a
circuit (Ohm’s Law). Here I generally ask them to consider the voltage
difference as the difference between two heights and current as water flowing
from a higher altitude to lower which makes them understand the role of voltage
difference in a circuit.
The
biggest learning which I had through such experiences is that students are willing
to learn if they are able to comprehend what is taught to them. And as
instructors (or TAs) it is our responsibility to help them understand a complex
concept starting from the basic ones. And the results of this technique are
manifest when I see students appreciate learning high-level engineering
concepts from the basics and applying them confidently in their homework
problems.
