This session discusses the transformation and challenges of Instructional Assistants (IAs) as they engaged in a quarter long professional development course concurrent with their first teaching experience. Universities have responded to the need to prepare these future instructors for the demands of teaching in higher education in diverse ways. However, past research has not focused specifically on Instructional Assistants’ perspectives on these institutional offerings of professional development. This study addresses this gap in literature by carefully examining the views of IAs participating in an eight week, non-credit bearing course. This session details the action research case studies of three IA participants engaging in the first offering of this “Survival Skills for IAs” course. These participants engaged in multiple levels of reflection during the course, providing insight to their transformation, as well as insight into barriers to transformation. Session participants will learn how transformative reflection was developed through this pilot study, leading to increased self-efficacy and agency among participants; they will also learn about the limitations to transformation from the perspectives of the IAs. Participants will engage in a discussion addressing these barriers to transformation generating solutions to address challenges Instructional Assistants face as new teachers in higher education settings.

As an integral part of teaching and learning in higher education, Instructional Assistants (IAs) need to be prepared to meet the learning needs of a diverse student population. Universities have responded to this need in diverse ways, relying on the body of research focusing on standards of teacher proficiency by practice and instruction (Lambert & Tice, 1993). Past research has not focused specifically on IA perspectives in the context of a campus-provided professional development. This pilot study addresses this gap in literature by examining the views of IAs participating in a professional development course where they engaged in discussions surrounding andragogy, active teaching and learning, and lesson design. Participants took this course concurrent with their teaching duties and had the opportunity to learn through consistent practice and reflection-on-action, a method by which most professionals learn (Schön, 1983).

This session details the action research case studies of three IAs, who engaged in multiple levels of reflection during the “survival skills” course. Data sources consisted of ethnographic field notes taken by three Graduate Student Researchers (GSR); the first one served as a complete observer, the second served as a participant observer for the first session then complete observer for the rest of the course, and the third served as a participant observer for the first session then complete participant for the rest of the course. Notes were taken during eight, one-hour professional development sessions. The second GSR conducted one semi-structured interview with each of the three participants at the end of the course. Artifacts including results from a small group perception during week five, as well as reflection notes collected at the end of each session were also examined.

The professional development instructor prompted consistent reflection to foster reasoning and reconstruction, which are considered levels where transformation occurs (Bain et al., 2002). Exchanging ideas and experiences with others is fundamental to improving reflection (Hatton & Smith, 1995). Thus, allowing for a structured space for first-time IAs to collaboratively reflect over the set period cultivated autonomous transformative reflection and peer-to-peer reflection prompting. Through a review of participant dialogue, researcher interest into their process of transformation emerged: professional development and consistent reflection helped develop participant self-efficacy as teachers (Yost, 2006). However, this came with a bilateral increase in the participants voicing barriers to transformative action, namely the lack of departmental and professor support and the growing discrepancy in andragogy with the professors they were assisting. Findings revealed the transformation of the participants and exposed the limitations of the course.

Specific recommendations that emerged include 1) conducting a future study into IA reflection and transformation, 2) expanding professional development opportunities for new IAs 3) increasing levels of support from departments and professors of record to effectively mentor IAs, and 4) encouraging those in teaching positions to use empirically-based methods for learning to provide consistency in andragogy between professors and their assistants. The roundtable session will engage participants in discussion regarding ways to facilitate these recommendations, as well as generating new suggestions.

Bain, J.D., Ballantyne, R., Mills, C. & Lester, N.C. (2002). Reflecting on practice: Student teachers' perspectives. Post Pressed: Flaxton, Qld.

Bandura, A. (Ed.) (1995). Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(1), 33-49.

Lambert, L.M., & Tice, S.L. (1993). Preparing graduate students to teach: a guide to programs that improve undergraduate education and develop tomorrow's faculty. Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.

Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. London: Temple Smith.

Yost, D. (2006). Reflection and self-efficacy: Enhancing the retention of qualified teachers from a teacher education perspective. Teacher Education Quarterly33(4), 59-76.

30-Minute Roundtable Session

Critically Reflecting in Transformative Learning