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Abstract Title: Toward a Comprehensive Characterization of Pedagogy in Informal Physics Learning Spaces
Abstract: University outreach efforts are typically undertaken by students, who are often familiar with formal pedagogical methods; there is comparatively little systematic study, however, of the techniques they employ in informal spaces.  A 2016 study took a critical step toward addressing this discrepancy, observing volunteer pedagogy in an outreach program and developing a "modes of pedagogy" framework for characterizing their techniques.  In this work, we extend that model, attending more nearly to the factors that influence volunteers' choice of pedagogy in a CU Boulder-based physics outreach program.  In addition to corroborating the findings of the 2016 work, we find that instructors may blend traits and techniques from multiple modes simultaneously and that their large-scale objectives can affect their implementation of the modes as well.  We thus construct a more comprehensive framework that more readily lends itself to the task of equipping volunteer instructors to teach effectively in informal settings.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster Presentation
Session Time: Poster Session III
Poster Number: 3.B4

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Michael B. Bennett
Unviersity of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Noah D. Finkelstein, University of Colorado Boulder