After more than 30 years as a researcher in Condensed Matter Physics, and with more than 80 research publications to my name, I am currently developing my research interests in the Teaching and Learning of Science, particularly in Higher Education. I have two articles in this area which have been published, and a third descriptive article has also appeared in print:
The zones framework for both teaching and learning: application to graduate student teaching assistants. Gonsalves, A.J., Harris, d., and McAlpine, L., Journal of Further and Higher Education, 33(3), 205-18, 2009.
The zones framework, conceived for the examination of thinking about teaching, is validated, and extended to the examination of thinking about learning. This is done by extending the framework to examine thinking about teaching and learning in a population of science graduate student Teaching Assistants. Semi-structured interviews explore these students' teaching and learning experiences, how their experiences relate to their knowledge of educational theory, and how they have formed their ideas about what constitutes good teaching. The paper demonstrates that the zones framework can be extended to thinking about learning, and that it is appropriate for examining the thinking of students as well as teachers. Recommendations for further research are made, including the exploration of discipline-specific thinking.
Evaluation of the Redesign of an Undergraduate Cell Biology Course. McEwen, L.A., Harris, d.,, Schmid, R.F., Vogel, J., Western, T., and Harrison P., Cell Biology Education, 8(1), 72-78, 2009.
This article offers a case study of the evaluation of a redesigned and redeveloped laboratory-based cell biology course. The course was a compulsory element of the Biology program, but the laboratory had become out-dated and was inadequately equipped. With the support of a Faculty-based teaching improvement project, the teaching team redesigned the course and re-equipped the laboratory, using a more learner-centred, constructivist approach. The focus of the article is on the project-supported evaluation of the redesign rather than the redesign per se. The evaluation involved aspects well beyond standard course assessments, including the gathering of self-reported data from the students concerning both the laboratory component and the technical skills associated with the course. The comparison of pre- and post-data gave valuable information to the teaching team on course design issues and skill acquisition. It is argued that the evaluation process was an effective use of the scarce resources of the teaching improvement project.
A Graduate Teaching Assistant Workshop in a Faculty of Science. Harris, d., and McEwen, L.A., Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 39(2), 101-20, 2009.
This article describes the design and implementation of a workshop on teaching and learning for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in a Faculty of Science at a major Canadian research-intensive university. The approach borrows heavily from an existing successful workshop for faculty, but is tailored specifically to the needs of GTAs in Science, in an environment where departmental resources are largely absent. Thus, the workshop is unusual in that it finds a midpoint between centrally-administered, discipline-neutral programs and those that are discipline-specific. Equally, it is unusual because it was conceived, implemented, and continues to evolve, though the active involvement of Teaching Fellows, themselves GTAs, who receive particular preparation for their role. The approach is discussed in relation to other approaches to be found in the literature.
I have two other on-going projects.
The first relates to problem-solving in physics, attempting to identify processes that distinguish effective, experienced problem-solvers from those who are in-effective or in-experienced. Could or should such processes be made more explicit in the teaching of physics?
The second relates to the nature of the correlation between how one learns science and how one teaches it. How does one progress from being an effective learner to being an effective teacher? Is there a correlation at all?
Director from 2001-2004 of the Tomlinson University Science Teaching Project,
Chair from 2001-2004 of the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning (SCTL).
Member from 2001-2008 of the Commission des Programmes d'Études (CPE), which advises the Minister of Education concerning programs of study in the primary and secondary schools of Québec.
Member from 1993-1998 of the Conseil Supérieur de l'Éducation du Québec (CSE), which advises the Minister of Education concerning all aspects of education at all levels in Québec.
Long-time member of the St Lawrence Choir / Choeur St Laurent, and of the Montréal Symphony Chorus / Choeurs de l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.