High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

The Protégé Effect: How Teaching Others Taught Me More
Loading...
Streaming Media
Files
Course Code
CHM
Course Number
4942
Faculty/Instructor
Dr. Julie Donnelly
Faculty/Instructor Email
julie.donnelly@ucf.edu
Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement
The purpose of my project was to explore and apply effective teaching methods in a large lecture environment of 400 students, with the goal of facilitating peer learning and improving student engagement. As a Learning Assistant, I focused on creating spaces within the classroom where students felt comfortable discussing concepts, asking questions, and learning collaboratively. Throughout the semester I learned various teaching strategies and used them in the classroom. What surprised me most was how these teaching practices began to influence my daily life. I found myself becoming a better communicator, listener, and problem-solver, not just in the classroom but in my personal interactions as well. This experience taught me that teaching is not just about delivering information, its mainly about knowing how to recognize the learning styles of the individual students for them to grasp the knowledge better and help their peers.
Additional Resources
al, R. M. (2015). Transforming Undergraduate Science Education with Learning Assistants: Student Satisfaction in Large Enrollment Classes. Journal of College Science Teaching , 24-30.
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. (2025). Retrieved from Virginia Tech: https://teaching.vt.edu/teachingresources/adjustinginstruction/priorknowledge.html
Jones, K. (2023, Septermber 25). Five Tips for "Cold Calling" in the Classroom. Retrieved from Evidence Based Education: https://evidencebased.education/five-tips-for-cold-calling-in-the-classroom/
Question-And-Answer Teaching Methods: A Pathway To Interactive Learning. (2025). Retrieved from EduCorpus: https://educorpus.com/question-and-answer-teaching-methods/
Keywords
Learning Assistant; Teaching Strategies; Cold Calling; Question and Answer; Activating Prior Knowledge; Discussion; Chemistry; STEM; Teaching
Recommended Citation
Paez, Maria Fernanda, "The Protégé Effect: How Teaching Others Taught Me More" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025. 36.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025spring/36
