I work part-time throughout the school year as a learning assistant in introductory physics courses at Cal Poly. The “studio” classes are structured so that there is a lot of group work time for the students, and I am responsible for guiding their conversations towards a better understanding of physics.

There is also time set aside outside of class for me and my fellow learning assistants to review the course material with our instructor and discuss pedagogical techniques for us to practice. Our goal is to never give the students the answer and instead ask probing questions to understand where their confusion is and introduce thought-provoking examples for them to reconcile.

I am unable to continue while I study abroad for the 2024-2025 school year, I really enjoy this job and plan to continue when I return home next Fall.