The Role of Probing and Clarifying Questions for Teaching Fellows in Computer Science: Guiding Student Growth

As CS enrollments have grown and professors have increased their reliance upon undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs), it has become all the more important to identify strategies that equip TAs to assist students with coursework while providing the best learning experience during teaching sessions. In this lightning talk, we present a strategy consisting of clarifying and probing questions that highlight the importance of equipping students with tools to solve computer science problems on their own, instead of seeking help from the teaching staff every time they face a challenge. Toward this end, we will share a guide that we adopted during TA training for Harvard University's introductory course, CS50. Additionally, we will share scenarios in which such strategies might be most useful, as during group tutorials or one-on-one office hours. Lastly, we will share preliminary findings on how the strategies can not only benefit a student during the time when a TA is helping them but also equip them with skills to solve such problems on their own.