Biology graduate teaching assistants as novice educators: Are there similarities in teaching ability and practice beliefs between teaching assistants and K-12 teachers?

Biology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are a critical instructional group in the successful implementation of classroom reform efforts in higher education. Despite this, little is known about effective Teaching Professional Development (TPD) of this largely novice instructor group. This Idea to explore article proposes that a comparison of what we already know about novice K-12 science teachers beliefs about teaching and learning might inform future research into GTA TPD. As such, data related to teaching ability and practice beliefs is provided to compare and contrast these constructs in GTA and novice K-12 teacher groups. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(1):51-57, 2018.