Enhancing Teaching Skills: 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop Highlights

 
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Introduction
 
Us: Two experienced faculty who passionately love teaching
Have improved methodically over time
 
You: A range of experience and passion
From deeply apprehensive to exuberantly eager
Workshop aimed at 
all
 of you
 
Focus and approach:
Assume “conventional” undergraduate courses, but much
applies more broadly
“Practice what we preach”
Activities and interaction -- not lecture
Explicit learning objectives…
 
February 22, 2016
 
2
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Objectives
 
After this workshop, you should be able to:
 
1.
Identify the 
learning objectives
  for any courses you teach
 
2.
Teach according to the 
rules
  established by your university
 
3.
Experiment with techniques to increase 
student interaction
 
4.
Prepare for “
teaching challenges
” and discuss trade-offs with
colleagues
 
Alas, 45 minutes is laughably short:
Also 
motivate
 you to spend a lifetime improving
 
February 22, 2016
 
3
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Warm-up #1
 
 
 
 
Rules governing teaching at your institution?
 
February 22, 2016
 
4
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Take-aways
 
 
There 
are
 rules: Violating them creates unnecessary crises
 
Go learn what they are and why they exist
 
February 22, 2016
 
5
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Warm-up #2
 
 
 
How are your students different than you?
 
Background, interests, abilities, goals, …
 
February 22, 2016
 
6
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Take-aways
 
 
Essential to know “where your students are coming from”
Technically and personally
 
Likely < 1 / year will follow the career path you have
 
50% are going to receive the median grade or lower
 
February 22, 2016
 
7
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Group-exercise #1
 
Logistics:
Groups of 5-8: organize quickly
8-10 minutes of 
discussion
5 minutes of full-group scribed 
synthesis
 
Topic: From each group member:
3 things you’ve seen a teacher do you want to 
emulate
3 things you’ve seen a teacher do you want to 
avoid
 
Objective: A 
concrete list
  of tactics and pitfalls
About any aspect of a course (classroom, homeworks,
grading, office hours, …)
 
February 22, 2016
 
8
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Take-aways
 
(We will make the list available)
 
Learn from your experience – and others!
 
A lot of simple tactics go a long way
 
Margo’s #1 tactic: __________
 
Dan’s #1 tactic: 
Never
 give a homework/exam problem you do
not 
already have a written solution
 for
 
February 22, 2016
 
9
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Lead-in to group-exercise #2
 
Have you written a 
syllabus
?
 
How do you describe the course?
 
February 22, 2016
 
10
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Example: Sorting
 
Topics:
Learn insertionsort, quicksort, mergesort, …
Study the algorithms and complexities and trade-offs
 
Learning objectives:
Distinguish
 between O(n
2
) and O(n log n) sorting algorithms
Implement
 an efficient sort routine
Use
 the libc 
qsort
 function
 
February 22, 2016
 
11
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Why learning objectives?
 
 
Outcome-oriented
 
Makes clear to you and students what to assess
 
Does your homework help achieve your objectives?
 
February 22, 2016
 
12
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Your turn:
 
In your small group, create sample learning objectives for 2-3 of
these topics
 
Hash tables
Finite automata
Dynamic memory allocation
Classes/Objects
Big O notation
Turing machines
 
February 22, 2016
 
13
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Take-aways
 
No “right” answer: depends on the course and your goals
 
Learning objectives are about what students can 
do
And can be 
evaluated
 
February 22, 2016
 
14
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Group-exercise #3
 
Teaching involves 
challenges
 you need to manage
Difficult situations with no perfect outcome
 
Out of time, so discuss 1-2 of these over lunch and enter your
ideas on our Google Poll
 
h
t
t
p
:
/
/
t
i
n
y
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l
.
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m
/
t
e
a
c
h
i
n
g
-
c
h
a
l
l
e
n
g
e
s
 
(Responses available to all)
 
February 22, 2016
 
15
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
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-
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s
 
1.
It’s week 8 of a 14-week course and based on the last homework it seems
clear 25% of the class is totally lost (can’t do stuff from week 2) and 25% of
the class is bored because they’re finding everything easy.
2.
Group-project break-down: 4-person team in your office screaming at each
other about who caused the failure and everyone worrying they’ll fail
3.
Students fomenting a ‘mutiny’ to insist you start teaching the course the
way it was taught last year before you arrived without all the “modern
ideas” you insist on injecting
4.
Student doesn’t show up to final exam and resurfaces 3 days later to say
they need to pass to graduate
5.
One-third of your class collaborated on the last assignment and essentially
turned in the same work.
6.
A student comes to your office hours and breaks down in tears because he
feels he is failing all his classes.
 
February 22, 2016
 
16
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
Wrap-up
 
Much you 
need
  to learn that we didn’t discuss:
Designing a course schedule
Holding effective office hours
Assigning grades
 
Find good mentors for this stuff !
 
We focused on bigger-picture ideas…
 
February 22, 2016
 
17
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
 
High-level points
 
1.
Know your 
context
: what are the rules, who are your students
 
2.
Objectives
:  What do want students to learn?  Have explicit
plans and goals.
 
3.
Skills
 matter: What to emulate and avoid?
 
4.
Be prepared for the hard stuff and do your best
 
5.
Always room for improvement
 
Scribed notes will be at: 
http://tinyurl.com/teaching-session-notes
 
February 22, 2016
 
18
 
2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching
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Experienced faculty members Margo Seltzer and Dan Grossman share insights on effective teaching methods in the 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop. The workshop covers creating learning objectives, understanding student diversity, and practical teaching strategies. Participants engage in group exercises to identify teaching tactics and pitfalls. Key takeaways stress the importance of knowing university rules and student backgrounds.


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  1. 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop Teaching Margo Seltzer, Harvard Univ. Dan Grossman, Univ. Washington February 22, 2016

  2. Introduction Us: Two experienced faculty who passionately love teaching Have improved methodically over time You: A range of experience and passion From deeply apprehensive to exuberantly eager Workshop aimed at all of you Focus and approach: Assume conventional undergraduate courses, but much applies more broadly Practice what we preach Activities and interaction -- not lecture Explicit learning objectives February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 2

  3. Objectives After this workshop, you should be able to: 1. Identify the learning objectives for any courses you teach 2. Teach according to the rules established by your university 3. Experiment with techniques to increase student interaction 4. Prepare for teaching challenges and discuss trade-offs with colleagues Alas, 45 minutes is laughably short: Also motivate you to spend a lifetime improving February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 3

  4. Warm-up #1 Rules governing teaching at your institution? February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 4

  5. Take-aways There are rules: Violating them creates unnecessary crises Go learn what they are and why they exist February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 5

  6. Warm-up #2 How are your students different than you? Background, interests, abilities, goals, February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 6

  7. Take-aways Essential to know where your students are coming from Technically and personally Likely < 1 / year will follow the career path you have 50% are going to receive the median grade or lower February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 7

  8. Group-exercise #1 Logistics: Groups of 5-8: organize quickly 8-10 minutes of discussion 5 minutes of full-group scribed synthesis Topic: From each group member: 3 things you ve seen a teacher do you want to emulate 3 things you ve seen a teacher do you want to avoid Objective: A concrete list of tactics and pitfalls About any aspect of a course (classroom, homeworks, grading, office hours, ) February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 8

  9. Take-aways (We will make the list available) Learn from your experience and others! A lot of simple tactics go a long way Margo s #1 tactic: __________ Dan s #1 tactic: Never give a homework/exam problem you do not already have a written solution for February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 9

  10. Lead-in to group-exercise #2 Have you written a syllabus? How do you describe the course? February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 10

  11. Example: Sorting Topics: Learn insertionsort, quicksort, mergesort, Study the algorithms and complexities and trade-offs Learning objectives: Distinguish between O(n2) and O(n log n) sorting algorithms Implement an efficient sort routine Use the libc qsort function February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 11

  12. Why learning objectives? Outcome-oriented Makes clear to you and students what to assess Does your homework help achieve your objectives? February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 12

  13. Your turn: In your small group, create sample learning objectives for 2-3 of these topics Hash tables Finite automata Dynamic memory allocation Classes/Objects Big O notation Turing machines February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 13

  14. Take-aways No right answer: depends on the course and your goals Learning objectives are about what students can do And can be evaluated February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 14

  15. Group-exercise #3 Teaching involves challenges you need to manage Difficult situations with no perfect outcome Out of time, so discuss 1-2 of these over lunch and enter your ideas on our Google Poll http://tinyurl.com/teaching-challenges (Responses available to all) February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 15

  16. Wrap-up Much you needto learn that we didn t discuss: Designing a course schedule Holding effective office hours Assigning grades Find good mentors for this stuff ! We focused on bigger-picture ideas February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 17

  17. High-level points 1. Know your context: what are the rules, who are your students 2. Objectives: What do want students to learn? Have explicit plans and goals. 3. Skills matter: What to emulate and avoid? 4. Be prepared for the hard stuff and do your best 5. Always room for improvement Scribed notes will be at: http://tinyurl.com/teaching-session-notes February 22, 2016 2016 CRA Mentoring Workshop: Teaching 18

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