Teaching Tips

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Teaching Tips

• May 13th, 2004

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References

• Many books are available that discuss ALL aspects
  of teaching and lecturing.
• Many are written by experts with years of
  experience.
• There is NO reason for you to
• Learn from your mistakes or
• REINVENT the wheel

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The Chicago Handbook for Teachers A Practical
Guide to the College Classroom by Brinkley, A.,
Dessants, B., Flamm, M., Fleming, C., Forcey, C.
Rothschild, E.
Teaching Tips For College and University
Instructors A practical Guide by David Royse
How to Run Seminars and Workshops Presentation
Skills for Consultants, Trainers, and Teachers by
Robert L. Jolles
Creating Significant Learning Experiences An
Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses
by Lee D. Fink
Classroom Assessment Techniques A Handbook for
College Teachers by Thomas A. Angelo,
K. Patricia Cross
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THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF TEACHING
KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT MATTER
TEACHER-STUDENT INTERACTIONS
COURSE MANAGEMENT (Structure/Syllabus,
Grading Exams)
PRESENTATION
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What We Are Going to Talk About Today
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR

• Course Management
• Course Content
• Writing a Syllabus
• Writing Exam Questions

• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Teacher-Student Interactions- (Classroom
  Strategies)

• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Please feel free to ask questions or make
  comments

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• Course Management
• Course Content

What do you want your students to learn?
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• Course Management
• Course Organization
• Calendar

Course material should be taught in a logical
progression.
Example Teach protein synthesis AFTER you have
presented ribosomes, tRNA and mRNA
Use Textbooks as Guides
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• Course Management
• Course Organization
• Calendar

Course material should be BALANCED
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• Course Management
• Syllabus Preparation

Components of a Syllabus
Course Schedule
Course Objectives
Instructors names
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• Course Management
• Syllabus Preparation

• Components of a Syllabus
• Course Title and Number
• Location of the classroom and the days and times
  that the course meets.
• Instructors names, office number, office hours,
  phone number, and e-mail addresses.
• Course Description (This is usually the same as
  the course catalogue. Any prerequisites should
  be listed.
• Course Objectives In broad terms, what the
  students are expected to learn or gain from the
  course.
• Schedule of lecture topics, reading assignments
  exam dates. This is often a good place to list
  unit or section objectives.

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• Course Management
• Syllabus Preparation

• Components of a Syllabus continued
• Texts or equipment needed and materials on
  reserve.
• Explanation and guidelines of assignments and
  due dates.
• Policy on attendance, tardiness, and class
  participation.
• Explanation of how the overall grade will be
  computed and the grading scale.
• Miscellaneous information including policy on
  make-up exams, class rules, course drop dates,
  etc.

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• Course Management
• The Syllabus

Style of a Syllabus

• Bold Headers and spacing to divide the various
  sections.
• Tables to list schedules, lecture topics and
  dates
• A Table of Contents if the syllabus is lengthy

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• Course Management
• The Syllabus

Presenting the Syllabus

• Always give a copy of the syllabus to students on
  the first day of class.
• Go over the syllabus with the students the first
  day of class. Clarify ambiguities.
• Post the syllabus on the course website.

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• Course Management
• Examinations

Writing questions

• The best time to prepare test questions is soon
  after giving a lecture.

• Exam questions must match the class size and the
  type of student

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• Course Management
• Examinations

Multiple choice questions
What is the best type of multiple choice question?

• DNA polymerase catalyzes the synthesis of
• DNA.
• RNA.
• protein.
• polysaccharides.
• lipids.

The best type of multiple choice question is one
that the student must complete.
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• Course Management
• Examinations

Multiple choice questions
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Multiple choice questions
What is wrong with this question?
Avoid using negatives and confusing syntax in the
question.

• Each of the following enzymes regulates a
  metabolic pathway except
• acetyl-CoA carboxylase.
• a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase.
• glucokinase.
• hexokinase.
• phosphofructokinase.

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Multiple choice questions
A better way to phrase the same question

• _____________ is the major regulatory enzyme in
  the glycolytic pathway.
• acetyl-CoA carboxylase
• a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase
• glucokinase
• hexokinase
• phosphofructokinase

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Multiple choice questions
OR

• Which enzyme regulates fatty acid synthesis?
• acetyl-CoA carboxylase
• a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase
• glucokinase
• hexokinase
• phosphofructokinase

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Multiple choice questions
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• Course Management
• Examinations

Essay questions

• Design essay questions to test more than just
  facts.
• Essay questions generally test understanding,
  analytical ability /or application.
• Essay questions with no one correct answer are
  fine
• Which student presentation had the most original
  format? Describe the design and delivery.
  Contrast the talks strengths with weaknesses
  with those of other presentations.

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Course Content?
Relevance?
Course Organization- Calendar?
COMMENTS???
Examinations
Multiple Choice Questions ????
Syllabus Preparation?
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What We Are Going to Talk About Today
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR

• Course Management
• Course Content
• Writing a Syllabus
• Writing Exam Questions

• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Classroom Strategies (Teacher-Student
  Interactions)

• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Organize your thoughts before you work on your
  lecture.

• Create an outline of what you want your students
  to know.
• Write learning objectives for each lecture
• Good Be able to recognize and draw the
  structure of each of the nucleotides.
• Poor Know the nucleotides.
• LEARNING OBJECTIVES HELP STUDENTS KNOW WHAT IS
  IMPORTANT AND GIVE FOCUS TO THE LECTURE.

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• The same principles for giving a good seminar
  apply to giving a good lecture.

What are 5 rules?

• Pace your delivery to the class

• Whenever possible, involve the class

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• Do not read to the class except in rare instances
  where appropriate

• Talk to the audience, not the screen

• Project your voice

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• From the outset of the lecture, let the students
  know

• What you are going to teach them (outline)
• What they are expected to know
• Only lecture topics OR
• Lecture topics the textbook
• That you encourage questions and interruptions

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Try to change topics or change the pace every 15
  minutes
• Changing the pace- tools
• show an animation
• ask the students a question
• make a joke
• tell a brief story
• show the students something they do NOT have to
  learn

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• When leaving a topic and moving to the next
  topic
• Briefly review the take home message
• Tell the students what materials they should
  learn
• Ask if there are questions
• Place the new topic in context with the previous
  topic (this may include, What we will discuss
  next has nothing to do with what we just
  discussed.)

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Prepare to teach Two types of learners
• Visual
• Need to see slides, black board, overhead
  transparencies
• Learn from reading the text and handouts
• Aural
• Need to hear you speak the lecture
• Will ask more questions than the visual learner
• May not even own the textbook

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

• Generate supplemental handouts when appropriate

• Examples of useful handouts
• Lecture outline
• Learning objectives
• Sample test questions
• A review of your lectures
• For graduate students copies of journal articles
• Do not replicate information in the textbook.
  Instead write
• Refer to figure 5.4 page 293

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• Planning Presenting Lectures

Take Home Message?
Organization?
Pace?
Handouts?
COMMENTS???
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What We Are Going to Talk About Today
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR

• Classroom Strategies (Teacher-Student
  Interactions)

• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

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• Classroom Strategies Teacher-Student
  Interactions

QUESTION In your deepest, fondest dreams, what
kind of impact would you most like to have on
your students? When the course is over and it is
now one or two or even 10 years later, what would
you like to distinguish the students who have had
your course? What is the distinctive
educational impact you would like for your
teaching and your courses to have on your
students?
REMEMBER THAT TEACHING IS ABOUT STUDENT
LEARNING.. NOT ABOUT YOU
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The first day of class is the most important day
of the entire semester

• Set the tone for the entire semester

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• Let the students know what you DO like
  (questions, comments, discussion) what you do
  NOT like (sleeping in class, coming in late,
  talking, etc.)

• What you say and how you act on that day is
  sometimes irretrievable

• Often students may get a very distorted
  picture of a teacher. Letting them get to know
  you opens the possibility for future
  conversations.

• Give a short autobiography

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• Classroom Strategies Teacher-Student
  Interactions

• ENCOURAGE Questions from the students
• If one student has a question, others in the
  class probably have the same question.
• One can judge the class comprehension of the
  material from the questions received.
• Questions sometimes point out weaknesses in ones
  delivery.
• Use questions to extend the lectures content.
• Questions and answers take time plan accordingly

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TAKE TIME TO GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS

• TALK TO THE STUDENTS
• ASK STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR INTERESTS
• PHOTOGRAPH STUDENTS AND LEARN THEIR NAMES
• TRY TO MAKE THE LECTURE MORE OF AN ACTIVE
  EXPERIENCE FOR THE STUDENTS
• MAKE EFFORTS TO BE APPROACHABLE

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• Classroom Strategies Teacher-Student
  Interactions

• Keeping order in a large or a small class

• Start every class in the same, professional way.
  This signals students to stop talking and tune in.

• Ask disruptive students to leave.

• Be clear about the rules of the class and why you
  have made them

• Remember that it is easiest to start with rigid
  rules and become more flexible

• Avoid confrontations ask aggressive students to
  speak with you after class.

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Course Evaluation

• Always evaluate your course!
• Ensure anonymity by using standardized,
  non-identifying questionnaires.
• Encourage comments.
• Do not collect questionnaires yourself. Have
  them mailed to a collection center (preferred) or
  have them placed in an envelope at the end of the
  final examination.
• Use the data to constructively modify your
  course!
• Do not take negative comments personally.

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QUESTIONS???
COMMENTS???
REMBEMBER THAT TEACHING IS ABOUT STUDENT
LEARNING..
Student Questions?
Class Rules?
Getting to know the students?
The 1st day of class?
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What We Are Going to Talk About Today
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR

• Classroom Strategies (Teacher-Student
  Interactions)

• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

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Learn as much as you can from your TA experience
Maintain a professional relationship with the
course coordinator co-workers
PRIORITIES
Do as well as you can for your students
RESEARCH
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• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Graduate student teachers roles may be difficult
  because they are both students AND teachers.

• As a TA, your role is set by the course
  coordinator.

• Be organized and perform tasks efficiently.

• The course coordinator may or may not give you
  the kind of guidance you expect /or need.

• Be PROACTIVE- IF YOU NEED SOMETHING, ASK FOR IT.

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• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

• There is usually a very large imbalance of power
  in your relationship with the instructor(s) in
  charge of the course.
• It is important, therefore, to manage your
  relationship professionally and carefully.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Behave professionally.
• If you need to speak with the supervising
  professor, visit during course office hours. This
  time has been set aside for the course.

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• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Clarify your duties and responsibilities with the
  course coordinator.

• Clarify your duties and responsibilities with the
  supervising professor.
• What is expected of the course TAs?
• Are you expected to attend every lecture, even
  if you have listened to the lectures in the same
  course many times before?
• Are you expected to grade the papers?
• Hold extra review sessions?
• Proctor all exams?
• Prepare your own lectures? If so, when and how
  many?

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Duties and responsibilities?
?
?
?

• Behave professionally ?

?
?
Organized?
Be proactive?
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What We Have Talked About Today

• Course Organization, Content, Exams Lectures
• Basic Course Components
• Constructing a Syllabus
• Constructing Exam Questions

• Planning Lectures
• Learning Goals
• Lecture Outline
• Presentation

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• Classroom Strategies
• What kind of teacher do you want to be?
• Introduction The first day of class is important
• Get to Know Your Students? Tools
• Keeping Order

• Teaching as a Graduate Student
• The role of a Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Organization, Organization, Organization Your
  time Your lecture(s)
• Relationships with course coordinators are
  important
• Professionalism