Engaging with 1st year students

1
Engaging with 1st year students

• Aimee Aubeeluck
• University of Nottingham

2
A bit about me

• BA (Hons) Psychology
• MSc Health Psychology
• PhD via Graduate Teaching Assistantship
• Lecturer University of Derby
• Programme Leader University of Nottingham

3
A bit about you

• Choose any letter of the alphabet.
• You have five minutes in which to describe
  yourself using single words beginning with only
  that letter.

4
What is teaching?

• Why is there so much fundamental disagreement
  among teaching-learning theoreticians? They dont
  even agree on the meaning of basic terms such as
  education (Curzon, 1997).
• Teaching is a complex activity that varies from
  one situation to another

5
Definitions of teaching..

• Intended behaviour for which the aim is to induce
  learning (Scheffler, 1960)
• That array of activities the teacher employs to
  transform intentions and curriculum materials
  intoconditions that promote learning (Eisner,
  1979)
• Teaching is an interpersonal, interactive
  activity, typically involving verbal
  communication, which is undertaken for the
  purpose of helping one or more students learn or
  change the ways in which they can or will behave
  (Anderson Burns, 1989)

6
Art or Science?

• Take 5 minutes to discuss
• Is teaching is a scientific application of tested
  theory OR, a performance on the classroom stage?

7
What kinds of teaching do you do?

• Skills teaching
• Discussion groups
• Seminar groups that follow on from a lecture
• Small groups / large groups
• Anything else?

8
What kinds of resources do you use?

• OHP
• DVD/Video
• Computers / internet
• Statistics packages
• Worksheets / student handouts
• Anything else?

9
How to prepare for a teaching session.

• Have you got a lesson plan / seminar task for the
  students to complete?
• Do you know what the learning outcomes of the
  session are?
• Do you understand the theory?
• Have you done any background reading?

10
What are your fears / concerns?

• Spend 10 minutes discussing any fears / concerns
  that you have about teaching e.g.
• Lack of confidence
• lack of knowledge
• lack of experience
• Teaching people older / younger than yourself
• Defining professional boundaries
• Try and think of some solutions to these problems

11
Common problems

• Students not talking
• Lack of preparation
• Dominant students
• Lack of class control
• Anything else you have experienced?

12
Finding solutions..

• Spend 10 minutes sharing ideas about how to
  combat common problems that you will all have /
  will all at some point experience.
• Try and think of things that have worked for you
  in the past
• Top tips
• Standard answers

13
Engaging with students Communication!

• Continuous exchange of information to create
  meaning.

14
Transition communication model (Shannon and
Weaver ,1949).

• Sender
• Message
• receiver

15
Transactional / process model(Barnlund, 1970).

• message
• sender receiver
• feedback

16
Effective communication requires

• An objective (e.g. for students to achieve an
  understanding of a particular theory / model).
• An awareness by yourself of the path to that
  objective.
• The creation of a link between yourself and the
  class (build on students initial motivation to
  try and develop continuing interest.
• The establishing appropriate models of
  communication.
• The reception and comprehension of the message.
• Communication is the outcome of these
  interrelated activities

17
Keeping Discussions going

• Ask factual questions these often bring out
  more in reticent members of the group
• Ask probing questions to stimulate in-depth
  discussion
• Ask evaluative questions inviting personal
  viewpoints can heighten discussion
• Use summing up questions help to bring
  discussion to an end

18
Building a rapport with your students

• Pass on the things that have worked for you
• Study techniques
• Planning time
• How to use textbooks / journals
• How to make lecture notes
• Concentration skills

19
Over to you.

• What did you hope to learn from this session that
  we havent covered?