Teaching Tips Summary Chapters 4 5 6 20

Content • Reading as Active Learning • Facilitating Discussion • Making Lectures More Efficient

Reading as Active Learning • Reading is often more effective for learning than listening

What’s the Problem? • Making students read the assignments. w Students tend to read

Facilitating Discussion • • Discussions as active learning. How to start discussions? How to

Active Learning • In lectures students are often passive and don’t process the presented

Handling Discussions • Getting started w Questions, controversy, case study etc. • Making progress

Learning Through Discussion • Discussions can provide valuable learning, but w Students must understand

Effective Lectures • Lectures are less effective than discussion and reading, but: w Provide

Planning Lectures • Presenting facts vs. methods • Adjust lecture style to maturity of

Planning Lectures (2) • Learning objectives vs. coverage of topics • Find balance between

Processing Content • Post some start-up problem to focus students attention • Give motivation

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Teaching Tips Summary Chapters 4, 5, 6 20. 04. 2006

Content • Reading as Active Learning • Facilitating Discussion • Making Lectures More Efficient

Reading as Active Learning • Reading is often more effective for learning than listening to lectures. • Textbooks can provide a well organized frame of reference in contrast to web/photocopies/etc. • Study questions can increase the depth of processing.

What’s the Problem? • Making students read the assignments. w Students tend to read over the pages, not really taking in what they read. w Often don’t read at all, unless they believe they need it. § § Announce Quiz Refer to the assignments Let them write summaries Lecture style? • Making the students process what they read. w “Study” question as opposed to “fact” questions. w Teach them more effective reading?

Facilitating Discussion • • Discussions as active learning. How to start discussions? How to solve common problems? How do students learn from discussions?

Active Learning • In lectures students are often passive and don’t process the presented material. • Discussions encourage students to participate and be active. • Can keep their attention longer than a lecture (cf. next chapter).

Handling Discussions • Getting started w Questions, controversy, case study etc. • Making progress w Students solutions vs. teachers solutions w Focus on solution before the problem is understood. • Handling non-participants/monopolizers. w Asking questions the right way. w Make the monopolizer shut up : -)

Learning Through Discussion • Discussions can provide valuable learning, but w Students must understand why discussions are valuable w All the aforementioned problems need to be solved • Is this a useful approach for more “fact” oriented engineering/science subjects?

Effective Lectures • Lectures are less effective than discussion and reading, but: w Provide a conceptual framework w Focus on key concepts and ideas w Summarize/organize material w Present up-to-date information

Planning Lectures • Presenting facts vs. methods • Adjust lecture style to maturity of students/class w From less material/more examples to more material in bigger blocks • Using several media/representations to show the same thing can eventually reach more students.

Planning Lectures (2) • Learning objectives vs. coverage of topics • Find balance between subject structure and students’ knowledge w Introduction should in some way highlight what is important w Don’t overload with new facts w Frequently summarize w Check students’ understanding

Processing Content • Post some start-up problem to focus students attention • Give motivation for the content and show enthusiasm • Post questions to make students think • Taking notes can help the students in forming their own understanding of a topic. w Pace of lecture must be adjusted