discuss and plan how you can

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Topic 7

Discuss and plan how you can:

(a) teach and learn one subject.

Preparation: stage one

Aims and Objectives

The very first thing to consider when you are planning a learning experience is what

exactly you intend your students to learn. Teaching and learning activities, contentcreation and assessment all stem from these initial ideas.

Consider what the overall objectives for the subject are.

How do the subject's objectives fit into the overall educational aims and

graduate profile (you may wish to look at other subjects in the course to find

out how yours is placed overall).

What do the aims mean, in terms of what you expect students to achieve in

the subject and at what level?

What learning, teaching and assessment activities will help students toachieve the subject aims?

Student Learning

Consider the approach you would like students to take to their learning in your

subject (The way in which you intend student to learn will, in many respects,

dictate how you teach).

Context

Find out all you can about where the subject fits into your course(s). If it is a

prerequisite, find out what other lecturers expect your students to know or be

able to do.

Find out how many students are normally expected to take the subject,

significant points about their backgrounds and characteristics, what

knowledge, etc. they may be expected to bring to your subject. Ask students if



they have completed any industrial experience and consider using this as a

foundation for illustrating theoretical principles

If the subject has been offered before, seek feedback from staff who have

been involved and look at archived materials relating to the subject if

possible. Use the previous subject evaluations and any recommendationsfrom an analysis of this evaluation if they are available (contact the course

coordinator to ask about Subject Feedback Surveys).

Ask yourself whether you can give students some control and choice in what

they will learn, how they will learn it and how they will be assessed. Are there

options which students could choose within the subject? Could students

negotiate the kinds of assessment tasks or weighting of assessment tasks

which they will complete? Could students choose their own essay or project

topics?

The needs of the subject may have been debated in an Education

conference, Faculty retreats or course accreditation reviews. If possible attend

any of the sessions involved in debating the strengths and weaknesses about

subjects and courses. Often much of the context is verbal and may not be

recorded in official reports.

Consider how society has been engaging with issues that relate to the

subject. Use newspapers and consider allowing students to role play

situations that are shaping society today. Video documentaries, newspapers,

the Internet and other media from popular culture can be used here.

Read the UTS mission and statements about teaching and learning, along

with your Faculty mission. If you are developing a new subject you should

consider exploring what these mean in the subject learning context.

Content

Read the official handbook description of your subject.

When you know enough about the general area of this subject and the

context within which it fits, select the broad content areas which the subject is

to cover. You will need to ensure that the subject fits the handbook description

and approved subject content areas but there may also be considerable

flexibility about specific topics and approaches.

Ask yourself whether the amount of content is realistic for the length of the

course, the characteristics of the students and the approach you would like

them to take. Decide realistically on the key content of the subject which

students need to understand, and the material which is non-essential but

could add interest or extend some students. Think again about giving students

some choice within the non-essential subject content. Compare the contents



with other similar subjects as students are often comparing learning effort in

various subjects.

Organisation

Select (from the content of the subject which you have already selected from

the general area of the subject) the material which could be covered in formal

class contact time, and appraise the remaining content with respect to how

students will be expected/required to learn it

Consider the possibility of team teaching so that at least one other lecturer is

aware of the planning issues, and the content of the subject. This may be

important in times when you are unable to continue to teach and someone

else may have to take over the subject with minimal disruption to student

learning.

Teaching Approach

Find out all you can about how such subjects as yours have been dealt with in

higher education: how topics are treated, discussed, explained, taught,

negotiated by others

Consider aspects of teaching and assessment where students can be given

choice or flexibility

Work through (in your imagination) different possible ways in which you willteach the essential material selected above (during the organisation stage),

e.g. by lecture, by discussion, by problem-solving, role play or simulations,

debates, UTSOnline discussion, links to important WWW sites, discussion of

literary resources, self-managed learning materials.

Assessment

Think about who will make the decisions about types of assessment and

assessment weightings: will it be you or the students? How much choice willstudents be allowed?

Consider how your teaching and assessment approaches might affect

students' learning approaches and outcomes. Try to plan assessment items

that will allow students to show their understanding of the subject, rather than

how many facts they can remember.

Plan ways of providing regular meaningful feedback to students.

Consider using peer or self assessment processes to encourage students to

become critical of their own work.



Consider the approaches students might take to your proposed assessment

tasks. Does the assessment encourage students to understand, extend their

learning or relate the subject to real world situations?

Consider students' overall workload.

Think how your assessment tasks relate to your objectives for studentlearning.

Prepare a detailed statement of assessment procedures, eg. timing, type of

assessment, criteria for assessment, marking scheme, relation of

assessments to objectives, etc. (for information of or for negotiation with

students).

Resources

Decide upon/order textbook(s), copies of articles, etc. which will be required. Decide whether you will use UTSOnline and at which level.

Think about what sorts of physical resources you may need such as room

furniture that can be altered to allow different discussion modes, access to

computer labs, projection facilities etc.

Evaluation

Plan to evaluate your teaching and the subject regularly. Regular evaluation

will enable you to improve the quality of the course and your teaching. Thiscan be done by keeping a journal of activities and changes you would like to

make (and the reasons for them!), by having other teachers 'sit in' on some

classes, by asking the students what they have understood to be most

important in each session, by having a focus group of students discuss

important teaching and learning issues, and by using the Student Feedback

Survey system.

Preparation: stage two

Down to the nitty gritty - keep well ahead of the students, preferably finish

preparation before the semester begins. The sequence of Stage Two should be

regarded as flexible. Items may be taken in a different order. They will often be

carried on simultaneously.

Student Learning

At each stage ask yourself how your decisions might affect students' learning

in the subject

Ask yourself again how you could give students some freedom of choice inlearning the subject



Content - Detail

Reconsider your aims and objectives for the subject eg. what do you want

your students to know, understand or be able to do at the end of the

semester? Begin to consider in detail how the essential content can be learned by

the students. Think about common student misconceptions in the subject and

how these might best be overcome.

Decide what are the key problems, concepts, questions, developments etc.

Consider the examples you will use. Are they inclusive of female and male

students and students from different cultures and backgrounds. Make sure

your material is up-to-date.

Divide the essential subject matter into teaching sessions, with objectives for

each: what should students know, understand or be able to do after each? Try to provide flexibility for responding to students' needs: select optional

content which could be dropped if students need more time on difficult

concepts, or which could be used to add interest to sessions.

Check your earlier decision about which material is to be covered in class and

which is to be covered by students themselves in other ways, and make any

modifications which now seem desirable.

Organisation - Detail

Check the structure and sequence of what you will teach. Again review the

possibilities for flexibility and student choice.

Prepare your sessions one by one, selecting material for each: main points,

examples/illustrations, student activities, references, etc.

Decide on the teaching approaches for each topic: lecturer presentation,

discussion, small group work, individual student activities, practical sessions,

independent learning outside class.

If some of the subject content, teaching or assessment methods will be

negotiated with students, or chosen by students, consider how this will bedone.

Inform any guest lecturers of the precise topic, the context in which it is being

treated, students' previous knowledge, emphasise the importance of student

interaction.

Check whether the amount of new material for each session is appropriate,

considering the type of subject and session and the students.

Brief any tutors or demonstrators who will also be teaching the subject.

Teaching - Detail



Compile any lecture notes, eg. introductory remarks, outline of session,

connection to last session, connections with other parallel segments

(laboratory classes, tutorials, etc.; lectures if you are doing a seminar); main

points and sub-points, concepts, questions, examples, illustrations, student

activities, summary, questions for further consideration, reading necessary ordesirable, etc.

Select audio-visual resources, make necessary orders or bookings, make

sure video resources are cued to the correct place, or that the WWW link is

still active, etc.

Prepare handouts, reading lists, problem sheets, study guides, laboratory

manuals, etc. [Handouts may contain, eg. session objectives, outline of

session, definitions, references, diagrams, questions to be covered, space for

student notes and group discussion problems: reading lists may contain eg.

prescribed texts, recommended reading with full bibliographical details,

selected chapters from books, articles, web links, etc. for further reading or

specific topics, plus guidance on the relative value (importance of what is

listed)].

Prepare detailed advice as to how subject content not dealt with during

teaching sessions can be learned by students.

Prepare any resources necessary for encouraging students to make choices

about the aspects of the subject where there is flexibility.

Check the room in which you will be teaching: is it large enough, small

enough? Does it have the facilities you need? (If no room has been allocated,

make your requirements known). Consider the shape of the room and its

suitability for group work. For example tiered style lecture theatres are not

suitable for smaller student project groups - flat rooms may be more suited for

this.

Preparation: stage three

Before each formal teaching session:

Student Learning

Ask yourself: How will students benefit from this session? How are you going

to ensure that they learn during and after the session? How are you going to

monitor their learning? How will you encourage them to take a deep approach

to their learning in the session?

Materials



Check notes for completeness, anticipate when and how audio-visual

resources are used; which segments are necessary parts of your input and

student activity, which ones could be deleted if time runs out; which ones are

additional examples, illustrations needed for clarification.

Rehearsal

Before each class think through what you are going to say. Allow adequate

time for student activities and for debriefing them afterwards. Have you

allowed time for questions, clarifications, extra examples?

Opening

Imagine the beginning of the session ? are your opening sentences

interesting, exciting? Will they gain students' attention immediately?

Room

Allow yourself time to get to the room so that you can check (when necessary

and possible) lights, furniture arrangements, OHP, microphone (check before

whether you need one!), and any other resources you are using. Some UTS

rooms are equiped with and airphone to contact ITS - find out where it is!

Greeting

If possible, get to the room before the students do so that you can greet them

informally as they arrive and they have a chance to chat to you. If they are

already there, enter cheerfully.

Preparation: stage four

Looking further ahead:

Self Evaluation

Plan to keep a reflective journal in which you note after each session what

you wanted to do but didn't do, what went well and what went wrong, whether

the resources you used worked well, whether and how you involved students

during the session. (Also note what you need to do for the next session, and

particularly what you promised students you would do). In a team teaching

situation try to have a team de-briefing session to jointly evaluate tutorials or

other learning sessions. If there is no time for a face-to-face meeting consider



using email or the WEB based computer conferencing tool called UTSOnline

(Blackboard)

Student Evaluation

Plan to get feedback from students about how sessions are going, eg. they

can indicate on a card the 'best' and 'worst' features of a particular session;

ask the students to give you a single question relating to the class - this will

give you a good idea on areas that the students didn't quite understand; in the

middle of semester or a little later they can complete a questionnaire (get in

touch with the Planning and Quality unit (PQU) for evaluation forms). Another

good way to get feedback is to get students also to use a reflective journal.

Consider starting this with weekly reflections for say the first four weeks and

then link these reflections as part of the self-analysis and de-briefing sessionsfor students. These early reflections can also be used as discourses on

learning and students are usually straightforward in supplying you with

feedback.

Use a student 'focus group' to discuss learning issues that are important to

them. Attend the session if your students are comfortable or ask them to write

a summary of their ideas.

Plan to review whether students' approached their learning in the way you

expected. Discuss students' learning approach with them. Discuss what

changes you might make to encourage understanding.

Colleague Evaluation

Plan to get feedback from colleagues by asking someone to look at your

course materials, asking someone to sit in on an occasional session and give

you feedback.

Ask your academic supervisor or mentor on advice on developing the quality

of your teaching.

Advice on the development and use of an Academic portfolio can be obtainedfrom IML.

Choosing Teaching Methods

There is no single teaching method that is the best. Teaching methods depend on

what you want students to learn, how you think they may learn it best, the sort of

class it may be, the sort of content and the discipline, how many students are in the

class and so on. Students usually appreciate a variety of methods and enjoy working

on ideas and concepts themselves. Always try to involve the students as much aspossible.



Questions you need to answer for yourself:

What are my objectives for this subject?

Is this teaching method suitable for achieving the objectives?

Is there one which better achieves these in terms of student outcomes and/ormy time investment?

Do I have time now to spend in the preparation of materials to save time

later?




(b) collect information on documents in school that can help you to understand the

observation session.

Teachers typically have a variety of official achievement information about

their students. In fact, most schools seem to excel at collecting information about

how each student compares to all the other students. Even detailed information may

be available about how far a student has progressed through some curricular contentor toward a set of standards.

To help them learn more about students' learning styles, preferences, and

intelligences, teachers are also beginning to use inventories. The need to learn more

is driven by the fact that teachers cannot always depend exclusively upon the official

curriculum to achieve desired schooling outcomes for all their students. They must

instead look to the activities and patterns of the lives students are leading as an

important curricular source, and then overlap and embed real-life learning goals into

the curriculum. The approach of examining students' lives—activities they enjoy or

are even passionate about and activities they would like to explore—

to inform

curriculum and teaching design is called activity-based assessment (ABA). Here we

offer a specific strategy for doing activity-based assessment: the Activity-Based

Assessment Inventory (the ABA Inventory). The inventory consists of lists of

activities that children and youth of different ages typically do. When teachers use

the ABA Inventory, they learn what students and their families value about learning

and what students might want schools to help them accomplish in their lives.




(c) interview students to obtain feedback on the teaching and learning session.

Treat students as individuals whose identities are complex and unique.

For example, you can ask open-ended questions to solicit students' reports of their

experiences or observations without calling on a student to speak for his or her

race/gender/culture. Also, learning to pronounce all of the names correctly showsrespect for varied backgrounds.

Encourage full participation while being aware of differences which may influence

students' responses.

For example, you can make eye contact with everyone, increase your wait time to

include less assertive and/or more reflective students, ask questions that draw out

quieter participants or challenge dominant students in small groups, or talk with

students outside of class to provide encouragement.

Vary your teaching methods to take advantage of different learning styles and to

expand the repertoire of strategies tried by each student.

For example, you can foster peer relationships with in-class collaboration, include

concrete examples whenever possible, use visual or dramatic presentations, or

value personal knowledge and experience when students share it.

Promote a respectful classroom climate with egalitarian norms and acceptance of

differences.

For example, you can encourage student projects involving diverse perspectives,discuss guidelines or "ground rules" for good participation, and monitor language use

for implicit assumptions, exclusions, or overgeneralizations.

Be aware of possible student anxiety about their performance in a competitive

environment such as Carnegie Mellon's but try not to "overprotect."

All students - including those whose personal or cultural histories may include being

a target of stereotypes and discrimination - need clear standards and evaluation

criteria, straightforward comments on their work delivered with tact and empathy,

and early feedback so that they can change their learning strategies or get help ifneeded.

discuss and plan how you can

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