Lessons Learned from Teaching
Russ Feldhausen
NETC 2014
My Story
- B.S. Computer Science 2008
- M.S. Computer Science 2017
- 3 years exp. student helpdesk
- 4 years exp. helpdesk supervisor & computer support specialist
- 3 semesters teaching exp.
CIS 115, CIS 225, CIS 527
My Courses
- CIS 115: Intro. to Computing Science
CS History, Research, Programming - CIS 225: Personal Computer Systems Administration
Single Windows & Linux Computers - CIS 527: Enterprise Systems Administration
Domain, Network, Application Servers
My Motivation
- I thought I knew what it meant to teach
- I was wrong
- I have spent the last 3 semesters learning how to better teach students
- I realized that this information could be useful for technology trainers
- Now that I'm a teacher, I want to share
Disclaimer
- I am not an education major
- I have no formal training in teaching
- These represent my experiences in the past few semesters only; YMMV
- I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night
The Big Picture
- Define learning goals
- Construct lesson plans
- Plan activities
- Create presentation materials
- Rehearse discussion points
- Reflect and modify
1. Define Learning Goals
- Why is this lesson being taught?
- What do students know about the topic before the lesson?
- What should students take away from the lesson?
- How can student learning be evaluated?
Bloom's Goal Taxonomy
- Knowledge
- Comprehension
- Application
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
2. Construct Lessson Plans
- Refine goals into learning objectives
- List new concepts, terms, procedures
- Gather resources for students
- Define student expectations before and after lesson
- Outline lesson structure
- Connect with student experiences
My Lesson Plan Outline
- Learning Objectives
- New Concepts, Terminology, People
- Resources
- Students should do Before Class
- Students should do After Class
- Lesson Setup
- Overall Lesson Plan
3. Plan Activities
- Plan hands-on activities for students
- 2011 study by UBC shows that students learning complex physics concepts in an interactive lecture environment perform twice as well as students in a traditional lecture environment
4. Create Presentation Materials
- Materials should supplement lesson, but not provide the whole story
- Less is more
- Focus on good visuals and key points
- Include procedural notes for yourself
Discuss in pairs; check understanding
Presentation Format
- Creating a comfortable presentation format is key!
- Reduce distractions and interruptions
- Smoothly transition between topics
- Be able to present information in a variety of ways
- Crisp, clear visuals and text
5. Rehearse Discussion Points
- Any in-class discussion requires massive amounts of preparation
- What topic should be discussed?
- What format should be used?
- Starters: questions, case studies
- Ways to share results
- Getting 100% involvement (and avoiding monopolies)
6. Reflect and Modify
- Take time after the class to reflect
- What went well?
- What went wrong?
- What did students respond well to?
- What did students struggle with?
- What came up in the discussion?
- Modify your lesson plan ASAP
What Students Like
- Openly ask questions without judgement
- Clear, timely feedback
- Suggestions to improve
- Multiple venues for additional help
- Be consistent in expectations
What Students Dislike
- Not being able to see the big picture
- Learning activities without a clear objective
- Bad grades without feedback
- Single-minded approach to teaching and learning
- Difficulty in obtaining information
Tips for Teachers
- First impressions really do matter!
- Be prepared, but don't over-rehearse
- Be flexible: each class is different
- Learn how each student learns best
- Take care of yourself
Discussion Time!
- Think of your favorite teacher. What did she or he do that you liked?
- Think of your least favorite learning experience. Why was it so bad?
- What are your best/worst experiences being the teacher?
My info
- russfeld AT ksu DOT edu
- http://people.cis.ksu.edu/~russfeld
- 212 Nichols Hall
- (785) 532-7929 (office)
- (785) 292-3121 (google voice)
- Gtalk: russfeldh