Table of Contents

AY 300 - Fall 2010: Second Day Lesson Plan (Aaron's version)

Preface

Class is held in our usual Ay300 classroom in 501 Campbell Hall. Today's class will continue to discuss the previous day's discussion section and talk more about first-day sections.

Homework Recap (10 min)

Discuss some of the responses from yesterday's homework assignment. Have everyone share at least one answer. In doing so, discuss “What is the role of discussion section for a science course like Astronomy 10?”

Peer Learning (20 min)

Discuss as a class how we incoporated group/peer learning into the discussion section. How would have the section run differently if we did not emphasize group work and instead just lectured? What benefits do you see to group and peer learning? What are the possible pitfalls (and how could you avoid them)?

Here is a lot of great information Josh prepared: There are three basic techniques typically used in section:

Lecture-style review (GSI → student)

Question and answer (GSI ↔ student)

Group activities (student ↔ student)

Each of them has their own advantages and disadvantages.

In general, section can and should involve all three elements.

Typically, you will deal with each in order: e.g., deliver a quick recap of lecture and highlight some confusing points. Then, open the floor to any student questions (about the key points, about other topics from lecture, or about general course questions). Finally, when the questions run dry or when you deem that it's time to move on, pass out the worksheet or handout and use the rest of the time in section for an activity.

We will refer to these three basic techniques individually and repeatedly throughout the course and we will both practice and discuss all of them during the semester. However, always keep in mind that the divisions between them are not real and that creativity can reap great rewards.

Combining the Basic Techniques

With that said, of course it is possible to mix and match styles! Examples:

Also note that section size and objectives influence the best choice of strategy:

Lecturing and Boardwork (15 min)

Discuss how our boardwork ameliorated or hindered learning in the classroom. Why is it important to pay attention to boardwork. Students will copy your boardwork into their notes. Bad boardwork translates into bad notes, confusion, and misunderstanding.

* Break into groups again and come up with answers to the following questions: “What makes for good boardwork? We just discussed the benefits of peer learning over lecturing. Under what circumstances could lecturing be more important than peer learning?”

The following lists good pointers on lecturing and boardwork: * Lecturing is the old-fashioned style of teaching and has been shown to be relatively ineffective at conveying information that students will retain after the course is over (especially in college science courses for non-scientists), but sometimes you have to do it.

Never spend more than half an Ay 10 section on this, and only very rarely more than one-quarter. 5-10 minutes (out of 50) is a good goal.

Common lecturing and boardwork mistakes:

Boardwork tips and tricks:

Speaking to your students:

Use of technology (laptops, PowerPoint, etc.):

Assessment (5 min)

You must get some sort of feedback from either reflection personally on how your section went, or asking for written or oral feedback from your students (ideally, you'll do both). To aid in this, you'll be keeping a teaching log during the semester. After every section, reflect on your section. What worked? What didn't work? What would you do differently? (or, did you do something differently from previous sections? Did it work?) Bring these with you to class. We will be checking them periodically.

BREAK (5 mins)

Planning Your First Section (50 min)

* Your sections will probably follow a template such as:

Lesson Plans (15 min)

Here is a 12-step program for writing effective lesson plans. Here is a handout: [Aaron, upload your handout!]

  1. Identify topics to cover.
    • Lecture meets for $\sim$150 minutes a week, while discussion section meets only 50 minutes a week. You cannot be expected to recap a week's worth of material. Don't even try! Pick {\bf two}, at most three, topics to cover during your 50 minutes. Encourage students to attend office hours if they have more questions.
  2. Define the learning objectives of the section.
    • Ask yourself ``What do I want students to leave with at the end of our 50 minutes together?“ Be specific. Are these goals long-term (e.g., mastery of a skill) or short-term (e.g., recapping material)?
  3. Determine what method and materials you will use to accomplish these goals.
    • Will you spend section having a classroom discussion, individualized problem solving, or group work? Will there be demonstrations? What materials will you need?
  4. Think of a motivation or ``hook” to open the section with.
    • How will you get the student's attention? Flashy demos, hypothetical or real-world situations involving material from lecture, or an ungraded quiz of questions from past exams are good ways of getting students focused.
  5. Write a draft of the discussion section. Including an opening hook, procedures, and closing.
    • Do not forget things such as conveying any administrative notes and allowing time for questions.
  6. Add details and specific examples. Eliminate vague words like ``discuss,“ ``introduce,” or ``explain.“
    • HOW will you explain a particular topic? Give details. What will you write on the board to aid in your explanation? What prompts will you give to the class?
  7. Criticize your timetable.
    • The average attention span is 10–15 minutes. Are you spending longer than this on a particular exercise? Break up your discussion section with demos, lecture work, group work, class discussions, etc. that last only 10 minutes or so.
  8. Come up with a backup plan.
    • Wednesday lecture was cancelled and students are not ready to discuss the material you had planned to cover. Or your students are so smart that you finish your discussion section in 30 minutes. What do you do now? Have backup plans.
  9. Critique your lesson plan globally.
    • Look over your entire plan. Does it work to accomplish your learning objectives? If not, have your learning objectives changed or does your plan need revising?
  10. Critique your lesson plan meticulously.
    • You should be able to write a sentence on how each part of your lesson plan goes to accomplishing your learning objectives. If you cannot, that may be alerting you to revise your learning objectives or to revise your plan.
  11. Determine how you will assess the success of your discussion section.
    • Will you ask questions near the end of section to probe whether section was successful? Will you ask for written or oral feedback?
  12. Repeat any of the above steps as necessary.

(To Josh: I had two thoughts on this. (1) I think it would be nice to give them time to try writing their own lesson plans in class. We're under a time crunch for Day 2 though. Perhaps we could save doing this entire list in gross detail and just give them the basics for the first day (and then do this in detail with group work on Day 3)? (2) Since the first-day lesson plan is essentially set in stone, they don't really need to know this now. we could cut this section all together and do it on Day 3 instead. Thoughts? I'm leaning towards the second idea, so we could give them 10-15 minutes to write out ideas for what they are doing during their first sections.)

Introductions and Icebreakers (15 min)

* Pass out and go over Your First Section handout (also online).

Possible First Day Activities (15 min)

Closings (5 min)

How to wrap up section.

Recap

Recap the main points of running your first discussion section. Refer to Wiki for more information. Words of wisdom about our first sections?

Plan Your First Sections (rest of time)

Get into groups and talk about what you might do during your first discussion section.

Assignment #2: assigned 8/25, due 8/31 (Last 5 min)

1. Make an account on the BadGrads website if you haven't already.

2. Start keeping a teaching log.

3. See the optional reading on “First Days”, available here: [Aaron, upload something!]

Other Reminders: (Last 5 min)