AY 300 Fall 09: Eighth Day Plan

AY 300 Fall 09: Eighth Day Plan

Usual Weekly Recap Stuff (20 mins)

Ask any or all of the following:
- How did section go?
- What did you do?
- What didn't work?
- What would you have changed?
- Any cool/interesting/sad stories?
Get people who haven't talked about their section yet in 300 to speak briefly on the above questions.
Keep track of who speaks.

Discuss Mid-semester Eval Results (10 min)

Overall, seems like you guys think the class is going well.
Consensus on discussions, lecturing is that we're doing well.
You mostly want, and we will try spending more time on planning for next week. I apologize for letting this fall by the wayside.
In class activities is a split, so I am going to unilaterally decide that we will err on the side of more (I'm tired of talking).
Many of your requested more time be spent on demos, so we will do that. There is also interest in revisiting worksheet design, which I did not do very well the first time around. So we'll do that.
Let's discuss the idea of compressing this course..
- Many topics are requested for earlier (demos, quizzes, etc.)
- To do this we either need to add class time in the beginning or cut some stuff. I didn't really see cut recommendations? Have any?
- Do people think this class is better suited to a 5-6 week course that meets for, say, 1.5 hours 2x per week?
As for teaching to different backgrounds.. All I can really say is try to be as relatable as possible, but it's a fine line.
- GSI Teaching and Resource center has workshops and stuff on this that I would point you to.
Share pictures & nicknames.

Think-Pair-Share (20 mins)

Discuss the concept (much below is from Slater & Adams)
- Developed by Lyman and popularized in physics by Mazur in Peer Instruction (1997)
- Involving learner-centered techniques in big lecture setting
- Hopefully the questions confront common difficulties and misconceptions
A general procedure:
- Ask a probing question (preferrably a “how” or “why” rather than a “what”)
- Ask students to think about it and commit to an answer of their own
  - “Committing” can be in writing, voting, etc.
- Give time to discuss their answer with a neighbor, trying to convince each other
- Poll the students again
- If the class is not converging, discuss why/revisit the material covered in the question
The Prather-Brissenden model (see their guide for more):
- Ask a probing, exam-level or harder multiple-choice question (“conceptually rich”)
- Read the question, and (maybe) the four options
  - They advise you don't read the options, but in practice, not everyone can see all the options all the time…
- Give a moment to consider after reading (if unsure, ask e.g., “How many people need more time?”
- Have students vote anonymously using, e.g., colored ABCD cards
  - Anonymity is kept by voting in front of chest, not in the air
  - Showing all four squares = “no idea/guessing”
- Assess the percentage right
  - If > 80%, address that most agree and maybe discuss how the right people would have reached the answer (don't give the answer).
  - If < 50%, try to find out if there's a need for clarification (i.e., it's not that the question is hard, but that it's confusing..). If can't just clarify, may need to revisit the material.
  - If 50% < perc < 80%, then it's time to pair & share!
- Have them pair with someone who disagrees, and try to convince each other of their own answer. Give them a time limit here.
  - Try to walk around the room during this part
- Vote again and hopefully the percentage is > 80%. If so, go over the reasoning as described above.

Present a TPS question I gave during one of last year's C10 lectures, using the modified PB model I tried.
Pass out Slater & Adams TPS questions.
“What questions do you guys have?”

Activity (20 mins)

Come up with TPS questions from slide ranges individually..
- This week – Slides 244-258, 258-275, 276-295
- Next week – Slides 296-303, 303-312, 312-323
- Two weeks – Slides 324-331, 331-343, 344-377
Group up and share your question with group. Read each other's critically. Ask:
- Will it spark discussion?
- Does it test an important concept?
- Is it at exam level or higher?
- Does the lecture give them the necessary information?
I will come around and discuss with groups
Choose one from your group to present.
- Presentation will be broken into three parts
  - One person sets up the question
  - Another polls for answers and assesses what to do next (i.e., pair-share or not)
  - The third calls back to order and polls again, then recaps.

Assignments

Present “Design a Demo” project:
- You are required to design a demo for the class you are teaching.
- Hopefully the demo will be easy to construct so that we can get funds through Dexter for you to build the demonstration. If the demo is very expensive, you will only be required to write-up your idea for the EBRB so that the idea can be revisited later by future GSIs.
- Hand out Design a Demo handout.
- People should choose groups of three before leaving class today.
- Discuss presentation dates.

Next week we will have guest speaker GSIs who are currently teaching or have previously taught for advanced classes (7A, stars, lab).
- In anticipation, please come up with two questions you would like to have answered about teaching for advanced classes.
- These can be about whatever you want, e.g., student differences, professor differences, section structures, whatever.