MATH 8001 7 November 2014 Engaging students during lectures and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

MATH 8001 – 7 November 2014 Engaging students during lectures and discussions Turn in: your observation notes and the notes on your follow-up conversations. But first: check them if needed to remind yourself of one specific mathematical aspect of the presentation you observed, which you will report to the group without identifying the TA:

• a question a student asked, and how the TA handled it
• a unique approach to a solution or mathematical topic
• an unusual situation that arose, and how the TA handled it

Any issues arising in your exams yesterday?

Any issues arising in your current teaching?

My goals for giving a lecture:

• Distinguish myself from a talking textbook.
• Distinguish myself from a video of myself giving a lecture.
• Model careful mathematical thought and communication.
• Invite students to think about mathematics in the moment.
• Invite students to work on mathematics outside of class.
• Keep a clear division of labor between the lecture and discus-

sion.

Golden rule: Be yourself. Students keenly detect discomfort. On the other hand, they appreciate when you are trying out ideas for the sake of improving the class and their learning.

Crowd control

• 1. Own the room.
• 2. Be prompt.
• 3. Get to know the students.
• 4. What to do about electronic distractions?
• 5. Make eye contact.

Content considerations

• 1. Prepare.
• 2. Use slides.
• 3. Ask questions.
• 4. Solicit questions.
• 5. Change pace.

Content considerations

• 6. Don’t overestimate students’ tolerance for mathematical for-

malism.

• 7. Deliver one take-home message.
• 8. Near the end, better to summarize than start a new idea.
• 9. Organize from specific to general.

10. Give clear markers for breaks in the presentation, like the end of an example.