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, content
creation 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 to
achieve 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 recommendations
from 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 will
teach 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 will
students 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 student
learning.
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. This
can 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 in
learning 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 be
done.
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 or
desirable, 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 sessions
for 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 obtained
from 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 as
possible.
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/or
my time investment?
Do I have time now to spend in the preparation of materials to save time
later?

























Discuss and plan how you can:
(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 content
or 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' livesactivities they enjoy or
are even passionate about and activities they would like to exploreto 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.












Discuss and plan how you can:
(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 shows
respect 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 if
needed.