session: preparing for your first day/week of...
TRANSCRIPT
Session: Preparing for Your First Day/Week of Classes
As you enter, please sit forming small groups based on discipline:
Engineering Science Humanities, Education, Social Sciences
Preparing for Your First Day/Week of Classes
GTA OrientationCenter for Teaching and LearningSeptember 16, 2016
Overview of Session
•Learning Outcomes
•Common GTA Responsibilities
•Planning for Your First Day
•Teaching and Learning Strategies
•GTA Challenges and Resources
•Q&A
Learning Outcomes
• Identify common GTA responsibilities and preparations
• Create a plan for setting basic classroom expectations for learning, behavior, and rapport
• Generate a toolbox of teaching/learning strategies
• Discuss potential challenges you may face and identify the resources available to you as a GTA
General Duties
Instructor of record• Responsible for
• delivery and/or creation of material
• grading• assigning grades• office hours• creating a syllabus
• Name in course catalog
• Student range: ~20‐50
General Duties
Lab, recitation, or studio facilitator• Responsible for
• delivery of content• creation of materials (and potentially a syllabus)
• grading• office hours
• Student range: ~20‐100
General Duties
Grader• Responsible for
• creating solutions (varies)• grading and recording• office hours
• Student range: ~20‐150
Logistics: Prior to the first day
Classroom• Locate the room• Do you need a key?• Is there a class before or after you?• Use the Webviewer link at:
http://oregonstate.edu/registrar/web‐viewer
• What does the room look like?
Logistics: Prior to the first day
Classroom•Locate the room•Do you need a key?•Is there a class before or after you?
•Use the Webviewer link at: http://oregonstate.edu/registrar/web‐viewer
•What does the room look like?
Check out the room ahead of time!
Get used to the space!
Logistics: Prior to the first day
Technology• Practice ahead of time
• Computers and projectors• Projector screen• Clickers (not available in
classroom)• Audio• Canvas• Smartboards• Document camera
• “Technology” phones available in the classroom
What else might be important to know about your classroom?
Logistics: Prior to the first day
Disability Access Services (DAS)• If you are the instructor of record
• DAS will let you know about students
• If you are NOT the instructor of record• ask the instructor if there are students you need to know about
Complete FERPA training• Available through your MyOSU account
Logistics: The syllabus
Minimum requirements• Course name, number, and credits• Pre‐ and co‐requisites• Learning resources
• Textbooks, lab manuals, etc.; indicate if required or optional.• Course Content• Concise outline of topics and/or activities• Student Learning Outcomes• Evaluation of student performance (grading scheme)
• Homework, quizzes, midterms, reports, final, etc.• Statement regarding students with disabilities
• Available on Disability Access Services (DAS) website• Link to Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct• Religious accommodation
Logistics: The syllabus
Suggested sections
• Teaching statement• Statement of inclusivity
Indicates to students what you value and that they are in a safe space
Logistics: The syllabus
Suggested sections
•Teaching statement•Statement of inclusivity
What else is important to be in a syllabus?
What else makes sense for your community?
What might be important for setting expectations?
Indicates to students what you value and that they are in a safe space
Small Group Discussion
Describe what a typical classroom looks like in your discipline.
In your favorite classes, how would you describe the atmosphere of the classroom? How were expectations set for learning and classroom behavior?
What would you change for your own class facilitation?
15 minutes
Pedagogical (Teaching) Tools
Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005)
Active Learning Strategies
Understanding by Design
Identify Desired Results
Determ ine Assessm ent Evidence
Plan Learning Experiences and
Instruction
Adapted from W iggins, G., & M cTighe, J. (2011). The Understanding by Design guide to creating high-quality units. Alexandria, VA: ASCDhttp://w w w .ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_W hitePaper0312.pdf
Learning Outcomes
What should students know, understand, and be able to do? What enduring understandings are desired?
Learning outcomes are usually statements that contain a verb (an action) and an object (usually a noun).
For example:Conjugate verb tenses in Spanish.
Understand how to take a derivative. Defend an argument using evidence and examples.
http://w w w .celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/effective-practice/revised-bloom s-taxonom y/
Understanding by Design
Identify Desired Results
Determ ine Assessm ent Evidence
Plan Learning Experiences and
Instruction
Adapted from W iggins, G., & M cTighe, J. (2011). The Understanding by Design guide to creating high-quality units. Alexandria, VA: ASCDhttp://w w w .ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_W hitePaper0312.pdf
Assessment
How will you know if students have achieved the learning outcomes?
What will you accept as evidence?
How will you be fair and consistent?
Assessment
How will you know if students have achieved the learning outcomes?
What will you accept as evidence?
How will you be fair and consistent?
Note: this is important for anyone who will be grading; consult grading policy with lead instructor.
Assessment
How will you know if students have achieved the learning outcomes?
What will you accept as evidence?
How will you be fair and consistent?
Formative Assessment Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment
Monitor student learning through continual feedbackUsed by instructors to improve instructionUsed by students to improve learningTypically low stakes
Concept maps1‐minute paper Clicker questions
Summative Assessment
Evaluate student learning at the end of a unit
Typically high stakes
Midterm exam Final paperFinal exam
Examples of AssessmentFormative:
5‐minute quiz asking students to conjugate verb tensesin Spanish.
Homework problems to practice taking a derivative. In‐class writing assignment prompting students to defend an argument
using evidence and examples.
Summative:In‐class presentation in which students must conjugate verb tenses in
Spanish.In‐class exam where students need to take derivatives.
5‐page persuasive essay where students must defend an argument using evidence and examples.
Understanding by Design
Identify Desired Results
Determ ine Assessm ent Evidence
Plan Learning Experiences and
Instruction
Adapted from W iggins, G., & M cTighe, J. (2011). The Understanding by Design guide to creating high-quality units. Alexandria, VA: ASCDhttp://w w w .ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_W hitePaper0312.pdf
Active Learning Strategies
Turn to a partner Think/pair/share Individual presentation
Jigsaw Group discussion
Why Active Learning?
“Students entering science careers in the next century are likely to rely little on factual
information conveyed by their teachers. They will rely more heavily on problem‐solving skills,
collaborative work skills, and an enthusiasm for the rapidly changing challenges in their fields”
(Goodwin et al., 1991, p. 719).
Goodwin, L., Miller, J. E., & Cheetham, R. D. (1991). Teaching Freshmen to Think: Does Active Learning Work?. Bioscience, Vol. 41(10), pp. 719-722.
Why Active Learning?
Freeman et al. (2014) found that, “[A]verage examination scores improved by about 6% in active‐learning sections, and that students in
classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes
with active learning” (p. 8410).
Freeman, S. et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performances in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS of the US, Vol 111(23), pp. 8410-8415.
Examples of Active Learning
●Turn to your partner and practice speaking on a specific topic in foreign language.
●Give presentation of solved homework problems. ●Complete a worksheet in groups of three where you derive the derivative of a function.
●Peer‐review scientific report or technical writing paper.
Ask your lead instructor which active learning strategies they prefer.
Learning Outcomes
• Identify common GTA responsibilities and preparations
• Create a plan for setting basic classroom expectations for learning, behavior, and rapport
• Generate a toolbox of teaching/learning strategies
• Discuss potential challenges you may face and identify the resources available to you as a GTA
Learning Outcomes
• Identify common GTA responsibilities and preparations
• Create a plan for setting basic classroom expectations for learning, behavior, and rapport
• Generate a toolbox of teaching/learning strategies
• Discuss potential challenges you may face and identify the resources available to you as a GTA
Imposter Syndrome
What is this?
“…people are seen as successful by external measures, but internally they feel themselves to be frauds, undeserving of their success and in danger at any moment of being exposed.”
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/docs/about‐us/Hugh%20Kearns/2014%20Imposter%20Syndrome.pdf
Individual Reflection
Most graduate students experience this at least once. To help combat these feelings, spend time time thinking about:
What skills or attributes do you already possess that have helped you to be
successful?
5 minutes
Imposter Syndrome
If you do experience Imposter Syndrome…
What other resources and people are available to you to help you continue to
be successful?
Other graduate students and instructors in your department
Graduate Student Success Center (GSSC)
Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE)
Center for Teaching and Learning
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Finding Community, Mentoring, and Support as a GTA
Words of Wisdom
● Allow plenty of time for grading.● Be strategic about what you assign and how you
will grade it.● Try the classroom technology ahead of time. ● Be enthusiastic! You can have a big impact on
whether students consider what they’re learning to be worthwhile.
Events after Grad Welcome Week:
•University Day ‐ Sept. 19
•Webinar on Facilitating Online Courses ‐ Sept. 20
•CGE Welcome Back BBQ ‐ Sept. 23
•CGE Fall General Membership Meeting ‐ Oct. 21