R eaching out to your audience

1. Sean McTavish (Mechanical and Aerospace) Ali Etemad (Systems and Computers) Reaching out to your audience

2. Motivation • Classrooms are very diverse and students learn in a number of ways • We can be more effective as educators by using approaches that can reach a broad audience

3. Introduction • Icebreaker • Ways that students learn • Approaches to reach your audience • Ways to organise lectures and discussion groups

4. Ice Breaker • Place yourselves in groups • Introduce yourselves, the department that you’re from, and one teaching approach that you’ve found to be effective. • Choose one approach and share with the entire audience

5. Some ways that students learn* • Through their senses • Visually: Slides, props, videos, etc. • Verbally (auditory): Listening to the lecture, reading back notes, etc. • Kinaesthetic (Hands-on): Props, activities

6. Some ways that students learn… Experience-based • Having an experience • Reviewing the experience • Concluding from the experience • Planning the next steps

7. Some ways that students learn… Context in which the material is given • Sequential Learning • Global Learning R.M. Felder, L.K. Silverman "Learning and Teaching Styles: In Engineering Education," Engr. Education, 78(7), 674-681 (1988) http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=385835

8. Ways to reach an audience • Understand that everyone learns differently and responds differently • Integrate a broad range of approaches in a single lesson • Graphics, charts, images • Handouts with extra content, include white space for student notes • Describe what is about to be taught and what has been taught • Include group activities drawing the students into the learning process

9. Ways to reach an audience • Balance individual steps with the bigger picture • Gradually progress from the basics to ever more complicated problems • Present the big picture before proceeding with the steps • Involve problems which require creative or alternative solutions

10. Designing a lecture • Lectures typically have a more formal tone • Areas to consider: • What is the nature of the material? • Does it lend itself to figures, models, props? • How will you present the material? • Board, overhead, or Powerpoint? • How do you intend on incorporating participation? • How can you incorporate the big picture? • Videos, images, current events?

11. Working in small groups • Often of a more informal nature • Discussion groups, PA sessions, labs, office hours • What kind of visual tools do you have? • Can they add depth or understanding? • What experiences can you draw on?

12. Lesson Development • In groups, come up with an example of a lesson that you had difficulty learning from (5 minutes). • Develop a teaching strategy (10 minutes) • How would you improve the lesson? • What teaching approaches could you incorporate? • Share • What was goal of the original lesson? • How does your strategy improve upon the original? • What specific strategies did you choose?

13. Summary • Understand and be aware of how students learn • Try to reach as many students as possible using a wide range of educational approaches