A  TYPOLOGY  OF  CLASSROOM  FORMATS

FORMAT	DESCRIPTION	OBJECTIVE	ROLES  OF  THE  INSTRUCTOR
Lecture	all students focused on instructor	imparting information	clear presentation;  clear relation to lesson objectives
Presentations	all students focused on a student (or team)	exhibiting learning	clear assignment;  master of ceremonies;  facilitation;
Question/Answer	series of instructor/student dyads	assessing learning;  reinforcing lesson elements	takes an active role;  does not "fish";  gives time for students to decipher the question and formulate an answer;  probe facile responses
Discussion	group focused on itself	active learning;  group learning	takes a background role;  encourage participation;  probe facile responses;  set or restate ground rules;  minimize one's role as a content expert;  help draw conclusions
Laboratory	each student focused on preplanned activity	active learning	set up and test the assignment;  be available for questions
Collaboratory	groups of students focused on a preplanned activity	active learning;  group learning	set up and test the assignment;  quietly monitor interactions;  be available for questions

In each of these formats, the experienced and thoughtful instructor will monitor students' facial expressions (esp. in lectures), questions, answers, and comments during discussions -- to assess the students' levels of mastery of the material.  Future lectures and assignments can make use of this assessment .  ("Today, I want to spend a little time reviewing a concept that was especially difficult..."  "I'm going to modify the second assignment a bit...")

MAKE  YOUR  POINTS  CLEAR;  LINK  THEM  TO COURSE  OBJECTIVES

Could you carry away more than 3 (maybe up to 6) points from a single lecture?

One could begin the session with “What were my major points or purposes last week?”
followed by:
“What are my major points this week?”  (as a rhetorical question -- though one could ask students to volunteer major points, based on the reading or on an assignment that they've begun)

Then, present material as clearly, with as much context, and with as many examples as possible.

• Use graphs, figures, illustrations.
• If you use a pre-made figure or table (e.g., on an overhead), it's best to distribute it on paper or make it available on-line:  otherwise, students will not listen to you, they'll transcribe the figure.
• Writing on the board or projector (rather than speaking only, and rather than using pre-made transparencies) slows you down;  since many students are hearing the material for the first time, and trying to take notes, you as presenter need to be slowed down!
• Provide intellectual context (this idea grew out of what other idea or principle that has already been covered?).
• Provide empirical context (is this principle, concern, or idea relevant in all places and times, or is it more limited than that?).
• Students need examples!!!  Students crave examples!!!  Unfortunately, a single example of a principle or issue is not enough.  You may want to prepare carefully one extended example, mention briefly two others, assign one to be worked through, and assign a couple of others to be read.

Always leave time for a summary of the lecture's content.
Generally leave time for questions (unless, for example, there are discussion sessions to follow).
Optimally, include in your summary a statement of how this lecture, the reading for that session, and any associated exercise, relate to the course learning objectives.

HANDLING  STUDENTS'  CORRECTIONS  OR OBJECTIONS

about straightforward content:

• Welcome constructive or helpful corrections.
• Specify your terms, and get students to specify theirs:  this resolves some disagreements.
• If you can't process a correction in real time (e.g., to a complex formula), figure it out after class and report back to the class.  (It's generally a "teaching moment" to explain why you, or the student who raised the correction, got confused)

• Make your own stance explicit throughout the course:  Are you largely arguing one position?  Are you trying to argue more than one position?  I your goal to be unbiased?  Do you want students to understand, rather than take on, ideological positions?
• If needed, refer to (or create) ground rules for discussion.
• Ask for evidence, ask for critique of the evidence, and provide your own evidence and critique thereof.

• If it's key to the material and your objectives, say "I don't know, but I'll clear that up by our next meeting."
• If it's an interesting and relevant question, but not key, ask the student to find the answer.  (Decide at the outset of the course whether you'll allow for "extra-credit" assignments).
• If it's interesting but not relevant, say "Good question," and move on.

LEARNING  STYLES

How do students learn?

• It varies across students, across their stages of development, across their stages of familiarity with particular material, and sometimes randomly within the same student.
• [Note that my lesson plan calls for my asking the 599 participants about] Kolb’s “learning cycle” (Davis, pp.186-7):  for each key concept or principle, expose students to
• a concrete example   [Matthew's "acting out" in class on Tue 10/9/01, at my suggestion]
• active experiment   [my response to Matthew's behavior]
• reflective observation   [discussion of what's going on in this context;  critique of my reaction]
• abstract concept   [modeling appropriate behavior;  using proximity to quell a disturbance]
• Most students learn more and better by doing something and by presenting or explaining something, than by listening to something.
• Students need examples and anecdotes.  Make sure these are placed in context (before, or sometimes only after).  Develop a store of examples.  Ask students to provide examples.

• It varies by course and lesson, but the typical methods include:
• lecture
• discussion
• testing
• exercises
• papers
• group projects
• How do students learn, again?  (see above)
• So, how should we teach?
• Note that different of these typical methods are better at addressing different parts of the learning cycle.
• What does the Davis reading say about matching teaching style to individual students’ learning styles?
• Don’t bother.
• Instead, use a variety of teaching and assessment formats, so that different students may respond to and excel at different components of the course.

MOTIVATING  STUDENTS
[note that my lesson-planning notes tell me to ask this in the 599 class, based on participants’ experiences and from the reading, and to develop suggestions from the discussion]

• Be enthusiastic (in tone, in stance, in your examples of why the material is important and interesting).  (But don’t take yourself too seriously in class.)
• Be organized, and provide context
• Involve the students:  in developing examples, in discussion, in critiquing one another, in critiquing you, in creating a project
• Vary your methods and approaches.
• Establish an expectation of and interest in your students’ learning.  How?
• Look at students’ expressions to judge whether the majority of students have understood a particular point;  if they have not, come up with another explanation or example.
• Explain the bases for your assignments and grading, and make it clear that/how students should do well.
• Ask how you’re doing.
• Respond to your assessment of students by noting what you can learn from the results.