Session: Preparing for Your First Day/Week of...

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

Presentation Symbols

Approximate time on an activity

Available on your worksheets

Learning Outcomes

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

Logistics

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


General Duties

Grader• Responsible for

• creating solutions (varies)• grading and recording• office hours


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?


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!


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?


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

Course information

Required text

Course overview and structure

Instructor information


Suggested sections

• Teaching statement• Statement of inclusivity


Suggested sections

• Teaching statement• Statement of inclusivity

Indicates to students what you value and that they are in a safe space


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

Setting Expectations

On the first day Throughout the term

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

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/





Instruction


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




Note: this is important for anyone who will be grading; consult grading policy with lead instructor.

Assessment




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.





Instruction


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

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

Please complete Event Assessment Form.

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Session: Preparing for Your First Day/Week of...

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