|
U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
||
|
|
||
| Vol. XII, No. 2 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
November 2006
|
|
U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
||
|
|
||
| Vol. XII, No. 2 | A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
November 2006
|
|
Learning is Situated in Actual Practice
I have three tenets in teaching, in addition to knowing and transmitting the technical material: ensure a personal atmosphere, stimulate thinking, and use the “surprise factor.” Because computer science is often considered dry and boring, I use humor as a technique for transmitting the material. I’m known for my sense of humor; I love to make puns, tell jokes, and use funny analogies. For example, I might illustrate operating system controls of resources by equating it to how parents intervene to make equitable allocation of toys among siblings. Students remember things like that. I do these things to bring a level of comfort and interest to the class—intuition comes first; formulas come later. As another example of bringing a level of comfort and interest to the class, I put students at ease by learning their names—calling on Johanna beats asking “the young lady with glasses in the third row,” or simply “you.” To further relax the atmosphere, I introduce myself on a personal as well as academic level—I always tell students my origin and my path: I was born in Brazil, got a BS in math there, and PhD in computer science at Maryland; I have a wife and child. Occasionally, when I see students becoming bored, I even interrupt a lecture to teach them a Portuguese word. High Expectations In addition to making the material interactive, personal, and light, I have high expectations for myself and for each student. I expect to engage the students throughout the learning process and I expect each student to think about the material both inside and outside the classroom. I try to stimulate all students to think and participate. For example, I sometimes give them the answer and ask them to give me the question. I then whistle the tune from Jeopardy. It’s fun and it works! If I ask a question that seems too difficult, I step back and ask why the question is so difficult. I continue stepping back as I call on individuals, while assuring them that it is all right to be incorrect. What is important is that they try to answer articulately and intelligently; because the goal is to keep students thinking, I also encourage them to ask questions. I further encourage participation by awarding bonus points. Interactive Lecturing My classes are lecture based, but I rarely lecture more than five minutes without asking a question. I ask all students to vote on answers as we analyze the question. This enables even the shiest students to participate. Once in a while, I ask every other student to give a three-minute summary of what he or she has learned so far that day to the person next to him or her. This, of course, keeps them attentive and thinking. Although much of the classroom material is theoretical, but students need practice, I always give them complex programming projects; I schedule weekend lab sessions to observe students programming and to give them feedback. I remind them of the theory behind the practice, because as a wise man once said “the difference between theory and practice is much bigger in practice than in theory.” I show students that they must painstakingly analyze and consider all aspects of a problem before implementing anything. They ask me questions, I answer with more questions and hints, encouraging hands-on, interactive problem solving.
| ||||||||||||||||||
|
A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Center
for Instructional Development & Distance Education |
|||||||||||||||||||
