Notes: Teaching Demo Workshop

1 general

always have a backup plan!
ask questions that show you
- care about teaching
- want to connect with audience
being in the same age groups helps build repor
- can connect better
- have common frame of reference
- students don’t age, can’t connect with long past events
- don’t appear stodgy
Don’t let the faculty pretend to be the students (they suck at it)

make connection with class
- not looking for a lecture
clear communication
strategies employed
- make a demo with many methods, not just one
rolling with the punches (what if slides fail?)
do get feedback from the students
- eval form
- make sure to connect
community college likes to throw curveball
- ok, now spend 10 mins on this topic!

how long is the class, what is the subject
level of students
classroom setup and technology available
- movable chairs or big lecture hall?
specific issues with students (agressive, loud, special)
- if class is discussion, are students willing to talk?
class size
are students using tech in class?
what is appropriate attire? be a small notch above faculty
ask for a syllabus: pace, rules, level of knowledge, prereqs, textbook
- test vs project based
- policies regarding performance, grading
- how instructor organizes, how much class has drifted
- class consistency at the school level
is there a bank of syllabi held by the university
How do I want to be seen?
- ties into the teching philosophy document, put it in play
What’s my strength?
- don’t adopt a style that is not natural for you
- build the presentation to emphasize your strengths
consider having a handout
- nice for students to have a take-away
can you have a chat session with students?
- shows focus on connecting

(including use of visuals)
be careful about timing
- will probably lose 5-10 mins during intro, or rustling at the end
make the demo in discrete modules, live-cut stuff out for time
- practice parts independently from each other
keep notes, refine language
- don’t put too much on the powerpoint
- language processing is limited
if make script for self
- use large font (14), bold
- lots of space
- easy read at glance
set realistic goal
- it is not about giving students info for an exam
- more about engaging audience, dealing with challenging students, demo of your knowledge.
- the situation is more important, show off variety of strategies
never want to try something for the first time during a demo
find out what students like
have backup plan
bring copy of slides on stick, paper, email
make sure you have good intro and strong close
state what you want to cover
re-state what you did,
- say “next time we would …”
- makes you seem prepared, planned, organized

build repor with students
- get info from them
- find frinendly faces
- wander around through groups
- acknowledge participation
- share story about self: at one point I was in your place …
monitor feedback, pay attention to what works and what doesn’t
watch time carefully
- not all classrooms have a clock
have a strong close
- leave time for it
- pull things back together
- how assertive should you be if they pack up early? hard to say, not your class

do a post-mortem
- review what worked and what didn’t
- analyze why
  - perhaps that technique required already-built rapport
- find out what you should do differently
- list the things that worked really well (keep some positivity)
if you presented misinformation
- find a way to correct: ask regular teacher, do you think it’s important to …. send email?
how did this tie into the teaching philosophy
- revise it, extend it, elaborate
notice how the faculty act
- don’t join a bunch of complainers
- make sure you fit in
- know what you want
- what they say about each other

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