Welcome


  • The Carpentries is a community of practice. We strive to provide a welcoming environment for all learners and take our Code of Conduct seriously.
  • This episode sets the stage for the entire training. The introductions and exercises help everyone begin to develop a relationship and trust.
  • This training will cover evidence-based teaching practices and how they apply specifically to The Carpentries.
  • Learner motivation and prior knowledge vary widely, and can be quickly assessed with a multiple choice question.

Building Skill With Practice


  • Our goal when teaching novices is to help them construct useful mental models.
  • Exploring our own mental models can help us prepare to convey them.
  • Constructing a useful mental model requires practice and corrective feedback.
  • Formative assessments provide practice for learners and feedback to learners and instructors.

Part 1 Break


Expertise and Instruction


  • Experts face challenges when teaching novices due to expert awareness gaps.
  • Things that seem easy to us are often not experienced that way by our learners.
  • With practice, we can develop skills to overcome our expert awareness gaps.

Memory and Cognitive Load


  • Most adults can store only a few items in short-term memory for a few seconds before they lose them again.
  • Things seen together are remembered (or mis-remembered) in chunks.
  • Cognitive load should be managed through guided practice to facilitate learning and prevent overload.
  • Formative assessments can help to consolidate learning in long-term memory.

Building Skill With Feedback


  • Give your learners time to fill out the post-workshop survey at the end of your workshop.
  • Take the time to respond to your learners’ feedback.

End Part 1


Motivation and Demotivation


  • A positive learning environment helps people concentrate on learning.
  • People learn best when they see the utility in what they’re learning and believe it can be accomplished with reasonable effort.
  • Encouraging participation and embracing errors helps learners to stay motivated.

Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility


  • Inclusivity is a key attribute of a positive learning environment.
  • Universal design benefits everyone.

Part 2 Break


Teaching is a Skill


  • Like all other skills, good teaching requires practice and feedback.
  • Lesson study is essential to transferring skills among teachers.
  • Feedback is most effective when those involved share ground rules and expectations.

End Part 2 and Preparation for the Next Part


  • So far, we have learned about how people learn, how to build a positive classroom environment, and how to give feedback.
  • In parts 3 and 4 we will cover specifics of Carpentries workshops and teaching practices.

Welcome Back


  • Instructors guide learners to construct the proper big picture (accurate mental model) of the topic rather than focus on details.
  • Instructors rely on frequent feedback from learners to monitor their own presentation of the material.
  • Instructors introduce a few concepts at a time to avoid cognitive overload.
  • The best way to motivate learners? Show them how to do something they can immediately put to use and be enthusiastic about it.
  • Teaching is a learned skill.

Getting Started on Instructor Certification


  • To certify, you must take part in a Welcome Session, pass a Teaching Demonstration, and share an additional step you have taken to ‘Get Involved’ with The Carpentries within 90 days of your training event.

The Carpentries: How We Operate


Part 3 Break


Live Coding is a Skill


  • Live coding forces the instructor to slow down.
  • Coding-along gives learners continuous practice and feedback.
  • Mistakes made during participatory live coding are valuable learning opportunities.

Preparing to Teach


  • To teach effectively, you have to know who you are teaching.
  • Good learning objectives identify specific events that can be evaluated through formative assessment.
  • A good exercise informs Learners and Instructors when an objective is achieved.

End Part 3


More Practice Live Coding


  • (Reflective) Practice makes progress.

Working With Your Team


  • Team work takes work, but allows you to share the load and build connections.
  • Working with a broad range of learners can be challenging, but there are many ways to keep a classroom happy and motivated.
  • The instructional team decides how to respond to Code-of-Conduct incidents during a workshop; all violations should be reported to The Carpentries Code of Conduct committee for follow-up.

Part 4 Break


Launches and Landings


  • A planned introduction is key to creating a functional workshop environment.
  • Conclusions support reflective practice and set the stage for continued learning.

Putting It Together


  • Having a plan makes it easier for you to remember to implement the important teaching practices you have learned.

Wrapping Up


  • Feedback applies to all kinds of learning, including learning how to teach.