Instructor Training
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Inclusivity is a key attribute of a positive learning
environment.
Universal design benefits everyone.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A planned introduction is key to creating a functional workshop
environment.
Conclusions support reflective practice and set the stage for
continued learning.
Having a plan makes it easier for you to remember to implement the
important teaching practices you have learned.
Feedback applies to all kinds of learning, including learning how to
teach.
