Week 8 Discussion Questions

Reading:

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Getting Started on Instructor Certification
The Carpentries: How We Operate
Live Coding is a Skill
Preparing to Teach
More Practice Live Coding

Discussion Questions

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Instructor Training Curriculum

1. What stood out to you from this week’s reading? Think of things that made sense in light of your own experience, things you’re not convinced of, or questions that you have.

Checkout Process

2. Not all trainees are interested in completing checkout for certification. We’re ok with that! What we worry about is when trainees who do want to certify are intimidated or deterred by some part of the process. What role can a Trainer play in supporting or encouraging trainees who want to complete the checkout process?

The Carpentries: How We Operate

3. What questions do you have about policies and procedures for running a workshop? Where do you think trainees might find this information confusing or unclear?

Preparing to Teach

4. Write a learner profile for an Instructor trainee and share with the group (see the “Additional Exercises” page for detailed instructions on learner profiles). How different are your profiles? What kinds of support might each of your imaginary trainees need?

5. The exercise on evaluating learning objectives still needs work. The goal is to get learners a) looking at learning objectives critically and b) thinking in levels like Bloom’s Taxonomy without actually introducing the jargon and complexities of the Bloom’s model. In practice, however, learners are very prone to thinking in terms of steps rather than levels of cognitive challenge. Can you think of a change to this exercise, or a different exercise entirely, that might be more effective?

Key Points

• Thinking critically about Bloom’s Taxonomy is typically beyond the Blooms’ level we can expect Instructor trainees to perform at. Examine your learning objectives carefully to calibrate your expectations for this episode and meet learners where they are.
• Instructors are unlikely to face a Code of Conduct violation, but need to know what to do if this occurs. Reassurance of team support and clear instructions on reporting are the most important elements to communicate.
• Trainees may be intimidated by many elements of checkout. It is important to emphasize that teaching demonstrations are a friendly opportunity to give and receive feedback, not a high-stakes test, and that our Core Team is there to support them with any questions they may have during the checkout process.
• Participatory live coding keeps participants engaged, generates immediate feedback, and creates opportunities to model a healthy response to error. These features explicitly support learning and motivation.
• With instructional support, repeated practice and feedback can lead trainees to examine the component skills of teaching.