AUTC Feature Workshop:

Tutor / demonstrator training

Susan Feteris, Monash University, and Marjan Zadnik, Curtin University of Technology

• Heads of Departments?

• Continuing or contract staff?

• Session academic staff (ie tutors / demonstrators)?

• Others?

• Anyone not from a Physics Dept?

• And who are we?

Who are you?

• The National Physics AUTC project

• Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development (CUTSD) National Teaching Grant

• Mauro Mocerino, Jen Bearfoot, Bob Bucat and Shelley Yeo

• ALBERTO!

Acknowledgments

• What are we all currently doing?• Why should we invest in our tutors and

demonstrators?• What do we expect of them?• What do they need to know?• What’s in a crash course in teaching and learning

and everything else? • How can we deliver a crash course for minimum $?• After the initial training . . ?• Handouts, what ideas / strategies will you take

away?

Today’s workshop

22

7

6

4

2

University rungenericteaching training

courses

Training under seniorstaff

Departmental trainingcourses

Require certificate inhigher education

teaching

Learn as you go

Number of responses

H3. Is there a mechanism for training new teaching staff (tutors, sessional and academic staff)? If so, please provide a brief description.

What training are we currently providing?

AUTC project questionnaire 2004

They have more contact with students than any of the academic staff; they can influence:

• Retention early in 1st year, and at every stage thereafter,• Students’ learning and progress,• Whether the department is regarded as friendly and supportive,• Whether the discipline is regarded as interesting, with prospects for

future study and work,• Students’ attitudes towards the discipline.

They are usually young and keen and

• Students relate to them more readily than to the “scary” academics• They make the department look vibrant and energetic.

Why should we invest in our tutors and demonstrators?

(Survey of 62 second year physics students at Monash, April 2004)

Survey early in 2nd year: How much did you like these aspects of 1st year Physics?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Lectures Laboratories Challenge Expt Demonstrators The Answer Place

Ave

rage

/10

Women N=14

Men N=48

All N=62

Why should we invest in our tutors and demonstrators?

Can you get the money?

• Convince your Head and colleagues that it’s in their interests to spend money on training tutors and demonstrators:

• 20 demonstrators 8 hours per year ≈ $4800 . . .

• Just ONE extra student going on to 2nd year will pay for it! (so go for more hours)

• Poor tutors and demonstrators may cost much more…

What do we expect of our tutors and demonstrators?

What do our tutors and demonstrators need to know?

Teaching and learning:

– Sensory / short-term / long-term memory – Constructivist model– Cognitive conflict– Student motivation– Feedback

The crash course

Th e rew a smo vem en tatt hest ation forth eword had go tar ound thatt heco lt fro mold re gretha dgo taw ay

There was movement at the station for the word had got around that the colt from old regret had got away

Chunking of Information

Managing a class

– Dominant students– Non-participating students– Disruptive behaviour– Tutor caught out in mistake– Cheating / plagiarism

The crash course

Marking training when needed; avoid information overload at first training session

– Have all new staff mark copies of a student report / assignment

– Chart marks on board, with breakdown of component marks

– Discuss why some gave high marks, some low, for particular components

– Discuss feedback that they’ve provided on the work, and the dangers and benefits of feedback

– Ensure new staff are mentored through their first assigned marking.

The crash course

The crash course

• Occupational Health &Safety / Equal Opportunity / cheating & plagiarism / administrative arrangements specific to your institution

– They’ll read up on / ask about the admin requirements, because they want to be paid.

– They’ll be frightened into finding out about the safety requirements, because they don’t want to be sued.

– They’ll be keen to discuss suspected cheating or plagiarism, if encouraged and supported.

– They’ll learn about equal opportunity / sexual harassment when a problem blows up . . . unless you manage to make it a memorable issue.

• Mix experienced and new tutors / demonstrators– So long as the small groups in which they’ll work are mixed,

there will be osmosis– The novices will feel that they belong to a bigger group, and be

more likely to seek informal support from the old hands– Will be repetitive for experienced tutors / demos . . . so need

some elements that are different each year

• Separate experienced and new tutors / demonstrators– Can skip all the introductory material and focus on enriching and

developing higher-level skills of experienced tutors / demos– Limits whole-group mixing

The crash course

• Lots of activities so participants’ brains are turned on:

– Worksheets for small groups to fill in together, report back to whole group

– Scenarios for small groups to work on and report back to whole group, discussion

– Role plays are fun, engaging, discussion

The crash course

Role-play 3: ‘student’ and demonstrator script

Four students, good mates. Two sets of equipment for the two pairs, but they’re all clustered around one set, working together. Happy, loud.

Demonstrator has to get them to work in pairs. They don’t want to split up.

Some role-plays…

Role-play 7: ‘student’ script

Flirty female slinks up to male demo. He’s seated, she’s standing. “[Name], I thought I did a really good job on my report, can’t you give me more marks?”, etc. Suggestively: “What do I have to do to get a 10 from you?”

________________________________________________________

Role-play 7: demonstrator script

Student approaches demonstrator and queries mark for report.

Some role-plays…

• Arrange for novices to observe someone else’s class before they take their own first class

• Debrief session for novices after first class

• Mentoring for novices

• Enhancing the skills of the old hands

After the initial training

So, what have you learnt from this session?

Will you change anything in your Dept?

QuickTime™ and aPhoto - JPEG decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Any questions?

Physics tutors and laboratory demonstrators: issues involved in teaching sessional staff to teach students

Susan Feteris, Monash University, and Marjan Zadnik, Curtin University of Technology