ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Seminar and Small Group

Teaching

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

How does the role of the seminar leader differ from that of a lecturer?

• More interactive

• Important to get to know students quickly

• Recognising and responding to students with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities; need to be flexible – re-arranging groups?

• Making expectations clear

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Who are your students?

• Different backgrounds and goals

• Increase in international students

• Fees - students as customers

• Reluctance – quantitative subjects

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Passive vs. Interactive Teaching

• Passive teaching :

– Boredom…deadly silence!

– Poor attendance, lack of preparation

– Lack of student participation weakens understanding of material

• Interactive teaching:

– Students less likely to become discouraged/bored

– Deeper understanding

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Transferable Skills

Interactive classes can improve:

– Confidence

– Ability

– Motivation

– Performance

– Employment prospects

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Planning your classes

• Make classes independent events– Aims and objectives

– Structure

– Purpose

• Introduce interactive techniques that take account of:

– Varied student abilities and learning styles

– Encourage participation

– Transferable skills

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Class Teaching

1. Teaching style:

a) Structure

b) Clarity

c) Interaction and Motivation

d) Introducing activities

2. Teaching challenges

3. Some pointers for a successful class

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

1(a) Provide Structure

• Give an overview

• Outline the key questions/issues

• Work through the material – why is it interesting?

• Identify important references/links to lectures

• Summarise key arguments and conclusions at the end of the class

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

1(b) Clarity

• Lay out solutions clearly on board

• Work step-by-step – outline methodology

• Provide handouts for equation-intensive classes

• Provide ‘discussion tree’ outlines

• Anticipate problems and questions

• Resolve confusion if the discussion takes wrong turn

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

1(c) Interaction

• Learn students’ names!

• Encourage participation

• Face the class, pick up ‘signals’ -adjust the pace and content to meet students’ needs

• Link theory to real-world events to generate interest

• Friendly but in control

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

1(d) Class Activities

• Individual

– Problems/case studies

• Pairs/small groups

– Activities/discussion/student teaching

• Whole group

– debate/presentation/review

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

2. Challenges

• Quiet classes…

• …and rowdy classes

• Students with poor attendance or effort

• Classes with students with diverse backgrounds

• Students with disabilities e.g. dyslexia

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Top Tips for Exercises

• Keep notation consistent and explain it

• Make steps in the reasoning explicit

• Use questions to guide students through the reasoning

• Provide intuition – plan examples

• Identify possible pitfalls or cases

• Give students ‘ the bigger picture’

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Top Tips for Motivation

• Learn students’ names early on

• Take an interest in students’ goals, problems etc.

• Take time to offer feedback and keep an eye out for problems

• Be approachable and contactable

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Always…

• Introduce yourself

• Plan ahead but stay flexible

• Contextualise and structure material

• Encourage participation

• Make the most of your experience and enjoy it!

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Never…

• Skip parts of explanations

• Rush (but keep an eye on the clock)

• Ignore problems

• Hide errors

• Follow do’s and don’ts lists ... look for what works for you!

ww

w.e

con

om

icsn

etw

ork

.ac.

uk

Thank you