That strategy described in the blog post sounds like a solid addition to
the curriculum. One thing I think that would complement it nicely is a
short 5-10 min re-enactment of a text-book-perfect SWC lesson, complete
with 'learners' (who are actually experienced instructors) demonstrating
a range of typical reactions in a workshop, and an instructor who models
best practices in delivering the lesson and engaging with the learners.
This would give students a repertoire of engagement methods to draw on
in their own practice, as well as unambiguously communicating the best
practices of SWC instruction.
In the instructor workshop we just completed at UW it was clear to
everyone that SWC pedagogy is plainly drawing on the best and most
robust evidence-based pedagogy in print, but there was a lot of
meta-commentary on teaching practice in the workshop, so it was tricky
to get a clear sense of what a really good SWC lesson should look like
in the real world.
Having the lead instructors do a short but highly authentic demo of an
ideal SWC lesson at the start of the training would help to orient the
students and prepare them to develop their own style and skills that are
consistent with SWC's methods and values.
Ben
On 15/11/2014 2:31 PM, Bill Mills wrote:
Howdy all,
Instructor Training at the University of Washington was a big hit, thanks to
all who participated!
But, we can do even more; new instructors are consistently asking for more
concrete and practical
insight into the what and how of teaching SWC, and we're cooking up a strategy
for this. I
summarized ideas from a conversation between Warren Code and myself in a blog
post:
http://mozillascience.org/train-the-trainers-next-iterations/
blog TLDR: a big final exercise on planning an entire unit (or at least a big
chunk of one), so they
go home with a first cut at a lesson plan for their first workshop, and solid
familiarity with the
curriculum of that unit.
Would love feedback on this idea, and to hear your ideas too! Instructors, what
crunchy practical
skills or knowledge do you wish someone had told you before you taught your
first workshop? Let us
know!
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