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"Well begun is half done," Aristotle said. Preparing your classroom sessions is as important as running them. If you want to help students learn, you must first define learning outcomes, then design learning activities that allow students to achieve these outcomes. As part of your preparation, you must also take care of the learning environment, such as the room and any required equipment.
Learning outcomes are the key to the whole process. They suggest activities you can design and run for your students. They help you prioritize these activities and manage your time during sessions. They allow you to evaluate your sessions and dictate the type of exam you must organize to assess your students' learning.
Learning activities are activities students engage in: They are about what students do in the classroom (and perhaps outside of it), not about what you do. Designing activities that are adequate for the learning outcomes is the most important step. No matter how good a facilitator you are, you will not be able to salvage an inadequate learning activity by facilitation alone — not any more than you can salvage a poorly designed oral presentation by delivery alone.
Finally, the learning environment is an important success factor. Reserve an appropriate room for the learning activities you have designed, and prepare or secure any equipment you need for these activities.
To help students achieve specific learning outcomes, you must have a clear idea of what these outcomes are. If you are a teaching assistant, you may have received a list of outcomes from your professor. If you did not or if you are in charge of the course, you need to define them for yourself.
A learning outcome is not the material to be learned: It is a capacity applied to that material. As such, it is best expressed as a sentence that starts with:
By the end of the course, students should be able to . . .
And continues with a verb and an object, for example:
. . . balance a chemical equation.
The capacity can involve knowledge, skills, or even attitudes. Here are examples of verbs you can use to write the corresponding types of learning outcomes.
Knowledge
define |
define the terms gene, chromosome, and allele
|
describe | describe the method for measuring electrical resistance known as the Wheatstone bridge |
identify | identify the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction on a schematic diagram |
list | list the various organs in the human digestive tract |
state | state Heisenberg's uncertainly principle |
Other examples: cite, explain, name |
Skills
analyze |
analyze critically an abstract written by a classmate |
apply | apply the three laws of thermodynamics to . . . |
design | design an algorithm that . . . |
measure | measure the thickness of a wire with a laser beam |
solve | solve partial differential equations |
Other examples: calculate, construct, create, critique, develop, evaluate, infer, interpret, plan, predict, present, recognize, select, summarize, write |
Attitude
appreciate |
appreciate the importance of . . . |
observe | observe the safety rules for . . . |
recognize | recognize a situation in which they must . . . |
Other examples: value, listen actively, be sensitive to |
Define learning outcomes both for the course as a whole and for each module (such as each classroom session) within the course. If you are a teaching assistant and have not been given the outcomes by your professor, you can define them by using your best judgment, by asking previous teaching assistants for the course, or by looking at the exam questions from previous years.
To be useful, a learning outcome must be specific and observable. In this respect, verbs such as know, recall, and understand are best replaced by more observable alternatives, such as cite, define, or describe. Besides the capacity to be developed, you can specify the means put at the disposal of students (for example, "using pen and paper only") and the criteria used for evaluating the capacity (for example, "in five minutes or less").
Once you have defined the learning outcomes, you can design learning activities that will help your students develop the desired capacities. To a point, these activities are suggested by the capacities themselves. For example, if one outcome states that "By the end of the session, students must be able to solve a problem of chemical equilibrium," the activity must have students working on problems involving chemical equilibria. The challenge for preparing adequate activities is threefold:
Once you have designed your learning activities, you can prepare a plan for your session. Beyond the session's overall learning outcomes and a list of the equipment you will need, draw up a table with three columns and as many rows as you have learning outcomes. In each row, indicate the specific learning outcome you are striving to achieve, the corresponding learning activity you designed, and the duration you foresee for this activity. Next to this duration, you may want to add the time elapsed since the start of the session so you can easily see at any time during your session whether you are on schedule.
First, secure an appropriate room for the learning activities you have designed. For example, if you want to capture an interaction with the group, you need something to write on: a blackboard, whiteboard, or flip-chart. If you plan to have students work in subgroups, you must be able to rearrange the tables and chairs. If you engage students in role-playing or other activities for which they have to get up and do something, you may even prefer a classroom without tables (chairs only) to encourage mobility.
In many universities and organizations, classrooms are at a premium; securing an appropriate room for you session might be a challenge. Still, do not give up too easily: If you need a different room than the one you have been assigned, ask for it, explaining what you need and why. Consider alternatives to the rooms managed by the centralized facilities services, too: Your department may have meeting rooms that are not officially listed as classrooms but that you might be able to reserve for your sessions.
Next, set the room appropriately for your planned activities. Rearrange the tables and chairs as you see fit: a hemicycle or U-shape for interacting with the whole group, small islands of tables for activities in subgroups, and so on. Get rid of whatever stands in your way or might distract students (many classrooms need some tidying up). Erase the board, optimize the lighting and the temperature, and ventilate the room. By making students feel welcome, you increase their motivation. By having everything ready for a productive session, you show them that you are prepared and dedicated, and thus you set the tone for your sessions.
Finally, remember to prepare or secure any additional equipment you need for your activities: a projector or a microphone, demonstration or practice material, or perhaps just chalk for the blackboard. If you run many sessions or if you do not know what to expect in the classroom, you may find it useful to carry your own set of basic necessities, including chalk and markers, a travel clock, and an extension cord for any electrical equipment you plan to use.
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