The University of Oxford Tutorial Teaching in Mathematical Subjects

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Session Plan Introductions Place of tutorials in Oxford teaching Responsibilities Planning and giving tutorials Coffee break Discussion of scenarios Special cases

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Place of Tutorials Place of Tutorials Reminder of overall course structure: see handouts Tutorials mainly support First and Second Year courses Primarily a College responsibility

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Colleges Colleges Cohort of ~10 students 3 mathematics tutors Senior Tutor Bursar/Accountant A typical college:

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Tutorials Tutorials Tutorials in pairs Weekly tutorials of one hour Based on Lecturer’s exercises Students submit work in advance Tutor marks written work for tutorial Tutor reports on work (Oxcort) Typically

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Purposes of Tutorials Purposes of Tutorials Understanding Logical argument Technique Intuition Presentation (written and oral) Tutorials should help students develop

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Student Expectations Student Expectations Good feedback (written & oral) Solutions to problems set Alignment with lectures/exams

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 College Expectations College Expectations Clear reporting (Oxcort) Happy students Good results Timely reporting of difficulties

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Limits of Responsibility Limits of Responsibility Important to establish exactly what you are being employed to do! The check sheet (in your pack) is a generic resource Probably the College wants you primarily to teach the subject Important to pass problems to an appropriate person

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 How I plan and give tutorials Presentation: Dr Richard Earl Q&A: Panel

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Coffee Break until 11.30am

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Common Difficulties Mathematical difficulties: you are the experts Learning difficulties: see seminar hand-out

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Discussion of scenarios Split into groups For each scenario discuss –What the problem seems to be –What might be useful to find out –Possible courses of action Feedback and discussion

Mathematical Institute : April 2014 Special Cases Disability Health Personal Problems Language Be careful. These are probably someone else’s problem. See seminar hand-out

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