1. Teaching Large Classes Department of Statistics Rachel Fewster

2. What is a teacher? A communicator

3. What sort of communicator? Broadcaster Flight attendant Artist Loudspeaker

4. Broadcaster Flight attendant Artist Loudspeaker Messenger Inanimate object What sort of communicator?

5. Artist Messenger Inanimate object What sort of communicator?

6. Artist Discerns the essence of the subject Distils the essence of the subject Finds a balance between concept and detail Recreates it in a form fit for everyone This communicator:

7. This is water! Thats creativity! Impression – Sunrise, by Claude Monet (1872)

8. Messenger with personality Messenger Inanimate object Dont aspire to be… Or even…

9. Teaching is a creative art A good teacher creates something all of their own

10. A Subject for Everyone? Scenes of 19 th century industrialism are really not my thing… - but I love this picture! How can I do for Mathematical Statistics what Monet has done for 19 th century industrialism…?

11. Understanding chance Communicating concepts Encouraging critical thinking Doing something creative with my subject Why teach Statistics?

12. What the Stats 10x team did for me In my first week of teaching, I learnt that: Most students are not in the least like me After 3 more weeks of teaching, I discovered: Most students have no desire to be like me After 12 weeks of teaching, I comprehended: The Stats 10x team were reaching far more students than I would reach with my approach

13. Me? or Them? Theorem Proof Theorem Proof Corollary Proof Example Motivation Example Bit of theory More example More theory Example

14. How I learnt…

15. How I teach

16. Engage curiosity Give history and personalities Use examples and diagrams Build intuition

17. Everything has got a moral, if only you can find it… Listen to your colleagues Listen to your students Learning how to teach is a job we never finish Its OK to teach very differently from the way you preferred to learn

18. The Student Course Materials & Lecture Notes You Ingredients for learning

19. The Student Course Materials & Lecture Notes You Ingredients for learning

20. Insight! Understanding! Enthusiasm! Ingredients for learning 12 weeks later…

21. The Student Ingredients for learning Background knowledge Aspirations Career plans Get a Degree

22. Performance or Perfection? Focuses on OUTCOMES Mistakes are disasters Prefers to use familiar tools to solve problems Performance Perfection Focuses on the learning process Mistakes are opportunities Embraces new tools and deep understanding

23. Focuses on OUTCOMES Mistakes are disasters Prefers to use familiar tools to solve problems Performance Perfection Focuses on the learning process Mistakes are opportunities Embraces new tools and deep understanding Most academics are perfection-oriented in our own fields Most students are performance- oriented in our field We can empathise! We are performance- oriented ourselves in other fields

24. Focuses on OUTCOMES Mistakes are disasters Prefers to use familiar tools to solve problems Performance Perfection Focuses on the learning process Mistakes are opportunities Embraces new tools and deep understanding 1.Empathise with the students approach 2. Aim to make them WANT to switch modes

25. The Student Course Materials & Lecture Notes You Ingredients for learning

26. Course Materials & Lecture Notes A BLANK PAGE Course notes like a map Aim to build a landscape

27. Course Materials & Lecture Notes Lake Saddle Ridges Essential features clear for everyone Course notes like a map Aim to build a landscape

28. Course Materials & Lecture Notes Lake Saddle Ridges Finer points there for the taking Course notes like a map Aim to build a landscape

29. Dont overdo content! Ridges Lake Saddle This is what you know and love This is most of what you will get across

30. But if you try to put across all this…

31. …youll succeed in communicating this! Ridges Lake Saddle This is better!

32. Statisticians never gamble, but… Ill bet you will be SURPRISED at how far YOU have come since you first saw this material Before the course, decide upon your lake! Ridges Lake Saddle What are the key concepts you MUST get across? Design your course and assessment around these!

33. Begin with low-context example, to focus on the ideas

34. Progress to more intriguing examples

35. Aim to stimulate CURIOSITY Pictures and colour do this best!

36. The Student Course Materials & Lecture Notes You Ingredients for learning

37. The Student Course Materials & Lecture Notes You Ingredients for learning Dont assume Im the same as you! Less content = more gain

38. Whats left for… You? Your job is to breathe life into the landscape!

39. The Conceptual Landscape Instinct for the material Concepts spring to life A beautiful / satisfying place to explore Personality and character C B A ??

40. Learning is a social activity We are social animals Whats left for… You? I dont think you are my role model… Please yourself !

41. The importance of psychology My head is full of other stuff too! The atmosphere of the classroom will be the take- home impression of the subject for many students Aim for a critical mass of engaged students

42. There must be something positive! Students will associate a positive vibe with the subject matter - even if by accident! Creativity Spontaneity Elegance or liveliness

43. The Really Boring Statistics Lecture Give us a cheer for… Raise the roof! Make those people next door think they are missing something! One, two, three…

44. What engages students in class? Humour - most teachers avoid sarcasm Your enthusiasm - alternatively energy or liveliness - material has to appear likeable! Your engagement with the students - be friendly and approachable - learn names where possible

45. What engages students in assignments? Intrigue, curiosity, fun - can you spot a liar? - will I be able to catch you cheating? - does heavy metal music help your plants grow? Usefulness to the student - how many boy/girlfriends should you have before you settle for one you like? Their progress - now they can do something they couldnt do before

46. Its all about them! Students are most interested in themselves! Usefulness to immediate lives is more compelling than usefulness to future (unknown) careers Popular literature in your subject area is a good source of engaging material

47. Conclusions: Teaching is creative work in your subject area - just like Research Dont assume that students are like you, or that they should learn the way that you did

48. Conclusions: Less content will often deliver more total gain Your job is to give the material some personality - must be a likeable personality! Ridges Lake Saddle

49. My Top Tips: Be nice Smile Invest creativity into your teaching Dont take yourself too seriously