Technique 11: Draw the Map

The author uses this term (for some reason) to refer to controlling the physical environment to assist in teaching.  The author talks about the arrangement of desks, what posters are on the walls, etc.

My response:

In FIT and in CS106, I could have handled this better.  In FIT, students are very tempted to goof around on the computers while I'm talking.  I try to fix this by "constantly" asking questions and asking for students to respond to what I'm saying with a nod, or something.  But, the author seems to imply that I could/should ask students to turn off their monitors or put away their keyboards if they aren't using the computers to take notes.  I don't know if I want to do this in college.

As for posters, etc., in CS106, I was thinking of making some posters that showed commonly used list methods or function syntax, etc.  It seems kind of like elementary school, but it might be useful...

Technique 10: Double Plan

This means that you plan not only what you will be doing during each phase of the lesson, but also what the students will be doing.  E.g., while you lecture, the students should be taking notes.  Do they know that? (Sometimes I don't want my students to take notes, but just to listen.)

My response:

Sounds good, though not very earth-shattering.

Technique 9: Shortest Path

Use the most efficient teaching technique to achieve the objective.  This doesn't mean that you use only one technique per objective.  Often, the most efficient way to teach is to use multiple techniques (lecture, group discussion, practice, etc.) for an objective.

My response:

Love it!

Technique 8: Post It

Write your objective(s) of the day somewhere consistently (like in the corner of the whiteboard).  Then, students will know what is expected of them that day.

My response:

Sounds great.  I often do that already, just to make sure I don't forget to cover something.

Technique 7: 4 Ms

The 4 Ms (Manageable, Measurable, Made First, and Most Important) are used to evaluate how effective an objective is.

Manageable: the objective should be manageable in the time allotted (which may be more or less than one class period).

Measurable: measure every class period with an "exit ticket" -- a short activity, question, or set of questions that students must complete and leave with you before departing.  "Even if you don't use tickets, setting an explicitly measurable goal beforehand helps you hold yourself accountable."

Made First: this is Begin with the End

Most Important: focus on what is important when designing an objective.

The author gives some examples of bad objectives:

• "Students will be able to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators."   The author says this is too big of a goal: not manageable.
• "Students will be able to appreciate various forms of poetry, including sonnets and lyric poetry."  What does "appreciate" mean?  It isn't measurable.
• "Students will view scenes from the film version of The Crucible." This is an activity, not an objective.
• "Students will construct a poster to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day."  Again, this is an activity, not an objective.  And, the most important objective might be to understand the importance of Dr. King's work, not to make a poster.

My response:

Good stuff.  Very good stuff.  I don't know if the "exit ticket" system would work in college, although it might in computer science labs...

Technique 6: Begin with the End

Chapter 2 begins with this great summary: If you want to be a great teacher, you have to plan, and plan diligently.

When planning a lesson (or, a semester of classes), begin by figuring out the objective of the lesson, not the activities in the lesson.  If you start out with an objective, then you can plan the activities to achieve that objective most efficiently.  And, you can daily measure how well you achieved your objective, and determine then if you are able to move on to the next objective in the course.

E.g., "What will my students understand today?" is an objective, whereas "What will my students do today?" is not.

Great lessons begin with planning, and specifically with effective unit planning: planning a sequence of objectives, one or possibly two for each lesson, over an extended period of time (say, six weeks).

Once you have you objective(s) planned, then you can do your lesson plan:

1. Review how well the previous objectives were mastered.

2. Plan a short daily assessment to determine how well today's objectives are understood.

3. Plan activities that will lead to student mastery of today's objectives (and, perhaps, mastery of previous objectives, if they weren't mastered).

The author points out that sometimes the best way to achieve an objective is to use a technique that isn't very "sexy" -- like presenting a lecture. The criteria to decide how to teach is not how cool the activity is, but how effectively it will work.

(Note: more about the daily assessment, in the next technique.)

My response:

I love it.  I didn't do that in CS106, but I'm going to do it when I plan CS106 for the fall.