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Sessional Teaching FAQ
This section is currently in progress. If you have a question please send to Academic Support and we will add your question (and and answer) to this site.
How do I manage disruptive students in my class?
There are many ways to manage disruptive students. The strategy you choose will depend on the size of the class and context of the disruptive behaviour. Some of the techniques discussed in the sessional training workshops are summarised below. A useful checklist of questions to ask yourself before you embark on a strategy is provided by the Florida Institute of Technology
http://www.fit.edu/caps/documents/beyondvol1-iss4man.doc
Disruptive behaviour in general.
Make explicit your expectations of student behaviours early –in both face-to-face and online teaching environments. Make explicit what complementary behaviours your students can expect of you. You can achieve this by contextualizing the Code of Ethical Academic Conduct - The University and Its Students: Responsibilities and Expectations to your course environment. The Student Discipline Rules define misconduct in the teaching and learning environment as that “which impairs the reasonable freedom of other persons to pursue their studies, research, duties or lawful activities in the University or to participate in the life of the University” http://www.newcastle.edu.au/policy/legislat/discipline/student.pdf
Keeping students engaged and interested in the course and its activities is critical to minimizing disruptive behaviour. If you are looking for ideas on engaging the students speak to your colleagues. Have your own interesting interactive activities to pull out when attentions are flagging.
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How do I cope with talking in large classes?
- Nip the problem in the bud very early in the semester.
- Make your expectations clear. The worst thing you can do is embarrass students by singling them out. Find an opportunity to talk to them quietly.
- Ask a colleague to sit in on the class and listen and watch and provide you with feedback on managing the situation.
- Employ some of the strategies to engage the interest of your learners from Teaching Large Classes website http://www.tedi.uq.edu.au/largeclasses/
What are some common complaints made by students about teachers and how can I avoid them?
“Unfairness” is the most common complaint to the Dean of Students. What underlies these accusations of unfairness may not be something that you are aware of. Students notice when they are over-looked. Students’ perceptions of “unfairness” often mask other issues. Accusations of unfairness are sometimes difficult to link back to the cause. It may be as simple as paying more attention to some people in classes
How do I get a copy of the course outline?
The Course Coordinator will provide you with the course outline. If you don’t know who this is contact the School Office. The Course Tracking System (CTS) http://onlineservices.newcastle.edu.au will have the fundamentals of a course outline, but the final outline will have been enhanced by the Course Coordinator. Sometimes the Course Coordinator is not the key contact for a course taught in a particular delivery mode, for example online. The Program Convenor should be able to help you in this case.
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What are the responsibilities of the Course Coordinator and what can I expect from him or her?
- Materials of the course in advance such as final course outline (consider agreement on a minimum time period prior to commencement of
teaching, e.g. 1 week)
- A copy of the core text(s) and/or course notes that students will be asked to purchase or are given
- Clear instructions (preferably written) on the areas the sessional academic is responsible for teaching/focusing on
- An overview of the areas to be the focus of assessment
- Communication plan – e.g. regular meetings, email list, etc.;
- Access to the Blackboard course and materials
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How do I manage nerves?
Some pointers include:
Imagine you are explaining the concepts to a very close friend and they are in the audience.
Many seasoned performers who look totally at ease with their presentations will say that adrenalin and nervousness are important in giving a successful presentation. Assuming this, you may need to accept that some level of nervousness, especially at the beginning of a session, is often normal for the effective presenter. Thus you can say to yourself – I’m going to be nervous, but that’s ok. A healthy amount of nervousness to keep you on your toes is a goal.
Take a water bottle to the lecture to guard against a dry mouth. Some suggest sucking a lemon-drops before presenting.
Page 21 of the handbook Teaching at Stanford: An Introductory Guide for Faculty, Academic Staff, and Teaching Assistants gives tips on “Seven Ways To Handle Nervousness”:
- Practice
- Concentrate on the ideas
- Make a Strong Start
- Visualize
- Use audiovisual aids or multimedia
- Assume a confident attitude
- Breathe - take a few moments to regulate and deepen your breathing just before your presentation.
Refer to p.21 of the handbook for explanation http://ctl.stanford.edu/handbook.pdf
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