Instructor Training

Welcome

Overview

Teaching: 8 min
Exercises: 2 min
Questions

  • Who is participating in this workshop and what do they know?

  • What will we cover (or not) in this workshop?

  • What prior knowledge do workshop participants have?

Objectives

  • Understand what will be covered in the instructor training.

Introductions

Introductions set the stage for learning.
— Tracy Teal, Executive Director, Data Carpentry

To begin your class, the instructors should give a brief introduction that will convey their capacity to teach the material, accessibility/approachability, desire for student success, and enthusiasm. Tailor your introduction to the students’ skill level so that you convey competence (without seeming too advanced) and demonstrate that you can relate to the students. Throughout the workshop, continually demonstrate that you are interested in student progress and that you are enthusiastic about the topics.

Students should also introduce themselves (preferably verbally). At the very least, everyone should add their name to the Etherpad, but its also good for everyone at a given site to know who all is in the group. Note: this can be done while setting up before the start of the class.

Workshop Overview

This two-day workshop has two goals:

During the insturctor-training workshop students will listen to short lessons, participate in individual and group practical exercises, practice teaching, and give critical feedback to their peers.

After completing the instructor-training workshop, participants must complete these follow-up exercises online in order to be certified to teach Software Carpentry and/or Data Carpentry. This will be discussed in more detail at the end of Day 2.

All participants in this course are required to abide by our code of conduct.

There are no specific prerequisites for this training, but participants will benefit from having been through a Data Carpentry or Software Carpentry workshop so that they are familiar with our teaching techniques. In particular, participants are not required to have any specific programming skills (though of course they should know enough about the subjects of one or more of our lessons to be able to teach them). We do not cover the content of Data Carpentry and Software Carpentry workshops in this training, both because there are too many workshop modules to cover in two days, and because you are expected to brush up on the relevant skills for your workshop prior to teaching. Rather than covering specific workshop content, this training will focus on developing teaching skills that are broadly useful across all of our lessons.

Assessing Trainee Motivation and Prior Knowledge

It’s important to first assess the prior knowledge of the workshop participants because this will influence (to some extent) how you motivate the activities and how you communicate with the attendees. For instance, participants who have taken or helped with a workshop will have a much better concept of what goes on during a workshop than those who have never experienced one. Furthermore, someone who live codes frequently and someone who has never live coded will experience the live coding activities differently.

Background

Have you ever participated in a Software Carpentry or Data Carpentry Workshop?

  1. Yes, I have taken a workshop.
  2. Yes, I have been a workshop helper.
  3. Yes, I organized a workshop.
  4. No, but I am familiar with what is taught at a workshop.
  5. No, and I am not familiar with what is taught at a workshop.

Which of these most accurately describes your teaching experience?

  1. I have been a graduate or undergraduate teaching assistant for a university/college course.
  2. I have not had any teaching experience in the past.
  3. I have taught a seminar, workshop, or other short or informal course.
  4. I have been the instructor-of-record for my own university/college course.
  5. I have taught at the K-12 level.

I know how to write multiple choice questions with diagnostic power.

  1. Strongly agree
  2. Agree
  3. Neutral
  4. Disagree
  5. Strongly disagree

If you teach, how often do you incorporate live coding in your classrooms? If you don’t teach, how often have your instructors used live coding?

  1. Frequently
  2. Occasionally
  3. Rarely
  4. Never

Now that we have a better idea of everyone’s prior knowledge and familiarity with some of the SWC and DC teaching practices, we’re ready to begin our training. Our goal is that by the end, you will have acquired some knew knowledge, confidence, and skills that you can use in your teaching practice in general and in teaching SWC and DC workshops specifically.

Let’s dive into the theory and practice behind designing multiple choice questions.

Key Points