UW-T Disciplinary Commons
Methods
I. Teaching Methods
A. My Favourite / Main teaching method is the SOCRATIC METHOD
1. Asking questions
a. Typically start a new “chapter” with “What IS .....?”
b. “What is .... USED for”?
(1) What methods?
(2) Limitations?
c. “How do we Implement ...?”
d. “How do we USE ...?”
e. Etc.
2. Leading students in discussions
3. Often answering questions with questions
4. To me, IDEAL class period would be one in which I made no declarative statements at all - only questions.
a. Happens fairly often in CS 210
b. Very Rarely in CS 211
5.
B. Another Technique is Role-playing / Acting
1. “Play Computer” - desk-tracing execution
a. More useful in lower-level classes
2. (In 210 - “act out” function calls)
a. Physical activity
C. Board work
D. Group work
1. Homework assignments
2. In class exercises
3. Etc.
E. Humor
II. What Methods for specific things
A. Board work to trace
1. Recursion
2. Trees
3. Searching
4. Sorting
5. Allows visual learners to understand better.
6. And - some things are hard to understand without pictures - such as adding and deleting items from a B-Tree
B. Socratic Questioning for reinforcing reading, and it also encourages the students to be prepared for class.
C. Groupwork helps students prepare for group work environments, and “forces” cooperation. It is also useful for getting a larger project done - division of labor.
III. Assignments to reinforce / assess topics/concepts
A. Classes refresher
1. Music Note
a. Familiarity with Java
b. Research for additional methods
B. Linked Lists
1. “Wing & a Prayer Airlines” (4 Frights daily!)
a. Layers of abstraction
(1) Nodes
(2) Linked List
(3) Flight class
(4) Program
b. Additional research
(1) String Manipulation
C. Stacks / Queues
1. Infix -> Prefix and Postfix
a. Research for Prefix algorithm (Postfix given in book...)
b. Parsing - delimiters, etc.
D. Recursion
a. Simple problem, simply stated....
b. Extra research - file handling
E. Trees
a. Algorithm in book
b. Tougher coding
c. Java Graphics added
F. Extended classes, using structures, etc.
1. RPG
a. Team project
(1) “Real World” environment
(2) Need to work together
(3) Evaluate team members
b. Larger project
1. WHY Socratic?
a. Helps students THINK
b. Encourages students to PREPARE for class
c. I feel that MY JOB is to teach students how to THINK like Computer Scientists
i. (John Houseman imitation - from “Paper Chase”)
ii. “You come in here with minds full of mush... and you go out thinking like [Computer Scientists]”
d. “Critical Thinking”
e. It’s FUN!
a. It’s FUN!
b. Involves students
c. Physical for physical learners
a. Visual for visual learners
b. “Circles and Arrows and Diagrams, and a paragraph on the back of each one”
4. Group Work
a. Interactive
b. New viewpoints
c. Communication
5. Specifically Tailored assignments
a. Reinforce concepts
b. Additional learning
c. Try to make them FUN!