This is a free, online textbook that is offered in conjunction with MIT's OpenCourseWare. This book "is a guide to recitation teaching at MIT. During a typical recitation section, a teaching assistant (TA) meets with a small group of students to review the most recent lecture, expand on the concepts, work through practice problems, and conduct a discussion with the students. With good humor and sound advice, Professor Mattuck offers both novice and seasoned recitation instructors guidelines on how sections can best serve as a complement to lectures, how to help students become better learners, and how to enjoy their experience as recitation teachers. Lecturers claim they have learned something from it, too."
From the prologue: In this booklet we’ll talk about some common problems in teaching, and offer a variety of ideas you can try. We’re concerned primarily with the
teaching of recitations that accompany large lectures, so you won’t be
reading about how to design a course or how to lecture. But don’t put the
booklet in the circular file just because you’re teaching your own small class
by yourself: maybe three-fourths of what’s in here applies to you, too. Even
you three-star generals who give the large lecture classes might look at
this booklet because generals need to be in touch with the problems faced
by their second lieutenants; if they ask for your advice on some teaching
problem, you can tell them you’ll think it over and then crib an answer from
the booklet.
Type of Material:
Online textbook in PDF format.
Recommended Uses:
This would be ideally used in a professional development situation. All teaching assistants (unless they have an education background) should be immersed in this material and asked to put it to use in the classroom.
Technical Requirements:
Internet access; PDF reader
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The goal of this material is to provide teaching assistants with pedagogical and practical suggestions to help them teach a recitation section effectively and successfully.
Target Student Population:
Teaching assistants and instructors new to teaching will benefit from this material.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
A basic familiarity with instruction or some initial instructional experience. There should be a need for this material, otherwise the learner will find it irrelevant. Provide the material in a timely manner (i.e., before teaching the first time).
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This pamphlet is written tongue-in-cheek, which makes it a pleasure to read but it is also solidly based on effective pedagogical principles such as active learning, student-centeredness, problem-solving, and student engagement. The TA or instructor reading this pamphlet will find that it provides a great deal of good advice to the new teacher, or anyone who is in front of an audience. What is terrific about it is that the writer assumes nothing of the reader, it seems, and points out a number of things about teaching (like making eye contact, using visual aids, using proper inflection of your voice, etc.) that seem to be common sense, but typically cause first-time teachers problems.
Concerns:
None
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
I believe this text, if used in a professional development setting (such as a TA orientation), would be highly effective. I can see teachers referring to this text again and again. It is compact but also contains a summary and index. The Classroom Observation Checklist is very effective.
Concerns:
None
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The table of contents is very easy to read and it's easy to understand what each section is about. Therefore, you could skip around this text a bit if you are looking for information quickly. I also like the summary of skills to acquire on pages 58 - 59; it's like a cheat sheet for teaching. It also provides an observation checklist for the teacher to use with an observation partner.
Concerns:
None
Other Issues and Comments:
None
Creative Commons:
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