[John's picture]

Notes on Teaching

John Ousterhout
Computer Science Division
The University of California at Berkeley

Abstract:

Teaching, like most forms of communications, isn't a native skill. It can be learned through practise. Here are some techniques I use to improve my teaching.

Personalize:

Know the students and how much they are learning.

Pictures, learning names.
Call on people randomly (the volunteers aren't typical). Explain how this livens up the discussion.
Round robin class participation.

Conceptualize:

Extract the key ideas from the details. Everything you say must boil down to a few key ideas (3-7?), at each level. Have themes that keep re-appearing.

Relate:

New ideas are hard to understand if they come out of the blue. Must relate each new idea to things people understand already; describe how alike and how different. Relate to conceptual themes of course. Or relate to humans, e.g. my stories about refrigerator.

Good Examples:

Ideas are hard to understand in the abstract. Need examples that illustrate the concepts clearly, with minimum detail.

Humor:

CS provides great material for jokes (particularly when comparing to people). Ex: Reaganomics, thrashing on classes. Depends on your personality, but most people can learn to be funny if they try. Humor can deepen the learning experience, make it more memorable.

Prepare:

No one is a good spontaneous lecturer.

Lecture notes, give to students. Even jokes are typeset. Ask how much time people spend preparing for class.
Quiet time before class to get in the mood. Particularly important if you're busy.

Enthusiasm:

Show that you love the material: think each day about why you love CS, what about the material is interesting. Let that come out in your lectures/discussions.

Things to remember:

If students are learning, they'll have fun.
Find out what works for you. Each teacher has a different style; pick up the techniques that work in your style.
Teaching can be fun for the teacher too. Something very satisfying about it.