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This seminar led by Dr. Caroline Elliott at Lancaster University focuses on the principles of interactive teaching methods. It highlights the stark contrast between passive and interactive teaching, emphasizing the benefits of engaging students actively in their learning process. Attendees will explore strategies to improve student participation, motivation, and understanding, while also considering diverse classroom compositions. Practical tips for planning and executing successful interactive seminars will be provided, along with ideas for content that fosters deeper learning and transferable skills for students.
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Seminar and Small Group Teaching: Interactive Seminars Dr Caroline ElliottDepartment of EconomicsLancaster Universityc.elliott@lancaster.ac.uk www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Interactive Seminars The ideal seminar? www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Passive vs. Interactive Teaching • Passive teaching: • Boredom... deadly silence! • Poor attendance, lack of preparation • Lack of student participation weakens understanding of material • Interactive teaching: • Students less likely to become discouraged/bored • Deeper understanding • Aids interest and motivation www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Transferable Skills • Interactive seminars can improve: • Confidence • Ability • Motivation • Performance • Employment prospects www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Know your class • Class composition • Initial tests • Taking in homework • Content guided by students www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Who are your students? • Different backgrounds and goals • Increase in international students • Fees – students as customers • Reluctance – quantitative subjects www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Expectations • Role of seminars • Extent of preparation for seminars • Follow up work after seminars • Expectations of homework, presentations • Participation in seminars www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Planning your seminars • Make seminars independent events • Aims and objectives • Structure • Beginnings Lecture Material; Examples; Difficult Parts of Worksheets • Endings Perfect Competition • Variety • Materials • Introduce interactive techniques that exploit: • Varied student abilities and backgrounds • Encourage participation • Start gently • Transferable skills • Guidance for other tutors www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Seminar content • Ask preliminary questions • Worksheets • Student presentations • Links with assessment (a great ending) • Activities • Students marking each other’s work • Filling in gaps and correcting mistakes • Games/experiments • In-class informal quizzes Noughts and Crosses: http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/showcase/elliott_0x www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Seminar content ideas Interactive Methods that have worked for you? www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Interactive Seminars Barriers to the ideal seminar? www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Top tips for exercises • Keep notation consistent and explain it • Make steps in the reasoning explicit • Use questions to guide students through the reasoning • Provide intuition – plan examples/ask students to find examples in advance • Identify possible pitfalls or cases – anticipate areas of difficulty • Link material taught to the lectures • Try and offer ‘the bigger picture’ www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Never... • Skip parts of explanations • Rush (but keep an eye on the clock) • Hide errors • Follow do’s and don’ts lists... look for what works for you! www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Always... • Introduce yourself • Plan ahead but stay flexible • Contextualise and structure material • Encourage participation • Make the most of your experience and enjoy it! www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk
Seminar content • Problem-based learning • http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/showcase/forsythe_pbl • Case studies, current affairs • http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/handbook/casestudies/1 • Games, experiments • http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/themes/games www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk