Department of Mathematical Sciences: Teaching Ideas
This page contains examples of teaching "good practice", mostly
collated from peer reviews of lectures. Its intention is not
prescriptive, but simply to make teaching ideas which have proved
useful for some lecturers available to others.
The page will be updated each semester after the peer review
process. Any contributions and suggestions would be very welcome: send
them to Toby Hall.
- General advice for lectures
(particularly for new lecturers)
- Strategies for controlling noise in
lectures
- Optimal use of blackboards on the first and second floors of the Mathematical Sciences Building
- Electronic submission of
homework
- Fortnightly
homeworks: the advantages
- Using a Surface Pro/tablet for delivery of lectures
- Blackboard cleaning the
German way
- Using Maple in homeworks to help
students' understanding
- Getting students to reflect on
the theoretical content of lectures
- Homework solutions as
podcasts
- Two-part homeworks: reducing
'waiting time' in tutorials
- Optional homework submission
in groups
- Using students' smart phones
as clickers for interactive activities in class
- Sticky notes
- Prize quizzes to reinforce
concepts which students find difficult
- Demonstrations and practical
activities
- Blending lectures and
tutorials in small classes
- Lecture notes with blanks and
"daggers"
- Including a presentation
on applications of module material
- Generic feedback on class
tests or homework
- Using the data projector in
lectures
- Advice on core module
tutorials
- Mini-questionnaires
- VITAL discussion forums for
exam revision in large classes, and more generally
- Enrolling Teaching assistants in VITAL
- Use of the library's
'Reading lists' with promotional video
- Meeting agendas for
project students
- Using Matlab in lectures