Introduction to Teaching and Presentation Skills

Goals and Objectives

To expose participants to the basic components of good teaching and effective professional presentations, and to provide them with an opportunity to practice and develop these skills. By the end of these sessions, depending on which workshop track they have chosen, participants should find it easier to prepare successful presentations or should feel ready to assume and be effective at actual teaching responsibilities. Specific topics will include:

	Preparing and delivering successful presentations.

	Developing course materials for a variety of learners.

	Using strategies to actively engage an audience.

	Managing common classroom problems.

	Making successful teaching and presenting part of your professional development and career growth plans.

Please note that the first session, on September 29, and the workshop sessions, will run from 5:30 to 7:00. Nonworkshop sessions, with the exception of Sept. 29, will run from 5:30 to 6:30. PRECEPT courses and workshops are for postdocs only.

Certificate: We are offering a certificate of completion for this lecture and workshop series. You must attend all Track sessions (A or B) and 3 out of 5 lecture courses to receive a PRECEPT certificate of completion.

Click on a session title to watch online video of the presentation.

	9/29/05 Lecture Presentation Skills: Speaking for Excellence Charles Prober, M.D. Systematic ways to approach the preparation and delivery of effective lectures and presentations.

	10/06/05 Lecture Introduction to Effective Teaching and Learning Kelley Skeff, M.D., Ph.D. What do research and experience indicate about the characteristics of effective teaching and learning?

	10/13/05 Workshop groups, choose Track A or B: 1. Workshop I A Skill Building for Teachers and Speakers Doree Allen, Ph.D. or Tom Freeland, Ph.D. Track A (Making Presentations Track): In smaller groups, participants will analyze lecture clips and practice extemporaneous presentations in order to build their skills and confidence as speakers and teachers. 2. Workshop I B Course Design Process Robyn Wright Dunbar, Ph.D. or Valerie Ross, Ph.D. Track B (Teaching/Course Design Track): This session will apply research on learning to the process of designing courses and course materials. Participants will analyze their own learning preferences, consider how these factors influence teaching, and practice adapting course materials to reach a variety of learners.

	10/20/05 Lecture Course Design Robyn Wright Dunbar, Ph.D. A practical approach to effective course design, including simple strategies to help ensure a coherent course with a structure that is clear to students.

	10/27/05 Workshop groups, choose Track A or B: 1. Workshop II A Developing Oral Presentation from Written Material Doree Allen, Ph.D. or Tom Freeland, Ph.D. *Track A: Participants will go through the process of consciously redesigning written material (such as an article or research report) into an oral presentation or lecture. This exercise will highlight the principles of effective oral communication. 2. Workshop II B* Developing Instructional Objectives Robyn Wright Dunbar, Ph.D. or Valerie Ross, Ph.D. *Track B*: For new or existing course materials, participants will craft instructional objectives to help prioritize content, eliminate extraneous material, and focus assignments and assessments.

	11/03/05 Lecture Solving Common Classroom Problems Marcelo Clerici-Arias Every teacher experiences difficulties, some of them rather predictable like the overtalkative student or the unmotivated class. This session will present some tried-and-true approaches to the solution of common problems as well as ideas for establishing the kind of rapport with students that prevents many problems in the first place.

	11/10/05 Workshop groups, choose Track A or B: 1. Workshop III A Enhancing Presentation Styles Part I Doree Allen, Ph.D. or Tom Freeland, Ph.D. Track A: Practice Presentations (Videotaped) 2. Workshop III B Strategies and Techniques for Engaging the Learning Audience Robyn Wright Dunbar, Ph.D. or Valerie Ross, Ph.D. Track B: Whether in large lecture halls or small discussion sessions, it is possible to have students motivated, actively engaged, and learning in real time. A range of strategies from simple questioning techniques to small group exercises will be presented. Participants will adapt for their own use those most relevant to their own teaching goals.

	11/17/05 Workshop groups, choose Track A or B: 1. Workshop IV A Enhancing Presentation Styles Part II Doree Allen, Ph.D. or Tom Freeland, Ph.D. *Track A: Practice Presentations (Videotaped), Continued 2. Workshop IV B* Creative Strategies for Getting Feedback Robyn Wright Dunbar, Ph.D. or Valerie Ross, Ph.D. Track B: Feedback in teaching is critical! We’ll give feedback tonight on one another’s course materials and will look at creative strategies for getting feedback in your classes.

	12/01/05 Lecture (you may still register for this lecure) Teaching, Presenting, and Your Professional Future Michele Marincovich, Ph.D./Richard Reis, Ph.D. We will use the research on successful academic careers to suggest sometimes counterintuitive strategies for making successful presenting and teaching a cornerstone of your professional success. (Reception following this final session)