I stretch the skill-level bracket of all my workshops by leaning heavily on tiered challenge problems; I break for problems regularly (every 30 minutes or so, giving those really struggling a chance to catch up), and set 'baseline' problems (that everyone is expected to solve) and 'stretch' goals - harder problems that the intermediates can derive value from.
On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Noam Ross <[email protected]> wrote: > One thing that I've found is that students who are behind sometimes give > up trying to type along and just read along with the lesson notes. While > it's not the ideal outcome, it may be the best one for some fraction of > students, and this makes it easier for those students to reference those > notes at some later time. So it might be worthwhile to point students to > each lesson's notes before starting that section. > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 12:29 PM C. Titus Brown <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Hi Amanda et al., >> >> thanks, this is a nice discussion! >> >> I try to distinguish between "zero entry" and more advanced workshops >> as clearly as possible, but of course problems happen in both directions >> for the advanced workshops - too advanced, and too beginner. >> >> One strategy that (I think) Greg suggested a long time ago was to suggest >> that the too-advanced people help out with the too-beginner people when >> a TA wasn't available. Of course this can go wrong as well, but I think >> when it goes well it's quite nice. >> >> cheers, >> --titus >> >> On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 03:46:12PM +0000, Amanda Charbonneau wrote: >> > I actually had a similar problem, but with an intro workshop that I had >> > already pared down considerably because I knew the learners were skewed >> > towards *very* beginners. Even with the simplified material, I had a >> > handful of people who couldn't keep up, people who had to hover a single >> > finger back and forth over the keyboard to locate each letter. >> > This handful of people comprised about a quarter of the attendees, and >> > the advertising clearly said that the course was for learners who have >> > little to no prior computational experience, so they hadn't really gone >> to >> > the wrong course level. It was just that their interpretation of no >> prior >> > computational experience was very different from what SWC expects. It >> felt >> > wrong to just press on without them, so I slowed everything down to a >> > crawl, but I also felt extremely bad that we only got partway through >> any >> > of the material. >> > >> > Sorry I don't have a solution, just commiseration. >> > >> > -amanda >> > >> > On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 11:24 AM Peter Steinbach <[email protected] >> > >> > wrote: >> > >> > > Hi April, >> > > >> > > thanks for your insights. As a matter of fact, in my case the local >> > > organizers were very forthcoming and implemented a pre-assessment form >> > > before the workshop. Still, I had the feeling during the workshop that >> > > this pre-assessment only covered the tip of the iceberg (as expected). >> > > >> > > I guess the trade-off who to bore and whom to carry through is always >> on >> > > the plate of the instructor. I'd have to say that being in a team of 2 >> > > helps at this point tremendously as the co-instructor is among the >> > > "students" and simply can assist here and there. >> > > >> > > If people have more feedback on the matter, I am happy to hear it. If >> > > not, my gratitude to those that replied already. >> > > >> > > Best, >> > > Peter >> > > >> > > On 10/27/2015 03:27 PM, April Wright wrote: >> > > > Hi Peter- >> > > > >> > > > I've been in this exact same situation, though with a departmental >> > > > workshop, rather than an SWC one. It's hard, and I'm sorry that >> happened >> > > to >> > > > you. >> > > > >> > > > Since you're SWC, I think the first thing to do is ask the host. >> Often, >> > > the >> > > > host has some specific ideas about what they want the learners to >> come >> > > away >> > > > with, and that can help you steer the course. >> > > > >> > > > What I did, in practice, was this: I spent way too much time helping >> > > > novices. I slowed down, got through less than half of the material, >> and >> > > the >> > > > intermediates, who had actually chosen the correct class and paid a >> > > nominal >> > > > fee for it were very unsatisfied. I really think that I made the >> wrong >> > > call >> > > > by punishing people who carefully read the sign-up and prioritizing >> those >> > > > who didn't. There are a lot of resources out there to help people >> take >> > > the >> > > > first steps in programming. There are fewer to help with the 'what's >> > > next', >> > > > and I should have been more sensitive to that fact. What I should >> have >> > > done >> > > > is told people who were working on novice-level skills that they >> were >> > > > welcome to stay and work, but that people working on the course >> material >> > > > would be assisted first. >> > > > >> > > > On the next go around, I added a list of skills the learners needed >> to be >> > > > comfortable with to attend (previously, it had simply been a link >> to the >> > > > previous workshop) and a code snippet one of the students had >> written. I >> > > > let them know that this was the level of familiarity they needed to >> have >> > > *with >> > > > Python* to attend, and that TAs would preferentially assist those >> who >> > > were >> > > > mastering course skills over those who were mastering other >> material. >> > > > >> > > > That worked, I only had one person for whom the course was >> inappropriate >> > > > (they were too high level) show up. >> > > > >> > > > --a >> > > > >> > > > --------- >> > > > Postdoctoral Researcher >> > > > Iowa State University, EEOB >> > > > University of Kansas, EEB >> > > > 251 Bessey Hall >> > > > Ames, IA 50011 >> > > > 512.940.5761 >> > > > http://wrightaprilm.github.io/ >> > > > <http://wrightaprilm.github.io/pages/about_me.html> >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 8:23 AM, Michael J Jackson < >> > > [email protected]> >> > > > wrote: >> > > > >> > > >> Hi Peter, >> > > >> >> > > >> If there are more people falling behind than you have helpers to >> handle, >> > > >> then I'd just slow down. I'd (reluctantly) rather bore those who >> don't >> > > want >> > > >> a slower pace, than confuse those do. >> > > >> >> > > >> cheers, >> > > >> mike >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> Quoting Peter Steinbach <[email protected]> on Tue, 27 Oct >> 2015 >> > > >> 11:39:01 +0100: >> > > >> >> > > >> Hi Raniere et al, >> > > >>> >> > > >>> thanks for the pointers for recording the terminal history, I'd >> like to >> > > >>> get back to my more general question though ... how to give >> > > participants >> > > >>> that are not up to the level of the course a chance to follow? I >> don't >> > > >>> wanna drag them all through, at some point there has to be a >> limit for >> > > the >> > > >>> sake of the remaining crowd. But still, I'd like to hear people's >> > > >>> experience on this. >> > > >>> >> > > >>> Best, >> > > >>> Peter >> > > >>> >> > > >>> On 10/27/2015 11:23 AM, Raniere Silva wrote: >> > > >>> >> > > >>>> Hi Peter, >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> Could you share these scripts? >> > > >>>>> >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> Please check >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> >> > > >> https://github.com/swcarpentry/site/pull/1124/files#diff-9e17f2fd404c84648654a4fc54a9a2ecR71 >> > > >>>> . >> > > >>>> We are going to publish it this week. >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> I'd like to see if they'd capture a nano screen etc >> > > >>>>> (I presume not, but I'd like to try them anyhow). >> > > >>>>> Apologies if they were already shared with this community and I >> > > >>>>> overlooked them. >> > > >>>>> >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> There are terminal screen recorder that can capture nano >> > > >>>> but from my experience they don't work for what you want. =( >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> Cheers, >> > > >>>> Raniere >> > > >>>> >> > > >>>> >> > > >>> -- >> > > >>> Peter Steinbach, Dr. rer. nat. >> > > >>> HPC Developer, Scientific Computing Facility >> > > >>> >> > > >>> Scionics Computer Innovation GmbH >> > > >>> L??scherstr. 16 >> > > >>> 01309 Dresden >> > > >>> Germany >> > > >>> >> > > >>> phone +49 351 210 2882 >> > > >>> fax +49 351 202 707 04 >> > > >>> www.scionics.de >> > > >>> >> > > >>> Sitz der Gesellschaft: Dresden (Main office) >> > > >>> Amtsgericht - Registergericht: Dresden HRB 20337 (Commercial >> Registry) >> > > >>> Ust-IdNr.: DE813263791 (VAT ID Number) >> > > >>> Gesch??ftsf??hrer: John Duperon, Jeff Oegema (Managing Directors) >> > > >>> >> > > >>> _______________________________________________ >> > > >>> Discuss mailing list >> > > >>> [email protected] >> > > >>> >> > > >>> >> > > >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> > > >>> >> > > >>> >> > > >>> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> ------------------------------------------------------------ >> > > >> Dr. Michael (Mike) Jackson [email protected] >> > > >> Software Architect Tel: +44 (0)131 650 5141 >> > > >> EPCC, The University of Edinburgh http://www.epcc.ed.ac.uk >> > > >> Software Sustainability Institute http://www.software.ac.uk >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> -- >> > > >> The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in >> > > >> Scotland, with registration number SC005336. >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> _______________________________________________ >> > > >> Discuss mailing list >> > > >> [email protected] >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> > > >> >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > _______________________________________________ >> > > > Discuss mailing list >> > > > [email protected] >> > > > >> > > >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> > > > >> > > >> > > -- >> > > Peter Steinbach, Dr. rer. nat. >> > > HPC Developer, Scientific Computing Facility >> > > >> > > Scionics Computer Innovation GmbH >> > > L??scherstr. 16 >> > > 01309 Dresden >> > > Germany >> > > >> > > phone +49 351 210 2882 >> > > fax +49 351 202 707 04 >> > > www.scionics.de >> > > >> > > Sitz der Gesellschaft: Dresden (Main office) >> > > Amtsgericht - Registergericht: Dresden HRB 20337 (Commercial Registry) >> > > Ust-IdNr.: DE813263791 (VAT ID Number) >> > > Gesch??ftsf??hrer: John Duperon, Jeff Oegema (Managing Directors) >> > > >> > > _______________________________________________ >> > > Discuss mailing list >> > > [email protected] >> > > >> > > >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> > > >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Discuss mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> >> -- >> C. Titus Brown, [email protected] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Discuss mailing list >> [email protected] >> >> http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org >> > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > > http://lists.software-carpentry.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss_lists.software-carpentry.org > -- Best Regards, Dr. Bill Mills TRIUMF
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