We will be following portions of The Carpentries Instructor Training curriculum, specifically focusing on episodes 2, 4, 5, 17, and 20.

Workshop Objective

The primary aim of this workshop is to provide educators with valuable insights into best practices, particularly in live coding, as well as more general aspects of research-based teaching practices. In the true spirit of The Carpentries, this workshop will not make you an expert in teaching pedagogy and methods. Instead, it will establish a foundation upon which you can further develop your skills if you are interested.

While some of the topics covered are specific to Carpentries Workshops, we believe they can be beneficial in your own teaching environments.

Expertise & Memory and Cognitive Load

Are you an expert in a subject? Does expertise automatically make someone a great teacher, or can it sometimes be a barrier? How do instructors differ from learners?

We will explore how learners acquire skills and progress through distinct stages: from novice, through competent practitioners, to expert, and how the construction of a mental model of a topic should be considered when teaching to avoid the so-called “expert blind spot” or “expert awareness gaps”.

On a more quantitative note, but related to the stages of learning, we will discuss cognitive load and its impact on learning. We’ll delve into the types of memory, engage in practical exercises to test ourselves, and explore strategies for memory management. We will also examine how formative assessments can help consolidate long-term learning.

Live Coding is a Skill

On a more practical level, we will explore why The Carpentries Workshops emphasize participatory live coding and discuss the advantages and limitations of this practice. While this approach is closely associated with The Carpentries, many of the techniques employed can be applied to any “code-along” or “type-along” type of instruction.

We will summarize some key do’s and don’ts of participatory live coding and present our top ten tips for successful participatory live coding in a workshop.

Following a brief coffee break, we will engage in practical teaching exercises in groups of three, with participants rotating through different roles. Each person will conduct a 3-minute teaching demonstration using live coding, followed by feedback sharing and general discussion.

More Practice in Live Coding

In the second round of our hands-on session, we will again split into groups. After discussing the feedback received in the previous hands-on exercise, the presenter should incorporate changes based on the feedback, receive feedback once more, and reevaluate their performance using the provided rubric.

We will also utilize the Etherpad collaborative document for sharing thoughts and facilitating discussions.