Party time again!

[wiseheart]

Hi folks! *waves*

Time is flying by, isn't it? It's that time of a year again - I'm getting older. In this case, I'm turning 55 on October 9, which used to be an important thing, back under the old regime. Women could retire at the age of 55 back then. So I've decided to ignore all that fantastic headway we've supposedly made towards democracy in the last two decades and enter my virtual retirement, blithley overlooking the fact that I'll have to work another 7 or 8 or only God knows how many years.

So, let's party! Last years virtual birthday party yielded 742 comments on 6 pages, which won't be easy to top, but we're good, aren't we? WE CAN DO IT! So, let's give it a try! In the recent years, it has always been great fun, so let's have fun again!

You're all cordially invited to help yourself to a slice of virtual Dobos Cake recipe - it's my absolute favourite, although I never managed to get it as good as my Garnny used to.

Cheers!

Note: The party will be closed on October 9, at midnight, sharp. Join us and have fun!

Comments

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

t all sounds like you are being very organised!
Yes and no. My lecture course covers four different types of materials characterisation techniques so the slides/notes divide into four sets. Originally I had intended to start my lecture series with the technique I have now finished making slides for (scanning electron microscopy, in case any one cares), but thinking it through I decided it made more sense to start with the set I am now making (which is on visible-light microscopy). There is also the fact that while I am technically giving ten lectures they are only spread over five occasions: I have two in a row between 9 and 11 on Wednesday mornings starting next week. Therefore, while I do have lecture slides for three lectures ready, I don't actually have the ones for next week, and even discounting that I am only prepared for one-and-a-half session.

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Still sounds more organised than a lot of the lecturers I had at university. :)

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I am rather worried about this whole giving-lectures bit of being a lecturer, especially the part where I am responsible for deciding what the students are supposed to learn in this module, so I am trying to dull that by doing the preparation I know how to do. Writing slides is something I have practice at, since that carries over quite easily from giving research presentations which I have had to do for years. (I still get nervous about them, too, but at least I know what to expect there and they tend to be over in 15-20 minutes.)

This afternoon I had a meeting with my academic mentor and he asked me questions like what I was planning to do if students talked in my lecture and if I had any ideas for breaks in the lectures where the students got to do some thinking themselves. The answer were "I don't know" and "I haven't thought of anything that doesn't feel contrived" which isn't good. On the other hand, he did tell me what he usually does if students talk in his lectures -- stop talking and look at them sternly -- and about how he breaks at the midpoint and makes the students discuss something with the person next to them, threatening to go and talk to any student who doesn't himself, so that was helpful. He also reinforced something I did know but had sort of forgotten: it is more important to not have the lectures run long than to have them fill up the time, asking me if I have ever sat through 50 minutes of a lecture/talk and thought at the end "I wish that would go on for another 10 minutes?"

Sorry this is probably way more detail than you cared to have. When I am nervous about stuff, I tend to ramble. Look *pointing at icon* I brought chocolate!

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Still, you are thinking about all this in advance - and getting good advice on what to do! I think the most important part of deciding what students are to learn is to make sure you assess them on what you have actually taught...
(and I certainly agree that not going over in important if the timetables there are done anything like Lancaster's were when I was an undergrad - lectures started at the top of the hour for 50mins so that there was time to get to the next one)

I can see why it is so scary - but I think you'll do well because you are being organised and thinking about it all in advance!

Yumm chocolate! :)
I have nice Thorntons chocolates to share! :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Great advice. I tend to structure them a bit like three-act plays, so every fifteen minutes I wrap up a section, pause, take a big deep breath, and then say something like, "So!" But my material is probably more discursive than yours.