*Before I get started on talking of his teaching techniques I just want to say that it makes me sad that he has already passed away because it seems like Dr. Pausch would be a fantastic person to befriend.* Now back to the regularly scheduled program.
The first technique Dr. Pausch discussed in the lecture was the "head fake" which he started to learn at the very early age of 9, from his football coach. The "head fake" is indirect learning while learning something else, his example for football was that while the team is learning the game they are also learning things like teamwork and leadership.
Hard work was something Dr. Pausch really focused on in his classroom and I think that that was really important because people need to put their best foot forward including in the classroom.
To Dr. Pausch, getting feedback from the students help not only him, but also his students see what needed to be worked on and make that improvement. He got feedback through bar graphs that let everyone see how easy they were to work with and so they wanted to improve where they were if there overall score was not very high.
The most important technique he used in the class, at least to me, would be having fun. While it doesn't really sound like a technique to me, if you really think about it for some time, you will be able to see that it is as most teachers don't care whether their students are having fun or not so they are miserable and not really doing their best in class.
Jenifer,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. I would have loved to meet or at least see one of Randy Pausch's lectures.
I would say creating a learning environment where having fun is encouraged is an excellent teaching technique. It is not always easy to do, but it sure does help!
ReplyDeleteA powerful lecture. I am moved every year when i watch it again. And he has some very important lessons about teaching and learning which you have identified.