The Hot Seat
This post was originally a Twitter thread.
I am teaching Mathematica again this semester. I’d like to try something that a colleague used last year when he taught R: a student is chosen to be at the front of the class and is in charge of solving a 5 minute programming task based on previously learned content.
The task would be a small stretch from the previous day. Even though there is only one student in front of the class, that student is welcome/expected to take hints from the audience. By the end of the five minutes the whole class will feel like they have solved the puzzle.
As always I aim to foster a welcoming environment, and I know such a task can be intimidating. I am wondering how to “brand” this experience. My colleague calls it the “hot seat”, which is fun (and apropos?) but also seems to induce extra anxiety.
Any thoughts on what would make this a positive experience for students? I know that the beginning of the semester sets the tone for the rest of the semester. Is there a better name than “hot seat”? Royalty for a day?
Citation
@online{hanusa2019,
author = {Hanusa, Christopher R. H.},
title = {The {Hot} {Seat}},
date = {2019-08-21},
url = {https://hanusa.xyz/blog/posts/2019-08-21-the-hot-seat/},
langid = {en}
}