Tip: Covering a Colleagues Teaching Last Minute. And their PowerPoint doesn’t make sense!

Most of us have been there. The threated call!

“Could you cover my teaching for me? Because, *insert valid reason here*. Here are the slides for this session.”

Here is a strategy that worked really well for me.

• Situation: PGT students, ca 40 students
• Can be upscaled through think-pair-share

I had a look at the slides beforehand, yet some of the slides still did not make sense to me.

Enter, anthropomorphic personification.

I was open with the students about covering last minute, and that it can sometimes be difficult to ascertain what a colleague indented to achieve with some of the slides in a presentation. We all have our inherent logic. Some of which translates easily, some not so.

I suggested to the student to treat the slides “as if” they were my actual colleague. And I literally started talking to the slides asking: Hm “Bill”*, what did you try to achieve here? I believe you might want to say this or that.

Then turned to the students and asked them what do you think “Bill” tries to convey here?

It was such an interactive session, the students seem to rather enjoy asking “Bill” various questions and then guess what “Bill” might respond.

It ended up being a proper co-construction of knowledge session, with lively participation.

Why am I telling you now?

I had completely forgotten about it, but remembered during one of the sessions for the Active Learning Network Festival, and got such positive response, I figured I write it up quickly. If you are interested in the Active Learning Network and all the interesting resources, have a nosey at the website.

*made up name