- Is there anything that annoys you in the work of a teacher?
Dima Kh .: Of course, there is something unpleasant in any activity. I’m, generally speaking, a pronounced introvert: maybe in my lesson I manage to shine with enthusiasm and wake up the zombified students with a ruthless load, but when the lesson is over and you can relax, all the energy dries up and I want to look lifelessly at the ceiling for the rest of the eternity.
Checking homework has its own joys: when someone comes up with a new solution to a problem that you seemed to understand inside and out, it's a very rewarding experience; when it was possible to identify a flaw, give a good hint and see how the student effectively applies it in subsequent works - this is the moment for which one wants to engage in teaching. However, not everything is always so rosy, and often you face a moral choice. If you can see that a student does not understand or understand anything, should you feel sorry for him and close your eyes to minor flaws for which you scold others, or maintain standards? If he begs for points and sincerely believes that everything was done well, try to come to a common opinion or nip outright? If he is clearly messing around, doing at a minimum, he just wants to get a credit and forget about the subject - to reconcile,or still try to explain in some new terms, what is the use of this discipline? Maybe just put everything on the conveyor and simplify the delivery process, or thoroughly check and require a good understanding of the topics being studied? It is often not obvious which decision is correct, and a bad choice affects not only yourself, but also other people who can be inadvertently alienated from your discipline.
Lesha: It so happened that I quickly stop doing all the things that annoy me. People have a heightened sense of justice, but I rather have a strong desire to be in harmony with myself. Therefore, I would answer like this: if something annoyed me, I definitely would not be engaged in teaching.
Sasha: It is a little annoying when students do not follow the formal agreements that were said in advance. For example, pull requests are incorrectly named.
Vlad K .:It really annoys me to put files on the wiki. Yes very. Any typo or inaccuracy that needs to be corrected, and away we go - edit TeX, compile, download, find the file you need on the wiki (the hardest part!) And upload the new version there. Probably, this can be somehow automated, but we did not have such a course!
Roma: Perhaps the reporting was the most annoying factor. Filling out the signs is rarely fun. It was also difficult for me to draw up tasks, it was a kind of "creative stress" for me.
Cheating is very annoying. When you are a student, you have a different attitude to it. When I became a teacher, I regarded every act of cheating as a manifestation of disrespect for all other students. It may be too harsh, but emotionally, this is exactly the reaction I have.
I don't like students who don't try (according to my subjective feelings). This does not cause irritation, but rather just discourages interacting with them. Not trying means not being active in the classroom, not handing over tasks or handing over at the last moment, doing anyhow, not correcting comments.
I do not like students who are very clever. I mean those who, having deep knowledge of the topic, do not understand when it is appropriate to demonstrate this knowledge, and do it at any opportunity. They often interfere with the course of the lesson, as well as their less experienced and knowledgeable classmates, distracting and confusing them.
- And what pleases and motivates the most?
Vlad T: The opportunity to meet new people, learn something new. For example, on the assessment of research projects. Sometimes you can find people doing the same things as you, but from a different angle.
Dima Kh .:It is often clear that if it were not for your words, the student might not have realized this or that thought. My experience of reading math books alone, without the slightest understanding of where to start, reminded me how helpless it feels when you are presented with some kind of coherent presentation that gives the illusion that you understood it, but any attempts to apply the knowledge you just gained end in failure. This can cause such despair that all desire to do something new disappears. The presence of a person next to you who will listen to your stupid interpretation of what you have read and argue that no, everything is completely wrong, increases the effectiveness of learning, not even several times, but orders of magnitude.
In addition, I am interested in approaching teaching from such a scientific point of view: to check what works and what does not, what inspires enthusiasm and understanding, and what goes on deaf ears.
Lesha: It makes me happy when I underestimate students. In general, I am opposed to all sorts of labels and simple value judgments about people, but my work requires an individual approach, which I build on my own expectations from students: this student is very strong, he can have something additional to tell or discuss with him; this one is weaker, it is better not to load it again, it is already difficult for it. It's always nice to be wrong about unfairly low expectations.
Vlad K .:Like any person who likes what he is talking about, it makes me happy when one of the students says that the solution to a problem is beautiful.
- How exactly do you participate in teaching?
Vlad T: I review papers in several hands-on courses and practice on the Software Engineering course. Previously, I participated in admissions interviews and in the evaluation of research projects.
Dima Kh .:For the third year I have been teaching practical classes and checking homework assignments in functional programming and mathematical logic. Last year I taught practices in the course "Unix and scripting languages", but it turned out that I prefer esotericism associated with programming languages. Since the current spring semester I have been doing formal language practice.
Dima N: I teach seminars and check homework in the course on programming in Java and other JVM languages.
Lesha: My main activity in the master's program is lectures and practices in Python, practices in Java and homework in Software Engineering. I also periodically read similar courses, but on other, usually non-core programs.
Artem:I help with the C ++ course, which is taught by the guys in the magistracy and the CS center . Basically, I do everything related to homework (checking, assistance in preparing conditions, autotests). In our course, the solution verification process consists of two stages: automated tests and code review. Students do not successfully pass the second stage the first time. The teacher leaves comments, asks questions, and students have to correct the solutions. Thus, there is a continuous dialogue, which, in my opinion, is very cool!
Sasha: I check the guys' homework in Python. But if I am finally asked to read a course of lectures on Haskell, I will happily switch to this activity.
Vlad K .:I am taking part in two courses - "Algorithms and Data Structures" and "Discrete Mathematics". Both there and there I conduct practical classes and check homework. In addition, I am responsible for information interaction with students and try to answer all questions that arise.
Both courses are similar in structure: in practice, students receive a list of tasks on the topic of the last lecture, and we discuss them together. I usually give students time to think and come up with ideas. If it doesn't work out, I suggest the right direction and in the end I always tell you how the correct solution should look like. Students should apply the acquired knowledge and skills when doing homework. Solutions are sent in writing, and students who have sent their work before a certain time are guaranteed to have the opportunity to correct my comments. Since there are always enough comments, usually those who act preventively get more points.
Roma:For two academic years I have taught practical classes on the C ++ course. My responsibilities included preparing materials for seminars, conducting them, working with students, checking assignments, helping in conducting the exam. Almost all the time I worked in tandem with another colleague, so I didn’t do it alone when writing and checking problems.
- How much time per week do you spend teaching?
Vlad T: It's about 5 o'clock now. There will probably be more.
Dima N .: An hour and a half directly for a couple, five to eight hours for checks, another couple of hours to prepare for classes.
Lesha:This semester I am teaching full-time, because I teach different courses on other programs too, sometimes with excesses in 40 hours, but I try to avoid overwork.
Sasha: It takes about one working day for half of the group to check homework.
- The fall semester of the magistracy was completely online. How do you feel about this format?
Vlad T: Quite good. In my opinion, this is a very suitable format for IT programs. Perhaps even more suitable than face-to-face training.
Dima Kh .:I find it completely awful. When you don't see your face clearly, it’s impossible to understand whether the audience is following what is happening and whether they understand the material. Relying in such cases on the initiative of students is an unreliable prospect, because those who really did not understand anything will blame themselves and hesitate to ask questions. So basically, the discussion goes with those who already feel comfortable and want to understand what is happening deeper. Such conversations only exacerbate the situation of completely lost students. In addition, there is no way to call someone to the board or to create some illustrative material with a couple of hand movements.
Dima N .:On the one hand, it is convenient, on the other hand, I miss personal communication with students and breakfast with colleagues. From my point of view, the change in the format did not affect the effectiveness of conducting pairs.
Artem: This did not affect my process of interacting with students, but I think that it is harder for the guys now. The trips to the university helped me a lot, so that I could get away from the mountain of tasks, personally communicate with the guys. It remains only to wish the current students patience and strength. Guys, do not forget to be distracted from study and rest - this is important!
- What advice would you give to children who are planning to enter the program?
Vlad T .:Assess your strengths in advance, not be afraid of new things and be ready to immerse yourself in studies from the first days. Well, good luck!
Dima Kh .: Postpone work and all your business. If you cannot afford it, then do not act now, but when you can. The intensity of learning here requires full immersion in the process.
Dima N: You need to understand well what kind of program it is, and think three times before entering. The study here is incredibly tough, albeit very effective, and only those who are ready to overcome themselves for two years make it to graduation.
Lesha:It is better to start preparing strongly in advance: programming regularly, solving problems with algorithms, and repeating basic math. And learn how to correctly allocate your time - when the study begins, you will not have time to additionally master time management.
Artem: First of all, it is important to be self-confident. It is quite simple to prepare for the entrance exams, but it is important to show your genuine interest.
Sasha: I would advise you to clearly decide for yourself whether you are ready to devote two more years entirely to study. If the answer is yes - cool, we are waiting for you at the interviews! If negative, that's fine too: in the next couple of years, you won't have sleep problems due to burning homework deadlines. :)
Roma:Try to understand what is the weak point and tighten it up. If you have problems with both practice and theory, I advise you to tighten your practice - this will greatly help in almost all courses. And it is also worth unlearning to do everything at the last moment.
Vlad K .: The most important thing is to be prepared for what will be very, very difficult. It is necessary to mentally tune in to the fact that there is practically no free time in the usual sense: you are either on a couple, or do your homework, or eat / sleep / move around. By the way, on average, there is very little time left for sleep. And this, of course, affects the physical and emotional state. Therefore, the intrinsic motivation to learn must be very strong.
Another important thing that can significantly help, especially at first, is to try to master the necessary technical minimum to complete the courses.
Well, a daring advice: don't plan to do it - just go ahead and do it!