preparing to teach 3: active learning strategies
TRANSCRIPT
Summer Graduate Teaching Scholars
Preparing to Teach 3:
Active Learning Strategies
May 26 and 27, 2016
1 sgts.ucsd.edu
Name Course Dept/School
Summer I or II # students
Peter Newbury
Scholarly Approach to Teaching
(backward design[1])
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What should
students
learn?
What are
students
learning?
What instructional
approaches
help students
learn?
Carl Wieman
Science Education Initiative
cwsei.ubc.ca
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formative & summative assessment
instructional strategy
learning outcome
last week
today
Active Learning
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student-centered instruction traditional instruction
think – pair – share (TPS)
peer instruction with clickers
interactive demonstrations
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
surveys of opinions
whiteboards
discussions
videos
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student-centered instruction
Active Learning
Think-Pair-Share (European History)
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To what extent is should governments intervene
when a population is actively being persecuted?
What is the role of government in promoting
equality and tranquility between majority and
minority groups within its populations?
Write down your response on your card.
Then discuss it with your neighbors.
(Emily Goodman, UC San Diego)
Think – Pair – Share (TPS)
The instructor
1. poses interesting question or thought prompt
2. asks each student to think and write thoughts
on an index card
3. invites students to pair with a neighbor to
discuss their thinking
4. moderates class-wide discussion where
students share their thinking with the entire
class
(TPS can be source for peer instruction questions next time you teach.)
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(Question: Sujatha Raghu from Braincandy via LearningCatalytics)
(Image: CIM9926 by number657 on flickr CC)
Discussion (Chemistry)
Melt chocolate over low heat. Remove the
chocolate from the heat. What will happen to the
chocolate?
A) It will condense.
B) It will evaporate.
C) It will freeze.
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Typical Episode of Peer Instruction
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1. Instructor poses a conceptually-challenging
multiple-choice question.
2. Students think about question on their own
and vote (clickers, colored ABCD cards,…)
3. Instructor asks students to turn to their
neighbors and “convince them you’re right.”
4. After that “peer instruction,” students may
vote again.
5. Instructor leads a class-wide discussion
concluding with why the right answer(s) is
right and the wrong answers are wrong.
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clarity Students waste no effort trying to figure out
what’s being asked.
context Is this topic currently being covered in class?
learning
outcome
Does the question make students do the right
things to demonstrate they grasp the concept?
distractors What do the “wrong” answers tell you about
students’ thinking?
difficulty Is the question too easy? too hard?
stimulates
thoughtful
discussion
Will the question engage the students and
spark thoughtful discussions? Are there
openings for you to continue the discussion?
What makes a good question?
Peer Instruction - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 11
(Adapted from Stephanie Chasteen, CU Boulder)
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Make up a TPS prompt or peer
instruction question for your
learning outcome.
Remember, the goal is to spark expert-like
thinking and communicating.
Think very carefully about points-of-view, ways
of thinking, misconceptions you want to hear in
the students’ discussions. Use the thought
prompt and question choices to drive the
conversation there.
Share your question with your neighbors…
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Anticipate the responses
What do you think the students will think?
How do you think the students will vote?
Anticipate one or two scenarios and plan how
you’ll respond.
If you anticipate the discussions
will not go where you want them,
revise the thought prompt or question choices.
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Next week:
Setting up and supporting your
course on TritonEd (TED)
Watch the blog
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for details about what you should do to
prepare for next week’s meeting.
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References
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1. Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design.
Acsd.
2. Sadler, P. M., Sonnert, G., Coyle, H. P., Cook-Smith, N., & Miller, J. L.
(2013). The influence of teachers’ knowledge on student learning
in middle school physical science classrooms. American Educational
Research Journal, 50(5), 1020-1049.