promoting deep learning in college students

Promoting Deep Learning in College Students

Moving Students beyond Grades

Professor Terry Doyle

Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning

Ferris State University

[email protected]

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A Reminder for Us All!!!

No college recruiter or grad school admissions officer has the following as their slogan

WANTED

College graduates that are good note-takers and do great on multiple choice tests!

The Key to Students’ Learning

The one who does the work does the learning!

We don’t all Think Alike

Add 17 + 56 in your head!

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We don’t all Think Alike

A—In columns like on paper

B—Added 10 to 56 and 7 to 66

C—Added 20 to 56 and subtracted 3 from 76

D—Other

Definition of Learning

Learning is a change in the neuron-patterns of the brain

(Ratey, 2002)

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A Teacher’s Definition of Learning

The ability to use information after significant periods of disuse

and the ability to use the information to solve

problems that arise in a context different (if only slightly) from the context in which the information was originally used Robert Bjork, UCLA, Memory and Metamemory

The Brain and Learning

The key message about the brain is this: “The neurons that fire together wire together”

(Hebb, 1949, Ratey 2002)


Meaning the more we repeat the same actions and thoughts—

the more we encourage the formation of certain connections

the more fixed the neural circuits in the brain for that activity become.

(Ratey, 2002 pg 31)

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“Use it or lose it” Is the corollary:

if you don’t exercise brain circuits, the connections will not be adaptive and will slowly weaken and could be lost. (Ratey 2002, pg.31)

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“The brain is a pattern seeking device”

It relates whole concepts to one another and looks for similarities, differences, or relationships between them.” (Ratey, 2002, pg.5)

Deep vs. Surface Learning

Deep and Surface are two approaches to study, derived from original empirical research by Marton and Säljö (1976) and since elaborated by Ramsden (1992), Biggs (1987, 1993) and Entwistle (1981), among others.


The following slides are based on the work of :

ATHERTON J S (2004) Teaching and Learning: Deep and Surface learning [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm


John Biggs' famous distinction between surface and deep learning has had a major impact on thinking about the need to make learners do something with the information which normally forms the basis of transactions between teachers and learners

ATHERTON J S (2004) Teaching and Learning: Deep and Surface learning [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm

Surface Learning

Put briefly, surface learning occurs where students are too busy accepting information that they have no time or motivation to process it

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Deep Learning

Deep learning, is mostly measured by the extent to which qualitative changes – rather than mere content memorization – occur in students at the end of learning.

It involves more processing, often through discussion, reflection and in response to the stimulus that problems or tasks requiring that processing

It’s not the Method of Instruction

Of course real insight into learning comes when it is realized that the particular educational form (lecture, tutorial, online reading, computer mediated discussion etc) is not the determinant of whether or not learning is surface or deep.

Learner-Centered Teaching

Rather, the way in which we conceive of the roles of students and teachers in learning –

the development of curricula and tasks on the basis of this conception, is the significant determinant.

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Grade Grabbers

There is a third approach to learning, known as the “Achieving” which can be summarized as a very well-organized form of Surface approach, and in which the motivation is to get good marks.

Grade Grabbers

For grade grabbers the exercise of learning is construed as a game,

The acquisition of technique improves performance.

It works as well as the analogy: however, insofar as learning is not a game, it breaks down.

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Deep Learning Surface Learning

Focus is on “what is signified”

Relates previous knowledge to new knowledge

Relates knowledge from different courses

Focus is on the “signs” (or on the learning as a signifier of something else)

Focus on unrelated parts of the task

Information for assessment is simply memorized

(based on Ramsden, 1988)


Relates theoretical ideas to everyday experience

Relates and distinguishes evidence and argument

Facts and concepts are associated unreflectively

Principles are not distinguished from examples



Organizes and structures content into coherent whole

Emphasis is internal, from within the student

Task is treated as an external imposition

Emphasis is external, from demands of assessment


Surface Learners

The Surface learner is trying to “suss out” what the teacher wants and to provide it, and is likely to be motivated primarily by fear of failure.

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Surface Learners

One interesting study has suggested that efforts by teachers to convey that what they want is Deep learning only succeeds in getting Surface learners to engage in ever more complex contextualizing exercises, trying to reproduce the features of the Deep approach, from a Surface basis. (Ramsden, Beswick and Bowden, 1986)


Deep learning is experienced as exciting and a gratifying challenge.

Surface learning tends to be experienced as an uphill struggle, characterized by fighting against boredom

Surface Learning

There is some evidence that assessment methods can “reach back” into courses in such a way as to make Surface approaches more likely

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Surface Learning

Many current university students have been "coached" by their teachers to get the grades they need for admission: they have been trained to be surface learners, and their experience is that it "works".

Why should they take the risk of working in a different way?

Surface Learning

Surface learning seems to be more likely when learning is isolated from practice.

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Surface Learning

Surface learning is perhaps a function of the isolation of academic life from the real world where knowledge and ignorance have real consequences, rather than merely affecting assessment grades.

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Control, Choice and Deep Learning

Who make the decisions about your course?

A=Faculty

B=Jointly

C=Students

Control and Learning

A=Faculty B=Jointly C=Students

1. Course content

2. Course Calendar/due dates, topic order

3. Pace of the course/lessons/class

4. Types of assignments given

5. Number of evaluations/assessments used



6. Grading Policy

7. Learning environment/attendance policy, late work policy , late for class food, drink in class etc.

8. Flow of communication in the classroom/when questions are asked/when discussion is held



9. What textbook will be used

10.Types of evaluations /assessments used

11.If formative student feedback will be asked for

12. When office hours will be


Based on the work of James Zull, 2002; William Perry, 1997 and Perry and Magnusson, 1987

The brain seeks to constantly be in control—it is an evolutionary part of its survival priority (Zull, 2002)

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If students perceive a loss of control, (the belief that they cannot influence or control events) that orientation strongly affects their academic performance(Perry, 1997)

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The insistence on control causes humans to constantly make decisions that give them control whether they understand all of the implication or not of the decision( Zull, 2002)

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No outside influence can necessarily cause the brain to give up its control—it will decide for itself

The brain will decide what it wants to learn and what it does not want to learn (Zull, 2002)

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This choice is often based on previous learning experiences—good or bad (Perry and Magnusson, 1987)

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If it is seen as important to students they will choose to learn it

This decision often takes time and multiple exposures to the information before it is made

(Zull, 2002)

Deep Learning and Control

Motivation—the continued use of external motivation may force the brain to give up control-“ I don’t really want to learn this but I need the grade”


The brain often makes one of two choices in this external motivation situation—

Become a minimalist--do the least amount of work needed to --

1. Get the reward (grade) 2. Avoid the punishment (failure)


Or try to devise a way to do no work but still get the reward or avoid the punishment

Cheat


What gives students a sense of control in their learning?

1. Relevance—I can use this or see where I might use it in the future

2. Authenticity—It is a real issue in my life or the lives of others right now


3. Choice—I have some say in what happens to me—I can use my learning strengths or interests to enhance my learning

4. Meaningfulness—I care about it


5. It connects with what is already motivating the student —It has to do with the career they want, the person they want to be, the life style they want to have

6. Challenging—Students get a sense of accomplishment from doing it, it tests their abilities

Knowing WHY Leads to Deep Learning Teaching is in many ways no different than

any other human to human interaction.

If I don’t know why you want me to help you with a project or if I can’t see how taking on a certain task has some benefit to me I am hesitant to do it.

Creating Relevance for Learning Activities 1. Place learning activities in the context of current

knowledge of how the human brain learns

2. Place learning activities in the context of how they aid in the preparation for careers

3. Place learning activities in the context of life long learning

4. Place learning in the context of immediate future learning—the next course, next year etc.

Example of Creating Relevance for Teaching and Learning Strategies Reflective Activities—Journaling

1.It maximizes the opportunity for students to understand new material by examining how the material connects to previously learned material

2. It expands students’ current view of the world by considering how the new material might alter their current views of the world or themselves.

3. It increases the number of connections to other neuro networks increasing the likelihood that students will be able to recall the information in the future

4. It expands the number of cues that students can respond to in order to recall the new information

Relevance of Reflective Activities Journaling 5. It increase the number of neuro networks for the new

learning by coding it through the tactile and kinesthetic senses (writing)

6. Reflection is a key element of the natural way the brain process information.( Zull p.17)

7. It can help make emotional connections for the new information enhancing recall.

8. Journaling causes students to move from receivers of knowledge to producers of knowledge (a frontal lobe activity)

Decisions about Teaching

Skills

Behaviors

Content

Thinking

Methods, AssignmentsEvaluations

Creating Deep Learning

The key action is to always address the questions WHY?HOW?

Why am I telling you this?* Why is it important? How is this relevant to being a_________? Why do we need to learn this? Why is this part of the curriculum? How is this going to help me?


Why am I telling you this? If the information is complex and difficult–

then it should be talked/lectured about BUT

If students can learn it on their own or teach each other than let them.


“The one who does the talking does the learning” –Thomas Angelo

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Encouraging faculty/student interaction (e.g. meet groups to plan projects, "personalize" teaching)

Encouraging student/student interaction (e.g. group projects, peer tutoring)

Using active and interactive teaching methods (e.g. case studies, buzz groups) Teaching Strategies to Foster "Deep" Versus "Surface LearningElizabeth Campbell, Centre for University Teaching

Dr. Christopher Knapper, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Instructional Development Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario


Making links with what students already know to encourage sense of structure

Allowing students input into course goals and methods, being receptive and flexible

Discussing teaching and learning skills explicitly Trying to link course topics to students’ lives and career

aspirationsTeaching Strategies to Foster "Deep" Versus "Surface LearningElizabeth Campbell, Centre for University TeachingDr. Christopher Knapper, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Instructional Development Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario


Define assessment goals and tasks clearly, and ensure they are congruent with learning outcomes

Allow choice of assessment tasks

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Stress tasks that allow time for information gathering, depth, and reflection (e.g. projects vs. exams)

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Encourage collaborative projects

Choose tasks that require integration of information from a range of sources

Give full and proactive feedback on labs, assignments, and tests and require students to use the feedback to improve

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Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Problem-based learning

Students are confronted with an ill-structured problem that mirrors real-world problems.

Well chosen problems encourage students to

define problems, identify what information is needed, and engage in solution generation and decision making.

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning http://www.saltspring.com/capewest/pbl.htm

Samples of how to teach problem based learning

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Case Based learning

Cases are factually-based, complex problems written to stimulate classroom discussion and collaborative analysis.

Case teaching involves the interactive, student-centered exploration of realistic and specific situations.

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning

As students consider problems from a perspective which requires analysis, they strive to resolve questions that have no single right answer.

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Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning http://www.pitt.edu/~ciddeweb/fds/

lrn_casebased.htm

Website for case based learning

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Performance/ Presentation

The action of having to demonstrate, teach, guide, or inform, the whole class or an invited group of experts increases the likelihood for deep learning.

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Students’ performance is public, it is critiqued

and it has a much higher risk and greater accountability.

These factors motivate students to learn well what they are to present—in addition perhaps the highest form of demonstrating comprehension is the ability to teach others. (D. Sousa, How the Brain Learns, 2001)

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Student Research

Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviors, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories.

The term "research" is also used to describe the collection of information about a particular subject.

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Academic Service Learning

Service-learning is a form of public engagement and experiential learning.

It is a pedagogical model which intentionally

integrates academic learning with authentic community service in a credit bearing academic course.

Teaching Approaches that Creating Deep Learning Service Learning Students participate in a service activity which

meets needs identified by the community and critically reflect on that activity.

Thus students gain a deep understanding of course content, a commitment to socially responsible citizenship, and develop skills and understandings needed to contribute to civic well-being.

Teaching the Patterns of the Subject Area can Enhance Deep Learning

James Ratey in his book The User’s Guide to the Brain offers this simple description of the human brain— “ the brain is a pattern seeking device”

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The way in which a student organizes the new information - the degree to which she can create meaningful and familiar patterns – is a key to retaining the information.

The information must be integrated into our permanent conceptual scheme

Patterns are a Key

Try to remember the following:

15084972637

FOR EXAMPLE

Now try again:

1- (508) 497-2637

OR

15,084,972,637

Try to remember these letters:

LSDNBCTVFBIUSA

Now try again:

LSD NBC TV FBI USA

Recognition of Patterns

Helping students to see or discover the patterns that exist in the information that we teach is a vital part of helping them to become deep learners learners.

As students discover the patterns within information it moves their learning from memorizing isolated bits of data or information to meaningful understandings of how ideas and concepts are formed or fit together.

Advanced Organizers

Advanced organizers are powerful instruments for focusing students’ attention

Examples:~Agree-Disagree Chart

~Helps emotions and helps illustrate concepts

Agree Disagree

Faculty should get fully paid health care

Faculty should pay part of their health care

Advanced Organizers

Similarities and Differences

What are the similarities and differencesbetween the Detroit Lion and the Chicago Bears

Chicago wins some games and Detroit loses most games

Advanced Organizers

Mind Maps: show relationships in various ways and levels

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References References1. ATHERTON J S (2004) Teaching and Learning: Deep and Surface learning [On-

line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm 2. Brooks, J. and Martin. In search of Understanding: The Case for the Constructionist

Classroom, 19993. Bjork, R. A. (1994) Memory and Metamemory consideration in the training of human

beings. In J. Metcalfe & A. Shimamura (Eds) Metacognition: Knowing about Knowing pp. 185-205. Cambridge, MA MIT Press.

4. Bloom, Benjamin S. (Ed). (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The classification of Educational Goals. Handbook I. Cognitive Domain (pp. 201- 207). New York: McKay.

5. Elizabeth Campbell Teaching Strategies to Foster "Deep" Versus "Surface Learning, Centre for University Teaching( based on the work of Christopher Knapper, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Instructional Development Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario

References

6. Covington, M. V. (2000) Goal , theory motivation and school achievement: An Integrated review in Annual Review of Psychology ( pp 171-200)

7. Caine, Renate; Caine, Geoffrey. Education on The Edge of Possibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1997.

8. Dweck, Carol (2000) Self Theories: Their roles in motivation, personality and development. Philadelphia, PA Psychology Press

9. Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes' error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York, NY, Grosset/Putnam

10. Diamond, Marion. (1988). Enriching Heredity: The Impact of the Environment on the Brain. New York, NY: Free Press.

11. Damasio AR: Fundamental Feelings. Nature 413:781, 2001.12. Damasio AR: The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the

Making of 13.Consciousness, Harcourt Brace, New York, 1999, 2000.

References

14 .D. O. Hebb,1949 monograph, The Organization of Behaviour15. Sylwester, R. A Celebration of Neurons An Educator’s Guide to the Human Brain, ASCD:199516. Sprenger, M. Learning and Memory The Brain in Action by, ASCD, 199917.How People Learn by National Research Council editor John Bransford, National Research

Council, 200018. Goldberg, E. The Executive Brain Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind ,Oxford University Press:

200119. Hagen, A. S. & Weinstein, C. E. (1995) Achievement goals, self-regulated learning and the role

of classroom context. In P.R. Pintrich ( ed.) understanding self-regulated learning( pp. 43-55) San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass

20. Kolb, D. A. (1981) 'Learning styles and disciplinary differences'. in A. W. Chickering (ed.) The Modern American College, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

21. Magnusson, J. L., & Perry, R. P. (1989). Stable and transient determinants of students' perceived control: Implications for instruction in the college classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 362-370.

References

22. Ratey, J. MD :A User’s Guide to the Brain, Pantheon Books: New York, 200123. Zull, James. The Art of Changing the Brain.2002, Stylus: Virginia24. Weimer, Maryellen. Learner-Centered Teaching. Jossey-Bass, 200225. Penny, W.G. Jr. (1981). Cognitive and ethical growth: the making of meaning. In A.

Chickering (Ed.), The modern American college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.26. Milton, O. , Pollio, H. R.,& Eison, J. ( 1986) Making sense of college grades, San

Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass27. Perry, R. P., Magnusson, J. L. (1987). Effective instruction and students' perceptions

of control in the college classroom: Multiple lectures effects. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79, 453-460.

28. Steinberg, L. (with Brown, B. B, & Dornbusch, S.M.)(1996) Beyond the classroom: Why school reform has failed and what parents need to do. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

29. Stevenson, H.W., & Stigler, J. W. (1992) The learning gap: Why our schools are failing and what we can learn from Japanese and Chinese education. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

30. Tagg, John. The Learning Paradigm College. Anker Publishing , Bolton MA 200331. http://www.istpp.org/enews/2002_05_30.html Alarik Arenander and Fred Travis

promoting deep learning in college students

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