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I Your Attention, Please!
Have you ever faced unfocused, disengaged students? What can
you do to re-set academically adrift students on a course for
improved learning?
BY: JIM THERRELLCentral MichiganUniversity
6 NEA HIG HER EDUCATION ADVOCATE
Creating Student Focus in a World of DistractionsTo a caring teacher, it's frustrating when students don't fully listen or make only mod estefforts to learn course content. Ifyou can't get their attention, or even half of it, how canyou expect students to experience authentic, hard-earned learning?
Today's distractions are like honey to bees-powerful, irresis tible , and seemingly natural .My teenage daughter has found five ways to "Facebook" (tha t I know of.) Like a junkieafter her next fix of virtual socializing, she scours the house for whatever device she canfind. It's just not that healthy, whether socially, emotionally, or physically.
Distractions have multiplied exp onentially over the last twenty years: the internet, cellphones to smart phones, more compelling video games, easi er access to private music, andth e omnipresence of social media. Such technologies are both astonishing and accessible24/7, making the road to effective teaching and learning both exciting and daunting.
My premise is that while such distractions are prevalent and carry students away fromlearning, teachers can easily acquire and implement a short list of tools that help to regainstudents' attention and refo cus student learning. As a result, you can recapture that wonderful feeling when you see your students achieve significant new learning, and be able toshare with them that occas ional "aha!" experience.
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1
1
Focused Learning
We know from brain research that learningis simply meaningful, hard work, and thatteachers can put forth maximum effortwithout gaining significant results. Here'sthe evidence (Meyers & Jones, 1993) thathaunts me and propels me to improve myteaching: Psychology students were testedfour months after course completion andcompared to students who had never takenthe class. They knew just 8 percent more!
If students are to have a chance at longterm learning, teachers must employ powerful ways to providejocus, to transform
TEACHERS MUST EMPLOYPOWERFUL WAYS TOPROVIDE FOCUS, TO
TRANSFORM STUDENTEFFORTS INTO LASER-LIKEPATHWAYS OF LEARNING .
student efforts into laser-like pathways oflearning. From the immediate to the longterm, here are my "Top 5 Ways to FocusStudent Learning":
Focuser #1: Get their attention-and don'tproceed without it.
Meet Jim Therrell
Jim Therrell is thedirectorof the FacultyCenter for InnovativeTeachingat CentralMichigan University.Having taught since1979, Jim under-
stands the challenges of teachingand the need to forgive oneselfand move on with new teachingpractices. He's presented on FocusedLearning, as well as over 400 otherpresentations nationally and internationally. In 2010, he won the PODInnovation Award with the "OneHour Conference," and currentlysits on the POD Board of Directors
. as membership chair. When Jim. isn't parenting five daughters and
enjoying seven grand kids, you canfind him in a racquetball court, onthe golf course or sledding hill, orcurled up in his favorite chair withthe latest book on teaching andfaculty development.
What does it matter if what you 're presentingis wonderful and state-of-the -art if studentsaren't paying much attention? If studentsare looking at you with that glazed look intheir eyes-like they've been watching TV
the past three hours-then stop and gettheir attention. There are dozens of ways togain attention. Here are a couple ways toget you started:
• TALES FROM REAL LIFE> FROM TEACHING TO LEARNING
IA fter more than
30 years ofteaching and
research, I know thechallenges of creatinga focused, productivelearning environment.The following statement may soundcounter-intuitive, butI've learned that oneway is by not focusingon your teaching.
Illustrati on: Steve McCracken
I've wandered by manya classroom, notingeither the utter boredomand/or the multipledevices with thumbsor fingers flying for purposes other than that ofthe instructor. Wantingto illustrate the difference between teachingand learning, I've oftentold the story of thewhistling teacher:
One day, while wandering the hallways of aclassroom (which Iactually do as part ofmy workday), I heardthis beautiful whistlingfrom a teacher insidehis classroom, and Ipaused to listen for fewminutes. Soon the classfinished and studentsambled to their nextclass. Out of curiosity
I asked this teacher howit went and he replied,"Great!" I commentedon how beautiful hiswhistling was, then .asked: "How are yourstudents doing withwhistling?" He respondedwith a quizzical look,then exclaimed, "Well,they don't really whistle,but I taught them quitewell!"
While some teachersteach well, studentsdon't necessarily learn.Making the leap to afocus on learning wasn'teasy. I truly enjoyed the"sage on the stage"role, but eventuallyrealized (I'm stubborn!)
. that my focus should
be on the end resultstudent learning.
NEA HIGHER EDUCATION ADVOCATE 7
• Adjust your voice: go from loud to quietor vice versa, or just stop talking ;
• Choose a student at random to respond toa question;
• Change set: go from the middle of aPowerPoint to a small group discussion;
• Ifyou 're trying to refocus from a smallgroup activity, ask three students to startclapping.
A great resource online for gaining yourstudent's attention is "How to Get Attention," at www.shkaminski.com/Classes/Handouts/Attention.htm.
Focuser #2: "What's the big idea?"
I don't want this to sound harsh, but asEinstein stated: "If you can't explain it simply,you don 't know it well enough. " Think ofyour course and restate the central idea ormain objective in one senten ce, concretelyand/or metaphorically. I did this for acourse I taught four years ago (and sincethen) , called "Multicultural Education," andcame up with: "Walkwith a smile in the shoesof the 'other.'" Students from that class stillremember much of the course content viathis one focusing sentenc e. We know that
the brain craves a way to organize and relateinformation. This one sentence becam e thefound ation and focal point for how studentsattached and recalled information from thisclass years later.
Another focus er in this vein is how youstructure the learning objectives in yourcourse. I had one course with fourteenobjectives and I wondered how the heckstudents would focus on this many, espe-
TH E STUDENTS WEREEMPOWERED IN THEIR
OWN LEARNING, AND THEYUNDERSTOOD WHAT WASGOING TO BE EMPHASIZED
cially in conjunction with three or fourother courses. I decided to have smallgroup s of students discuss the first sevenobjectives and agree upon their top twomost meaningful choices. By tallying theirchoices, I highlighted the top four objectivesand told the students that these would bethe learning focal points for the semester.The other objectives would be connected
to these top four. The students were empowered in their own learning, and theyunderstood what was going to be emphasizedand why, thus engaging in a meaningful, focused way with the syllabus.
Focuser #3: Think and act visually.
Take advantage of the largest, most activepart of the brain: the visual cortex. Startwith the syllabus, the foundation for learningin your course. Make your syllabus moremeaningful and engaging through graphicdesign. Once you have a graphic templatefor one course, you have it for life, makingsmall tweaks as desired. Wonderful examplesof a visual syllabus are located at:http://chronicle.comlblogs/profbacker/creative-approaches-t o-t he-syllabus/35621.
One of the best visual focusers is a conceptmap because it offers a relational way inwhich students may see big ideas mappedout and connected. Prezi, an online presentation tool, also has the same capacity toengage the brain in relational ways. For amore in-depth look at visual learning , seethe April 2010issue of NEA's Thriving inAcademe, "Seeing is Believing," at
your students to make aprediction or two about theupcoming content, results ,or outcomes. Praise studentsfor trying . Making predictions, then testin g them,gives the brain something toresolve. The brain dislikesany cognitive dissonanc e(so create it!), and it wantsto figure out the "right"answer. Course contentthen becomes a way tosolve the problem, adilemma, or a mystery.Predictions: Finally, ask
Objective: Make sure youmake crystal clear the 2-4main learning objective(s)for the class period. Listthese in the upper rightcomer of the whiteboard.Students who lapse withtheir att ention can look atthis list and refocus quicklyon target. This "advance dorganizer" can also be agreat frame work for thebrain and how it connectsdetails to these learningobjectives.
the screen;• doing a simple, quick role
play.
hook that holds their attention and inspires their thinking? Often, this amounts toexplaining the "why" of theupcoming content. Ask, "Whyis it vital to learn about theso-called causes of the CivilWar?" and then add, "Whycan't we skip this content?Why is this meaningful?"Pause for an uncomfortablefive or 10 seconds, and repeatuntil you get a response ortwo. Other ways to set thehook includ e:• a cont roversial or chal
lenging question on theboard before studentsarrive;
• a compelling or provocative image or graphic on
Attention: As you thinkabout how to start eachclass, consider how to gettheir attention.
Do you afford yourstudents an opportunity to see or
understand the big idea?Why what they 're about tolearn is meaningful, andwhat the possible outcomesmight be? The brain needssuch a context within whichto construct, attach, and relate significant concepts ordetails. I've distilled thisapproach into a niftyacronym, AHOP.
Hook: How will you set the
8 NEA HIGHER EDUCATION ADVOCATE Illustration: Steve McCracken
• ISSUES TO CONSIDER
responsible, and (4) not accountab le.While dramatic, it makes your initialexpecta tions clear. Because it's dramatic,this exercise mak es a firm impression.Students are now saying to themselves:"Hmmm, this class may take some effort . Ibetter get it in gear." If you don' t somehowfocus upon and firmly set high expectations, you're in for a looong semester.
Setting the exp ectation of participation isalso critical for a semester of engagement ,as opposed to weekly doldrums. For example, I alwaysset a 90 percent bar forattendance. Or, during class when I ask a50/50 proposition (like true/false) I mak esure every hand goes up. If one studentdoesn't rais e a hand, I gently ask why, orask for another vote. The semesters Ihaven't followed through with such expectations of participation were times ofgreat lament for me.
FOCUSED LEARNINGDOESN 'T ALWAYSWORK .I've learned over t hedecades that teaching iscomplex. Even t he bestsolution doesn 't a lwayswor k. We try our best toeliminate uncertain orlackluster results, butreduction is a more reasonable expectation.Instructors have to remember that students,the most 'sa lient variablein any learning equation,are the ones who ultimately decide how robustor engaging t heir learning becomes. Thus, asyou try you r hardest toimplement the practicesabove, allow yourselfroom for error and subpar experiences. Giveyourself a break, thencome back the next daywith refinements andother new ideas to t ry.
NEA HIGHER EDUCATIONADVOCATE 9
REFERENCES:Barkley, E.F. 2010. Student engagement techniques: A handbook for collegefaculty, 2nded. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Davis, B.G. 2009. Tools for Teaching. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.
Fink, Dee. 2003. Creating significant learningexperiences: An integrated approach todesigning college courses. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass. (Seewww.finkconsulting.info/publications.html for an abridged version.)
Heath, C. & Heath, D. 2006. Made to Stick:Why Some IdeasSurvive and Others Die. NewYork: Random House.
McKeachie, w.J. & Svinicki, M. 2006. Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory forcollege and university teachers. Boston:Houghton Mifflin .
Meyer, c.. & Jones, 1. B. 1993. Promotingactive learning: Strategiesfor the collegeclassroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Nilson, L.B. 2003. Teaching at its best. SanFrancisco: Anker.
THE RIGHT FOCUS ATTHE RIGHT TIME.This aligns with themaxim of Aristotle toconduct pract ices "in theright manner at the rightmoment and for t heright length of t ime."If you don't over-use asingle technique, studentswill end up listeningmore and with morefocus, and being moreengaged in their learning. Focusers makeAristotle's maxim morepossible in everydayteach ing.
and focal points for students, but don't over-useor over-rely on the sameset of practices. Humanbeings, students in particular, appreciate andrespond to fresh practices, so continue to expand your engagementtools. Even t he best practice will founder if usedt oo much. Small groupscan be a great way to increase student engagement and focus, butdon't employ them everyclass period.
IT'S IMPORTANT TOKEEP FOCUS FRESH.Yes, develop a set ofpract ices around focusers
GETIING THEFOCUS JUSTRIGHT
MAKE FOCAL POINTSMEANINGFUL ANDM EMORABLE .Find out and truly understand who your studentsare : their sto ries, experiences, prio r knowledge,frust rat ions, interests,and skills. If you're t ryingto convey a concept tostudents like "redistribution of wealth," bring insome chips for poker,play Pink Floyd's"Money," then debriefthe experience. Wasmoney redistributedfairly? By chance? Byvirtue of skill? Nowyou're poised to developlearning from betterunderstanding to evaluation and focus the mainissues behind this concept in memo rable ways.
Figure out how to explain the why. Simplifyand make content concrete or metaphorical-it's what the brain loves to digest. It'sthe way you get on the same page withyour students and create the road tomeaningful learn ing for them.
Your students are not just learners. Incollege they are supposed to be scholars,so treat them that way. In fact , expect andcreate an active community of scholars byassigning a short, collaborative literaturereview the flrst day. Suppose the issue is"childhood safety." Brainstorm with students the major areas of conce rn for thistopic. Create teams to review and writeabout the readings per each area withinthis topic. Now you've set the exp ectationof scholarship and collaboration, and thenexplain how this lit review leads to thenext step or the next ass ignment.
Have your students stand up that first dayof class and ask anyone to sit if he/she is(1) not smart, (2) not an adult, (3) not
Focuser #5: Deliver clear expectations,including accountabili ty.
The perennial challenge for faculty is tocommunicate expectations clearly via thesyllabu s and rubrics, and thro ugh verbalexplanations, whether on the first day orduring office hours. If they don't knowhow much and how well they have toperform in your class, many students willjust throw up their hands and say to theirfriends: "This looked like an interestingcourse to take, but the instructor has allthese rules and assignments, and I justdon't get what's expected. I asked, but Istill don 't get it." For obvious reasons, youdon't want this type of communication onFacebook.
Faculty are trained to know their discip linary content backwards and forwards,and they know it in a mostly abstract, complex way. But even as we know what toteach, we seldom address the why. Students , on the other hand, are motivated bywhat's meaningful. It 's as ifthere's a constant refrain in their heads: "Why is thiscontent important to me-why should Ilearn this-how is this meaningful to me?"
www.nea.orgiassetslimgIPubAdvocate/Advocatel004.pdf
Illustrat ion : Steve McCracken
Focuser #4: Explain why! (And do itconcretely).
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