Effective Teaching Techniques: Keeping Students Engaged Donald P. French, Ph.D. Professor of Zoology...
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Effective Teaching Techniques: Keeping Students Engaged Donald P. French, Ph.D. Professor of Zoology Coordinator, University Faculty Preparation Program
Effective Teaching Techniques: Keeping Students Engaged Donald
P. French, Ph.D. Professor of Zoology Coordinator, University
Faculty Preparation Program
[email protected]://grad.okstate.edu/ufp Oklahoma State
University Graduate Teaching Assistant Conference on Teaching,
2013
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Why am I here? I started like you!! Scientist whose research
now focuses on Science Education Coordinate Introductory Biology 40
TA positions Coordinate UFP program Succeeding in the Professoriate
Teaching Zoology
Slide 3
Why are you here? Why should you engage students? In a recent
survey, TAs rated motivating students as one of their least
important responsibilities (Sohum, Cho, French 2012)
Slide 4
Where shall we start? Why do you want to engage students? What
do we mean by engagement? How would you recognize engagement?
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5 E Model (Learning Cycle)
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What should a class look like?
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Why do we think our methods work? If we throw bricks of
knowledge at the heads of students, why are we surprised when the
students duck? --Jeff Weld, University of Northern Iowa
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Attention Span
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How People Learn People are not blank slates or empty vessels
to be filled
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They dont retain isolated information They must organized it
But how does this organization arise?
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Organization reflects connections Concept
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Memory take home messages Information should be well
structured, personally relevant, and rich in emotional and sensory
qualities There are limitations on how much we can pay attention to
at one time No attention - no memory; varying the type and sensory
modality of learning activities may be helpful Students should
engage with material frequently in ways that require retrieval -
frequent testing. (Miller 2011)
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Misconception vs. Misunderstanding Misconception: Incorrect
association in cognitive schema Misunderstanding: Gaps in cognitive
schema Mutations cause cancer, therefore all mutations are bad.
Evolution occurs only by natural selection.
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How do we rewire schema? Misconceptions: Confront
misconceptions Misunderstandings: Provide connections from previous
information to new information Mutations cause cancer and they are
also a source of genetic variation. Evolution can occur by natural
selection and other processes like genetic drift.
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Learning is Social
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Which questions for engagement? Closed-ended questions such as
those requiring a Yes/No response or selection from multiple choice
Open-ended questions probe and elicit expanded thinking and
processing of information Convergent questions have one right
answer Divergent questions have multiple possible answers and
encourage students to be creative or express insight. If working in
groups, students have the opportunity to learn from a variety of
perspectives.
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Active Learning Classroom Involves students in physical and
mental activities that engage students with the subject hands-on
experiences Social interaction Problem solving
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Characteristics of Scenarios Provide Stories or Situations
About topics to which students can relate Present Question(s)
Connect variety of topics
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Conditions to Motivate Relevance Students see value in what
they can relate to Learning outcomes should align with students'
interests and goals (academic, career, and social). Learning
activities provide opportunities to attain learning outcomes.
Possibility of Achievement Assessments are fair and appropriate.
Students perceive learning environment as supportive. Students
experience success in activities and assignments. Control Give
students choices. Students know what to expect and what is expected
of them. http://www.cte.cornell.edu/
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Provide opportunities to apply concepts in different contexts
Evolution pervasive throughout semester Others applied repeatedly,
e.g. Gradients Surface-to-volume ratio Structure/Function Laws of
Thermodynamics
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Integrate-Connect Information Tundra (Biome) Thermoregulation
Respiration Cellular Respiration from different levels
Slide 22
Types of exercises Solve problem Offer Opinions Observe -
Generalize Observe and Propose Hypotheses Design Experiment
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Style of exercises Turn to your neighbor Minute Papers Extended
Papers Clickers
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A. They would shrink B. They would expand C. There would be no
change If the vacationing slug family's internal fluid salt
concentration was 0.9% and that of the great salt lake was 5%, what
affect would swimming have on their cells?
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Remember It is not about what you do, it is about what you get
your students to do and think about,... and talk about.
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Worth Reading
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University Faculty Preparation Earn certificate to accompany
doctorate 8 hours of coursework Success in the Professoriate Two
courses in Teaching and Learning 4 hours Apprenticeship and
Practicum Expert Mentorship Guidance in professional development
and documentation http://grad.okstate.edu/ufp
