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The College Classroom
Session1: How People Learn
Peter Newbury
@polarisdotca
January 6 and 8, 2015
Unless otherwise noted, content is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
Non Commercial 3.0 License.
Who are we?
Emily Goodman Ph.D. candidate in Art History,
Theory, and Criticism
College Classroom Wi14
SGTS Summer 2014
Peter Newbury Ph.D. Applied Math (Astronomy)
Math, Astronomy instructor
Carl Wieman Science Education
Initiative at UBC, Vancouver
Assoc. Director, CTD
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 2
Who are you?
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 4
Turn to your neighbor
Introduce yourself
Briefly tell your neighbor about the class you remember
most from your undergraduate experience.
Why that class?
Was it something the instructor did?
What was it?
Why are we here?
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 5
What do you think students are doing in a typical
university class?
A) listening
B) absorbing
C) learning
D) note-taking
E) distracted
The traditional lecture is based on the
transmissionist model of learning
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 6 image by um.dentistry on flickr CC
Important new number system
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 7
Learn it.
1 = 4 = 7 =
2 = 5 = 8 =
3 = 6 = 9 =
Scientifically outdated, a known failure
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 9
We must abandon the tabula rasa (blank
slate) and “students as empty vessels”
models of teaching and learning.
New Number System = tic-tac-toe code
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 10
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Constructivist Theory of Learning
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 12
New learning is based on knowledge you already have.
You store things in long term memory through a set of connections that are made with your existing memories.
(Images by Rebecca-Lee on flickr CC)
Creating memories (learning) involves having neurons fire and link up in networks or patterns. (fMRI is allowing us to observe learning as it happens.)
learning is done
by individuals
How People Learn
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 14
3 Key Findings
3 Implications for Teaching
3 Designs for Classroom Environment
Key Finding 1
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 16
Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for the purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside of the classroom. (How People Learn, p 14.)
Implications for Teaching 1
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 17
Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them.
(How People Learn, p 19.)
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 18
1 = 4 = 7 =
2 = 5 = 8 =
3 = 6 = 9 =
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
unsupported, unfamiliar content built on pre-existing
knowledge
(tic-tac-toe board)
Transmissionist Constructivist
Implications for Teaching 1
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 19
Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them.
(How People Learn, p 19.)
Schools and classrooms must be learner centered.
(How People Learn, p. 23)
Classroom Environments 1
Learning requires interaction [3]
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 21
% of class time
NOT lecturing
Learning gain:
pre-test 0
100%
post-test
0.50
Learning requires interaction [3]
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 22
52 classes of sizes 25 to 100+ students, at 2-
and 4-yr colleges and research universities
across US. Every student wrote an astronomy
test (twice). Points shows a class’ learning gain.
Key Finding 2
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 24
To develop competence in an area, students must:
a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge,
b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and
c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application.
(How People Learn, p 16.)
Why Your Students Don’t Understand You
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 26
Expert brains differ from novice brains because
novices lack rich, networked connections, cannot make
inferences, cannot reliably retrieve information
notices have preconceptions that distract, confuse,
hinder
novices lack automization (“muscle memory”) resulting
in cognitive overload
Implications for Teaching 2
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 27
Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth, providing many examples in which the same concept is at work and providing a firm foundation of factual knowledge.
Classroom Environments 2
To provide a knowledge-centered environment, attention must be given to what is taught (information, subject matter), why it is taught (understanding), and what competence or mastery looks like.
(How People Learn, p 20.)
(How People Learn, p 24.)
Key Finding 3
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 28
A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.
(How People Learn, p 18.)
Aside: metacognition
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 29
Metacognition refers to one’s knowledge concerning one’s
own cognitive processes or anything related to them. For
example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am
having more trouble learning A than B.
([4], [5])
cognition meta
Key Finding 3
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 30
A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.
(How People Learn, p 18.)
Implications for Teaching 3
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 31
The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of subject areas.
Classroom Environments 3 Formative assessments — ongoing assessments designed to make students’ thinking visible to both teachers and students — are essential.
(How People Learn, p 21.)
(How People Learn, p 24.)
Supporting metacognition
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 32
Why do you think instructors ask, “Any questions?”
A) to signal they’re at the end of a section or concept
B) so the instructor can check if s/he can continue
C) so the instructor can check if the students understand
D) so the students can check if they’re ready to continue
E) not sure but it’s something instructors should do
“What questions do you have for me?”
…and give them enough time
to ask a useful question
What is going to happen in this class
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 34
Weekly meetings in Center Hall, Room 316:
1hr 20 min mixture of theory and practice
interact in small groups
Tue 11a–12:20p, Tue 2–3:20p, or Thu 12:30–1:50p
If you need to attend a conference, job interview or something of that nature, attend another weekly session and let us know.
To prepare:
read assigned research paper, chapter, article, etc.
do an activity (post on the class blog, leave comments on others’ posts, observe a class, etc.)
Traditional classroom
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 35
first exposure to material is in class, content is
transmitted from instructor to student
learning occurs later when student struggles alone to
complete homework, essay, project
learn easy stuff
together
learn hard
stuff alone
transfer assimilate
Flipped classroom
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 36
student learns easy content at home: definitions, basic
skills, simple examples. Frees up class time for...
students are prepared to tackle challenging concepts in
class, with immediate feedback from peers, instructor
learn hard
stuff together
learn easy stuff
alone
transfer assimilate
collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 37
All course information,
presentations, links to
readings, discussions, etc.
will be on the class blog.
Each of you will have a username and password so you can
post to the blog. (You don’t need to login to access the
course materials or leave comments, though.)
(Image by kitsu on flickr CC)
Course blog is public so
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 38
I can only provide links to copyrighted articles, not the
articles (PDF) themselves
you may need to be on-campus so you can use UCSD
credentials to access subscriptions
you may be able to connect from home with the UCSD web
proxy server (search Blink for “web proxy”)
Your posts and comments will be visible to the public.
Be aware of what and how you write: your posts
become part of your digital footprint.
If you include pictures in your posts, they must not be
protected by copyright (use Creative Commons pix?)
How you will be assessed
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 39
The College Classroom is not an official UC San Diego
course. You will not receive an grade on your transcript.
To receive a completion certificate (and for SGTSs, to be
qualified to teach in the Summer), you must
attend all sessions
thoughtfully complete all assigned work.
contribute during class in a professional, collegial
manner.
Topic-level
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How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 40
Course-level LO
Course-level LO Course-level
learning outcome (LO)
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Course-level learning outcomes
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 41
By the end of The College Classroom, you’ll be able to
explain why certain instructional activities are successful and why
others are not
identify and support student-centered learning environments
recognize and build upon the diversity of your students
be reflective and scholarly about your teaching
know how to succeed as a professional educator in higher
education
participate in the teaching and learning community, in-person and
online
Topic-level learning outcomes
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 42
Many topic-level learning outcomes in
1. modern theory of Constructivist learning
by the end of the course, you’ll be able to have an elevator
conversation describing the importance of metacognition in
learning.
and more…
Topic-level learning outcomes
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 43
Many topic-level learning outcomes in
2. best practices for the college classroom
by the end of the course, you’ll be able to write a peer
instruction (clicker) question and explain to a colleague the
rationale behind the question and choices and describe how
it can be incorporated into the lesson.
and more…
Throughout the classes, I’ll be
trying to model best practices so
try to watch how I teach as well
as what I teach.
Topic-level learning outcomes
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 44
Many topic-level learning outcomes in
3. how to be a successful, professional educator
by the end of the course, you’ll be able to collaborate with
others using Google docs.
and more…
Week 2:
Supporting expert-like thinking
Watch for communication with a description of tasks to complete
before next class.
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 45
References
How People Learn - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 46
1. National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience,
and School: Expanded Edition. J.D. Bransford, A.L Brown & R.R. Cocking
(Eds.),Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
2. Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
3. Prather, E.E, Rudolph, A.L., Brissenden, G., & Schlingman, W.M. (2009). A
national study assessing the teaching and learning of introductory astronomy. Part I.
The effect of interactive instruction. Am. J. Phys. 77, 4, 320-330.
4. Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving. In L. B.
Resnick (Ed.), The nature of intelligence (pp.231-236). Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.
5. Brame, C. (2013). Thinking about metacognition. [blog] January, 2013,
Available at: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2013/01/thinking-about-
metacognition/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].