The what, why & how of evidence-based teaching & active learning SHASTA COLLEGE, AUGUST 2017

Overview

•  The what – dimensions of active learning •  The why – research evidence for

effectiveness •  The how – implementing it in your classroom

Additional resources collected at the end

What is active learning?

•  There’s no ‘agreed’ definition •  (Deliberately) broad range of activities

Activities students do in class to construct meaning and understanding, frequently requiring higher order thinking

What is active learning?

•  There’s no ‘agreed’ definition •  (Deliberately) broad range of activities

“Anything…. other than simply watching, listening and taking notes” (Brent and Felder 2009)

What is active learning?

•  There’s no ‘agreed’ definition •  (Deliberately) broad range of activities

“Active engagement through reading, writing, talking, listening and reflecting” (Uminnesota Centre for Educational Innovation)

CC BY-NC 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/f3ynHx!

Derek Bruff: Class time reconsidered!http://prezi.com/donq036eunko/class-time-reconsidered/!

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/resources/20reasons.html!

Context – class time (esp. lectures)

Sourcear)cle:Poh,M.Z.,Swenson,N.C.,Picard,R.W.,"AWearableSensorforUnobtrusive,Long-termAssessmentofElectrodermalAc)vity,"IEEETransac)onsonBiomedicalEngineering,vol.57,no.5,pp.1243-1252,May2010.doi:10.1109/TBME.2009.2038487Ac)vity:JaredStang,UBCPhysics

Let’s try some interactivity

Sourcear)cle:Poh,M.Z.,Swenson,N.C.,Picard,R.W.,"AWearableSensorforUnobtrusive,Long-termAssessmentofElectrodermalAc)vity,"IEEETransac)onsonBiomedicalEngineering,vol.57,no.5,pp.1243-1252,May2010.doi:10.1109/TBME.2009.2038487Ac)vity:JaredStang,UBCPhysics

Weekly rhythm for our 1A class!

Where’s the evidence for effectiveness?

A large truck collides head on with a small compact car. Which of the following statements is true? 1. The force on the car is greater 2. The force on the truck is greater 3. The force on the car and truck are

equal 4. Can’t specify without knowing mass and

speed of vehicles

R R Hake !American Journal of Physics: Volume 66, Issue 1, Pages 64-74!http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.18809!

www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

“This meta-analysis makes a powerful case that any college or

university that is teaching its (STEM) courses by traditional lectures is providing an inferior education to its students”

Wieman commentary PNAS !

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1407304111

What can it look like?

•  Once again, no set recipe •  A broad range of activities, e.g. – Think-pair-share – Peer instruction / discussion – Minute papers – Visible concerns / feedback – Many others ….

Weekly rhythm for our 1A class!

What can it look like?

Learning gains on PI !

© Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar / CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons!

Learning gains on PI !

Reproduced from Eric Mazur (search “Confessions of a converted lecturer” on YouTube)

Source activity: Simon Lancaster (UEA, UK) Ross Galloway (Edinburgh, UK)

1.  Real (and perceived) workloads

2.  Dealing with resistance

3.  Suitability of teaching spaces

4.  About ‘covering content’

5.  Loss of (total) control

Home truths

Home truths

Take homes

On effectiveness On applicability On ‘do-ability’

Resources / bibliography In the order in which they appear in the slides: Felder R.M, Brent R. (2009) Active Learning an Introduction ASQ Higher Education Brief 2(4). Active learning resources from the Centre for Teaching Excellence at Cornell https://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/engaging-students/active-learning.html Active learning resources from Vanderbilt (Derek Bruff) https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/active-learning/ Active learning resources from Centre for Educational Innovation at Minnesorta https://cei.umn.edu/support-services/tutorials/what-active-learning Derek Bruff, Class time reconsidered, a talk given at UBC in 2016 http://prezi.com/donq036eunko/class-time-reconsidered/ Mentimeter, interactive smartphone polling www.mentimeter.com The Force Concept Inventory, Hestenes, Wells and Swackhamer, The Physics Teacher, 30, 141 (1992) Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H. and Wenderoth, M.P., 2014. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp.8410-8415.

Resources / bibliography Hake, R.R., 1998. Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American journal of Physics, 66(1), pp.64-74. Hestenes, D., Wells, M. and Swackhamer, G., 1992. Force concept inventory. The physics teacher, 30(3), pp.141-158. Crouch, C.H. and Mazur, E., 2001. Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results. American journal of physics, 69(9), pp.970-977. Andrews, T.M., Leonard, M.J., Colgrove, C.A. and Kalinowski, S.T., 2011. Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 10(4), pp.394-405.