1 turning class over to the students: using engaged pedagogy and presentations to promote student...
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Turning Class Over to the Students:
Using Engaged Pedagogy and Presentations to Promote
Student Ownership of the Course
Session I: Nuts and BoltsProf. Geoff SchneiderBucknell University
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Workshop plan This week: outline the basic approach;
begin work on adapting it to your class Next week: refine the approach; address
specific issues for your classes Week 3: Presentations & discussion of how
to operationalize the approach
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Some goals for this workshop Identify some areas of a course where
students can teach each other Under your guidance and supervision Using your existing course structure
Construct a mechanism and strategy for implementing this type of active learning strategy
Consider some more dramatic strategies that you might undertake to turn over more of your classroom interactions to students
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Some key lessons Student learning can be improved via “Peer
Learning” But only if students are adequately prepared
Peer learning exercises must be carefully structured, clearly articulated, adjusted Especially if you need to cover a certain amount of
content Peer learning outcomes improve if you involve
students in discussions of pedagogy
If successful, result is a vibrant classroom, rich discussions, greater retention of key concepts
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Interaction and Learning Greater interactivity associated with more
learning Why?
Students retain much more when they have to explain something to others Verbally or in writing
Getting students to take ownership of their education and course material is a key factor in promoting learning at a sophisticated level
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Writing, Presenting and Learning: One model for an engaged classroom1. Read about a topic.2. Write about it/Work problems
Summary of the main points, initial attempt to analyze the ideas (connections, assessment).
Or, if studying a model, work through sample problems, evaluate usefulness of the model.
3. Presentations; Lead Discussions; listen.4. Reevaluate; think more deeply
Write again/work more advanced problems.
5. Students gradually take control of more content in the classroom.
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Some questions concerning active learning that help structure the course1. What kinds of learning are best done within the
classroom? Since the classroom is inherently interactive, what
forms of interaction best facilitate learning? What types of learning are best done in small groups? What types of learning are best done in larger groups?
2. What are the limits to the classroom experience in terms of learning?
3. What kinds of learning are best promoted by reading and writing/problem solving exercises?
What are the limits to this form of learning?
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Learning outside the classroom In most of my courses, more learning
(especially of facts, theories) goes on outside of the classroom than inside
Key is getting students to learn via reading and writing assignments
Classroom can become a venue for Promoting depth of understanding Discussions Debates Making connections; synthesizing; pushing the
boundaries
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Unless students are “coached,” many (most?) student presentations will be poor Students need to reflect on:
What constitutes a good question/ presentation/problem/answer?
What presentations caused them to retain the most?
What kind of questions elicit deep responses? What kind of questions will the audience be able
to respond to?
As students get better at understanding the role of discussion & interaction They are able to take over more and more of
the class
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Proper sequencing of assignments & classroom exercises Makes students progressively more
engaged in the classroom Taking more and more ownership of the course
and the material Insures that they are ready to take on a
greater role in the classroom Adequately prepared in terms of
Familiarity with the necessary material Exposure to basic principles of pedagogy
Which I have modeled and discussed
Democratizes the classroom conversation Everyone participates
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Step 1: Modeling what you want them to do Large Group Discussion with the whole
class: Model the discussion/problem solving process Have the students reflect on the discussion
process/ analytical process The first questions I design tend to be
more factual in nature Get the students up to a certain level of
understanding of the topic Or, the problems are more basic and require
fewer connections & extrapolations
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CAPS407, Class 2, Discussion Questions for the whole class Describe the evolution of the apartheid system.
When did apartheid provisions, such as Pass Lass, first appear? To what extent did the British, especially British mine owners, contribute to the formation of apartheid? Is it fair to say, as some do, that apartheid began in 1948 under Afrikaner rule rather than earlier?
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Purpose of the Large Group Discussion These questions are more factual in nature
Establish key factors & issues that all of the students need to know
Let students try to establish these first Fill in the details that they seem to be missing
and highlight factors I think are important.
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Small Group Exercise, Capstone Class 2 (after finishing large group discussion questions)
Students respond to a series of questions from me
Then students are asked to: Design a question (or problem) for the
other small groups to answer. Here the students begin the process of
initiating and leading discussion
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Reflection on the exercise After the larger group discussion is
concluded, I have the students reflect on various issues Which questions generated the best
discussions? Why? How did the small group discussion differ from the
large group discussion? Which was more intimate? Which did you find most stimulating and enriching?
Which problems truly reflect the theoretical principles we are studying?
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My own observations Controversial issues are much better handled in
small groups Larger class discussion serves a different
purpose: summary of key insights, transmission of information But not the best venue for all types of conversation
I move from group to group to begin making connections with students Much better than trying to reach the entire class
Early on, student questions tend to be factual in nature As the semester progresses, they get better at designing
interesting questions that will prompt good discussions
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Simplest way to turn over a small portion of the class to students Assignment requiring some students (2-8)
to email you ahead of time regarding some portion of the class that they are willing and able to lead With ample time for you to give them feedback With ample time set aside for them to cover
the material in class
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Step 2: Short Student Presentations I ask students to prepare 2 short
presentations, or to design and solve two problems of their own, ahead of time Email them to me by 3-4 hours before class
I select one of the two for them to present Email them with a grade and to tell them which
presentation they will give by 1 hour before class
I weave their presentations/problems in with my lesson plan for the day
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Example from Econ235, African Economic Development Handout, p. 1: Half of students (12 of 24) asked to
prepare 2 short (2-3 minute) “presentations” & send them to me by email Strict time limit Structure: Title, Intro, Question, Answer In reality, they are discussion leaders Other students must read and write informally on the
readings Problems with this:
In class, students gave their answer before letting others weigh in
Some student read their answers This was too many students to get to and still leave time
for me to fill in gaps
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Changes in structure Students required to structure presentations in
the form of bullet points, notes See handout p. 2 Not allowed to read from presentation text
Must allow other students to try to answer question first
Reduce number of student presentations to 8 per class (1/3 of students)
I give feedback to prompt students to think more deeply about the topic they will present (see handout, p. 3)
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Step 3: (Temporarily) Surrendering the role of the expert To foster a good discussion, I must let
students talk freely, even when they aren’t entirely correct Correct most problems in advance
With feedback on their email presentations See p. 3 of handout
Positive reinforcement when they make a particularly good point
Let them be the expert on a very small part of the material
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Benefits of this approach I still cover the material that I need to
cover in a sophisticated fashion Students cover the basics, and I push the
boundaries Classroom is much more engaged, with all
students participating on a regular basis See pp. 4-5 of handout for a lecture
involving short student presentations
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How to adapt this approach to your class This approach can be used for virtually
any type of material Poetry, literature and music Abstract theoretical issues Mathematical problem solving Debates
But it must be adapted for your discipline, your style, and your comfort zone
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