Learning within Teaching

What professors can learn about their students and themselves as teachers when they innovate in their teaching

ANABELLA MARTINEZ, ED.DAssistant ProfessorDirector of Center for Teaching ExcellenceUniversidad del Norte

34th Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching Miami University, Oxford, OH

Learning within Teaching

INTRODUCTION AND SO WHAT? QUESTION

Learning within Teaching

At the end of the session, you should be able to: • Identify the main characteristics of the learning

that may occur for faculty within their teaching as they interact with their students.

• Describe the kind of learning outcomes possible for faculty within their teaching.

• Propose in the context of your institution scenarios to promote learning within teaching stemming from teacher practice.

The Study

RESEARCH QUESTION: What can professors learn about their students and how to teach them when they innovate in their teaching?

DESIGN: qualitative study, using observation and semi-structured interview techniques

PARTICIPANTS: 6 professors participating in Uninorte´s Course Transformation Initiative in 2012-2013

Participants

Discipline Educational Level Rank Years of Teaching Exeprience

Philosophy Masters Assistant Professor 6

Arqueology Ph.D Assistant Professor 2

Physics Ph.D Assistant Professor 11

Mathematics Ph. D Retired 39

Mathematics Masters Assistant Professor 5

Anatomy (medicine)

Ph.D Assistant Professor 5

Context of the study

• Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla

• 9000 undergraduate; 2000 graduate students

• 400 full time faculty

• Majors in: Engineering, Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, Medicine, Architecture and Design

Context of the studyCEDU-Center for Excellence in Teaching

MISSION

CEDU

Pedagogical Development

Technology for learning

Innovation and Research

Design of Educational

MaterialsTo assure the quality of teaching that takes place at Uninorte by strengthening professor´s pedagogical competencies and promoting innovation in teaching.

Context of the Study: Course Transformation Project at Uninorte• Yearly initiative aimed at promoting

changes in institutionally strategic courses.

• Year 1 and year 2 focused on large lecture courses: 80-120 students.

• Purpose: to promote teaching innovations geared towards increasing engagement and deep learning in students.

Cambio Magistral Projects

Team Based Learning and Technology: an Experience in

Human Anatomy

Peer Instruction using Clickers: a Strategy to Learn Math

The Test Effect in Mathematics Courses

Development of Critical Thinking and Self-Direction in an Ethics Course

Alternatives in Teaching and Learning to Learn the Past

Student-Professor Interaction in a Large Lecture Physics Course

Case Study: Professor Jose

Ph. D in Archaeology

2 years of teaching experience

Started at Uninorte in 2012

Teaches 4 courses a semester; all liberal arts requirements; 1 large lecture course

Case Study: Professor Jose

I was bored with my class, with how I was teaching. I am not a professor therefore I was not sure if what I was doing made sense and was right…because one thing is the student teacher evaluation that says I got a 4.8 on a 5.0 scale, but I know that students are not taking those forms very seriously…the other thing is that I am particularly interested in courses, which I know are only of interest to me because they are electives…I feel the need for students to know more than their specific majors..I want my class to by attractive for students.

Think-Pair-Share: Professor Jose

Teaching Project:• Assignment of prior readings• In class use of clickers to check reading comprehension and

conduct frequent formative assessments throughout his lecture• Discussion sections: group activity on formulation questions on

a reading and each group assessed other groups responses to the question

• Change in the grading scheme

What do you think Jose learned from his students

in the context of his teaching innovation

project?

Where do Professors Learn?

Teaching

Research

Service

Where do Professors Learn?

Bransford (2000):• Professional practice• Interaction with

colleagues• Professional development

experiences • Graduate programs• Personal and family lives

Learning within Teaching

Learning

Scholarly Learning (Neumann, 2009)

Learning within Teaching (Magee, Martinez, Castillo-Montoya and Bolizter, 2012)

Learning

“Both the process and product resulting from the interaction of an individual with ideas and experiences, both personally and socially, that can lead to new knowledge or to a revised comprehension or understanding of something already learned” (Neumann, 2005, p. 65).

CHANGED COGNITION

Scholarly Learning

“…professors’ evolving understanding about their subjects of study as well as their professional development in managing their roles as researchers, teachers, and contributors to various communities” (Neumann,2009, p. 80)

Learning within Teaching

• Learning within teaching: insights professors can gain about their teaching as they interact with their students in the context of their classrooms. (Martinez, Magee, Castillo-Montoya and Bolizter, 2012)

• Immediate learning

• Professional Learning

Learning within Teaching: something new?

Students

Professo

r

Context for Learning within Teaching

Innovation: intentional and purposeful changes in the way a professor plans for, develops and assesses student learning with the goal of improving such learning.

Change

Purposeful and Intentional

Ethical

Constructive

Context Bound

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in their teaching?

Findings:• Professors learn that students can be empowered

to self-direct their learning.

• Professors learn about the diversity of their students in regards to the way they learn and the means they use to engage in learning.

Motivation to Participate in CM2

Perceived difficulties in

reading in writing

Perceived strategic

approach to learning

MOTIVATION TO IMPLEMENT

A TEACHING INNOVATION

Institutional resources and

support

Views on Students and their Learning

• Difficulties with reading and writing

…I know that students have problems with readings, students don´t know how to read and the Department is requiring us to assign readings in English …they don´t know how to read Spanish and now I am going to make them read English… (Humanities Professor)

• Lack of commitment towards learning

“… the major problem they have is not so much that they come ill-prepared, that is one of them but it is not the most concerning …the most concerning one is their irresponsibility and their lack of commitment with things” (Physics professor)

Views on Students and their Learning

Motivation to Participate in CM2

• Desire to constantly improve their teaching

“…there is a personal desire of always improving in my teaching…but not improvement just for innovation but always trying for learning to be more effective , more significant , with more meaning” (Anatomy professor).

• Institutional conditions: resources and support

“…with the call out for proposals by CEDU we found an opportunity to implement some of the things that we had in mind for years….”

Motivation to Participate in CM2

Different contexts affecting motivation for innovation in teaching

Higher Education Institution

Curriculum

Classroom

Student-subject matter-

professor

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in teaching?

Professor transmitting

knowledge and student receiving it

Professor facilitating knowledge

construction and students as active

participants

Student responsible for the classroom environment

Professors responsible for creating an environment conducive to learning

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in teaching?

Professors can learn that

students differ from

themselves in how they

learn

Students should be interested in my course and

will learn like I did

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in teaching?

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in teaching?

...these students today , of this generation learn very differently compared to how we learned , therefore the way we use technology and other things that may motivate them may help us come into contact with them …. (Mathematics Professor)

What can professors learn about their students when they innovate in teaching?

What I learned is that we can facilitate or stimulate the student to research, to engage in inquiry so that they can expand their knowledge, that is the role I think we can enact …we can´t give them knowledge, we can catalyze knowledge creation (Humanities professor) .

Learning within Teaching

In teaching…• The differences in how

students initially approach subject- matter.

• Differences between what professors expect of students´ demonstrations of subject matter learning and students´ actual demonstrations .

(Martinez, Magee & Montoya-Castillo, 2012)

When innovating in teaching…• Student engaged in learning

• Diversity in the ways students learn subject matter

(Martinez & Gómez, 2014)

Learning within Teaching

Experiential

Contextual

Social

Transformative

Sensibility towards student learning

Learning within Teaching

Felt need in the classroom in regard to student learning

Vocation

Institutional conditions and resources

THANK YOU!!!

Questions??