Mick Healey HE Consultant and Researcher University of Gloucestershire, UK “Tell me and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.” Confucius 450BC Engaging Students in Active and Inquiry Based Learning

HE Consultant and Researcher Economic geographer and Director Centre for Active Learning Director HE Academy projects on ‘Undergraduate research’ and ‘Rethinking final year projects and dissertation’ Ex-VP for Europe International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning National Teaching Fellow and Senior Fellow HE Academy Visiting expert to Higher Education Authority for Ireland evaluating teaching and learning components of Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (2003) Advisor to Canadian Federal Government ‘Roundtable on Research, Teaching and Learning in post-Secondary Education’ (2006) Advisor to National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (Ireland) ( ) Advisor to Australian Learning and Teaching Council Project on the ‘Teaching- research nexus’ ( ) and ‘Undergraduate research’ ( ) Advisor to League of European Research Universities on research-based teaching (2009) Honorary Professor University of Queensland; Visiting Professor Edinburgh Napier and University of Wales Newport Research interests: scholarship of teaching; linking research and teaching; active learning; developing an inclusive curriculum for disabled students Brief Biography

IActive Learning II Inquiry Based Learning IIIKolb's Experiential Learning Theory IV Action Planning Structure

Successful learning Think of something you’re good at - something you know you do well Write down a few words explaining how you became good at it practice doing it trial and error getting it wrong at first and learning from your mistakes

Developing positive feelings Think of something about yourself that you feel good about - a personal quality or attribute, something that ‘gives you a bit of a glow’ Write down a few words explaining why you feel good about it. In other words, upon what evidence do you base your positive feeling? reactions of other people feedback compliments seeing the results

Unsuccessful learning Think of something that you don’t do well - for example, an unsuccessful learning experience Write down a few words describing the causes of this unsuccessful learning experience - what went wrong?

Unsuccessful learning lack of opportunity to practise, or to learn safely from mistakes ‘bad’ feedback - critical feedback given in a hostile or negative way no motivation fear of failure couldn’t see why it was worth doing lack of time to make sense of it unable to understand it before moving on

Five factors underpinning quality learning Wanting Needing Doing Feedback Digesting - motivation - interest - necessity - saving face - practice - trial and error - other people’s reactions - seeing the results - making sense of it - gaining ownership

An active learning model of how people learn Digesting Feedback Wanting / Needing After Race (2006) Doing

Ripples on a pond…. Wanting/ Needing Doing Digesting Feedback After Race (2006)

Active learning is about learning by doing. It is especially common in: Laboratory, practical and studio classes Discussions in-class and on-line Fieldwork Learning in and from work-based activities Problem-based and inquiry-based learning Independent learning Peer teaching Role-playing and simulations May also be used in lectures Nature of Active Learning

Active learning and inquiry based learning involve an experiential learning student- focused approach They may be contrasted with the transmission mode of teaching in which students learn largely passively There is considerable evidence that engaging students in well-designed active and inquiry based learning is a more effective way of student learning than the transmission method of teaching Nature of Active and Inquiry Based Learning

Shifting Paradigms ParadigmApproach TeachingTelling students what they need to know LearningEngaging students in learning how to learn; emphasis on learning what they need to know DiscoveryEncouraging students to seek and discover new knowledge Source: Hodge et al. (2007, 3)

It is not enough just to do, and neither is it enough just to think. Nor is it enough simply to do and think. Learning from experience must involve linking the doing and the thinking” (Gibbs 1988, 9) Defining Active Learning, Research and Inquiry

STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPANTS EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONTENT EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH PROCESSES AND PROBLEMS STUDENTS FREQUENTLY ARE AN AUDIENCE Research-tutored Research-based Research-led Research-oriented Engaging students in active learning, research and inquiry (based on Healey, 2005, 70) Engaging in research discussions Undertaking research and inquiry Learning about current research in the discipline Developing research and inquiry skills and techniques

Mainstreaming student research and inquiry through the disciplines In pairs, each skim read at least ONE strategy for engaging students with research in various disciplines ( pp 9-14) Discuss whether and how any of the ideas may be amended for application in your course team or departmental contexts 10 minutes

Applying Race’s Factors Underlying Learning to Case Studies Look again at the case studies you read and identify the extent to which the five factors underpinning quality learning according to Race (p3), appear to be included in the activity(ies) described.

Modes of IBL Importance of scaffolding provided by lecturer and development of independence in learner Structured – where lecturers provide an issue or problem and an outline for addressing it Guided – where lecturers provide questions to stimulate inquiry but students are self-directed in terms of exploring these questions Open – where students formulate the questions themselves as well as going through the full inquiry cycle (after Staver and Bay, 1987)

Conceptual model Darker shading = strengthening of teaching-research links AND enhanced learning outcomes (Spronken-Smith and Walker, 2009; Spronken-Smith et al., 2009) Information-oriented: products of research Discovery-oriented: process of research PursuingAuthoring ProducingIdentifying

Scaffolding inquiry throughout a degree 1 st year 2 nd year 3 rd year 2 nd year 3 rd year

Inquiry at Miami University Students in the redesigned courses reported engaging in more inquiry-driven activities (e.g., “working on assignments that require you to build understanding on your own”);

Inquiry at Miami University Students in redesigned courses were more likely to contribute to class discussions and to work with other students during class

Inquiry at Miami University Students in redesigned courses reported less course emphasis on “memorizing facts, ideas, or methods” and spent significantly more time preparing for the courses

“A key to getting (and keeping) students actively involved in learning lies in understanding learning style preferences, which can positively or negatively influence a student's performance” (Blackmore, 1996) Learning Styles

“… the term ‘learning style’ is a potentially misleading portmanteau term for a rag-bag of disparate and even unrelated constructs” Sadler Smith (1999, 160) A consensus is emerging that learning style is: “a distinctive and habitual way an individual acquires knowledge, skills or attitudes and that, in adults, it is a relatively stable trait” Healey et al. (2005) Learning Styles

Kolb’s experiential learning theory is recognised as launching the modern learning style movement (Coffield et al., 2004) and is by far the most cited author in the learning style literature (Desmedt and Valke, 2004). Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

"Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience" Kolb (1984, 38) Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Concrete Experience (CE) DO Reflective Observation (RO) REFLECT Active Experimentation (AE) PLAN Abstract Conceptualisation (AC) THINK Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Concrete Abstract X X X Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Active Reflective XXX Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Accommodators Divergers ConvergersAssimilators CE AE RO AC Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Divergers - view situations from many perspectives and rely heavily upon mind storming and generation of ideas Assimilators - use inductive reasoning and have the ability to create theoretical models Convergers - rely heavily on hypothetical- deductive reasoning Accommodators - carry out plans and experiments and adapt to immediate circumstances Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Calculating your predominant learning style Using the instructions on p10, complete the Learning style inventory on p11. If you are stuck ask your partner. Reflect together on your answers to the discussion questions on p9. You may find it helpful to plot your answers on the graph on p11 10 mins

Active (AE) Reflective (RO) Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory Median + 5.9

Concrete (CE) Abstract (AE) Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory Median +3.8

Accommodators Divergers ConvergersAssimilators CE -ve AE +ve RO -ve AC +ve Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

Accommodators Law Education Architecture Divergers English History Library Science Convergers Ecology Engineering Business Assimilators Chemistry Geography Mathematics CE AE RO AC Examples of Disciplinary Groupings (after Kolb 1984, 127)

There is much discussion in the literature about the pros and cons of different inventories for identifying learning styles Perhaps of more importance than the details of an individual’s specific learning style is the recognition by students and staff that people have different preferred learning styles This recognition has implications for: a)students learning individually and in groups b)how teachers respond to the variety of styles that they have in their student groups Learning Styles – Some Caveats

In threes each read one of the examples B1, B2 or B3 on pp You should then tell each other about points which interest you about the applications and discuss how the ideas might be applied in your own context. 5 mins Application to Learning and Teaching

Concrete Experience (CE) DO Reflective Observation (RO) REFLECT Active Experimentation (AE) PLAN Abstract Conceptualisation (AC) THINK Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

In pairs one of you should plan a way of engaging your students in active or inquiry based learning that could use in your teaching next semester. The other person should act as a critical friend. 10 mins Application to Learning and Teaching

Active learning, research and inquiry have an important role to play in enhancing the quality of student learning (but they involve more than just ‘doing’) Recognising that students have different preferred learning styles needs to be built in to the design of learning activities and assessment Kolb’s learning cycle provides a useful framework for designing effective active learning experiences Conclusion

Designing ways of engaging students in active learning, research and inquiry so that their learning is enhanced is challenging. Being creative and thinking outside the box can help Conclusion

THE END “If you want to be loved get a dog” (McKenna, 2011) For more photos of Tess see: