Active learning: Teaching with your mouth shut Chris Tubbs San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research (Adapted from Handelsman, Wood and Dirks)

Learning Outcomes To assess the learner-centeredness of a classroom Identify ways to apply active learning in the classroom Present arguments for the use of active learning Convert a passive teaching element to an active one

The transmissionist view of learning Students are empty vessels to be filled with knowledge Instructor-centered Smith et al., 2005

The typical outcome…

The constructivist view of learning People must grow their own knowledge structure from experience – we cannot put knowledge into students’ heads Learner-centered!

Moving from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered classroom Begin with this drawing... As a table, sketch what it would look like if it were learner-centered 5 minutes!

Transmissionist vs. Constructivist Lecturer “I know a lot about this topic, so I will transmit my knowledge to you by telling you about it”. Facilitator “I know a lot about this topic, so I will create situations and present challenges for you so that you construct your own knowledge and understanding”. Compelling evidence supports the constructivist view of how learning works, yet most instructors in large classes teach mostly by lecturing?! (How People Learn)

How do students construct their own knowledge? Formative assessments…allow students and instructors to gauge students’ progress during learning.

Measurable Outcomes Measurable Outcomes Summative Assessment (Exams) Summative Assessment (Exams) Formative Assessment (Instruction) Formative Assessment (Instruction) General Course Goals Backwards Design Provided by active learning exercises

Clickers: “the greatest new teaching tool since chalk”

A)Highly successful. B)Somewhat successful. C)Not much of an effect. D)They had a negative impact on the course. E)They were a waste of time and effort. For those who have used clickers in teaching, how successful did you and your students find them in facilitating learning?

Why clickers can fail to please Technology glitches seriously dampen the clicker experience. Factual recall questions are neither fun nor helpful. Good clicker questions: are EnGauging are at HO cognitive levels include plausible distractors based on common misconceptions can't be easily "gamed"

(Adapted from Janet Batzli and Diane Ebert-May) Three identical plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different conditions, with results as shown. How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment? A) 1 < 2 < 3 B) 1 < 3 < 2 C) 1 = 3 < 2 D) 3 < 1 < 2 E) 1 = 2 = 3

(Adapted from Janet Batzli and Diane Ebert-May) Three identical plates of radish seeds are incubated under three different conditions, with results as shown. How will the dry weights of the three plates compare at the end of the experiment? A) 1 < 2 < 3 B) 1 < 3 < 2 C) 1 = 3 < 2 D) 3 < 1 < 2 E) 1 = 2 = g 1.63 g 1.20 g LOC or HOC?

Experimental design Smith, MK et al. (2011) Combining peer discussion with instructor explanation increases student learning from in-class concept questions. CBE-Life Sci. Educ. 10:

Peer discussion followed by instructor explanation is more effective than either alone

Picture your own classroom... What are the students doing?

Perhaps it looked like this?

What about this?

Reflect on your own teaching. On average, how learner-centered is your classroom? Instructor Centered Learner Centered Use a ORANGE post-it and place yourself on the continuum that is on the wall.

VIDEOS: TEACHING IN PRACTICE Instructor Centered Learner Centered After viewing each video, determine how learner-centered the classroom is. Then place the appropriate post-it on the consensogram. VIDEO 1: Green post-it VIDEO 2: Pink post-it VIDEO 3: Blue post-it

Active learning in practice Brainstorm! Thus far, what kinds of active learning methods have been used at the Summer Institute this week?

cooperative learning collaborative learning problem-based learning case-based learning group work think-pair-share peer instruction inquiry-based learning technology-enhanced learning concept mapping clickers creative others? Active learning encompasses many different approaches:

De-cookbook a laboratory activity using one or more active learning approaches: Work as a table and choose one of these laboratory exercises to make them ACTIVE and de-cookbooked 1.Mitosis 2.Restriction digestion followed by agarose gel electrophoresis 5 minutes!

Learning outcomes?

Mini-jigsaw: Active learning misconceptions “There’s so much content to cover, I don’t want to take time out of class for those other methods.” “I’m the living proof that lecturing works – I learned from lectures.” “I’ve been lecturing for 25 years and I have the best teaching evaluations in my department.”

Research supports…

Students are not empty vessels to be filled up In learner-centered classrooms, students are guided by a facilitator to engage and construct their own knowledge It does not take a tremendous amount of effort to move a classroom from passive to active There are many tools for implementing active learning. There is overwhelming evidence that active learning is an effective method for student learning Create learning environments that reflect the process of science! A Recap of Key Concepts about Active Learning