Principles of Constructive Alignment GSR 989—Philosophy and Practice of University Teaching January 7th, 2014 Amelia Horsburgh University of Saskatchewan—Creative Commons License

Today’s Class Schedule 2:30-2:40 Discuss TransformUs & Philosophy Statements 2:40-3:30 Principles of Constructive Alignment 3:30-3:40 Break (please pickup your Teaching Philosophy Statements from the folder) 3:40-4:30 Brainstorming Community Engaged Learning Project with Lisa Erickson and Omeasoo Butt

Learning Objectives: Define verbally the three elements of Constructive Alignment. Appraise the appropriateness of alignment of sample Learning Objectives, Assessment & Evaluation Methods, and Teaching and Learning Strategies. Propose some examples of Constructive Alignment for a class in which you are a lab instructor, a TA, or TL.

Knaack, L. 2011. A practical handbook for educators: Designing learning opportunities. Whitby, ON: de Sitter Publications. 25. Pre-Assessment: There are three elements that make up Constructive Alignment: Working independently, take two minutes to define these three elements in your notes. Learning Objectives Teaching and Learning Strategies Assessment & Evaluation Methods Learner

Pre-Assessment: Working with a classmate, list in your notes three major points from the video Teaching Teaching & Understanding Understanding (3/3).

What are Learning Objectives? This slide is taken from Rebekah Bennetch’s PowerPoint (Oct. 28th 2013)

Examples of Learning Objectives: Knaack, L. 2011. A practical handbook for educators: Designing learning opportunities. Whitby, ON: de Sitter Publications. 25-32. Examples of Learning Objectives: There are three parts to a well written learning objective: Performance, Condition, and Criteria. What do you think of these examples: By the end of today’s class, SWBAT… “Identify primary and secondary sources of evidence in a written report or paper” “know all about biology and have an appreciation for how it impacts their lives”

What are Assessment & Evaluation Methods? Knaack, L. 2011. A practical handbook for educators: Designing learning opportunities. Whitby, ON: de Sitter Publications. 36. What are Assessment & Evaluation Methods? Assessment (formative or summative) Informal assessment of learning No marks or grades Evaluation (formative or summative) Formal assessment of learning Usually associated with marks or grades Something to look forward to: On January 14th and 21st we will be discussing in greater detail Assessment and Evaluation

What are Teaching & Learning Strategies? Teaching strategies are used by the instructor to create learning opportunities in the classroom Learning strategies are the tasks used by the learners to acquire knowledge What are some examples of either teaching or learning strategies we’ve used in this class?

Constructive Alignment Learning Objectives Assessment & Evaluation Methods Teaching & Learning Strategies

Align Learning Objectives with Assessment & Evaluation Methods #1 Align Learning Objectives with Assessment & Evaluation Methods Examples of Lower Levels of Learning: recall, identify, describe, or explain Assessment Method Two Minute Memo Evaluation Methods: multiple choice, true/false, labelling, or short answer Examples of Higher Levels of Learning: construct, compose, assess, or create. Assessment Method Muddiest Point Evaluation Methods: essay, project, portfolio, blog, or prototype

Choose your Teaching & Learning Strategies #2 Direct Instruction Individual Learning Group Learning Activity-focused Problem Solving

Direct Instruction Strategies The instructor is directing the learning: Lecture Demonstration Guest Speaker Positive benefits include: You can get through a large amount of information Effective if teaching large classes

Individual Learning Strategies Students are work independently Worksheets Online Discussion Posts Homework Portfolio Positive benefits include: Some students prefer to learn and work on their own

Group Learning Strategies Students are working collaboratively towards a common goal Discussion session Peer instruction Group work Positive benefits include: Students teach and learn from one another Engage in thoughtful working relationships

Activity-Focused Learning Students are learning by doing Experiment Debate Stations Game Positive benefits include: Active learning Interactive and rapport building

Problem Solving Strategies Students are working to solve a problem Brainstorming Concept mapping Problem-based learning Positive benefits include: Students would use higher levels of thinking skills Could be based on authentic problems

Constructive Alignment—Your Turn! Working independently, align a Learning Objective Assessment & Evaluation Method Teaching & Learning Strategy Share your Constructive Alignment with a classmate. Give feedback to one another.

Summary Choose appropriate Teaching and Learning Strategies after determining your Learning Objectives and Assessment & Evaluation Methods

What, So What, Now What? WHAT: What did we learn today? SO WHAT: Why is it important? NOW WHAT: Where do we go from here?