A guide to teaching content using TOC Danilo Sirias, Ph.D. Christopher Newport University

Introduction TOC applications in education Management philosophy Discipline/behavior Teaching content

Teaching-learning UDEs Students do not retain what they learn Students do not see the relevance of the subject being taught Teachers feel frustrated with the rate of learning Students do not know how to think

Curriculums at any school Content curriculum Learning curriculum Hare Brain Tortoise Mind by Guy Claxton 1997

Content Curriculum It is the body of knowledge and skills that students are supposed to learn. Examples are arithmetic, French, philosophy, etc. Many schools have standardized tests put in place to evaluate the level of success as it relates to content curriculum.

Learning curriculum Teaching students about how to learn. It includes what is learning, what are effective learning methods, etc. Learning curriculum is as important as the content curriculum…. and maybe even more important.

Some facts about teaching methods Lecturing is the most “efficient” method of teaching Lecturing is the most boring method of teaching Students learn better if they “discover” or invent themselves the concepts a teacher wants them to learn

Interactive learning Interactive learning encompasses a series of techniques whereby students invent their own solutions. For example: Role playing Games Socratic approach

There is a common thread on these methods..... They take a lot of time!

Is time a constraint? Yes!! We want to cover as much material as we because of Standardized testing Readiness for next grade

The cloud Ensure students learn the concepts Use interactive teaching Be a good teacher Cover most topics in the program Do not use interactive teaching

An assumption Ensure students learn the concepts Use interactive teaching Be a good teacher Cover most topics in the program Do not use interactive teaching Interactive learning takes too long

TOC as a solution If I could sum up the Theory of Constraints from my 12 years of research,…it would simply be two words: focus and leverage Debra Smith, The measurement nightmare

Traditional interactive teaching methods TOC teaching method

TOC teaching guiding principle Use TOC tools to help students develop solutions themselves and in the most efficient manner

A guide to teaching content using TOC Class preparation Types of concept that can be taught with TOC Examples Future activities

Class preparation (TrT) ILO Teaching activity Next topic Reason Intermediate learning objective (ILO) Activity to transition to the next topic Teaching activity First topic Reason Activity to transition to the first topic Class introduction

Examples of concepts that can be taught with TOC

Conflict The objective is to teach students a common conflict and to explore some possible solutions The focus of the teaching is the conflict itself and not the solution Another objective is to relate the conflict with something relevant to the students Example: Cricket and the ant story

Procedure to teach conflict’s ILO A dilemma is presented through a story Find the cloud Explore different ways to break the cloud Ask students whether they have experience a similar problem in their life Explore solutions to the students’ dilemmas

Concepts as solutions Many concepts are solutions!! If a concept is a solution to a problem and we want the student to invent the solution then we must first tell them what the problem is Solutions when the problem is a conflict Solutions when the problem is that we do not know how to solve it

Solution to a problem (conflict) The objective is to teach a concept which is a solution to a chronic conflict The focus is on understanding the problem and to find the assumption that is invalidated with the solution

What is the cloud? ? Solution (Concept)

Using the cloud to teach concepts that are solutions to a conflict 1. Study the concept to be taught. Is it a solution? 2. Find the cloud broken by the solution 3. Develop a strategy for students to find the cloud 4. Follow the steps to break the cloud 5. Give the “right name” to the concept

How to find the cloud Determine at least 6 UDEs that the solution is supposed to eliminate Develop small stories about three randomly selected UDEs Write mini clouds for those three UDEs Construct a generic cloud

How can students find the cloud? Students have some experience on the subject Use 3-ude cloud method Discuss advantages and disadvantages Students do not have experience on the subject Use case studies/stories

Solution to a problem (How-to) The objective is to teach students how to accomplish a specific task. The focus is on developing the steps needed to accomplish something Example 1: How to arrange boxes in ascending order according to weight Example 2: How to save the animal kingdom (helping Noah)

Relationship among entities The objective is to teach students how different entities (e.g. historical events, scientific facts, etc.) relates to each other The focus can be on either finding the reasons underlying the relationship or the effects caused by the entities

Cause-and-effect Branch Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect Supporting argument Starting condition

Reading a cause-and-effect branch Then Effect 2 Because Supporting argument If Effect 1

Cause-and-effect Branch Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect Supporting argument Starting condition ILOs

Cause-and-effect Branch Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect ILOs Supporting argument Supporting argument Effect Supporting argument Starting condition

Future activities Generic negative branch Web site devoted to use TOC to teach content Development of a workshop Constraint may move from the discipline aspect to the teaching aspect