From minor changes to major learning James M. Lang @LangOnCourse

Pausing for Learning “In the current study the procedure consisted of pausing for 2 minutes 3 times during each 45-minute lecture. During the pause, subjects formed dyads and discussed lecture content (e.g., asked each other for clarification of concepts or caught up on notes). No instructor-subject interaction occurred during the pauses.”

Small Teaching Innovations Brief (5-15 minute) interventions into individual learning sessions Limited number of interventions or activities within an entire course Minor changes to course design, assessment structure, or communication with students

motivation

A Box of Content The focus of this course is on nutrient uptake and translocation, nutrient deficiency symptoms, plant primary and secondary metabolism, physiological responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, hormones and signal transduction, defense and immune responses. The laboratory component of this course will provide opportunity for students to have hands on experience and assess plants physiological behavior by determining metabolites content and enzymes activities and studying hormones and nutrients.

What the Best Teachers Do Problems Questions Challenges Ken Bain found this in his study of best teachers—this was how they framed and pitched both their courses and their individual class periods.

Building a Learning Experience 1. Articulate Problem or Question 2. Explain Significance or Relevance 3. Give Students Opportunity to Answer 4. Provide Answer 5. Conclude with Problem or Question

Motivating Learners Open your course or syllabus with descriptions of the problems, questions, or challenges of your course. Open individual class periods with the presentation of a problem, question, or challenge. Consider the use of both puzzles and mysteries to foster the curiosity of your students. Question: How do you remind your students about the power of your course material to make the world a better place?

Prediction Preparing Students to Learn

The Power of Prediction In this study, participants either had ten minutes to study content with italicized quotes in the text to point them to key concepts, or they took a pre-test on the material (average score 22%) for two minutes and then had eight minutes to study. This was one of five experiments detailed in this study, all of which showed a similar effect. “The Pretesting Effect: Do Unsuccessful Retrieval Attempts Enhance Learning?"

Prediction in Theory: Fluency Illusions “Wrong guesses expose our fluency illusions, our false impression that we ‘know’ the capital of Eritrea because we just saw it or once studied it.” Benedict Carey

Prediction in Theory: Fertile Grounds “Unsuccessful attempts to solve a problem encourage deep processing of the answer when it is later supplied, creating fertile ground for its encoding, in a way that simply reading the answer cannot.” Roediger et al

Peter Newbury’s Small Predictions

Small Teaching: Prediction At the beginning of a course or class period give students brief (ungraded) pre-test or challenge. Ask (poll) questions at the beginning of class; return to them at the end, after first content exposure. Use individual or group brainstorming activities that help students activate knowledge from previous courses. Whole group questions and answers.

Retrieval Strengthening Foundational Knowledge

Knowledge: “The Hidden Power” of Cognition “Learning skills grow organically out of specific knowledge domains—that is to say, facts . . . The wider your knowledge, the more widely your intelligence can range and the more purchase it gets on new information.” Ian Leslie, Curious Threshold Concepts

The Power of Retrieval Practice Retrieval is good; thinking + retrieval is even better.

Limits of Long-Term Memory “In long-term-memory the limiting factor is not storage capacity, but rather the ability to find what you need when you need it. Long-term memory is rather like having a vast amount of closet space—it is easy to store many items, but it is difficult to retrieve the needed item in a timely fashion.” Michelle Miller

The Minute Paper

Small Teaching: Retrieval Open class by asking students to “remind” you of previous content or summarize readings. Close class by asking students to write down the most important concept from that day (i.e., the minute paper) and one remaining question. Use polling or free recall activities halfway through class in order to renew attention and prepare for new learning. Think-pair-share.

More Information and Resources . . . “Small Changes in Teaching” RetrievalPractice.org The Learning Scientists Best Teachers Summer Institute @LangOnCourse