Team Based Learning A Pedagogic Framework for Bringing Active Learning Into Your Classroom Jason Babcock

Quiz1 (to be answered on your own) What course was this week’s reading/audio researching? What demographic group was the research examining? In 2-3 Sentences, summarize the findings from research on Scott Freeman’s Course

Quiz1_1 (to be answered in teams) What course was this week’s reading/audio researching? What demographic group was the research examining? In 2-3 Sentences, summarize the findings from research on Scott Freeman’s Course How does the research from this weeks reading support more active learning styles in ways that other research (or professional development seminars) haven’t? Be prepared to share two unique qualities of the research How does the research from the reading fail to address concerns about “alternative” or “student centered” pedagogies? What are the weirdest teaching assignments team members have had?

A personal introduction A former high school science & math teacher Currently run the Math Center @ WCC Current UW doctoral student looking at Curriculum & Instruction Interested in clinical preparation of teachers and parallels in clinical preparation of medical practitioners Managed to connect with Dr. Craig Scott of UWMC’s MEBI program Observed and studied TBL implementation in medical schools Participated in a presentation to physician educators on TBL implementation of TBL in Medical Schools http://depts.washington.edu/gowwami/AWARE/documents.htm

Today’s Presentation Team Based Learning Philosophical Justifications Psychological Foundation Curricular Implications Today’s Presentation

Philosophical Justification Moral/Ethical We should not attribute high failure rates to student abilities when alternative pedagogies have been able to overcome problematic learning on the part of students

Philosophical Justification Moral/Ethical We have an obligation to teach all students We have an obligation to utilize the best pedagogies available We know that traditional lecture based pedagogies are not successful in teaching students from populations underrepresented in colleges and STEM subjects

Philosophical Justification Moral/Ethical Structured and Active Learning has been shown to improve all student achievement and to positively impact disadvantaged students

Philosophical Justification Self-Preservation Students are able to obtain an education from a variety of sources…we need to be the better option Colleges like Harvard and MIT are providing free coursework online Websites like Khan Academy are providing free instruction, practice, and assessment services to anyone. Online courses offer flexible timing, constantly refined interfaces, and qualified teachers Students coming to us are increasingly comfortable interacting and learning in online environments Why Would People Pick A Community College Out Of All Of The Available Options?

Philosophical Justification With better pedagogies, we can be the best option for those looking to get an education

Quiz 2 (to be answered in groups) What are some driving factors that account for continued dominance of traditional pedagogies?

Today’s Presentation Team Based Learning Philosophical Justifications Psychological Foundation Curricular Implications Today’s Presentation

Psychological Foundations Students actively construct their own understanding in a social context and do not passively absorb information transmitted to them Students need opportunities to construct understanding through discourse with others

Psychological Foundations We know that students from different cultures interact with instruction in different ways Students from diverse cultural backgrounds need opportunities to interact with others to construct understanding of disciplinary and academic norms

Psychological Foundations Increased prevalence of Active learning before and After Community College means…students will expect to interact Workplace demands are increasingly requiring employees to have cognitive skills necessary for critical problem solving and collaborative teamwork

Today’s Presentation Team Based Learning Philosophical Justifications Psychological Foundation Curricular Implications Today’s Presentation

What’s it look like???

Curricular Implications What does TBL look like? No strict rules for TBL adoption Readings assigned prior to class Individual quiz at the start of class followed by a team based quiz on the same material Grading of each quiz is at the discretion of the teacher Lecture or learning activity follows the quizzes

Setting up TBL Frameworks See pg 8 from http://depts.washington.edu/gowwami/AWARE/documents2012/ScottGeneralTBL.pdf

Curricular Implications Challenges to date Students didn’t know how to “talk math”, instructor needs to model and facilitate team discussions How hard should questions be? Do you grade for effort or mastery prior to instruction? Short periods leave less time for lecture Reluctance by students accustomed to lectures/notes Successes to date Robust student discourse around core disciplinary concepts Communities of learners developing amongst peers Most students come to class having looked at material for that day Subject “experts” are beginning to identify with the discipline

Curricular Implications Questions for future implementation Can we integrate “clickers” into TBL Quizzes to facilitate rapid assessments of student thinking and common misunderstandings? Can we standardize Quizzes to facilitate inter-class comparisons? How can we better scaffold student discourse within discipline so they understand disciplinary norms and expectations for argumentation?

For discussion To what degree does the nature of our assessments drive the nature of instruction? How do we balance the need for students to have both: Experience practicing characteristic activities of a discipline (argumentation, analysis) basic vocabulary and process knowledge How do classroom technologies afford & constrain teacher or student centered pedagogical approaches?