Better Teaching with Less Time and Stress: Improving Teaching Efficiency and Effectiveness FAU Faculty Workshop February 27, 2004 Lynn Appleton College of Arts & Letters Timothy Lenz Teaching Learning Center Thomas Pusateri Assessment Director

Memory: Experts v. Novices What are some implications of these differences for effective teaching? ý Differences in prior knowledge ý Amount of information in attention span ý Organization of memory Implications? ûReduce content: Don’t “cover the book”! ûFocus on key concepts ûProvide a brief outline ûConsider the course’s purpose in context (Prerequisite? Gen Ed? Attract majors?)

How People Learn Bransford, Brown & Cocking (2000) What are the implications for teaching? ý Students enter courses with preconceptions ý Building student competence requires: ûA foundation of factual knowledge ûA conceptual framework ûOrganization for retrieval and application ý “Teach” through understanding “learning” ûArticulate learning goals ûHelp students monitor their progress

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) (Angelo & Cross, 1993) ýPrior knowledge ûMisconception/Preconception Check (#3) ýRecall & Understanding ûMinute Paper (#6) ýSkill in applying information ûApplication Cards (#23) ýLocating other CATs û

Misconception check What are some common misconceptions or preconceptions by students in your discipline? EXAMPLE: Astronomy What makes seasons change? Common student responses: The weather The distance between the earth and sun changes The tilt of the earth I don’t know Only one response is correct. Adopt this CAT: Start of lecture on topic Ungraded T/F, M/C, or Short Essay test Explain the CAT’s purpose to students

Measuring recall and understanding: The Minute Paper ý What was the most important point? ý What was the muddiest point? ý What question remains unanswered? ý End of class: Collect & Summarize ý Middle of class: Think – Pair – Share – Report ý Frequency (Not necessarily every class) ý Adapting to large classes

Skills in applying information: Application cards ý Example from psychology: How are parts of the brain used while driving? CerebellumMotor Cortex Occipital lobeSomatosensory cortex HippocampusAmygdala ý Think about a difficult topic from your own class. How might you use application cards for presenting that topic?

Angelo’s recommendations ý Don't use them if you can’t/won’t change. ý Collect only what you’ll process by next class. ý Don't simply adopt CATs; adapt them. ý Use CATs only if you can imagine their benefits. ý Promote a self-fulfilling prophecy: Explain why you use CATs. Students will likely follow along. ý Teach students how to give useful feedback. ý Tell them how you’ll adapt to what you learned.

Teaching efficiency: Scoring Rubrics ýExample of a rubric on writingwriting ýWriting and grading essays (handout) ýSteps in designing a rubric: ûIdentify major categories for grading ûIdentify levels for each category (3 or 4) ûDetermine point values for each level ýOnline examples: Rubistar