Biogeochemistry Workshop Teaching for Student Learning Alexandra Moore Teaching for Student Learning Alexandra Moore

Overview / Setting Goals / Articulating Goals and Content / Teaching Strategies / Assessment of Learning / Setting Goals / Articulating Goals and Content / Teaching Strategies / Assessment of Learning

Setting Goals / Student-focused v. Teacher-focused / Overarching goals / Measurable outcomes / Higher-order thinking skills v. / Lower-order thinking skills / Ancillary goals / Student-focused v. Teacher-focused / Overarching goals / Measurable outcomes / Higher-order thinking skills v. / Lower-order thinking skills / Ancillary goals

My goals for the workshop / My teaching will model effective pedagogy / Participants will leave with two deliverables / Participants will be able to effectively design a course (activity) / Participants will be able to employ a variety of teaching strategies / My teaching will model effective pedagogy / Participants will leave with two deliverables / Participants will be able to effectively design a course (activity) / Participants will be able to employ a variety of teaching strategies

Student-focused v. Teacher-focused / Teacher-focused view: “Provide students with an introduction to the geology of environmental issues and geologic hazards” / Student-focused view: “Prepare a scientifically sound argument on a local environmental issue to present at a town forum or in a town newspaper.” / Teacher-focused view: “Provide students with an introduction to the geology of environmental issues and geologic hazards” / Student-focused view: “Prepare a scientifically sound argument on a local environmental issue to present at a town forum or in a town newspaper.”

 Thinking about “teaching” this environmental geology course points us inevitably down the path of presenting material to students, exposing students to a series of examples, and so forth.  Thinking about the course as enabling students to do something in the future points us down a very different path, one where we would need to design a course that prepares students to do something significant on their own after the course is over.  Thinking about “teaching” this environmental geology course points us inevitably down the path of presenting material to students, exposing students to a series of examples, and so forth.  Thinking about the course as enabling students to do something in the future points us down a very different path, one where we would need to design a course that prepares students to do something significant on their own after the course is over.

Higher order/Lower order thinking / Bloom’s Taxonomy - Cognitive Domain / Knowledge / Comprehension / Application / Analysis / Synthesis / Evaluation / Bloom’s Taxonomy - Cognitive Domain / Knowledge / Comprehension / Application / Analysis / Synthesis / Evaluation

Lower order thinking skills / Knowledge, comprehension, some application / Verbs that reflect tasks that involve lower order thinking skills include: list, explain, calculate, identify, describe, recognize, summarize, discuss, define, know about, recall, paraphrase, locate / Knowledge, comprehension, some application / Verbs that reflect tasks that involve lower order thinking skills include: list, explain, calculate, identify, describe, recognize, summarize, discuss, define, know about, recall, paraphrase, locate

Higher order thinking skills / Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, application / Verbs that reflect tasks involving higher order thinking skills include: derive, predict, analyze, design, interpret, synthesize, formulate, plan, correlate, evaluate, create, critique, adapt / Analysis, synthesis, evaluation, application / Verbs that reflect tasks involving higher order thinking skills include: derive, predict, analyze, design, interpret, synthesize, formulate, plan, correlate, evaluate, create, critique, adapt

Goals that focus on higher- order thinking skills have lower-order skills embedded within them.

Write student-focused goals with measurable outcomes  A measurable outcome is a specific task that students can do that make it clear that they have accomplished the course goals.  "I want students to be able to interpret unfamiliar tectonic settings based on information on physiography, seismicity, and volcanic activity.”  "I want students to be able to understand plate tectonics.”  Which goal will be easier to assess?  A measurable outcome is a specific task that students can do that make it clear that they have accomplished the course goals.  "I want students to be able to interpret unfamiliar tectonic settings based on information on physiography, seismicity, and volcanic activity.”  "I want students to be able to understand plate tectonics.”  Which goal will be easier to assess?

Write concrete, not abstract goals / “I want students to appreciate the complexity of Earth systems.” / OK - but how will you tell if students “appreciate complexity” or not? / “I want students to appreciate the complexity of Earth systems.” / OK - but how will you tell if students “appreciate complexity” or not?

Goals and content unite to drive the design of a course / Example: Depth rather than breadth is a viable course design alternative / Rather than covering a little bit about all sedimentary environments, for example, a course can provide students with a deep experience in only a few environments, with the expectation that students will be able to take that deep experience and apply it to studying an unfamiliar sedimentary environment in the future. / Example: Depth rather than breadth is a viable course design alternative / Rather than covering a little bit about all sedimentary environments, for example, a course can provide students with a deep experience in only a few environments, with the expectation that students will be able to take that deep experience and apply it to studying an unfamiliar sedimentary environment in the future.

Student Learning / Research shows clearly that a student must be engaged to learn / People learn by actively participating in observing, speaking, writing, listening, thinking, drawing and doing. / Learning is enhanced when a person sees potential applications, implications, and benefits to others. / Learning build on current understanding, (including misconceptions). / Research shows clearly that a student must be engaged to learn / People learn by actively participating in observing, speaking, writing, listening, thinking, drawing and doing. / Learning is enhanced when a person sees potential applications, implications, and benefits to others. / Learning build on current understanding, (including misconceptions).

Effective teaching = Effective learning environments  Environments where students are actively participating and engaged with the material are crucial to student learning  A traditional lecture classroom focused on presentation of content by an instructor does not typically promote active participation and engagement  Environments where students are actively participating and engaged with the material are crucial to student learning  A traditional lecture classroom focused on presentation of content by an instructor does not typically promote active participation and engagement