1. Learning Styles, Active Learning, Generic Abilities: Strategies for Success
Education Section Faculty Development Workshop
Stephanie P. Kelly PT, PhD
May 16-19th, 2013
Indianapolis, IN

2. My Academic Story 1996 PTA Faculty and ACCE 2000 PT Faculty and ACCE
2001 Started on PhD
2008 Completed PhD
2009 Interim Dean
2011 Dean, College of Health Sciences (KSPT, SOT)

3. Learning Objectives After the session, participants will be able to:
1. Value the use of active learning strategies when teaching.
2. Identify different learning styles and how these impact learning.
3. Develop a variety of strategies for teaching physical therapy content that actively involves the learner and accommodates a variety of learning styles.
4. Integrate development of affective behaviors into classroom activities.

4. “Beginning with the End in Mind…”
Draw a picture or symbol that represents a characteristic or quality that should be present in an entry-level PT/PTA…
Pike and Solem 1997
Refer to chart of generic abilities
How do we teach those?

5. Affective Behaviors / Professional Behaviors for PTs
See attached document
Do our students have all of these behaviors went they enter the classroom?
Can they be taught? Can they be developed?

6. Characteristics of Adult Learners
Self-directed, not dependent on others for direction
Accepts responsibility for learning
Seeks education that is relevant; addresses perceived problems and needs
Prefer learner-centered approach; teacher as a ‘guide-on-the side.’

7. How do they learn?
PT students preferred deep or strategic approaches to learning over surface approaches to learning. Sellheim 2003
Students learned key concepts in PT through an active, experiential approach to learning -- use of discussion, use of visualization, use of experience. Graham 1990

8. Learning Styles
Individuals have preferences for how they prefer to take in and process information
May vary based on situation
May change over time
Variety of means of categorizing
Visual / Auditory / Kinesthetic or Tactile
Active / Reflective
Sequential / Global
Experience (feeling)/Conceptualize (thinking)
Experiment (doing) / Reflect (watching)

11. THINK, PAIR, SHARE
Consider how you would most commonly teach these activities. What learning style does that method best match? How you might teach it differently?
Think individually (1-2 minutes)
Share an idea with a partner /small group (3-4 min)
Share key points with larger group (3-4 min)
Silberman 1996 “The Power of Two”
Gait training
Reimbursement

12. Teaching Styles and PT Students
Preferred active experimentation more than other disciplines (Hauer et al 2005)
Performed better on collaborative projects when paired with opposite learning style (Sandmire and Boyce 2004)
Preferred instructional activities that involved learning by doing and that were highly structured and organized (Olson and Scanlan 2002)

13. Teaching Styles & Learning Styles
The learning experiences used by the teacher influenced the learning approach selected by the student (Sellheim 2003)
Surface approach: lack of relevance, assessment focused on recall, passive teaching, curricular overload
Deep approach: awareness of relevance, interactive learning, time to reflect / share, connections between past learning and new knowledge, assessment focused on reflection and clinical reasoning

14. Learning in the Brain
Learning is a change in neural networks in the brain
Stronger when connected with existing networks
Stronger when neurons are fired more frequently

15. Characteristics of Adult Learners
Self-directed, not dependent on others for direction
Accepts responsibility for learning
Seeks education that is relevant; addresses perceived problems and needs
Prefer learner-centered approach; teacher as a ‘guide-on-the side.’

16. Active Learning
When participants do most of the work….and acquire knowledge and skills rather than merely receive them (Silberman)
Anything students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor’s lecture (Paulson & Faust)
Involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing (Bonwell)

17. Active Learning Leads to…
Silberman discusses use of visuals as an adjunct to presentations as they are processed with very little effort and are retained better than words / spoken or written
Increased problem solving, increased motivation, change in attitude, increased retention. Have to be engaged in the process, have choices and input, understand purpose of the activity.

18. Perceived Barriers to Active Learning?
Cannot cover as much content
Devising active learning strategies takes too much time
Large class sizes prevent implementation
Self-perception as a good lecturer
Lack of materials or equipment
Student resistance
Need foundational material first

19. Active Learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
Study compared two sections of a physiology course: one lecture and one group discussion / active learning model
Students in an active learning section of physiology scored better on the written test; however, perceived they learned less and that the instructor was less effective Lake, 2001
What generic abilities were addressed in addition to course content?

20. Active Learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
Study compared 2 cohorts; each were taught specific content area in cardio using traditional lecture vs on-line with in-class discussion.
Student performance on written exam was higher with content taught via on-line/discussion method; especially at the higher cognitive domains
Bayliss, Warden 2011

21. Active learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
Students learning medical screening and patient referral scored higher on a written test, reported higher self confidence and were more satisfied with their educational experience when participating in a student/faculty role playing session than those in a traditional lecture session. Boissonnault 2006
What generic abilities were addressed in addition to course content?

22. Active Learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
Service learning was used to teach competencies related to health promotion and wellness
Performed musculoskeletal screenings at a local high school
Students perceived an increase in knowledge of MS concepts and understanding of HP and Wellness
Brown and Wise, 2007

23. Active learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
A hybrid computer-assisted instruction format for teaching physical agents resulted in similar learning outcomes as a traditional model. Course evaluations via focus group yielded more positive view of the hybrid course.
Adams, 2013

24. Active Learning: Evidence in Physical Therapy
Students reviewing content from an entire curriculum participated in a modified jigsaw session.
Student participating in the jigsaw review scored significantly higher on content quizzes than after independent study
Student feedback was positive
Wong CK and Driscoll M (2007)

26. TIPS FOR USE: Get students active from the start
Don’t overload students -- maybe try a new technique once a week
Opening and/or wrap-up activities are a good place to start
Provide clear instructions and a wrap-up that make the relevance explicit
Consider learning styles and generic abilities to give you ideas

27. Learning Objectives Participants should now be able to:
1. Value the use of active learning strategies when teaching.
2. Identify different learning styles and how these impact learning.
3. Develop a variety of strategies for teaching physical therapy content that actively involves the learner and accommodates a variety of learning styles.
4. Integrate development of affective behaviors into classroom activities.