What is a Community of Practice?

Sharpen Your Teaching by Sharing Ideas:How to Start a Community of PracticePaula YoungLisa MoralesMount San Antonio College

What is a Community of Practice? A group of people who share a profession. The idea behind a community of practice is that learning occurs in social contexts that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact with each other as they work towards those goals.

The Basics 2 days (Fri/Sat); 8:30am-4:00pm Approximately 35 full time and part time faculty Light breakfast and lunch provided

Funding • Faculty were paid at the hourly rate (or offered professional growth hours) for attendance. • Funded through BSSOT. • Coordinators (2) paid hourly for preparation time (75 hours each).

Topics Covered • Cognitive domain and Habits of Mind • Homework • Group Work • Assessment • Affective Domain and Growth Mindset • Active Learning • Joint Session with English (Creating Student-Ready Classrooms)

What do we think worked? • Time for partner, small group, and at-large discussions • Rotating groups • Goal setting (with writing exercises) • Modeling strategies to use in the classroom • Participants were engaged through activities

Thoughts for next time… • Less topics, more detail. • If possible, provide more time for discussion. • Coffee after lunch. • Securing a funding source.

Sample Session on Active Learning

Engaging Students using Active Learning Strategies

Warm Up What is your biggest takeaway from Day 1? Write on a post it and place it on the poster under the category that it best fits.

“We call on institutions of higher education, mathematics departments and the mathematics faculty, public policy-makers, and funding agencies to invest time and resources to ensure that effective active learning is incorporated into post-secondary mathematics classrooms.” Signed by the President of AMATYC, AMS, AMTE, ASA, ASSM, AWM, BBA IMS, MAA, NAM, NCSM, NCTM, SIAM, TODOS

* Many variables affect learning and retention, so categories and percentages may shift a bit depending on the leaning context. But the basic distinction between passive learning and active learning stands without question.

What is Active Learning? Active learning is providing students with opportunities to actively engage with content during their classes leads to positive learning outcomes.

Why should we use Active Learning? Active learning helps students to ascend Bloom’s Taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge from remembering and understanding to analyzing and creating.

Impact on Equity Active learning is also commonly associated with inclusive teaching. It has been empirically shown to decrease the achievement gap for underrepresented minorities and first generation college students, particularly in STEM fields; to reach “a diversity of students”; and to build “higher- order thinking skills” across engaged student populations. (Handelsman, et. al, 2007)

Impact on Classroom Environment Active learning can help improve class climate by promoting interconnections between students, which can enhance the sense of belonging and motivation for marginalized students and those with differing levels of academic preparation.

Impact on Attention Bunce, D., Flens, E., Neiles, K (2010) • Researchers gave students in 3 different chemistry courses clickers to indicate lapses in attention with different buttons for lapses less than a minute, 2-3 minutes, or longer. • Findings: • Most lapses were under a minute • Lapses were more frequent than the prevailing theory of a “15 minute attention span” • Pattern: Lapses at 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 7-9 minutes, 9-10 minutes… • “Waxing-waning pattern” continued throughout the lecture with attention lapses more frequent as the lecture went on • Instructors who employed active learning, or “student-centered” pedagogies reported fewer lapses in attention during “questioning” and in the lecture portion immediately following “questioning.” • “This last finding,” they conclude, “suggests that active learning methods may have ‘dual benefits’: engaging student attention during a segment and refreshing attention immediately after a segment.”

Technology in the Classroom • Commonly referred to as the Net Generation, today’s traditional aged college students spend several hours each day using their smart phones, iPads, and laptops. • Some scholars initially believed that the Net Generation would use technology for academic betterment. • Instead, research has shown college students frequently use mobile technology for off-task purposes while attending classroom lectures or doing schoolwork outside of class—a phenomenon known as cyber-slacking.

Ways to Curb Cyber Slacking • adopting and enforcing technology policies • motivating students to relinquish their devices • teaching students to be self-regulated learners • incorporating active learning in the classroom • using mobile technology as a teaching tool

Poll: Plickers Which do you believe is the most compelling reason to use active learning in your classroom? A. It helps engage diverse student populations. B. It helps students deepen their knowledge. C. It helps students stay attentive and avoid cyber slacking. D. It can help promote a sense of belonging in the classroom.

Active Learning on the Teaching Spectrum Many faculty view the use of either active learning or lecture as an exclusive choice with two diametrically opposed options, yet nothing could be farther from the truth. Marrongelle and Rasmussen have described a spectrum of teaching that ranges from “all telling” to “all student discovery.”

“All student discovery” “All telling” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Without speaking, take a minute to think about where your classes fall on this spectrum and where would you like to be.

“All student discovery” “All telling” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Now, get up and pair up with someone in a different group and discuss your responses.

“All student discovery” “All telling” 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Is there a volunteer to share your response?

“All student discovery” “All telling” How many times have you told students not to do this…. only to grade dozens of exams with this mistake? This kind of experience, which happens all too often, suggests that it is not enough for students only to be told information if we want to produce deep and meaningful learning.

“All student discovery” “All telling” • Examples of active learning we have modeled that can be incorporated into an “all telling” class: • Retrieval • Polling • Think-Pair-Share (with movement) • https://www.mtsac.edu/titlev/toolkits/

“All student discovery” “All telling” • “But I don’t have enough time!” • If you find yourself in the middle of the spectrum but feeling you don’t have enough time, here are a few ideas that can be incorporated to make more time active learning: • Flipped Classroom • Blended Classroom • Teaching a corequisite course • Using pre-printed notes

“All student discovery” “All telling” “Brains on” activities

“All student discovery” “All telling” Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) • Inquiry-based learning uses questions, problems, and scenarios to help students learn and investigate to discover the knowledge on their own instead of just presenting the facts. • Controlled inquiry - Vital questions are given to the students to make their own findings. The questions are structured to provide a proper framework through which the student will gain a concrete understanding of the subject matter. Research materials are carefully selected to provide sufficient and relevant information for the students. • Example: Statway

Conclusion on Active Learning • It helps students deepen their knowledge. • It helps engage diverse student populations and promote a sense of belonging. • It keeps students attention and helps deter cyber slacking. • It is NOT just being interactive or encouraging “thinking hard.” • There is a spectrum of teaching and you can use active learning strategies no matter where you are in the spectrum. • It is important for students to have a sense of completion/closure after an active learning activity.

Table Discussion and Reflection Questions • What does “active learning” mean to you? • Are you likely to use “active learning” strategies in your classrooms? • How can you overcome barriers to using “active learning” strategies in your classroom?

Individual Reflection on Active Learning Now that we’re at the end of the session, what idea on active learning are you open to trying in your classroom next semester? Write it down on the blue paper. [Whole group share out]

Next Steps for Community of Practice • Community of Practice Lite - We will host a monthly meeting before each department meeting where we discuss what’s working and what’s not working. • We will be sharing data from surveys and best practice summaries collected from CoP at department meeting. • We posted a collection of active learning activities and engaging assignments that were created during the CoP.

Thank you for attending!Happy Teaching! pyoung@mtsac.edu or lmorales73@mtsac.edu

What is a Community of Practice?