Achieving Your Pedagogical Objectives In Active Learning Classrooms

1. Achieving Your Pedagogical Objectives In Active Learning Classrooms Dr. Brett Couch Biology Program University of Minnesota

2. Outline • What are your pedagogical objectives? • Advantages and Challenges of Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Approaches to Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Tools and exercises to achieve your objectives

3. What Are Your Objectives? • Make a list of some of your teaching and student development objectives for a course you are teaching. Consider objectives for: • An individual class / lecture • For a series classes / lectures • For an entire course The Thinker -Auguste Rodin http://commons.wikimedia.org

4. What Are Your Objectives? • Problem solving • Critical evaluation of reading and sources • Debate - development of argument - role playing - organization - consolidate discussion • have students see relevance of reading - case studies, news articles, data • Teamwork / group work skills • Engagement - across levels - activity, discussion, lecture, class • Leadership

5. Outline • What are your pedagogical objectives? • Advantages and Challenges of Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Approaches to Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Tools and exercises to achieve your objectives

6. Advantages and Challenges • Students are already in groups • Well designed for small group interaction • Technology rich • Student use / misuse of technology • Easy to move around • No “back of the classroom”

7. Advantages and Challenges • The room lacks a clear focal point. • Student microphones • Environment can be distracting to students

8. Outline • What are your pedagogical objectives? • Advantages and Challenges of Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Approaches to Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Tools and exercises to achieve your objectives

9. Approaches to Teaching: Student Groups • Students are already in groups • Exercises and assignments should promote group interaction • Give students models or characteristics of effective groups • Attach importance to class tasks through exams • Have focused work time to complete a defined task to • Peer evaluation

10. Approaches to Teaching: Technology • Challenging to get students to use computers and white boards in an effective way. • Integrate exercises into lectures that “train” students to use resources • Require students to set up computers at the beginning of every class

11. Warm-Up Photosynthesis: “The process whereby light energy is captured by plant, algal, or cyanobacterial cells and used to synthesize organic molecules from CO2 and H2O (or H2S)”. How is light energy captured by plants and converted to chemical energy?

12. In Your Groups, Label The TEMs Of Chloroplasts Thylakoid Lumen Thylakoids Outer and Inner Membranes Intermembrane space Granum Stroma University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

13. In your groups, diagram and discuss Calvin’s experiment using the white boards

14. Approaches to Teaching: Focal Point • The room lacks a clear focal point • Have defined method for getting class attention • Create a focal point and a cue for getting class attention. • Instructor needs to move

15. Approaches to Teaching: Microphones • Student microphones • Have students stand up or put up a hand. • Have students indicate their table number.

16. Approaches to Teaching: Microphones • Student microphones • Have students stand up or put up a hand. • Have students indicate their table number.

17. Approaches To Teaching: Student Distraction • Provide students with lecture outlines with spaces for notes • encourage structured note-taking • Post slides before class • Students can make notes on slides. • Attach importance to in-class tasks • Incorporate active note-taking and discussion during class http://www.destination360.com

18. Outline • What are your pedagogical objectives? • Advantages and Challenges of Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Approaches to Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Tools and exercises to achieve your objectives

19. Tools and Exercises • In groups of 2-3 pick one of your teaching objectives. Create an exercise or activity to achieve the objective taking advantage of the resources in 64 Biosciences. http://commons.wikimedia.org

20. Tools and Exercises • Debate - how to divide groups - each table has a role - two representatives from each table move to another • How to consolidate discussion? • Take poll before and after discussion

21. Tools and Exercises • Use white board - concept map of a problem - one group member draws problem with help of group - switch roles - draw solutions - • Each table part of a signal transduction cascade - need to know what you do to another table, know what is done to you • Cheat time - look at other group’s solution • -Candy - as a reward • Case studies - each group member assigned to a different aspect of case / opinion • Have groups work on related but not identical case studies • Consolidation of opinions by polling groups

22. Outline • What are your pedagogical objectives? • Advantages and Challenges of Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Approaches to Teaching in 64 Biosciences • Tools and exercises to achieve your objectives

23. Thanks To….. • Deena Wassenberg (Biology Program) • Melissa Palmer (Biology Program) • Rob Brooker (GCD) • Stu Goldstein (GCD) • Rogene Schnell (CBS) • David J Langley (CTL) • Christina Petersen (CTL) • Jeff Lindgren (CTL) • Jane O'Brien (CTL) • Paul Ching (CTL)