Supporting the students in the task of learning (in lectures)

1. Supporting the students in the task of learning (in lectures) A. Determine a student’s prior knowledge the essential tasks of teaching B.Promote learningactivity C. Carry outcontinuous evaluation translated and adapted from a presentation by Asko Karjalainen

2. Activating the students… • Active learning means that • students conceptualise and produce knowledge • there is an emphasis on the development of skills rather than the transfer of knowledge • thought is stimulated through analysis, evauation and the construction of a holistic view • students participate in the teaching (reading, discussion, writing) • students are encouraged to monitor their own thoughts, values and attitudes • Activation can take place • intellectually (intelligence, understanding, thought) • experientially (emotion, experience, attitudes) • by doing (activity, practice)

3. Activating teaching methods… • The choice of teaching methods is influenced by • the aims and content of teaching • the level, habits and motivation of the students • the teacher’s willingness to experiment and experience of different teaching methods • the scientific content of the material to be taught • students are encouraged to monitor their own thoughts, values and attitudes • The opportunities for using different methods: resources, teaching material, equipment, the teaching space and time • The working methods can be classified according to two principles: • the group size • the means of interaction (verbal, visual, action-based, musical and dramatic expression)

4. Some techniques for activating the students during lecture courses…

5. Activating writing task • An activating writing task can be used as a stimulus at the start of the lecture. • Give a topic or question which the students write about or answer for about 10-15 minutes. • The writing task can help the students to orient themselves to the topic of the lecture. • The teacher also gains an idea of the understanding that students already have about the topic. (Olkkonen & Vanhala, p. 171)

6. Mid-lecture breaks I • Active listening can be enhanced by taking breaks during a lecture. • After, for example, the overall perspective has been introduced or important concepts defined, you can take a short break to give students a moment to reflect on what they have just heard. • Next, ask the students if they need further clarification of the matters that have been covered. • During the break, you have a chance to circulate in the classroom and observe the students’ notes. (www.tlc.eku.edu/tips)

7. Mid-lecture breaks II • To enhance active listening, take a short break (about 15 seconds) after asking a question before someone answers the question. • Tell the students that they mustn’t shout out the answer or raise their hands until the ”break” is over. • The break ”forces” the students to consider the question, rather than relying on those who generally answer to provide the answer. • After the break, elicit an answer from the students. (www.tlc.eku.edu/tips)

8. Repetition and summary of answer • Enhance active listening • When you ask the students something during the lecture, let one student answer, then ask another student to summarise or repeat the answer of the first student. (www.tlc.eku.edu/tips)

9. Cutting down writing in lectures I • Copy your OHTs as a handout (for example, four slides/transparencies to a page). • Give out the handout at the start of the lecture. • Leave space for students to make their own notes. • The following can be added to the handout: references, information that is needed during the course, practice tasks demanding reflection) (Kekäle, p. 25-27)

10. Cutting down writing in lectures II • Gap exercises or semi-notes • The handout covers the whole topic, but the most important parts are left blank. • Examples of gap exercises: • Give students the axes of a graph, but let the students draw the curves. • Give students a graph with the title and names of variables missing. • Leave some essential information out of a handout. • Leave blanks for essential information. • Give the (sub-)headings in advance, but leave space under them for students to add notes. • Give partly completed calculations which must be solved. (Kekäle, p. 25-27)

11. Cutting down writing in lectures III • Students can be given a “lecture skeleton” instead of a full handout of the lecture. • The skeleton contains only the essential elements of the lecture. • The skeleton notes are brief, focus on key words and central ideas. • Plan the skeleton so that it is not much use unless the students pay attention to the lecture and take notes. • The skeleton can also include assignments, which the students can complete at home or during the lecture. (Kekäle, p. 29)

12. Making notes in stages during the lecture • Start the class with a 15-minute lecture (approx.). • This lecture stage should be clear and well structured, and it should not deal with especially complex issues. • After this lecture stage, ask the students to make notes of the issues covered by, for example, writing, listing the main points or drawing diagrams. Allow about 5-10 minutes for this. • Before moving on to the next stage or theme, let the students complete, correct or check their notes by asking the teacher, discussing with their neighbour or checking the teacher’s OHTs. (Kekäle, p. 30)

13. Lecture-note check I • Reserve time at the end of the lecture for the students to go through their notes. • Independent work • Ask the students to read through their notes and recall the topics covered in the lecture. • Students should check that they have understood the ideas. • Encourage the students to write additional comments and use a highlighter pen to indicate the points which are still unclear. • The teacher can circulate and answer individual questions. • After a few minutes, ask the students to draw a line under their notes. • Under the line, the students then write down what additional work is still required to understand and master the ideas covered in the lecture (specific questions, checking certain parts with their peers, doing exercises, reading supplementary material). (Kekäle, p. 33-34)

14. Lecture-note check II • Students work in pairs (10 min.) • Ask the students to explain concisely the main ideas of the lecture to a partner. • Both students are given the same number of topics to be explained. • The students then clarify the topics from memory. • Reserve several minutes per theme. • The teacher gives a signal that the time is up, and the other student explains the next topic. • When the topics have been covered, ask the students to go through their notes and check what they had forgotten and what was still unclear. • Don’t forget to announce at the start of the lecture that the students are to explain the main ideas to each other at the end of the lecture. • You can also give the chance for students to go through their notes again before they explain them to each other. (Kekäle, p. 34-35)

15. Interview lecture • Before the lesson, students are instructed, for example, to reflect on the points from the previous lecture that were still unclear and to come up with questions. • Using these questions, the students can find out what they still need to know. • During the lecture, students pose questions to the teacher either orally or in written form, and answers are given on the spot. • This method requires that the teacher speaks only to answer questions. • If nobody asks anything, a deep silence reigns. (Olkkonen & Vanhala, s. 176- 177)

16. Lecture tutors • At the beginning of a lecture course, the teacher can ask for volunteer students to act as lecture tutors. • An info session is organised for the tutors, at which they are given their assignments. • Together with the lecture tutors, the teacher can plan the progress of the course and receive feedback about the comprehensibility of the lectures and the prior knowledge of the students. • The lecture tutors can also taking a guiding role in various course tasks. • This type of activity increases the responsibility of the students. (Olkkonen & Vanhala, p. 177)

17. References • Kekäle, J. 1994. Luento-opetuksen kehittäminen. Vähemmälläluennoimisella parempiin tuloksiin. Korkeakoulupedagogiikan perusmateriaali. Oulu. • Olkkonen, T & Vanhala, M. 1997. Akateeminen luento - kohtaavatko luennoitsija ja opiskelija? Oulun yliopiston opintotoimiston julkaisuja. Sarja A12. Oulu: Oulun yliopistopaino.