teachIT - ACTIVATE STUDENTS IN LARGE CLASSES

1. teachIT - ACTIVATE STUDENTS IN LARGE CLASSES May 21 2010 Annelise Agertoft & Rune Koldborg Jensen, Interaction & Learning Unit Claus Brabrand, Ass. Professor, PLS IT UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN www.itu.dk

2. programme • teachIT • Presentation of the participants & facilitators • Presentation of ILU • 3 methods that can be used in auditoriums without the use of technology • Clickers • Ongoing meta reflections

3. participants • Pernille Bjørn, Technologies in Practice

4. links • The Interaction & Learning Unit wiki http://tiny.cc/ILU • ILU’s ideas for Active lectures: http://itucph.onconfluence.com/display/ILU/Teaching+and+Learning+Activities • 25 ideas for smal group interaction in large classes (The University of Queensland, Australia ): http://www.tedi.uq.edu.au/largeclasses/popups/resource2.html • The AUTC project: Teaching Large Classes http://www.tedi.uq.edu.au/LargeClasses/. The University of Queensland, Australia

5. programme • teachIT • Presentation of the participants & facilitators • Presentation of ILU • 3 methods that can be used in audatoriums without the use of technology • Clickers • Ongoing meta reflections

6. Whyinteractivity in large classes? • We learn • 10% What we READ • 20% What we HEAR • 30% What we SEE • 50% What we SEE and HEAR • 70% What we DISCUSSED with OTHERS • 80% What we EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY • 95% What we TEACH TO SOMEONE ELSE • (William Glasser)

7. 2 perspectives

8. Models - structure

9. Think-pair

10. Think-pair-energizer • Required time for the exercise: 7 minutes • Expected outcome: • going from transfer of knowledge > social construction of analysis • applying perspectives on a case • more energy • new relations between students • Evaluation: teacher cannot evaluate students’ reflections. But the method implies a light form of peer to peer assessment in the exchange of arguments.

11. frame • This method is adequate for more or less complex open academic “problems” for which there is no exact right or wrong answer.

12. Constructed case problem • At ITU many teachers experience that classes consists of students with quite different backgrounds and competences. Students come with different kinds of bachelor degrees, some students are at a higher academic level than others, some students have more job experience than others, there is a mixed cultural background…

13. Method • Question: Are mixed student profiles a problem or an asset in large classes? • Write down your own perspectives on this issue (1 minute) • Stand up • Turn around to the row behind you (if possible: take a few steps around the room) • Meet at peer student • Tell your fellow student about your perspective (1 minute) • Now it’s the other way around (1 minute) • Tell each other why you think his/her perspective could be useful/not so useful (2 minutes)

14. + if time allows: • Ask one couple which perspectives they discussed (1-2 minute). Pick a couple that normally does not put up their hand. • Use their answer and reflections to elaborate further on the issue in your lecturing.

15. Reflection on transfer to your own practice: (3 minutes) • Form groups of 4 • Exchange ideas on how this method (the think pair energizer) could be improved in your own classes. • Be concrete

16. Quickgroup problem solving

17. Quickgroup problem solving • Required time for the exercise: 15 minutes • Expected outcome: • Students are all active constructors (solutions are not served by the teacher) • Students find their own solutions by reflecting on the case and combining with what they have learned • Students present solutions and are coached to further reflection by the teacher (or other students)

18. Types of problems to besolved • Draw a diagram • Draw a flow chart • Create a matrix • Create a list • Outline the content of an elevator speech about your project … • Any kind of problem that can be more or less solved (sketched) in 5-6 minutes • The point is not right/wrong answers but active work that enhances reflection

19. frame • Ask students to form groups of 3 • Tell students that one group will be asked to present its solution (in this exercise the groups don’t know in advance which group will be asked to present their solution so all will work intensely). • All groups can reflect on their own solutions based on the presentation by another group • All groups can reflect what their own answers might have been to the teacher’s open questions.

20. method • Form a group of 3 where you are sitting • Problem solving task: Create a list of which kind of data you might need in order to form student exercise groups that are either homogenous or heterogenous. • In the exercise the students will need to produce a visual model of some kind and argue for it oraly • Work for 5 minutes in the groups (more if you have the time) • One group comes to the board • Group presents their solution on the board (illustrations are more than welcome to stimulate visual learning strategies) • Teacher asks open questions to the group (don’t tell them what is right or wrong)

21. Openquestions to the group • Ask open questions that call for reflection, such as: • Why did you choose to…? • In which way are your findings useful? • Did you leave anything out? Why? • Which could be the next steps for your group if you had more time to elaborate? • How would you get/seek more information? • Which would be your success criteria?

22. Reflection on transfer to your own practice: (3 minutes) • Form pairs • Exchange ideas on how this method (the quick problem group solving) could be improved in your own classes • Be concrete

23. Buzzgroups and feedback

24. Expected outcome • From a student point of view: externalisation of tacit knowledge > prolonging duration of recording learning points. • From a teacher point of view: informal assessment of class’ learning. Input to issues that must be covered (further). • From a pedagogical point of view: activate reflection in students about own (lack of) learning. • Required time: 10 minutes

25. method • Form groups of 3 (other groups than before) • Ask each other: • Which were the useful learning points from today so far? • What are you not sure about yet (concerning how to activate large classes)? • What would you like to be covered (again) in the next lecture(/teachIT regarding large classes)? • Choose one person to give feedback to the plenary • Plenary: • Ask some groups what their group learned and what they would like to be covered in another lecture/teachIT (about large classes).

26. Idea mind maparound the table • If times allows at teachIT

27. Expectedoutcome • to register ideas • to build on others' associations • to appeal to visual learning style • Instead of writing words in the mind map you could ask them to make simple illustrations • This method takes between 12-20 minutes

28. Idea Mind map “around the table” • Form groups of up to 4 students. Each group sits around a table/or 2 students from a group with 2 students from the row behind •  Provide each student with a big sheet of paper (A3) and his personal pen (1 person = 1 colour) • Everybody will write the same word in the middle of the paper: the word that represents a challenge to which solutions are needed or a concept that needs to be unfolded •  Each student begins to write ideas/solutions in the form of a mind map (words or illustrations) •  After 3 minutes everybody will pass on their sheet to the person sitting to the left •  Everybody will continue writing on the new mind map •  After 3 minutes everybody will pass on their sheet to the person sitting to the left •  This goes on until everybody has contributed on all sheets •  Everybody will now take turns reading & presenting their sheet (only read if lack of time) •  Then there will be a discussion about the findings •  In case it gives meaning, all groups can now present their findings in plenum, summing up the central findings of the group

29. Fishbowl • This method is good for discussing a topic. But you need some floor space. Time consumption: at least 5 + 5 minutes. • Form groups of 4-6 (standing up) • A second meta group (same number) observes the inner discussion and records either: • One specific student’s contribution (and gives feedback to him/her) • The most important parts of the discussion (and gives the group feedback on: identification of issues, on particularly interesting aspects, on aspects that could have been explored

30. Expectedoutcome • The strength of this method is: • the mutual construction of perspectives on a topic • the double meta reflections that emerge • the focused attention on what is actually being said

31. Methodtrial • Form 2 groups • Split up in a innner circle and a meta circle around it (facing the back of the inner circle) – bring pen & post it block • Inner circle discusses best ways of sharing knowledge about how to teach large classes • Meta circle observes and records: identification of issues, particularly interesting aspects, aspects that could have been explored • Meta group gives feedback to inner circle (identification of issues, on particularly interesting aspects, on aspects that could have been explored)

32. clickers • Clickers are an interactive voting system • Invented by Eric Mazur (science of physics, Harvard) • The clicker devices communicate with teacher’s computer via a hub

33. Clickers – practical info • ITU has 2 x 32 Activote clickers (all 64 can be used together) • They can be booked by sending an e-mail to ilu@ilu.dk. When you book them and return them you need to fill in a form. • Support at ilu@ilu.dk • We are still in the experimental phase. • If you have a mac and you want to use power point for clickers you can borrow a windows pc at ilu@ilu.dk • Read more about clickers here http://itucph.onconfluence.com/display/ILU/Activities+during+the+lecture

34. Clickerprogramme • Introduction • Video • Trial – default answer categories • Installation of software • Formulate your own test – defalt answer categories • Formulate your own test - Trial – free choice of answer categories • Experience from practice (Claus)

35. Answers to FAQ • Experience shows that the second voting is always more correct. • Research confirms that students will not automatically vote the same as the “role model” students. They will correct their vote based on discussion and reflection. • According to research, students make better results at the final assessment. • Additionally this method is highly motivating and good fun • But experience must show how clickers can be used where there is no exact answer – You will figure it out – and share your experience with ILU!

36. activate students in large class lecturing – in particular when teaching declarative knowledge (knowing about things/knowing what) create peer instruction situations assess students’ learning Expected outcome of clicker use

37. method • Before the lecture, the lecturer will prepare a multiple choice test. There may be between 3-10 questions during a two hour lecture, each question with 2-6 possible answers. • Each student is provided with a clicker • For every 15 minutes of lecturing the lecturer will present a test on the board (or another interval). • First, all students will respond individually by choosing a button on the clicker. • On the board a statistic is generated of all answers displaying how many students answered what • In pairs the students will compare own answers and discuss which answer might actually be correct. • After a couple of minutes with this peer reflection activity a new voting is generated.

38. Trialwith Rune

39. Summing up • Reflection round: name 1 idea/point that you will bring into your own teaching • Send e-mail to Annelise Agertoft, ILU at anag@itu.dk with your own suggestions for themes at teachIT workshops.