Tag: engagement

Pedagogy, TLT

Pedagogy Pointer: How to write your own PBL problems

Mendi Benigni

Problem-based Learning

“Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which complex real-world problems are used as the vehicle to promote student learning of concepts and principles as opposed to direct presentation of facts and concepts.” (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)  If you’re not familiar with the term, the goal of PBL is to encourage interdisciplinary thinking, collaborative learning, ethical and quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking all while working on authentic, relevant and real issues.

Regardless of the type of PBL you want to use in your teaching, it all relies on the “problem” that will be resolved.  Therefore, learning to write a good problem is critical to the success of PBL.

Use existing problems

You can find existing problems on the internet or maybe even on your textbook site.  The University of Delaware Institute for Transforming University Education has a PBL problem database that is free to use as well.

Write your own

Writing your own problems ensures that the problems and questions align with your course learning outcomes.  Therefore, before setting out to write a problem the first step is to make sure you have written your learning outcomes.

STEP 1: Write your learning outcomes for the PBL assignment.

STEP 2: Write a “hook.”  This is a story or statement that draws the students into the problem and makes them want to find a solution.

STEP 3: Use the rubric below to help you craft a fully engaging problem.

STEP 4: Review the problem, to ensure it has enough complexity to support group work.

STEP 5:  Make sure it encourage solutions that may: require a decision or recommendation; be open-ended or depend on assumptions.

Rubric
rubric provided by the University of Delaware.

REMEMBER…

The PBL activity is based on a problem.

Write the problem and the corresponding questions that will lead the students to demonstrate that they understand and can achieve the learning outcomes.

questions
Assessment, Best Practices, Pedagogy

Pedagogy Pointer – What DO your students know?

Mendi Benigni

Research from as far back as the 1980s, and maybe earlier, shows that learning is enhanced and extended if students access prior knowledge before they learn something new.  This give them a frame of reference, or “hook,” on which to hang their new learning (Harvey F. Silver and Matthew J. Perini) thus making recall and understanding easier.  

But how do you know what their prior knowledge is and how can you get them to access it?

ask the

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…

1First, it’s important to note that the prior knowledge may NOT have to be in the new knowledge domain.  For instance, I may have a breadth of knowledge in various software application but may have no prior knowledge of digital photo editing.  However, when learning Photoshop, my prior software understanding will not only speed up my learning of Photoshop, it will help what I do learn stick, because I can relate it back to what I already know.

2Second, you may be able to rely on their life skills, upbringing, or culture to frame new topics.

3Third, think about asking them to recall declarative (facts/meanings) and procedural (problem solving) knowledge.

4Fourth, try to use high-level orienting questions when possible.  Osman & Hannafin state,

“Explicit orienting questions focus learner processes on

question-specific information-often to the detriment

of higher level knowledge and skills such as problem

solving (Hannafin & Hughes, 1986).
High-level orienting questions, in contrast, require

that to-be-learned lesson content be integrated rather

than simply filtered. They imply relationships to be established,

dilemmas to be faced, and problems to be

solved rather than isolating explicitly which information

to process. “

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Model of Prior Knowledge
The model of prior knowledge (Copyright 2007. Hailikari, Nevgi & Lindblom-Ylanne)

Quiz/Questionnaire

Create a quiz.  Questions should be a combination of declarative and procedural knowledge.  You can add a mix of questions encompassing what they should know from previous classes, plus a few questions that they should know at the end of the upcoming module/topic/concept.

  • This quiz will NOT be graded.
  • It can give you a sense of what the students know at the outset and what procedures they can apply.
  • You can use the quiz data to help sculpt your teaching.
  • Students can recall material they should hopefully know.

Group work

Problem or Case

Ask the students, in a group, to try to solve a problem or case study that you would normally give them AFTER they have learned the material.  This will require them to all work together to attempt to formulate a solution.  After they read and review the lectures, etc. they can get together in the group to try the same case study or problem again.

Concept Map

Ask the students to brainstorm a concept map with all of the concepts they can think of that relate to the upcoming topic/concept.  Not only do they have to try to recall what may work but they also have to think about how these items connect to one another.

Think About When

You can do these queries at the beginning of the semester or right before each new module or concept. It’s up to you to decide what method works best for your material.

 

TIPS

  1. Explain WHY you are doing this.  Tell them the theories of prior knowledge and learning and that this is to help them.  This is an important step so don’t skip it.
  2. When possible, allow them to work in groups or pairs.
  3. Focus on allowing them to see their knowledge in terms of the practical world, not just in regurgitating information but using it to solve problems.

RESOURCES:

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., Lovett, M. C., DiPietro, M., Norman, M. K., Stephens, C., & Audio, T. (2019). How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Tantor Audio.

Beier, M. E., & Ackerman, P. L. (2005). Age, Ability, and the Role of Prior Knowledge on the Acquisition of New Domain Knowledge: Promising Results in a Real-World Learning Environment. Psychology and Aging, 20(2), 341–355. https://doi-org.nuncio.cofc.edu/10.1037/0882-7974.20.2.341

Hailikari, T., Katajavuori, N., & Lindblom-Ylanne, S. (2008). The relevance of prior knowledge in learning and instructional design. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 72(5), 113. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj7205113

Osman, M., & Hannafin, M. (1994). Effects of Advance Questioning and Prior Knowledge on Science Learning. The Journal of Educational Research, 88(1), 5-13. Retrieved June 8, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27541949

Silver, H. F., & Perini, M. J. (2010). The Interactive Lecture: How to Engage Students, Build Memory, and Deepen Comprehension (A Strategic Teacher PLC Guide) (Strategic Teacher PLC Guides) (Pap/Pstr ed.). ASCD.

Online Teaching Tips
Uncategorized

Create a Class Policy to Set Expectations

Mendi Benigni

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Many faculty are experiencing difficulties with students not being engaged in their online classes.  Regardless of how many activities they incorporate into their teaching, students are not listening and won’t turn on their cameras.  In asynchronous classes, students aren’t logging into the class regularly and are constantly asking for extended deadlines and special treatment.

A possible way to alleviate this behaviour is to be sure the everyone, faculty and students, have the same expectations.  For example, a student may attend a synchronous class while driving and think they’re doing the right thing because they are attending class.  The faculty member, however, may see this as ridiculous because it’s dangerous, the student can’t participate in the activities, and can’t take notes during lecture.  These types of disconnects cause frustration as the semester progresses.

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keyCreate a Class Policy

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A class policy is a document created by you and your students that contains the expectations, procedures, and consequences for the class.  A class policy can make your students more self-directed, self-motivated, self-aware, and self-disciplined.
 

However, I don’t recommend you create the entire thing on your own.

The system you develop for your classes might make perfect sense to you, but you can’t assume that it will make sense to your students. So it’s best if you make part of the policy (the non-negotiable part) but then work with your students to create the rest. 

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What Should Be Included in a Class Policy?

1For your part, think about all the things that haven’t been working in past online classes. 

  • Where are/were your misunderstandings with students? 
  • What frustrates you most about classroom management or your students? 
  • Where do you think you are becoming a babysitter for your students?
  • How do you define an engaged and participatory student?

These types of questions will get you started.

 
2Think about your categories that you want in your policy.
For example, web cam use, cell phone policy, attendance, class participation and interaction.  There are more listed below in the Sample Questions section.

3Create a template document.

  1. In this document, write up the policies that are non-negotiable (for example: attendance policy or no-late assignments)
  2. Then put the categories in that the class as a whole will create.

4On the first day of class, create this document

  1. I would recommend using small group work using Breakout rooms in Zoom if it’s a synchronous class and Group Discussion board if it’s an asynchronous class.
  2. Discuss it as a class if possible and you write up the final doc.
  3. Have one final vote on the document and have all students sign it and turn it in to an OAKS Assignment/Dropbox.  This gives some accountability.

5As the class progresses, if things start to falter, bring up the policy and discuss it with the class.  Remind them they agreed to it and signed it.  Reinforce it by discussing it throughout the semester.

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Sample Questions:

 

  • What are your expectations for class discussion (synch/asynch)?
  • Would you like students to turn off their mobile phones in the classroom? What is your attendance policy?
  • How do you want students to address you?
  • How should they structure an email that they write to you?
  • What file formats are acceptable for assignments?
  • If you are teaching online, how do you want students to communicate with you and each other? 
  • How can students take responsibility for their learning and what does that even mean?
  • How can student come to class prepared and what does that mean?
  • What constitutes “attending class?”  (ex. Is being in the car acceptable?)

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Great Resource

I found this resource on Classroom Management by Lisa Rodriguez, Ph.D. where she create a table of classroom issues and possible solutions.  Read this before creating your class policy to give you some great ideas.

Issue

Solution

1. Undermining the instructor’s authority

This is tricky as it speaks to “attitude.” A student might belittle the instructor or engage in a battle of the wills. This student would need to be privately told that their attitude was confrontational and asked how this might be resolved mutually.

“Be careful not to read most questions about content, interpretation, or assignments as a challenge of authority. Acting as it they are not, even when you suspect they are, can convey a sense of confidence and control. Sometimes merely assuring the student, while smiling, that you have indeed reflected on this issue at length and that they too will understand soon why the information or the assignment is valuable diffuses the situation. You may even want to encourage them to ask the question again at a later date if necessary.”

2. Leaving class too frequently

 Camps are divided as to whether or not students should ask for permission to leave for bathroom breaks or wait for a break in the class. I don’t require my students to limit their bathroom breaks or ask permission, however, this is contentious for some faculty when breaks are taken too frequently. You might privately ask the student if everything is OK so that they know that you are concerned by their behavior. Don’t assume disrespect – it might be a bladder infection or some other physical problem.
3. “Spacing Out” or Sitting With Back to Instructor If this is a repeated problem, students need to know that their non-verbal behavior is perceived as disinterest. You might ask them after class if they need a more comfortable seat. Some students are extremely shy and it might take half of the semester before they open up enough to make sustained eye contact or face the instructor completely. Remember also that sustained eye contact is a culturally dictated practice that might not be feasible for some students.
4. Poor hygiene (possible cultural considerations) Poor hygiene, too much perfume, cigarette odor or other strong odors can be distracting or even nauseating to students. The cause for the odor might be culturally based in bathing preferences between cultures. This can be a real problem for some faculty while others will never encounter the dilemma. I suggest letting the offending student know that in close quarters, some students have issues with strong smell. It might be suggested that for the course (not their outside of class lives) that the odor be masked in some way.
5. Verbal or physical threats

Verbal or physical threats are serious matters. They are discussed in detail by experts in the field in “Handling Crisis.”

As a general rule consult professional experts for assistance immediately.
6. Gum, Food, Pagers, and Cell Phone Disruption If decided upon by class, consequences for breaking this policy might range from the loss of participation points to the offender having to present on a topic of interest to the class. Some instructors allow pagers and cells to be on the vibrate setting as long as they are attended to at the break rather than used when it interrupts the class. Instructors need to abide by this rule as well and allow for at least one mistake per student as accidents do happen from oversight. The idea here is to prevent habitual disruption from gum popping and phones ringing.
7. Monopolizing Discussions This is common but manageable. Many students are excited and talkative so it might be good to give them a few class periods to settle in. However, if it’s evident right away that this is a trend, it’s best to ask them to stay after class. You might approach them initially by saying that you are pleased with the amount of enthusiasm they have for discussion but were hoping that they have suggestions for getting the other class members equally involved. The student will most likely get your drift with minimal humiliation.
8. Sleeping in class

Sleeping in class is usually considered rude. Most faculty believe it should not be tolerated and is best curbed up front by waking a sleeping student and asking them to step outside with you. Once there faculty often tell students that it’s best for the rest of the class if they return when they are awake enough to be an active participant. This occurs from time to time and you obviously are the one to choose lenience or punitive action. If it’s one of your more regularly involved students, perhaps give them an option of an extra credit research assignment they can bring to your next class period covering the subject matter they missed while they were sleeping.

An alternative approach is to assume that the student does not feel well, was up most of the night with a sick child, or has some other condition that results in sleepiness when still for long periods of time. You might simply choose to wake the student and ask them if they are feeling alright. To pull this off you need to approach it with true concern for the student’s health and well being. Most of the time, student’s are so embarrased and so appreciative of your genuine concern that they don’t let it happen again.

Encourage students to actively participate, take notes (explain that this is helpful to their learning as it stimulates memory in the brain) and in particularly long classes break up the session with activities or paired conversations about a topic to ensure that students stay engaged. Students don’t learn much from listening, so remember that the more they “experience” the learning process the more you are really teaching.
9. Repeated Tardiness: There should be clear parameters set around this issue up front – either in your syllabus or in the class decided norms. Stick to your guns on the policy. Some fair policies might include 3 tardies equals one absence.It might be best to discuss this with students individually; some are habitually late because they are dependant on bus routes or other drivers for transportation to school.
10. Refusal to Participate or Speak We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win situation by either giving the student alternative options to verbal participation (unless it’s a speech class) or simply carefully coaxing some response out of them and praising whatever minimal effort you receive from them. Remember, some students are terrified to be in a class setting –especially if there are round tables rather than desks – allowing for little anonymity.
11. Sexual Innuendo, Flirting, or Other Inappropriate Suggestion This behavior should be curbed as soon as it occurs. It’s never comfortable to tell a student that they aren’t being appropriate and if you are uncomfortable, a short, positive e-mail or phone call might suffice. Your response should be not judgmental and you might discuss it with your department chair or faculty mentor before broaching it with your student.
12. Sharing/Copying Work In some cultures, students work together to produce homework. It may come as a shock to these students that they cannot submit identical work. This may also come as a surprise to couples, parent-child, siblings, or close friends. Be careful to give thought to how you will handle this before you encounter it and react as if it were intentional cheating. This can also occur when the class does a great deal of group work. Make sure you are clear about what is individual vs. group work in your assignments.
13. Plagiarism or Lying

Depending upon the class and the student’s prior knowledge of what plagiarism entails, some faculty issue an automatic F for the first instance, then expulsion from the class with a report to the department chair and division dean on a second instance. Most colleges have specific policies. Be sure to know you college policy before taking action.

Plagiarism should be outlined in your syllabus with a reference for students to the college catalog for more information.
14. Too Much Chit Chat Give 2-minute chat times for groups or before class begins let them know that you have material to be covered and that their talking isn’t helping you achieve your goals for the class. Know too that some students occasionally translate a word or phrase to a tablemate who might not have as strong an understanding of English, be patient and observant when curbing this behavior.
15. Disrespectful Behavior The reality is that sometimes students just plain won’t like you. You will find yourself in a conversation with yourself about why they don’t like you and treat you with disrespect. Animosity will perpetuate itself so remember your role and look for a way to positively invite the student to engage more deeply in the class. Perhaps offer them a special task based on a self-disclosed talent; for instance, a student whose hobby is Origami (Japanese paper folding) might lead a lesson on the art of following instructions.

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Mobile, TLT

How to make a paper towel tripod: DIY tutorial

mckinleysa

Need help filming yourself? No budget for a tripod? Kentucky artist and film teacher Kathleen Lolley and TLT’s Alea McKinley co-created a tutorial to teach you how to make a tripod for your cell phone using a paper towel roll. Safe, social-distancing was practiced during the collaboration.

blippar
Innovative Instruction

TECH TOOL: Augmenting and Customizing Your Textbooks!

Mendi Benigni

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Customizing your Textbooks with AR!

Textbooks are awesome.  Almost everyone uses them.  But sometimes they don’t cover the material in the same way you are or they aren’t as clear, customized or interactive as we wish they were.  However, adding augmented reality, or AR, can take these static textbooks and give them all the customization and interactivity that you and your students need.

BLIPPBUILDER

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With the free BlippBuilder online, faculty, teachers, and students can create their own augmented reality experiences. It’s as easy as:
  1. Take a picture of a textbook page or other item.
  2. Use BlippBuilder to add interactive elements such as images, video or text.
  3. Publish it.
Any user with the Blippar app can then scan the item and access all of the interactive links.
 

Here are some examples:

  • Add a video lecture to a section of the textbook where students have difficulty understanding a concept.
  • Update an outdated section of a textbook with a more current or relevant example.
  • Create solution videos for difficult problems from the textbook that outlines how to solve the problems correctly.
  • Add explanation videos or audio files to poster sessions.
  • Create read-alongs for children’s books for your young students.
  • Add supplemental material to anything to further explain or enhance it.
Really you are only constrained by your own imagination.  

Check out this page on Blippar in the Classroom

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SEE IT IN ACTION

How to CREATE it

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How to VIEW it

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Strengths in 60
Best Practices

Strengths in 60! Strengths Deck

Mendi Benigni

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Tips and Tools for Teaching and Student Success with Clifton Strengths.

This is a new series designed to help instructors and departments on campus incorporate a Clifton Strengths activity in 60 seconds or 60 minutes.  Each strategy provides an opportunity for you and your students or team members to use strengths every day and to create “Moments That Matter” around strengths in the classroom. These strengths teaching and learning strategies are organized as opportunities for engagement, creative applications, assessments, and recognition. Have fun.

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Strengths Deck

Ask students or team members to fill out a 3×5 card with their name (as they would like to be called in the class) on one side of the card. Ask students to include their Top 5 Signature Themes (or strengths) on the other side of the card. Ask students to note the strength(s) they think will serve them most during your class.This activity does several things:

  • First, it provides a classroom name and strengths deck for you.
  • Second, it requires students to know and link their strengths to your class.
  • And finally, it provides opportunities for future conversations as students’ understanding of their strengths and class content evolve.

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By Idahlynn Karre Copyright © 2008 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. Gallup®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, and StrengthsQuest™ are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

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TLT

Flashcards? Yes!

Laura Plotts

Here are two flashcard creation tools as well as information supporting the use of flashcards and their effectiveness.

Recommendation 1: Quizlet

Quizlet offers both free and paid version of its web-based tools and is also available on the App Store and Google Play.

To learn more about this tool go to https://quizlet.com/

And also check out Quizlet Live a free in-class game where students work in teams to learn study sets on Quizlet.  Teams work together to correctly match the terms and definitions in a study set.

Recommendation 2: Brainscape


Brainscape also has free and paid versions. To learn more about this tool go to https://www.brainscape.com/

And here is what Brainscape has to say about flashcards:

Why Flashcards Help Us Learn

1. Flashcards engage “active recall”

When you look at the front side of a flashcard and think of the answer, you are engaging a mental faculty known as active recall. In other words, you are attempting to remember the concept from scratch rather than simply staring at the passage in your textbook or recognizing it on a multiple choice quiz. Active recall has been proven to create stronger neuron connections for that memory trace. And because flashcards can so easily facilitate repetition, they are the best way to create multiple memory-enhancing recall events.

2. Flashcards utilize your metacognitive faculties

When you reveal the answer side of a flashcard to assess your correctness, you are essentially asking yourself “How did my answer compare to this correct answer?” and “How well did I know (or not know) it?” This act of self-reflection is known as metacognition. Research shows that applying metacognition tends to ingrain memories deeper into your knowledge.

3. Flashcards allow for confidence-based repetition

Because flashcards exist loosely, rather than tied to a book or document, you are able to separate them into piles based on whether (or how often) you need to study them again. This practice of confidence-based repetition is proven by decades of research to be the most scientifically optimized way to improve memory performance.

Of course, where possible, you should always try to learn new concepts using project-based learning, or by asking your own questions. But when it comes to studying or reviewing concepts in the most effective way possible, nothing comes close to flashcards. Especially adaptive learning flashcards.

Taken from Cohen, A. (July 25, 2017) The Top 3 Reasons Why Flashcards Are So Effective. Retrieved from https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2011/04/reasons-why-flashcards-are-so-effective/

 

Kahoot Challenge
Classrooms, Distance Ed, instructional technology, iPad, Mobile, Pedagogy

Kahoot! Now Has A New Out-of-Class Feature!

Mendi Benigni

Kahoot mobile screenshotKahoot! is a game-based learning platform that, up until now, could really only be used face-to-face.  But great news, it now has an out-of-class feature as well that can be used for homework or for online courses.  I know many of you teaching online has wanted to use Kahoot! but haven’t been able to.  Well now you can!

The new feature is called Challenge and does require the Kahoot! App to play.  When you (or your students) want to start a Challenge just click on an existing Kahoot! (or you can make a new one) and at the top, click Challenge.  You then set a due date by when the challenge must be completed.  Lastly, you are given a Challenge link and PIN that you then share with your students, either via OAKS, Email, or Google Classroom.  The student really just needs to type in the PIN into the Kahoot! app and they go on with the game as they would in class.  At the end, the instructor can see how everyone in the class did.

The only thing I’m not in love with is that Challenges can’t be done on a computer and most young children (for EHHP) don’t have cell phones or iPads.  For a college classroom this shouldn’t be an issue.

Here’s how it works:

Kahoot! can be used to:

  • Review, revise and reinforce
  • Re-energize and reward
  • Get classroom insights
  • Gather opinions
  • Motivate teamwork
  • Challenge past results
  • Join global classrooms
  • Introduce new topics
  • Great for competitions
(taken from Inspiring Ways to Kahoot! )

Also, as you learned above, there is a new mobile app to make it even easier to join and play!  Check it out on their Mobile app page.

Blind Kahoot
Assessment, discussion, Innovative Instruction, instructional technology, Pedagogy

New Way To Introduce Course Content In Your Classes

Mendi Benigni

Everyone who has ever tried Kahoot loves it.  We love it because it is fun, exciting, and a great way to review material.  However, have you ever tried to use it to introduce new material?  If you haven’t, you may want to take a look at Blind Kahooting.  A Biology teacher names Steph Castle appears to be credited with creating the Blind Kahoot! and it’s actually a pretty genius idea.  It’s using Kahoot! to introduce an entirely new subject, one for which they have little to no knowledge.   

How Does It Work?

The gist is that you follow a template to create your Kahoot! that flows like this:

Q1 – Introductory Question – this question sets the scene and brings the students on board with the topic and/or the main goal.

Q2 – Toughest Question – ask the toughest question you can think of about this topic or goal.  This question, if answered correctly, should demonstrate that the student understood the topic and could move on.   Note: is not just okay that they get the question wrong, it’s expected.  

  • Now, you explain the question and the answer to your students.  This gets you going on the topic or goal.

Q3-? – Reinforcing Questions – Ask a series of questions that will take the students through the topic.  The goal is for them to practice what they’ve just learned.  You will also explain each answer after the question is finished.  Basically you are using these questions to deliver your content and checking for understanding all at the same time.  You may even want to ask the same question several different ways to ensure they are understanding the topic.

Last question – Ask your Toughest Question again. Can also be an application question.  Should combine all the items learned in the Kahoot!

Wash, rinse, repeat – To introduce another topic or part of the topic, start the process all over.

When completely finished, be sure to leave enough time for the students to try to beat their score using Kahoot!’s Ghost Mode.

Resources

There are a ton of great resources and videos to help you through this process.  Here are just a few: