ilt.okanagan.bc.ca

A new resource has been added to  our resource page (thanks to Rick Gee) called Don’t Lecture Me.  This is  a documentary from American RadioWorks which offers a succinct overview of the trend in post-secondary education to move away from lectures to a more learner-centred approach.  It is particularly useful in that it describes the early efforts of physicists to improve learning in their domain.  It also includes resources and a podcast to download.

One issue which intrigued me was that the author of the documentary (Emily Hanford) was inspired to produce this documentary because she had been listening to a podcast of a public lecture given by Carl Weimann about using the tools of science to teach science.  Harford thought it ironic that that the main focus of Weimann’s lecture was about the problem of the traditional lecture.  Here is what she concludes about this irony:

“Lectures are indeed a convenient and common way to convey information. I learned a lot from his lecture.

But, two things.

First, I was really interested in what Wieman had to say so I was motivated to listen carefully for 90 minutes. The problem with traditional college lectures is that a lot of the students are not going to be interested and motivated to learn. In the past, it was only the people who were motivated and interested who ended up really learning the material, and becoming experts. They read the textbook, went to the professor for help; they learned it on their own. The physicists I interviewed told me this is how they learned.

Now that more people need to know more about science and be more “expert-like” in their thinking, schools and teachers need to think of new ways to get students motivated and interested enough to learn.

Second, I didn’t really process that much of what Wieman said the first time around. I later listened to the entire lecture again and took detailed notes. I re-read those notes several times while making the documentary. And to write this essay, I watched the lecture again and took new notes.

So in fact, Wieman’s lecture was not a very effective way for me to learn; it’s what I did with that lecture that made the difference.”

It’s the first day of class after the Easter long weekend, and I have a scheduled peer observation first thing in the morning. I’ve been warned that the accounting class I would be sitting in on was “not too exciting”. ‘I’ wasn’t ready to be back in the swing of things and I was curious on how the students’ enthusiasm would be after the extra-long weekend in a “not too exciting” class.  I sat in and observed the class of an instructor I know and admire.  She was actually a sub in one of my courses years ago and now she’s a teacher.  I remember her and how she was very forthright and commanded a room.  Well, things haven’t changed much. 

She still directs a room, but in a very subtle and endearing way.  This class was learning a lesson on a program that can be very dry and boring.  However, it’s a lesson that’s required in this program for the students to succeed.  This instructor did manage to get a laugh first thing in the morning by commenting “I know this subject isn’t your favorite…”, but she made it clear that it’s a large portion of skills that they will be required to know. The instructor even commented to me “isn’t it riveting.”

She had her projection screen displaying the morning’s program as well as notes on the board of today’s lecture along with a few boxes drawn with abbreviations of the day’s topic.  Alongside, was a drawing of a rabbit’s face reading “happy to see you all.” (Easter, Rabbit..that was cute)  This class was focused and ready to learn.  No chit chat and visiting…like I said this instructor commands a room. 

She made notes on the board, while she was discussing the lesson.  She used the students’ names when using examples for the discussion, it was all very engaging.  She continually walked around the class to make sure that all the students were on the same page by helping those that perhaps would not want to bring attention to themselves.  (The age group in the classroom was very diverse.) She led the way through a project and then had the students enter information on their own; all the while she continued to walk around the classroom checking on everyone.  I found her delivering many learning styles and using many different teaching tools, ie..projection screen, whiteboard, and a video before I had to leave.

Her demeanor and composure instructed attention and respect; all the while as she had a smile on her face and then did a little dance to convey that this very dry program was coming to an end.  From what I witnessed today, she really likes her students and they really like her. 

I don’t need to become a best buddy and have them rolling off  their seats in laughter, I need them attentive, respectful, and engaged and after witnessing how it’s done properly, I know I can do it.

I recently spent the morning in a classroom with one of the instructors from Construction Trades. This program in particular is a foundation program with a good mix of mature and dual credit (high school) students. This program provides entry level training for the carpentry trade, including skills training, safety, and practical knowledge.

The classroom setting is relaxed and informal. It reminds me of the lunch shack on a jobsite in the morning. Most students are on time, with the straggler being ribbed in a good natured way. The morning lesson is based on a practical project currently being worked on, and students are working in groups to come to a decision on a concrete volume based on their project. There is good use of multimedia, (DVD, Power Point). Given the hands-on nature of trades training, it is hard not to be learner-centered. I felt as though I came away from the mornings observations with some new strategies on how to explain volume calculations. I liked the way the instructor had an ease with all of the students, and will try and emulate that as much as possible. The lesson ended with a review of what was learned, and the answering of any questions pertaining to the practical project as the class was heading outside to work on it. I enjoyed a chance to sit at the back, and see an instructor work with his class.

I had the opportunity to sit in on a number of classes while I was offshore during a special project. The class was an industry related “Type Rating course” that was presented under conditions that were not the most ideal. The instructor was presenting the course in English and it was being translated and delivered by a translator into Spanish. While working in third world countries, not all of the technological advances are available that we sometimes take for granted here. An overhead projector was the most advanced teaching aid available and the instructor used it to his greatest advantage.

This instructor demonstrated learner-centered instruction continuously throughout the three week course. The group that he was presenting to were highly experienced people and there were many great discussions initiated by the instructor and thoroughly investigated by the students. Daily he drew on the student’s knowledge and involved the entire class to the fullest possible extent. Humor was one of his strong points and as experience shows sometimes things are lost in translation but he seemed to be intuitive about misinterpretations and would bring the points through that often resulted in a hearty laugh. Every day, he would involve every student –  an approach which motivated his students and encourage their participation.  Not having all of the fancy technological innovations did not seem to hinder him when it came to being successful in his attempt to deliver learner-centered instruction.

There are days when I feel somewhat overwhelmed with the requirements of delivering my particular course, reflecting back on the above experience brings home to me that learner-centered instruction comes from the heart and not from all of the toys that we have at our disposal. Technology is nice to have but is not absolutely necessary. Involvement, humor, enthusiasm, motivation, knowledge  and a desire to teach is what  provides the recipe for success.

I observed a colleague in RV Service Technician program. I have observed this instructor’s teaching many times, you could say, because many years ago he taught me as I entered into the trade!

The thing that stands out for me is his passion to teach and help others learn, not only for the various subjects but for the students as well.  This is one the reasons why I was motivated to want to start a career in teaching and to continue to learn new things and improve continually.  In almost every class, the instruction and classroom environment was an excellent example of a learner-centeredness.  

The class I observed was a review for the students’ final exams. Right from the start, the instructor hooked or grabbed the attention of the class into the day’s lesson with a light joke and short humorous video clip and then an overview of the day’s review.  The instructor kept the whole class very learner-centered.   It was very evident that this was a close knit group and the instructor not only allowed but encouraged conversation for discussion and review. I enjoyed seeing so many of the students asking the instructor for advice as well as helping one another and using their own problem solving skills to become more proficient with their own knowledge of the various subjects at hand.  The instructor had a great rapport with the students and praised each student as they showed their understanding. The instructors asked a number of review questions and from the responses given, all students were able to feel more confident in preparation for the upcoming exam. 

This classroom observation has inspired me with the desire to include a number approaches in my own teaching and  classroom: 

• find my own way to show my passion to teach and help others learn,
• find a common ground and to build a deeper rapport with every class to put the students at ease. This would help reduce the formal teaching environment and make for an enjoyable experience,
• encourage group discussion in the same manner as my colleague,
• finally, as I enjoyed how the students were able to feel they could approach the instructor with any type of question, I, in turn, want my students to know the same and that my door is always open.

I had the pleasure of observing an amazing woman teach her first class of the session.  The instructor met each student at the door with a “Hi, how are you?” making them feel welcome and that she was glad they were there.  The class started right on time with the instructor giving a quick review of her qualifications; next she went around the classroom and introduced each student by name, impressing everyone with her memory.  I was then introduced, making it clear that I was there to observe the instructor not the students.

The first part of the session is all theory which can be a bit boring but the instructor gave enough of her real life experience to make things interesting.  The instructor showed a video, used an overhead projector and the textbook they were given.  The students were engaged and asked questions and were having a great time while learning. Before the lunch break the instructor did a quick recap of the morning making sure she asked each student a simple question.

During the lunch break the instructor sat with the students talking and getting to know them. During this break she found out that a student had firsthand experience on one of her topics and asked if he would be comfortable talking in front of the class, which he did. She did a great job of adapting her class to accommodate this unexpected discussion.

The afternoon was spent with students using their knowledge in situations. The instructor kept the class running smoothly even though it could have gotten out of control easily. The students worked in groups with the instructor right beside them giving advice and helping them if they needed it. The class almost ended on time but the students were having such a great time that they honestly wouldn’t let her leave.

The instructor did a quick verbal assessment at the end of class. She also told the students to each write down any questions they had and at the beginning of the next class they would review what they had learned.

The instructor made the students feel comfortable and was so engaging that I believe the students forgot they were actually learning something useful.  I learned so much from her and can only hope my students have as much fun learning as hers.

CONCLUSION:

The first class of my next session I am going to be meeting my students at the door, finding out their names and then introducing them to the rest of the class. You would think that something so simple wouldn’t make such a big impact on the class but it did. The students felt like a person and not just a number. I’m also going to do a quick review at the end of every class just to make sure we are all on the same page and going in the right direction. The absolute best thing this instructor did was being confident and being able to adjust her content as she went along, example: when the instructor found out a student had some knowledge that could benefit the entire class she gave up some of her time to let the student speak. I am going to be more flexible with my content and focus on being more specific with what information I am teaching so that I can know the information just as well as this instructor did.

My peer observation choice came quite easy to me as the instructor I chose has been involved in instructing for several more years than I and has had, in my opinion, good outcomes with the students throughout the years I have been there.

The class starts out with (we’ll call him Jim) taking attendance then engaging the students in discussions about the last nights homework, which happens to be Blueprint reading. As Jim goes through the readings he is sure to emphasize the key areas, in this case the weld symbol, to the students and asks, at several points, if they understand why these may be more important to us as welders. As in most of our classes there are the key few that will have an answer while the others wait for it. Jim continues on to describe the difference between a weld symbol (a part of)and a welding symbol(the whole of) and how they can be used in various ways to tell us the different welding procedures or techniques we  will need to employ to successfully complete the weld. As part of the lesson Jim then asks individuals to come up and on the board draw symbols that were described in their text. This is always entertaining as drawing skills are varied and interpretation somewhat skewed. In wrapping up the exercise Jim draws on the board their next welding practical exercise for the shop and has them decipher the welding symbol as a group before heading back into the shop to perform the required task. In this particular instance the task was a single vee butt joint with a 75 degree included angle to be welded full penetration in the vertical position using 6010 electrode for the root pass then fill and cap with 7018 electrode.

Today I had the privilege of observing a professor that I have team taught with and admire. This professor comes very well prepared to every class, uses minimal powerpoints and when he does they are very well done and incorporates a great deal of humour in his classes. He is very well respected by students, faculty and administration.

Provides Instructional Context – he told the class what he would be covering, covered the material and summarized the key concepts to conclude the session. In our pre-discussion, he let me know what his learning goals and objectives were for the lesson and the 3 key concepts he wanted to drive that day.

He used the class to help deliver the content with snappy questions. He commanded and received full attention of the students because he was brief, fast and deliberately varied his speed and tonality.

Effective learner-centred strategies – His use of jokes, rudimentary pictures, voice intonation, movement around the class and class involvement (questions) were the tactics observed. He also understands being prepared and respectful are huge engagers.

Peer Observation Approach

- Preparing for the observation – We prepared for the observation, discussing the desired outcomes of the observation, the introduction to students and where I would sit, participation expectations etc.

- Observing – took place from the back of the room without interruption. The professor requested a self-introduction and learning objectives for the observation session. He ensured it felt natural and un-intrusive.

- Debriefing – The debriefing was mostly to thank and provide feedback to the professor of my key observations of his style, learner-centred environment along with questions. The questions led to my learning that his tone and speed were very deliberately varied to emphasize points, keep engagement and came from his formal media training. He also astounded me with the amount of preparation time he spent in reviewing his notes, contemplating his examples, visual aids (whiteboard rudimentry drawing), jokes and rehearsal of his lecture. And here I thought he was just that natural!

Reflection and application

I learned a great deal from the pre and post discussion as well as the observation (perhaps more). This professor is good because he focuses on the right things to do, does them well because he practices and does not waste time on inefficient use of time or things that do not have maximum pay-off.

From this, I will take more thought and time into my prep, think about areas of emphasis and different ways to achieve this (tone, speed, music, movement, activities)…attempt to be more of a performer versus lecturer or teacher in the traditional sense. Use my skills (which is not humour) to be more human and relate better to the students in my own style.